The big visit to Portugal – a moment to think

You know, as days go by and the “big visit” day to Portugal by the pope is coming closer we start hearing people speaking and exchange ideas.

Being Portugal a catholic country it is only natural that we catholic people feel that is a very important moment and start to think about that day and the even more important day of 13 of May, day of Our Lady of Fatima

Well I always had a superficial knowledge about the story of Our Lady of Fatima and as such I decided to do a little research and end up quite disappoint of what was publish on the Internet.

I always saw Our Lady as the protector of mother and children, because she was a mother and suffered a lot for her sun.
So if someone knows and understands what is to love and suffer for a sun/daughter it is her.

So, when I can’t be and protect my sun, I send a mental pray to Our Lady for her to watch over and protect my little boy.

It is with a great sadness that I read the publish story of Our Lady of Fatima that transmits an image of someone cruel that asks 3 little children to suffer by the sins of the adults … and frankly I don’t believe it ... and I choose to stand by the version of Our Lady that spoke with 3 little poor children, because she, as a mother, had pity of them, and wanted to comfort then and to give them a path in live (in a world without future) as prophets and visionaries.

Our Lady together with St. Francis of Assisi are the two saints to witch I send my prays.

St. Francis of Assisi was dear to my father and he always said that when he would dye it was to his heavenly garden he would go to help St. Francis of Assisi to take care of the animals over there, so it is where I imagine my father soul.

For those that don’t know St. Francis of Assisi, he was a man that was born in a very rich family and along his live path decided to dedicate his life to the church and animals. He defended the ideal of a brotherhood that would integrate men with nature and animals.
For him each living being was an expression of God kindness and to love an animal was to love God and his creation.

In conclusion … people won’t find me in a church or in any other place of worship, well maybe in a church when I visit one for its monument and history. I follow the words of Jesus that said that church, belief and devotion is inside of us and in the way we face life.
So in this date I will send my thoughts and prays to Our Lady of Fatima and St. Francis of Assisi to ask protection and happiness to the living, people and animal, and to ask for those who left us to be in the heavenly garden.