1. Sister Mary-Lucy of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart speaks to confirm our faith

This book is presented by Sister Lucy herself as an answer to the questions that she has been asked:

« I address this to all those who have faith and also to all who have not the happiness of possessing this gift of God, because we are all pilgrims on our way to eternity, whether we know it or not. I have received countless letters containing a great many questions and requests. » Especially concerning the Third Secret and the consecration of Russia.

« I should have liked to be able to reply to each one separately, but as this was not possible… » For what reason? Sister Lucy does not say why, but one only has to read Brother Francis’ book [John Paul I: The Pope of the Secret (JPI) Volume IV of The Whole Truth about Fatima] to be able to understand: because she is forbidden to do so (JPI, pp. 65, 238 ff.).

« … I am replying now to all in general with “Calls from the Message of Fatima”, which God chose to entrust to me on behalf of all. » This last declaration brushes aside the distinction “public revelation” – “private revelation”, dear to Cardinal Ratzinger. The “Calls from the Message of Fatima” are for « all », in the same way as the Gospels, the Epistles of St. Paul or the Book of the Apocalypse.

« I do so in the conviction that this is God’s will, recognised as such by legitimate authority », that is to say by the authority of the hierarchy.

In writing the preface to the book, Mgr Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva, the Bishop of Leira-Fatima, did indeed write:

« The author of this work is Sister Lucy (Sister Mary-Lucy of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart to give her full religious name), who is so well known that there is no need for a preliminary word of introduction. » This is somewhat on the short side! There would however be much to say, especially to those who already know her and love her! This for example: « Sister Lucy is an extraordinary woman, strong and trustworthy; she has the calibre of a country woman and an amazing memory. » This is how the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, Albino Luciani spoke of her, after having met with the seer in the parlor. He also said:

« She speaks with short, broken phrases, which go straight to the heart of problems and events. She is seventy years old, and yet she retains the freshness of a young girl. Her eyes are clear. She is simple, spontaneous, calm and smiling. She lives as though she were the last of the Carmelites. She speaks with an open heart, without searching for her words; she is profoundly convinced of what she is saying, and she says it with passion. »

We shall see this in reading her book. For she is indeed its author. We can believe the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima: « Nevertheless, in order to avoid any doubts or misunderstandings, I wish to assure readers of this book that it was her idea and was written by her. » Mgr Ferreira knows that we have thousands of reasons to be wary, ever since her superiors required her to sign apocryphal letters. (JPI, p. 453).

She therefore wanted to write this book. Not on her own initiative, be quite assured of this, but entrusted with a mission, a message from Heaven, as she had just said, « in the conviction that this is God’s will, recognised as such by legitimate authority »

« … and I offer for all the sacrifice that this work will require of me ». What sacrifice? That of her own insights, even supernatural ones, sacrificed to obedience, to the judgement of her superiors and to their will. « It is very enlightening, writes Brother Francis, for understanding Sister Lucy’s attitude, to recall the warning of Our Lord to Saint Margaret-Mary: « I am pleased that you prefer the will of your superiors to mine, when they prevent you from doing what I order you to do. Let them do whatever they want with you; I will find a way for my plans to succeed, even through means that may seem opposed and contradictory to them.” »

Sister Lucy continues :

« It is not an interpretation of the Message; this pertains to God’s Church. Neither is it an historical account of the Apparitions, as this is already known to you. Many authors have told the story better than I could ever have done, and it is contained in many books that have been spread throughout the world. »

Among them, the works of our Brother Francis and of his predecessor Brother Michael of the Holy Trinity, of our Sister Frances of the Holy Dove, which have been accepted as reference works.

« All I wish to do is to reply to the questions, and clarify the doubts, that have been put to me. »

How? By means already used by Our Lord with St. Margaret-Mary, means which seem opposed and contradictory to His plans, since Sister Lucy omits a good part of what she had received as her mission to reveal to the world: the great Secret of 13 July 1917, the reparatory devotion of the five First Saturdays, the request for the Russia’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. « For, Brother Francis writes, by forcing the holy Carmelite to neglect significant elements of Our Lady’s message, her directors have prepared, without knowing it, the triumph of the Fatima cause. For, the heroic patience of Sister Lucy and her unfailing obedience to those who represent and who are for her the Authority of the Holy Church, from her prioress and her confessor up to the reigning Pope, bring a new proof of the supernatural origin of the apparitions, visions, interior locutions, to which she gave witness in the past. »

Her silence on these burning issues accuses the aforementioned superiors, bishops and Popes, of ill will.

Her heroic obedience accuses their disobedience.

One conclusion is certain : undoubtedly, « all the requests she addressed to her directors, to the Bishops of Fatima and the Popes themselves, were and still are today, authentic requests from the Queen of Heaven and earth » (JPI, p. 492-493).

