The youngest of the three Fatima seers, she saw Our Lady together with her brother Francisco. She offered sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and died at nine after a painful illness, the youngest non-martyr saint.
Life
Saint Jacinta Marto was born in 1910 in Aljustrel, Portugal, the younger sister of Saint Francisco Marto. In 1917, with her brother and cousin Lúcia, she witnessed the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. After the apparitions, this lively, affectionate girl poured her whole heart into offering prayers and sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
She gladly made small sacrifices, such as giving her lunch to poor children or bearing thirst, and she often prayed for the Holy Father. She caught influenza in 1918 and, after a long illness, died alone in a Lisbon hospital in 1920. She was canonized together with her brother on May 13, 2017.
Spirituality
Jacinta's spirituality is a love that gives itself for the salvation of others. Young as she was, she felt deep compassion for sinners and gladly offered small sacrifices and sufferings to God. She shows that suffering offered in love can become a prayer for others.
Reflection
Jacinta gave her lunch to poor children and offered it as prayer. Today, why not give up or bear one small thing for someone and offer it as a prayer for that person?