Why did Francisco have to say many rosaries first?

I have always been intrigued by our Lady's statement at Fatima that Francisco would have to say many rosaries first!

13 May 1917

"Do not be afraid, I will not harm you."

"I come from heaven."

"I have come to ask you to come here for six months on the 13th day of the month, at this same hour. Later I shall say who I am and what I desire. And I shall return here yet a seventh time."

Lucia then asked if they would go to heaven and she was told yes, she and Jacinta would go to heaven, but Francisco would need to say many rosaries first.

Any thoughts on this?

 

I notice at many apparition sites were Our Lady appears to a number of people at the same time that there is different levels of perception. Some have it all. They see Our Lady they hear her, they talk to her , they answer her.

Some see but do not hear. Some see but do not hear and so on.I think the key to this may lie in the words of Jesus at Nazareth, when He could not work any miracles;

Matthew 13:58

He didn’t work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

When we have Faith we are like children and can see, that is why Our Lady always seems to choose the little ones and children when she comes, like the peasant at Guadalupe.

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

The kids and little ones have no problem with Our Lady turning up on their doorstep (as a rule) it is the wise ones in the light of this world who stumble and fall.

That is why Francisco could not see the Lady. He had grown old too quick. People for instance very often pass Christmas by. A child will seldom do so.

But by saying the rosary Francisco become young again and could see.

 

Perhaps the best example of this is the Eucharist. The little ones look and see the Body of Christ. Most only see a piece of Bread. Some are little and have the eyes of Faith . Others are too old to see.

1. Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

2. Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.

3. On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

4. I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

5. O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

6. Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran---
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

7. Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory's sight.
Amen.

 

Bedridden from November of 1918 on, Francisco wanted above all to receive Communion before he died. Early one morning, one of his older sisters went to knock at the door of Lucia’s home. Francisco had taken a turn for the worse, and was asking to see her.

Lucia entered Francisco’s room, and the two were left alone. “I’m going to make my Confession, in order to receive Communion and die,” Francisco told her. “I want you to tell me whether you saw me commit any sins, and then go and ask Jacinta if she saw me commit any.”

“You disobeyed your mother sometimes,” Lucia told him, “when she told you to stay home and you left the house.”

“It’s true, I have that one. Now go and ask Jacinta if she can remember any others.”

Lucia went to Jacinta’s bedside, to do as he asked. She returned with Jacinta’s report:

“Once, before Our Lady came, you stole a tostão [coin worth 10c-25c] from your father, to buy a harmonica . . . And one time you joined in when boys were throwing stones at each other.”

“I already confessed those,” Francisco replied. “But I will confess them again. Perhaps it’s because of those sins I committed that Our Lord is so sad. But even if I weren’t to die, I would never commit them again. I am sorry now.”

The pastor came to Francisco’s room that day to hear his Confession, and brought him Communion the following day. And the day after, April 4, 1919, Francisco saw shining light by the door.

 

On a particular night, Mr. Marto (Francisco's father) awoke to the sounds of sobbing coming from Francisco’s room. He tiptoed across the house, oil lamp in hand, and found his son with his head buried in his pillow, trying to muffle his crying. Asked if he was in pain, Francisco answered that he was crying because “God is so sad, on account of so many sins that people commit all the time.”

“I felt myself seized by a profound respect for my son,” commented the father years later. “How great is the power of God!” Great things were going on with his children. Francisco had been granted an understanding of sin, and of the effects of sin, beyond that of many a learned theologian. He expressed that understanding in terms of the sadness of God, and always in the present tense: “God is so sad

 

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The pure in heart shall see God; but they shall also see themselves. Which can be quite a kicker.

Hence the Dark Night.

 

I think one of the things about the likes of Our Lady St Joseph, the saints and even the great angels is that they are like little children. I know this seems incredible but it is quite true. The last shall be first and the first, last. This part5icularly struck me on looking at St Joe. But it is true of St Michael and it is true of them all. It always astonishes me and delights.

You can see it on the saints down here on Earth.

Think of the holiest person you ever saw here on Earth and I bet you you are thinking of someone who resembles a child.

 

For the evil it is the exact opposite. They are not children at all. They are full of themselves. Their heads, so to speak, being right stuck up their asses.

 

The Portuguese refer to Pope Francis as Papa Francisco, maybe this was some sort of sign.

 

I always wondered why Blessed Mother said Francisco would have to say many Rosaries. But not the girls.

But when you think about it. In the Fatima film, it shows Francisco grabbing Jacinthas apron and running off with it to tease her, and she got very upset with what he did. Then in the post above we are told his sins (poor Francisco) with the whole world able to see his personal sins. One sin is, he had stolen and the second sin, he had defied his mother and disobeyed what she asked him to do.
Maybe he was too young to realise he was breaking at least two of the Commandments. We could all learn from his publicised sins, and be more careful in our own faults and failings.

There is an article in Spirit Daily today about the Fatima children. It says Francisco saw deamons or devil things after the apparitions. I had never read that before. Do any of you know where that is recorded in any of the books or pamphlets published about Fatima.

Makes me wonder why the boy who was not initially able to see Blessed Mother should see the evil one later. I know Francisco is a little saint; but it would be interesting to hear if it was true about him seeing the baddies as well as seeing Our Lady.

 

Men and women tread a
different path.


Adam the man.

Eve the woman.

Jesus the man.

Mary the woman.


That's all |I have to know.....and I trust to God for the rast

 

Does that mean Pope Francis is ok.

I would love to know if Francisco did see demons or whatever, poor little chap. I only read it today, and don't know if it is true.

 

Everything happens for a reason. The first thing the Virgin Mary showed the children was Hell. This was to show to the world the reality of it as the world began to lose it's belief in Hell as a real place. I think Francisco's situation was to show the world that Hell is not only real, but that it is much more difficult to enter Heaven than people think. In my opinion this was most likely to counter the modern popular belief that "everyone goes to Heaven except Hitler."

The idea that a good little boy like Francisco would have to say many Rosaries to make it to Heaven is is a very frightening proposition indeed. Many, many Saints have told us the great multitudes that go to Hell. I have never heard of one Saint who said few go to Hell and most everyone goes to Heaven.

It is my personal belief that this is what was being shown to us by Our Lady's statement to Francisco.

 

The children had a great horror of sin.
Something most of us lack.Probably all of us.
The main intention to make the Five First Satudays is to pray with the intention of making reparation.
To console Our Lady.
Like the children, to have some sense on the gravity of sin and need to amend our lives.

 

I suppose if Our Lady showed him hell, he must have seen demons as well. I think of souls in hell as demons and the fallen Angels as devils.

 

Yes, Padraig. What the article in Spirit Daily said was. The children had seen demons in hell as well as poor souls. But Francisco told I think Lucia that he had seen a demon later after the apparitions as well. I had never heard that before. And still wonder if it is true.

 

I think people who have mystical experiences like Seeing Our Lady pull back some kind of curtain to the other side and the curtain stays pulled back the rest of their lives.

They start to see lots of things.

 

I posted this link on another thread a while ago http://www.messengersaintanthony.com/content/story-fatima
It includes an interview from 2003 with Jacinta and Francisco's older brother. He wasn't at the Cova for the miracle of the sun and didn't believe in the apparitions until Francisco and Jactinta died.

When asked how he felt about the beatification of his siblings, he said that he was pleased and a little worried. In his own words:
"If Francisco, who was so kind and good, had to recite so many rosaries to get to heaven, what penance would I, a sinner, have to do?"

This worries me too.

 

Then this must be true of you, Padraig.

 

Dolours, Thank you for reposting this article, it is very, very good.