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A Pathway Under the Gaze of Mary by
Timothy Tindall-Robertson and Donal Anthony Foley
CTS
In
1917, Our Lady appeared to three children at Fatima in Portugal: Lucia,
Francisco and Jacinta. Francisco and Jacinta died a few years later, as
Our Lady had predicted. Lucia was told that she will remain in the
world to spread devotion to the Immaculate Heart. She died at the age
of 97, having been a Carmelite nun for many decades.
The
biography was first published in 2013 by the Carmelite nuns of Coimbra,
where Sister Lucia had lived. It is a beautiful account of a saintly
soul. There are references to her already published memoirs, but it is
also an intimate account of her life as seen by those who were closest
to her. We learn how faithful Lucia was to her mission. From 1921, she
believed that the best way of fulfilling this was by becoming a
Carmelite nun. But this took patience and sacrifice while she lived the
life of a faithful Dorothean nun. Her life was always a yes to God.
While
she was alive, much that was known about her was in relation to Fatima.
All this has changed since the publication of this book. We learn about
her interior life, her humility and her joy. We knew relatively little
about this while she was alive because of her humility. For one who had
been favoured by heavenly visions, she lived by faith, prayer and
penance. There was no easy pathway for her. Even under the gaze of
Mary. She was also utterly devoted to the Pope and to the Catholic
Church.
The
work is well arranged, with Lucia's words clearly distinct from those
of the nuns. The first part relates to events from her birth to her
entrance into the Coimbra Carmel in 1948. The second part deals
with events from 1948 until her death. A Marian theme runs throughout:
like Mary, Lucia always said yes to God. There is little in the way of
sensation to be read. We do, however, learn that 1960 was a significant
year for her and that she was never silenced by the Vatican. But these
things are not central to the theme of the book: it is about a saintly
soul and how we too can try to become saints by following her example.
The
CTS booklet is written by two authors associated with the World
Apostolate of Fatima. The first part is an overview of the Fatima
events. It is a summary and as such avoids any of the controversial
aspects of the Fatima message. The second part gives us some of the
essential Fatima prayers and meditations on the Rosary. It is a work to
read over and over again.
Devotion
to Our Lady of Fatima is surely more urgent than ever before.
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