EXPERIENCES WITH OUR LADY (3)

By Bro. Josefino Rona

The Power of Our Lady of the Rosary That Saved my Life Theme: Mother Mary assures us her help in moments of our greatest pain by means of the Rosary.

-1963, MAY-

I was 21 years old when I left the congregation of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers. I stayed with the Congregation for three years. The way of life of the congregation was not for me. I was home then. Then I fell into a very deep personal crisis. My thoughts went rebelling against my family. (Note: What happened to me will be subject to another portion of my sharing.) I stayed in my room in the house for two weeks without getting out, without eating nor drinking anything for the first week as an act of rebellion, until the prayers of my family for me and the patience of my father caused the grace of God through the intercession of Our Lady to bring me out of the deep darkness I was in.

A couple of days after that incident, while I was walking to and fro in front of our house that afternoon, not knowing where to go with my mind so sick and blank. The rosary was in my hand. I could not decide whither would I go, whether to the church which was just nearby or anywhere else. I did not know. Somehow by providence without my realizing it I was brought to the outskirts part of town, a lonely path towards the mountain villages. It was a lonely place where a wooden bridge crossed a small river that separated the town from the rest of the villages. It was two o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was not very hot; but rather pleasant and warm. Towards the middle of that small bridge was a stump that I sat on. I rested myself on this stump not knowing what I was doing. The rosary was still in my hands.

Then all of a sudden along with the numbness of my feelings I noticed that everything around me was dark. I did not mind what time it was. I seemed to be somewhere. I was no longer aware where I was nor what I was doing. It was just simply pitch dark, except for a twilight glow in front of me. Then a big black hairy hand with nails big and pointed started crawling towards me. The black hand was so big I could put my whole body in it. With palms down it crawled towards me. Then it stopped a couple of feet away from me. I noticed it could not get near me. Then it opened itself on its palm inviting me to get into it. I stood up and walked towards the hand. I could not understand why I stood wanting to get into that palm. I was not afraid at all. I had no sense of fear. I felt transported and mesmerized. The numb feeling overpowered me. As I approached the black hand, the hand receded away from me as if unable to grasp me. The nearer I got to the hand the farther away it crawled back, finally crawling down the bridge into the water and would disappear. It was then I realized that my feet were just at the edge of the side of the bridge. If I had stepped one step further, I would have dropped into the water and be pierced by the sharp bamboo stakes that were hidden underneath. I would have died.

I came to my senses. Only then I realized that I was on the bridge. It was no longer dark. But my feeling was still numb. I returned to the stump where I sat.

After a little while, the darkness came back, the hand crawled again towards me. I stood up again and seemed to respond to the invitation to get into the palm of the evil hand. But again as I approached the hand, the monster would recede back to the waters and I found myself again on the edge of the side of the bridge.

On this second time I felt the rosary in my hand. Blood was trickling through my palm. I must have been struggling against something that I did not know! It was only then I realized that what happened from two until four thirty in the afternoon was a temptation. A temptation to commit suicide. The rosary saved me! The Blessed Virgin was there to help me. Otherwise, there would be no reason why the hand would get away from me except that the Blessed Mother was watching me. The rosary was there for me!

One who even in deepest darkness and trials would turn to Our Lady through the rosary would not be disappointed. Our Lady would really come to the rescue.

*****