Blessed Alain de la Roche (1) lamented the lukewarmness with which he recited his rosary in a Dominican church in Paris during the octave of All Saints in 1465. Suddenly, Our Lady appeared to him, accompanied by several virgins:
"Do not flee, my son!" she told him. "If you have any doubt, either about me or about my companions, make the sign of the cross over us.".
If we are visions of hell, we will suddenly disappear; if, on the contrary, we are visions of Heaven, we will remain, and the radiance that shines from each of us will be even brighter
Alain makes the sign of the cross. The light of the apparition becomes more intense.
"Oh my son, have no more doubts! I am your virginal fiancée," the apparition told him; "I still love you, and I am always interested in you.".
But know that no one is without sorrow in this world; neither I, nor my Son, nor any of the saints here below have been without suffering. Moreover, armed with the armor of faith and patience, prepare yourself for trials even more difficult than those you have already faced.
For I did not choose you to be a parade soldier, but to see you fight bravely and heroically under the flag of Jesus Christ and under my own banner.
As for the dryness and aridity you experienced for a few days, do not be troubled by it; it was I who wanted you to go through this trial; bear it as a punishment for your past sins; and also, receive it as a means of growing in patience and for the salvation of the living and the dead
(1) Alain de la Roche, born around 1428 near Plouër-sur-Rance in Brittany (France) and died in 1475 in Zwolle in the Netherlands, was a Breton Dominican friar of the 15th century. He is celebrated on September 9.
From Father René Laurentin
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