| Devotion to Our Lady |
|
CHOOSE THE MIRACLE YOU WISH TO READ ABOUT FROM THE LINKS BELOW
| MIRACULOUS MEDAL MIRACLES | MIRACLES OF LOURDES | SOLAR MIRACLE AT FATIMA | THE MIRACLE OF LEPANTO |
| MIRACULOUS MEDAL MIRACLES | MIRACLES OF LOURDES | SOLAR MIRACLE AT FATIMA | THE MIRACLE OF LEPANTO |
MIRACLES RELATED BY ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI
from his book
The Glories of Mary
from his book
The Glories of Mary
Some persons, boasting of being free from prejudices, take great credit to themselves for believing no miracles but those recorded in the holy scriptures, esteeming all others
as tales and fables for foolish women. But it will be well to repeat here a just remark of the learned and pious Father John Crasset, who says that the bad are as ready to deride miracles as the good are to believe them; adding, that as it is a weakness to give credit to all things, so, on the other hand, to reject miracles which come to us attested by serious and pious men, either savors of infidelity, which supposes them impossible to God, or of presumption, which refuses belief to such a class of authors. We give credit to a Tacitus and a Suetonius, and can we deny it without presumption to Christian authors of learning and upright life? There is less risk, says Father Canisius, in believing and receiving what is related with some probability by honest persons, and not rejected by the learned, and which serves for the edification of our neighbor, than in rejecting it with a disdainful and presumptuous spirit.
as tales and fables for foolish women. But it will be well to repeat here a just remark of the learned and pious Father John Crasset, who says that the bad are as ready to deride miracles as the good are to believe them; adding, that as it is a weakness to give credit to all things, so, on the other hand, to reject miracles which come to us attested by serious and pious men, either savors of infidelity, which supposes them impossible to God, or of presumption, which refuses belief to such a class of authors. We give credit to a Tacitus and a Suetonius, and can we deny it without presumption to Christian authors of learning and upright life? There is less risk, says Father Canisius, in believing and receiving what is related with some probability by honest persons, and not rejected by the learned, and which serves for the edification of our neighbor, than in rejecting it with a disdainful and presumptuous spirit.
 |
MIRACLE NO. 1
A certain man in Germany had committed a great sin, and was ashamed to confess it, yet on the other hand he could not endure the remorse which he felt, and went to cast himself into the river; but just as he was on the point of doing so, he stopped, and bursting into tears, prayed God to pardon him without confession. One night in his sleep he felt someone waking him, and heard a voice saying: "Go and make your confession!" He went to the church, but yet did not make his confession. He heard the same voice a second night; again he went to the church, but after he had entered it, said that he would rather die than confess that sin. He was about to return home, when he thought he would go and recommend himself to the most holy Mary, before her image which was in the church. He had hardly knelt before it, when he felt himself entirely changed. He immediately arose, called for a confessor, and weeping bitterly, through grace received from the Virgin, made a sincere confession; and he afterwards said that he felt greater satisfaction than if he had gained all the gold in the world. |
MIRACLE NO. 2
A young nobleman was reading one day, while at sea, an obscene book, in which he took great pleasure. A religious said to him:
"Now come, would you give something to Our Lady?"
"Yes," he answered.
The religious then said, "I wish that, for love of the holy Virgin, you would tear that book in pieces and cast it into the sea."
"Here it is, Father," said the young man.
"No," said the religious, "I wish that you yourself would make this offering to Mary."
He did so, and when he returned to Genoa, his native place, the mother of God so inflamed his heart with the love of God that he became a religious.
A young nobleman was reading one day, while at sea, an obscene book, in which he took great pleasure. A religious said to him:
"Now come, would you give something to Our Lady?"
"Yes," he answered.
The religious then said, "I wish that, for love of the holy Virgin, you would tear that book in pieces and cast it into the sea."
"Here it is, Father," said the young man.
"No," said the religious, "I wish that you yourself would make this offering to Mary."
He did so, and when he returned to Genoa, his native place, the mother of God so inflamed his heart with the love of God that he became a religious.
|
MIRACLE NO. 3
A hermit of Mount Olivet had in his cell a holy image of Mary, and frequently offered up prayers before it. The devil could not endure such devotion to the holy Virgin, and tormented him continually with temptations against purity; and the poor old hermit finding himself still pursued by them, notwithstanding all his prayers and mortifications, said one day to the enemy: "What have I done to you, that you will not leave me in peace?" And the demon appeared to him and answered: "You torment me more than I torment you;" and then he added: "Now come, and swear secrecy to me, and I will tell you what you must cease to do, if you wish me not to molest you any more." The hermit took the oath, and then the devil said to him: "I wish you never again to approach that image that you have in our cell." The hermit was greatly perplexed, and went to take counsel of the Abbot Theodore, who told him that he was not bound by his oath, and that he must not cease to recommend himself to Mary before that image, as he had done before. The hermit obeyed, and the devil was put to shame and conquered. |
 |
MIRACLE NO. 4
A woman who had been guilty of a criminal connection with two young men, one of whom had killed the other, came one day in great terror to Father Onefrio d'Anna, a pious missionary in the kingdom of Naples, to make her confession. She told the Father that in the same hour in which that wretched youth had died, he appeared to her, clothed in black, loaded with chains, and cast fire on every side. He had a sword in his hand, and raised it to cut her throat.
