Saint Jacinta, who was the youngest of the children at only eight years old (and according to Saint Lucia, the MOST holy of the three) said, “Never, I’d rather die.”
I have been reflecting on the magnanimity of God. How big God is!
Saint Josemaría used to say, “If God fitted into this poor head of mine, my God would be very small.”
God is a Being that is so much bigger than anything that I could ever imagine that I literally could never fit Hi inside my head. And so – instead of asking me to accommodate God in His magnanimity in my head and heart, God allows Himself to become very very small – a bit of Bread and a sip of Wine. And in those Hosts (those bits of food), God of the universe is fitted – by His own Holy Will…
“In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’” (Luke 10:21-24).
And sometimes God choses to be fitted into other little things. I have only to think of the three shepherd children of Fatima… The Blessed Virgin appeared to them and taught them how to pray. She showed them visions of Hell. And she taught them how to please their Blessed Lord.
They suffered greatly as a result of these visions… On 13 August 1917 those three children were arrested and put into prison with criminals. They were told that they would be boiled in oil. They were threatened with their lives and their families. The police wanted them to reveal the secret that Our Lady of Fatima had revealed to them. The three children refused to reveal that secret…
Saint Jacinta, who was the youngest of the children at only eight years old (and according to Saint Lucia, the MOST holy of the three) said, “Never, I’d rather die.”
In that prison cell, Saint Jacinta removed a medal that she wore and asked a prisoner to pin it to the wall for her and then kneeling down, she (and the other two Saint) began to pray the rosary. The prisoners soon joined the children in the prayer. Can you imagine the scene? How strange it would have appeared! A bunch of criminals kneeling together in prayer, following the example of a few uneducated children…
How holy would have been that place on that day – just a little piece of heaven, fitted inside a prison cell…
And I have been thinking about that today – for it seems such a miracle that God choses to be fitted as he does. It seems a wonderful wonderful miracle…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
Comments