Good morning students of St. John Vianney! Well, today you have very well, honored Mary with all these millions of flowers and the crown you put on her, and your singing. You know, there is a beautiful poem written called ‘A mother’s crown.’ if you ever read it, you will find that a mother’s real crown, the greatness of her life, is her children. The same is for our Mother in heaven, her crown, her glory, is when her children are good and holy. So when we honor Mary this way, she is happy, why? Because we are happy. That’s how mothers are.
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So what can we say about this Blessed Mother today? Well, here is a true story of how Mary rewards those who honor her. A long time ago, there was a 10-year old girl named Domenica.[i] As a little girl on Saturdays – Saturday is the day we often honor Mary – on Saturdays, she went to the neighboring fields and gathered all the flowers that she could find. Then she would go back to her house, and place these flowers before a stature of Mary holding the baby Jesus which was in her house.
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One day, when she was looking out the window, she saw in the street a Lady, accompanied by a small child who asked for help. She went to get some bread for them, when in a moment, without the door being opened, she saw them standing by her side. She noticed that the child’s hands, feet, and side were wounded and she asked the Lady who had wounded the child. The Lady answered, ‘It was love that wounded him.’ At the sight of the beauty and goodness of the child, she asked him if the wounds were painful? But his only answer – was a smile.
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Standing near the stature, adorned in flowers, the Lady asked her, ‘Domenica, why do you place flowers here?’ ‘It is the love that I have for Jesus and Mary,’ she said. Then continue to love them, said the Lady, and they will repay you in heaven.
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Now Domenica could smell a lovely scent which came forth from the child’s wounds, and she asked the Lady what ointment she used on the child’s wounds? She said: this ointment is purchased only with faith and good works.
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The Child then seemed filled with joy and turning towards Domenica, asked her how much she loved Jesus. She said that she loved him so much, that night and day she always thought of him, and wanted only to please him as much as she could. ‘This is very good,’ he replied. In that moment, the Lady was changed and appeared as a beautiful Queen, and a brilliant light shone about the Child. Then the Child took some flowers and placed them on the head of Domenica, who was very happy. With that, the vision ended.
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Now it is rare that such miraculous visions are given to us in this life; but it is nevertheless true, that loving Jesus and Mary with our whole heart will most certainly make us very happy.
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[i] This is from the life of Sister Domenica del Paradiso, found in the Glories of Mary, p. 348. In reality, ‘Domenica’ was the name she took as a religious.
