Once again, the Virgin deigned to visit Jacinta, to tell her of new crosses and sacrifices awaiting her.
She gave me the news saying: “She told me that I am going to Lisbon to another hospital; that I will not see you again, nor my parents either, and after suffering a great deal, I shall die alone. But she said I must not be afraid, since she herself is coming to take me to heaven.” She hugged me and wept: “I will never see you again! You won’t be coming to visit me there. Oh please, pray hard for me, because I’m going to die alone!”
Jacinta suffered terribly right up until the day of her departure for Lisbon. She kept clinging to me and sobbing: “I’ll never see you again! Nor my mother, nor my brothers, nor my father! I’ll never see anyone again! And then, I’ll die all alone!”
“Don’t think about it.” I advised her one day.
“Let me think about it,” she replied, “for the more I think, the more I suffer, and I want to suffer for love of Our Lord and for sinners. Anyway, I don’t mind! Our Lady will come to me there and take me to heaven.”
At times, she kissed and embraced a crucifix, exclaiming: “O my Jesus! I love you, and I want to suffer very much for love of you.”
How often did she say: “O Jesus! Now you can convert many sinners, because this is a really big sacrifice!”
From time to time, she asked me: “Am I going to die without receiving the Hidden Jesus? If only Our Lady would bring Him to me, when she comes to fetch me!”
One day I asked her: “What are you going to do in heaven?”
“I’m going to love Jesus very much, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, too. I’m going to pray alot for you, for sinners, the Holy Father, for my parents and brothers and sisters and for all the people who have asked me to pray for them…”
When her mother looked sad at seeing the child so ill, Jacinta used to say: “Don’t worry, mother. I’m going to heaven, and there I’ll be praying so much for you.” Or again: “Don’t cry. I’m alright.”
If they asked her if she needed anything, she answered: “No, I don’t, thank you.”
Then when they left the room, she said: “I’m so thirsty, but I don’t want to take a drink. I’m offering it to Jesus for sinners.”
One day, when my aunt had been asking me many questions, Jacinta called me to her and said: “I don’t want you to tell anybody that I’m suffering, not even my mother. I don’t want to upset her.”
On one occasion, I found her clasping a picture of Our Lady to her heart, and saying: “O my dearest Heavenly Mother, do I have to die all alone?”
The poor child seemed so frightened at the thought of dying alone! I tried to comfort her saying: “What does it matter if you die alone, so long as Our Lady is coming to fetch you?”
“It’s true, it doesn’t matter, really. I don’t know why it is, but I sometimes forget Our Lady is coming to take me. I only remember that I’ll die without having you near me.”