I was in some sort of public place, with two of my friends near me. But I could tell that these friends were not my friends at all; they were look-alikes that had been placed there to trick me.
I could tell by the eyes. Their eyes had an evil, dead look to them. No light of Christ reflected in their countenance.
With haste, I made my way to the door, but as I passed one, he suddenly cut my clothing with razor blades.
Instead of panicking, I began to sing the “Ave Maria” and could hear that, somewhere far off in the distance, others were singing for Mary’s intercession also.
This gave me the strength to quickly move on, but the other man then stood in front of me to prevent my exit.
I kept singing.
His arms quickly encircled me, and he lowered his face to my neck, where he began tearing at my flesh with his teeth.
I sang even louder.
As my volume increased, the pain began to disappear.
Ave Maria, Gratia plena!Maria Gratia plena
Maria Gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus!
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus
Et benedictus fructus ventris
Ventris tui Jesus
Ave Maria!
The evil man was still violently tearing at my flesh, but now he could no longer harm me.
I was very scared but—at this moment—I realized that everything that comes from the Devil is an illusion because he is the Father of Lies. This terrifying experience was the manifestation of something that is false.
Mary had heard my signing and was interceding on my behalf. I could feel it!
Eventually, my singing carried me out of his horrific arms and into the safety of my own bed. My lips were still moving when I awoke, although they made no sound. What astounded me most was how WIDE my mouth was opening as I sang. Surely, I had been singing at the top of my lungs. Even my neck was still bent from where I had clutched my ear to my shoulder from that initial pain.
It was around 3:30 AM, and the shadows in my bedroom all felt like evil spirits. But once again, despite my fear, I knew that they were illusions. Yes, perhaps they were really present, but it was an illusion that they could harm me, for I was a child of God, under the protection of Mary.
The experience felt so real that I literally got up and sprinkled holy water around my apartment. There was no place for lies here, only the truth of God’s sovereignty and grace. This brought me peace, and I returned to my bed, ready for restful sleep.
I then thought about the Marian visionaries I have studied and read about over the last several years. Although they don’t say much on this topic, they have admitted that while the Mother of God has appeared to them, so too, does the Devil and his evil spirits. And he typically arrives just before the Mother of God does, in an effort to persuade the visionary to stop praying, to lose faith, or to stop anticipating her arrival.
Imagine the courage it must take for a visionary to endure the attacks of the Devil in order to enjoy the vision of Mary. But also envision the grace that God provides us if we merely stop to acknowledge that the evil among us is simply a manifestation of what is false.
When we realize that God is goodness and truth, then we realize that the Devil has no power over us and that nothing false can do us eternal harm, if we stay under the protection of Our Lord and Our Lady!
What a beautiful relief. :-)
