St Jacinta Marto, ora pro nobis. 100 years after her death on 20 Feb 1920.

Jacinta would undertake any sacrifice in order to save sinners from going to hell. She often reminded Francisco and Lucia to pray for sinners: “We must make many, many sacrifices and pray a lot for sinners so that no one shall ever again have to go to that prison of fire where people suffer so much.”

The Three Children of Fatima, please pray for us always.

https://fatima.org/news-views/fatima-anniversary-a-saint-at-rest/

A number of the lessons for which St. Jacinta is best known for come from her conversation with Mother Godinho when she was in the hospital. Among these are:

“My dear Mother, the sins that bring most souls to Hell are the sins of the flesh. Certain fashions are going to be introduced which will offend Our Lord very much. Those who serve God should not follow these fashions. The Church has no fashions; Our Lord is always the same. The sins of the world are too great. If only people knew what eternity is, they would do everything to change their lives. People lose their souls because they do not think about the death of Our Lord and do not do penance.

“My good Mother, do not give yourself to immodest clothes. Run away from riches. Love holy poverty and silence very much. Be very charitable even with those who are unkind. Never criticize others and avoid those who do. Be very patient, for patience brings us to Heaven. Mortifications and sacrifices please Our Lord a great deal.

“Many marriages are not good; they do not please Our Lord and are not of God.

“Pray a great deal for governments. Pity those governments which persecute the religion of Our Lord. If governments left the Church in peace and gave liberty to the Holy Religion, they would be blessed by God.

“Confession is a sacrament of mercy. That is why people should approach the confessional with confidence and joy. Without confession, there is no salvation.

“The Mother of God wants a larger number of virgin souls to bind themselves to Her by the vow of chastity. I would enter a convent with great joy but my joy is greater because I am going to Heaven. To be a religious, one has to be very pure in soul and in body.”

At the hospital in Lisbon, Jacinta was deemed too weak for the general anesthetic, so she underwent an excruciating surgery fully conscious, while two of her ribs were removed. The doctors attempted to relieve her pain with a local anesthetic, but it was of little use. Nevertheless, Jacinta did not complain at all. The only words she uttered during the operation were, “Now, my Jesus, You can convert many sinners, for I suffer a great deal.”

Jacinta died shortly after the above-mentioned surgery, alone (as Our Lady had predicted), on February 20, 1920.

Her body has been exhumed twice — first on Sept. 12, 1935 (fifteen years after her death), and again after another fifteen-plus years on April 30, 1951. On both occasions, it was found to have been almost entirely preserved from corruption, in spite of being originally buried in quicklime to hasten decomposition in that time of pandemic.

May St. Jacinta’s prayers preserve us and hasten the consecration of Russia to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart!

Beethoven 32: Sonata 01 and 02

Deo gratias! I really like the idea of this project and am looking forward to the output!  https://beethoven32.com/ From the pianist himself:

To celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year, I will be learning and filming all 32 of his sonatas over the course of 2020. This is a massive undertaking – I have played 9 of them so far, so 23 will be completely new, including some of the most challenging.

I’ll be releasing a new sonata every few weeks starting on the 17th of January, and I’ll be writing about my experience throughout the year. You can follow the entire project here on beethoven32.com

— Boris Giltburg, 2019

Important Notes

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis

Book 2, Chapter 9

3. A man must go through a long and great conflict in himself before he can learn fully to overcome himself, and to draw his whole affection towards God. 

When a man relies upon himself he is easily drawn to human comforts. 

But a true lover of Christ, and a diligent pursuer of virtue, does not hunt after comforts, nor seek such sensible sweetness, but is rather willing to bear strong trials and hard labors for Christ. 

Therefore, when God gives spiritual comfort, receive it with thanksgiving, but know that it is the bounty of God, not thy merit.