Fatima

Chapter 62: Stay Loyal

October 12, 1917, 6 am - 11 am

Santos Residence, Aljustrel, Fatima, Ourém, Beira Litoral Province, Portugal

It's almost the day which the Lady from Heaven will show Her miracle to the people in order to prove that She visibly appeared to the three shepherd children. On the day before the next and last apparition, the Santos family and the Marto family are extremely worried. On the morning of the twelfth day of October 1917, Senhora Maria Rosa's so panic-stricken as she jumps off her bed, runs to Lucia's room, and pleads her to go to Confession.

"Lucia! Lucia!" Senhora Maria Rosa called her daughter as she quickly runs and enters Lucia's room.

"Yes, Mother, what is it?" Lucia asked her mother, Senhora Maria Rosa.

"We must go to Confession. We're going to be killed by a mob tomorrow if this miracle won't happen," Senhora Maria Rosa said as she begs Lucia to go with her to Confession in the Parish Church of Fatima.

" If you want to go to Confession, mother, then I'll go with you," Lucia calmly agreed to go with her mother. "However, I'm not afraid of their threats. I am positive that the Lady will fulfill Her promise tomorrow."

"It seems that Lucia isn't really afraid of the mob's threats," Senhora Maria Rosa thought in mind. After that, nothing more is said about confession. 

6 am - 11 am

Marto Residence, Aljustrel, Fatima, Ourém, Beira Litoral Province, Portugal

Things are different in Marto Residence compared to the things happened before the apparitions. However, Ti Marto isn't scared of their threats as he continuously believes on the apparitions as well as the testimonies of his two children and his niece. While working, he remembers how the Pastor of Porto de Mós interrogated and attacked the three shepherd children few days ago, days before the Lady's sixth and final apparition.

(flashback)

The Pastor of Porto de Mós came to the village of Fatima in order to contradict the three shepherd children in everything they have seen during the apparitions of the Lady from Heaven. One day, he questioned Francisco in the rectory.

"Listen, Francisco, why don't you admit to everyone that the apparitions are fakes and lies? I know that you didn't see this Lady that you three are talking about," the priest asked Francisco as he tried to insist him on telling the truth. However, Francisco didn't answer his question. So, the Pastor of Porto de Mós continued questioning him until it got to nowhere.

"This priest is like the other attackers who didn't believe in the apparitions," Ti Marto, who was also there in the questioning, thought in mind. When his questions got to nowhere, he let Francisco go, and decided to talk to Lucia and Jacinta who weren't present in the questioning at the rectory.

"Where is Lucia and her cousin, Jacinta? I want to talk to them now," the Pastor of Porto de Mós asked them.

"They had gone to Boleiros in order to bring home some lime, Father," Ti Marto replied. From that moment, the priest becomes impatient as he couldn't wait for them to return. So, he went after them with the older brother of Francisco, John Marto. After they brought the Lucia and Jacinta to the rectory, he began to force them to deny their everything they had seen in the apparitions, otherwise he'll do something drastic.

"Listen, Lucia, you must admit to me that all of these apparitions are just fakes and inventions made up by you three. Even if you keep your mouth shut, I'll say to the public that it's a fake and I'll have it spread everywhere in the country as well as the whole world, and you won't say anything," the Pastor of Porto de Mós threatened Lucia as he forced her to admit. However, Lucia didn't defend nor say anything. Ti Marto, Lucia's uncle, spoke up.

"The best thing for you to do is to use a telegraph in order for you spread it everywhere," Ti Marto said.

"That's exactly what we should do! Not a single soul will come to the Cova da Iria on the thirteenth day of October," the Pastor of Porto de Mós triumphantly said. 

"That's right, Father, this kind of apparition story is nothing but a witchcraft or a work of Satan," the man with the priest said. Ti Marto became angry after hearing what he said. His anger made Jacinta quickly left the room because she abhorred any display of anger.

"If you're willing to do that, leave the children alone. No one will stop you from what you please, Father," Ti Marto angrily said. After that, he took Lucia and John home. As they left office, the Pastor of Porto de Mós wasn't satisfied.

"Let's follow them to their home; I haven't asked Jacinta yet. She quickly left the office when her father got angry at us. We must follow them," the Pastor of of Porto de Mós said to his companion as he wasn't satisfied. After that, they quickly left the office and secretly followed them to their home. When they reached the Marto Residence, they saw Jacinta sitting on a porch combing one of her female friend's hair. 

"There's Jacinta, you must ask her at once," his companion said as they go to Jacinta.

"Jacinta, don't you want to tell us anything about these 'fake apparitions of the Lady from Heaven?'" the Pastor of Porto de Mós asked Jacinta. "Lucia told me the whole story. She finally confessed to me; everything that you three had seen are nothing but pathetic lies."

"You're lying, Father, Lucia never told you anything," Jacinta firmly replied as she already knew that the priest's lying.

"It's true on what I said, Jacinta," the Pastor of Porto de Mós lied as he tried to insist her to tell the truth. "On your father's ears, he heard her confessed everything."

"It's not true, Father. After you asked and threatened her, she kept quiet; not a single word was said out of her mouth," Jacinta replied. The Pastor of Porto de Mós and his companion were baffled by the firmness of Jacinta as they continuously kept insisting her. However, Jacinta was just as insistent as she kept telling him that everything the priest said was a lie. Meanwhile, Ti Marto heard their conversation until few minutes passed, he walked out to the porch of his home, and saw a man took out a coin from his pocket and tried to give it to Jacinta.

"Not this again, this priest and his companion are trying to bribe me again like what the Magistrate did to me a month ago," Jacinta thought in mind. However, Ti Marto went to them and stopped them.

"That's enough, Senhor," Ti Marto stopped as he reached out his hand to stop him. "This will never be done."

"May I at least give something to your son, John Marto?" the Pastor of Porto de Mós asked Ti Marto. 

"It won't be necessary," Ti Marto replied. "However, if you want, you may do so."

"You have played your role well, Senhor Marto," the Pastor of Porto de Mós said as he turned to him before leaving them.

"Well or not, Father, I don't know. However here in my house, this is the how we do things. Like the Magistrate, Artur Oliveira Santos, you also failed to insist the children on denying everything they had seen in the apparitions. Even if you did spread the whole country or the whole world, I will still believe on everything they had seen because they spoke the truth," Ti Marto replied. After that, the Pastor of Porto de Mós and his companion leaves the Marto home. 

(end flashback)

"Don't worry, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, even if the priest and his companion successfully spread it throughout the country or the world, I won't change my belief as I will remain faithful to you three," Ti Marto thought in mind. As a good father, Ti Marto is always loyal to his children as his children are loyal to him because all of them implicitly believe in God and Mary, the Holy Mother of God.