In terror she exclaimed: "What have I done to you, that you wish to kill me?"
And in a rage he answered: "Wretch, do you ask what you have done to me? You have caused me to lose God."
Then she invoked the blessed Virgin; and that damned soul, on hearing the most holy name of Mary pronounced, disappeared and was seen no more.
A woman who had been guilty of a criminal connection with two young men, one of whom had killed the other, came one day in great terror to Father Onefrio d'Anna, a pious missionary in the kingdom of Naples, to make her confession. She told the Father that in the same hour in which that wretched youth had died, he appeared to her, clothed in black, loaded with chains, and cast fire on every side. He had a sword in his hand, and raised it to cut her throat.
In terror she exclaimed: "What have I done to you, that you wish to kill me?"
And in a rage he answered: "Wretch, do you ask what you have done to me? You have caused me to lose God."
Then she invoked the blessed Virgin; and that damned soul, on hearing the most holy name of Mary pronounced, disappeared and was seen no more.
 |
MIRACLE NO. 5
When St. Dominic was preaching at Carcassone, in France, an Albigensian heretic, who was possessed by demons, was brought to him, because he had publicly spoken against the devotion of the most Holy Rosary. The saint then ordered the demons, in the name of God, to declare whether those things which he had said concerning the most Holy Rosary were true; and howling with rage they said: "Hear, O Christians, all that this our enemy has said of Mary and of the most Holy Rosary is entirely true." They added, moreover, that they had no power against the servants of Mary; and that many who at death invoked Mary were saved, contrary to what they deserved. And finally they said: "We are constrained to declare, that no one is lost who perseveres in devotion to Mary, and in the devotion of the most holy Rosary, for Mary obtains for sinners a true repentance before death." St. Dominic made the people immediately repeat the Rosary; and, oh, what a miracle! At every "Hail Mary," many devils went out from that wretched man, in the shape of burning coals, so that when the Rosary was finished, he was entirely freed from them, and many heretics became converted. |
|
MIRACLE NO. 6
The daughter of a certain prince had entered a monastery, where the discipline was so relaxed, that, although she was a young person of good dispositions, she advanced but little in virtue. By the advice of a good confessor, she began to say the Rosary with the mysteries, and became so changed that she was an example to all. The other religious, taking offence at her for withdrawing from them, attacked her on all sides, to induce her to abandon her newly-begun way of life. One day while she was repeating the Rosary, and praying Mary to assist her in that persecution, she saw a letter fall from above. On the outside were written these words: "Mary, Mother of God, to her daughter Jane, greeting;" and within the letter: "My dear child, continue to say my Rosary; withdraw from conversation with those who do not help you to live well; beware of idleness and vanity; take from your cell two superfluous things, and I will be your protectress with God." |
 |
The abbot of that monastery soon after visited it, and attempted to reform it, but he did not succeed; and one day he saw a great number of demons entering the cells of all the nuns except that of Jane, for the heavenly mother, before whose image he saw her praying, banished them from that. When he heard from her of the devotion of the Rosary, which she practiced, and the letter she had received, he ordered all the others to repeat it, and it is related that this monastery became a paradise.
 |
MIRACLE NO. 7
There lived in Rome a woman, called Catherine the beautiful, who led a very sinful life. Hearing St. Dominic once preach on the devotion of the most Holy Rosary, she had her name inscribed in the book of the Rosary Confraternity, and began to recite it, but she did not abandon her sinful life. One evening a youth, apparently a noble, came to her house, whom she received courteously. When they were at supper, she saw drops of blood falling from his hands while he was breaking a peace of bread, and then she observed that all the food he took was tinged with blood. She asked him what that blood meant? And the youth answered, that a Christian should take no food that was not tinged with the Blood of Jesus Christ, and seasoned with the memory of His Passion and Death. Amazed at this, she asked him who he was. "Soon," he answered, "I will show you!" |
 |
When they had withdrawn into another room, the appearance of the youth changed, and He showed Himself crowned with thorns, His flesh torn, and said to her:
"Do you wish to know who I am? Do you not know Me? I am your Redeemer. Catherine, when will you cease to offend Me? See how much I have suffered for you. You have grieved Me enough! Change your life!" Catherine began to weep bitterly, and Jesus, encouraging her, said: "Now begin to love Me as much as you have offended Me; and know that you have received this grace from Me, on account of the Rosary you have been accustomed to recite in honor of My Mother." And then He disappeared.
Catherine went in the morning to make her confession to St. Dominic; and giving to the poor all she possessed, led so holy a life that she attained to great perfection. The Virgin often appeared to her; and Jesus Himself revealed to St. Dominic, that this penitent had become very dear to Him.
"Do you wish to know who I am? Do you not know Me? I am your Redeemer. Catherine, when will you cease to offend Me? See how much I have suffered for you. You have grieved Me enough! Change your life!" Catherine began to weep bitterly, and Jesus, encouraging her, said: "Now begin to love Me as much as you have offended Me; and know that you have received this grace from Me, on account of the Rosary you have been accustomed to recite in honor of My Mother." And then He disappeared.
Catherine went in the morning to make her confession to St. Dominic; and giving to the poor all she possessed, led so holy a life that she attained to great perfection. The Virgin often appeared to her; and Jesus Himself revealed to St. Dominic, that this penitent had become very dear to Him.
(to be continued)