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Lucia dos Santos, the seer of Fatima is today over 90 years old. She is a Carmelite nun and lives in Portugal. She was born on March 22 1907,baptized on March 30th. She was the youngest child of António and Maria Rosa dos Santos. Maria Rosa dos Santos was vigilant about her children’s training. She taught them their catechism, and by her example, to always be truthful. By her example, other mothers in the parish learned integrity. Since her reputation for honesty was well known, her opinions were influential. When a zealous new priest was placed in the parish and from his pulpit attacked the custom of public dancing; Maria Rosa forbade her children to dance. When someone remarked that up to now dancing was the custom and how could it now be considered a sin; Maria Rosa answered I don’t know. All I know is that the priest does not want dancing, so my daughters are not going to such gatherings any more."The custom gradually died out in that parish. This was to be only a small example of change during the childhood years of Lucia. Lucia had a golden childhood with all the attention and affection of parents and siblings. She was the center of their attention. During the time of the apparitions, she would also be the center of their attention, but for a far different reason. Lucia was allowed by a priest to receive Holy First Communion at the early age of six. This is because she had learned her catechism so well. The evening before her First Communion, Lucia and her mother went to the church where the priests were hearing confessions of the children. They were waiting in front of the Blessed Sacrament, Maria Rosa gave Lucia some last instructions and then Lucia went to confession. Afterwards Lucia knelt in front of the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and felt overwhelmed with a joy. The next morning, Lucia kissed her parents and left for the church. Her mother explained what to say to Our Lord at communion. “Above all, ask Him to make you a saint." From the springtime of 1917, when the apparitions at Fatima became made known to first the families of the seers; then to the world in general, Lucia’s life changed. She both obtained many graces from Heaven and many crosses. Her family at first disbelieved that she had seen the Immaculate Queen of Heaven. Her position of favorite in the family was turned upside down. In fact the whole family suffered crosses in direct relationship to the favors granted by Heaven. In her book Lucia explains both aspects of Heaven’s attention: graces and crosses. Page 158: "As she pronounced these last words". the grace of God will be your comfort. Our Lady opened her hands for the first time, communicating to us a light so intense that, as it streamed from her hands, its rays penetrated our hearts and the innermost depths of our souls, making us see ourselves in God, Who was that light, more clearly than we see ourselves in the best of mirrors. Then moved by an interior impulse that was also communicated to us, we fell on our knees, repeating in our hearts: O most Holy Trinity, I adore You! My God, my God, I love You in the most Blessed Sacrament!" Alternately, on page 73, Lucia describes some of the crosses: "In the intimacy of my own family, there was fresh trouble, and the blame for this was thrown on me. The Cova da Iria was a piece of land belonging to my parents. In the hollow, it was more fertile, and there we cultivated maize, greens, peas and other vegetables. On the slopes grew olive trees, oaks, and holm oaks. Now, ever since the people began to go there, we had been unable to cultivate anything at all. Everything was trampled on. As the majority came mounted, their animals ate up all they could find and wrecked the whole place. My mother bewailed her loss: You, now, she said to me, when you want something to eat, go and ask the Lady for it! My sisters chimed in with: Yes, you can have what grows in the Cova da Iria!" "These remarks cut me to the heart, so much so that I hardly dared to take a piece of bread to eat. But in spite of this, mother that she was, she then tried to revive my failing strength. She was full of concerns when she saw me so thin and pale, and feared I might fall sick. Poor mother! Now, indeed, that I understand what her situation really was, how sorry I feel for her! Truly, she was right to judge me unworthy of such a favour, and therefore to think I was lying." "By a special grace from Our Lord, I never experienced the slightest thought or feeling of resentment regarding her manner of acting towards me. As the Angel had announced that God would send me sufferings, I always saw the hand of God in it all. The love, esteem and respect which I owed her, went on increasing, just as though I were most dearly cherished. And now, I am more grateful to her for having treated me like this, than if she had continued to surround me with endearments and caresses." In 1935, Lucia as requested by her Bishop wrote what was made into the book "Fatima in Lucia’s own words. Her literary qualities are described in the foreword of the book Page 10: " "she succeeds in writing what she wants to write, and even if domestic work momentarily distracts her, she continues her writing without interrupting either a coherent narrative or the logic of her reflections. Something like that would not be possible without great mental composure." In the epilogue of her book Lucia tells us "Not a few people have expressed considerable surprise at the memory that God has deigned to give me. In this matter indeed I have, through His infinite goodness, been quite favored in every respect. Where supernatural things are concerned, this is not to be wondered at, for these are imprinted on the mind in such a way that it is almost impossible to forget them. At least, the meaning of what is made known is never forgotten, unless it be that God also wills that this too be forgotten". It is generally thought that Lucia is writing another book, and some believe that she will be alive for the warning of the last days of the old earth.
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