Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette. September 19, 1846. In the French Alps, times are tough, the harvests bad, infant mortality very high. It is here, in the heart of the mountains near the village of …More
Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette.
September 19, 1846. In the French Alps, times are tough, the harvests bad, infant mortality very high. It is here, in the heart of the mountains near the village of La Salette, where two children, Maximin Giraud, age 11, and Melanie Calvat, 14, tending cows, suddenly see a "beautiful lady" in a resplendent light who is calling: 'Come, my children, do not worry, I'm here to tell you important news. " It is Mary who appears to them, even if the children, poor and uneducated, do not realize it.
Speaking in French and in the children's own regional dialect, this beautiful lady, after having cried in front of them, gave the children a message of love and hope.
Father Agustín Giménez: "Mary was crying because she said they do not realize that everything is in the hands of God, and that God is their Father and it is enough to approach the Father and pray humbly to improve the harvest."
Like many people in these sad times, faith in God was not a priority for these children. Mary reminds them of its importance and puts strong emphasis on conversion- turning to God, above all, by observing Sunday as a day of rest, and by participating in the Mass.
Mary's Message: "Come, my children, do not be afraid, I'm here to tell you important news. If my people will not submit, I will be forced to let the hand of my Son fall. It is so hard and so heavy that I can no longer hold it back. How long I have suffered for you! If I want my Son not to abandon you, I must pray for you without ceasing, because you do not. However much you pray- if you do- pray in vain, it can never compensate for the pains I have taken for you.
"I gave you six days to work, I reserved the seventh and you do not want to grant it to me. That is what weighs down the arm of my son. And also, those driving the carts do not know how to swear without putting the name of my Son in the middle. Those are the two things weighing down the arm of my Son. If the harvest is spoiled, it is only because of you. I had shown last year by the potatoes, you do not listen. On the contrary: when you found rotten potatoes, you swore, you put the name of my Son in the middle. They will continue to rot, and this year for Christmas, there will be no more."
But Mary goes further and invites them to pray every morning and every evening, saying "an Our Father and Hail Mary, when you cannot do better." Wearing chains on her shoulders, Mary shows them the crucifix she wears on her chest. Jesus Christ with his arms nailed to the cross is made powerless in this world by the rejection of God, and by sin. She explains, with examples drawn from everyday life, that only conversion can release God's graces, which leaves its own mark with a string of roses. Upon returning, Maximin and Melanie tell their experiences, and soon, people believe that it is the Holy Virgin who had appeared.
Fr. Gimenez: "Finally, full of contrition from the testimony of Mary, they went to church, and built a shrine in the mountains of La Salette."
After 5 years …
September 19, 1846. In the French Alps, times are tough, the harvests bad, infant mortality very high. It is here, in the heart of the mountains near the village of La Salette, where two children, Maximin Giraud, age 11, and Melanie Calvat, 14, tending cows, suddenly see a "beautiful lady" in a resplendent light who is calling: 'Come, my children, do not worry, I'm here to tell you important news. " It is Mary who appears to them, even if the children, poor and uneducated, do not realize it.
Speaking in French and in the children's own regional dialect, this beautiful lady, after having cried in front of them, gave the children a message of love and hope.
Father Agustín Giménez: "Mary was crying because she said they do not realize that everything is in the hands of God, and that God is their Father and it is enough to approach the Father and pray humbly to improve the harvest."
Like many people in these sad times, faith in God was not a priority for these children. Mary reminds them of its importance and puts strong emphasis on conversion- turning to God, above all, by observing Sunday as a day of rest, and by participating in the Mass.
Mary's Message: "Come, my children, do not be afraid, I'm here to tell you important news. If my people will not submit, I will be forced to let the hand of my Son fall. It is so hard and so heavy that I can no longer hold it back. How long I have suffered for you! If I want my Son not to abandon you, I must pray for you without ceasing, because you do not. However much you pray- if you do- pray in vain, it can never compensate for the pains I have taken for you.
"I gave you six days to work, I reserved the seventh and you do not want to grant it to me. That is what weighs down the arm of my son. And also, those driving the carts do not know how to swear without putting the name of my Son in the middle. Those are the two things weighing down the arm of my Son. If the harvest is spoiled, it is only because of you. I had shown last year by the potatoes, you do not listen. On the contrary: when you found rotten potatoes, you swore, you put the name of my Son in the middle. They will continue to rot, and this year for Christmas, there will be no more."
But Mary goes further and invites them to pray every morning and every evening, saying "an Our Father and Hail Mary, when you cannot do better." Wearing chains on her shoulders, Mary shows them the crucifix she wears on her chest. Jesus Christ with his arms nailed to the cross is made powerless in this world by the rejection of God, and by sin. She explains, with examples drawn from everyday life, that only conversion can release God's graces, which leaves its own mark with a string of roses. Upon returning, Maximin and Melanie tell their experiences, and soon, people believe that it is the Holy Virgin who had appeared.
Fr. Gimenez: "Finally, full of contrition from the testimony of Mary, they went to church, and built a shrine in the mountains of La Salette."
After 5 years …
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When we awake in the morning, let us greet our
heavenly Father by praying an Our Father; and
at the close of the day, embrace and kiss our
heavenly Mother with a heartfelt Hail Mary.
heavenly Father by praying an Our Father; and
at the close of the day, embrace and kiss our
heavenly Mother with a heartfelt Hail Mary.