WORDS OF A WOMAN INSPIRED

Nevertheless, they are constantly on her mind when she writes. These requests show through on every page as we will see in reading her carefully. May we follow her recommendation:

« Please do not look upon this communication as something that comes from myself. Look upon it, rather as the echo of the voice of God, and let us all willingly endeavour to follow faithfully the path that He has mapped out for us. »

This « path », we know, is the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But Sister Lucy does not specify this… Not through an oversight. Through obedience.

« Yes, because it was out of love that God sent us this pressing call from His mercy, in order to help us along the way of our eternal salvation. »

She had read this word “mercy”, written in crystalline letters that were formed by the trickle of water running down from the left arm of the luminous Cross in the vision of Tuy… of which she is forbidden to speak.

Therefore, she quotes the Gospel:

« “I am the Way; I am the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14.6): said the Lord to his Apostles, and also to us. Those who follow the Way of the Truth, who is the Word of God, follow Jesus Christ, and have within them the Source of life. Again, it is Our Lord who has told us: « The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and Life. It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” (Jn 6.63) So it is with my eyes fixed on the Way of Truth… »,

that is to say, on this very Jesus Christ whom she saw nailed to the luminous Cross at Tuy,

« that I shall endeavour to explain the Message to you exactly as God entrusted it to me, and gave me to understand what it means and to which souls it is addressed. »

Who are these souls? Further on, we will learn that they are « the souls that are making their way to God ». This expression, the very one which concludes the Third Secret, is going to turn up several times like a refrain that informs us that Sister Lucy’s book is a commentary on the great Secret of 13 July 1917, but between the lines, without saying it overtly.

« I would ask you, therefore, not to pay any attention to the poverty and ignorance of the instrument which God chooses to use, because He is in the habit of choosing poor and useless instruments to accomplish the works of His power, knowledge and wisdom. This will be yet another proof He is giving you that the work is His and not mine. » (Calls, p. 35)

The solemnity of this warning cannot be sufficiently stressed. An inspired author, of the Old or the New Testament, would not speak otherwise.

Moreover, it can be said that Sister Lucy entered her career as a « prophet » at the age of ten, on 13 October 1917, according to Doctor Carlos Mendes’ testimony. He took her into his arms to carry her through the crowd that was withdrawing in good order after contemplating the miracle of the sun:

« My shoulder became the first platform from which she preached the message that Our Lady of the Rosary had just entrusted her with. With great enthusiasm and great faith, she cried out: “Do penance! Do penance! Our Lady wants you to do penance. If you do penance, the war will end...” She appeared inspired... It was really impressive to hear her. Her voice had a certain intonation, like the voice of a great prophet. » (Sister Frances, pp. 275-276)

In her sixth Memoir, Sister Lucy writes on the same tone, not being afraid of comparing herself to the patriarch Isaac, father of a great nation: « While I write, I remember the story of Abraham and of his son Isaac. The latter was climbing up the mountain, loaded with the bundle of wood that would serve for his sacrifice, but he did not suspect this, and God sent him a ram to replace him for the holocaust, and He made him the father of renowned and numerous descendants.

« I as well carried the wood, [that of « a large Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with its bark », carried as a heavy secret], and God also gave me a numerous posterity [all the « souls that were making their way to God » by going on pilgrimage to Fatima], not according to nature, flesh and blood, but according to God’s grace and blessing and the motherly protection of our Mother of Heaven.

« My posterity is numerous, scattered throughout the world. From those far-flung regions they call me, they hold out an imploring hand to me; those far-off children are asking me for God’s blessing, Our Lady’s protection, the cure for their illness, comfort in their anguish, strength in their life’s fights and light to illuminate their way. There are the descendants that God has granted me; we are united, not by bonds of nature, but by those of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. St. Paul said it to us in those words: «It is in one Spirit that we all have been baptised, in order to create one body; Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, we all have quenched our thirst of one Spirit.” (1 Co 12, 13)

« It is this Spirit who makes the whole earth fruitful, who makes the entire human being bear fruit, who transforms all of us into sons of the same Father who is the eternal, immense and immortal God, who makes us all participate in His immortality. All those who are seeking the Lord enter his posterity… and you who are united to us in this same Spirit of faith, hope and love, you who come from so far, or from very near, and who pass through this poor house, so modest a house as this [ the house of the dos Santos in Aljustrel ], you are repeating the echo of voices of those who preceded us, working, praying and singing, and now, in Heaven, they sing the new Canticle of thanksgiving and praise of our only God, our true Saviour. » (Sixth Memoir, p. 96-97)

Let us listen to Sister Lucy. Before enumerating the twenty “Calls from the Message of Fatima”, Sister Lucy presents, in a first part, entitled “In the presence of God”, the “families of the little shepherd children” and the “Guardian Angel”.

Taken from He is Risen n° 12, August 2003, p. 3-5