The Life of the Venerable Mother Mary of the IncarnationAnonymous
Religion
The Life of the Venerable Mother Mary of the Incarnation
Anonymous
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America; Marie de l'Incarnation, mère, 1599-1672
"Towards the end of last May, a child of twelve, named Mary Côté, was
brought to my school, with a request that I would prepare her for first
communion and confirmation. She was conducted by her aunt, and walked
with difficulty; her eyes appeared in a sad condition. I was informed
that she had been blind since an attack of small-pox five years before,
and that during that period she had endured a martyrdom, especially in
winter, when the inflammation increased. Hoping that the disease was not
as inveterate as it appeared, I begged her aunt to take her to the
chapel, and help her to distinguish the altar and tabernacle, that she
might the better understand future instructions on these subject, for I
had been told that she had never even entered a church, her parents
living at a considerable distance from the parish church, and not having
a vehicle. Accordingly, she was led to the church, but on her return, I
was assured she had discerned nothing, not even the conspicuous white
statue of our Blessed Lady. I then examined her eyes more closely. I
found the lids livid and bluish; close to the lashes, red and inflamed.
In the eye itself, pupil, iris and cornea were alike undistinguishable;
all that could be seen was a mass of red, white and black spots,
frightful to behold. Both eyes were in the same condition. Dr. Morin had
declared the case incurable; the parish priest of Gaspé, and two
Trappiste Fathers who happened to pass that way, had expressed the same
opinion, the last observing that only a miracle could restore sight so
thoroughly diseased. 'Well,' I said to the child, 'I know a servant of
God who can obtain this favour, if you pray to her very fervently.' I
gave her a little of the water of the tomb, telling her to put a drop of
it into her eyes every day, and to say daily also, three Paters, Aves,
and Glorias, with the invocation 'Venerable Mother of the Incarnation,
obtain my cure!' The first days of the Novena, her sufferings increased
so much that she could scarcely support them. I told her not to be
discouraged in consequence, for that this increase of pain proved the
intervention of the Venerable Mother, and should only stimulate her to
redouble her prayers, which she did. On the third or fourth day, she was
taken to Mass by her aunt, and although in great pain, prayed with
renewed ardour, asking the Mother of the Incarnation to let her see at
least the statue of our Blessed Lady. Towards the end of Mass, she felt
suddenly inspired to raise her eyes, and saw something white: it was the
statue. As she afterwards said, the longer she looked at it, the clearer
her vision became. In an ecstasy of delight and amazement, she began to
describe to her aunt every thing she saw round the statue and on the
altar. On leaving the church, she was subjected to various tests, which
only resulted in rendering the miracle more manifest. Her eyes were free
from pain and looked perfectly clear, except for a slight discoloration
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive