Chapter III - Some Private Visions

In the short time they spent on earth after the apparitions, and even during the time of the apparitions, Francisco and Jacinta had several private visions. We will relate here the principal ones.

Francisco: mystical graces of the highest degree

           “Francisco,” Sister Lucia says, “seemed to be the least impressed with the vision of hell.” ³⁹ Fr. Joaquín María Alonso believes that Francisco’s mystical perception was of the highest degree and, for this reason, “the vision of hell itself did not impress him much because he contemplated the mystery of Iniquity in the light of a superior mystical contemplation”. ⁴⁰ “What impressed or absorbed him most,” Sister Lucia comments, “was God, the Most Holy Trinity within this immense light that penetrated the innermost depths of the soul.” ⁴¹

           However, this does not mean he did not tremble out of fear when seeing the devil in some of the lesser visions. Sister Lucia thus describes the scene:

           “One day we were walking in a place called Pedreira. While the sheep were grazed, we jumped from rock to rock and made our voices echo off these steep banks. As was his custom, Francisco retired to a hollow of a rock.

           “After a while, we heard him shout and call us and Our Lady. Worried at what might have happened to him, we began to search and call for him.

           “ ‘Where are you?’

           “ ‘Over here! Over here!’

           “But it still took us a while to find him. When we did finally find him he was trembling with fear and still kneeling. Because of his affliction he had not even thought of rising to his feet.

           “ ‘What’s up?! What is wrong with you?!

           “With his voice still stifled from fear, he said: ‘It was one of those big animals that was in hell who was here trying to set fire’”. ⁴²