In 2008 I had the privilege to go on a spiritual pilgrimage to several holy sites in Europe. One of those locations had a profound effect on me. The small mountain town of LaSalette, France is located more than 5,000 ft up into the french Alps. The bus ride up the narrow passageway paved the way for a truly remarkable experience. I had never heard about LaSalette. Melanie and Maxim, shepherds in their early teens were visited in 1848,10 years before Lourdes, by the Blessed Mother dressed in their native attire. She was sitting on a rock, with her hands covering her face and the tears that flowed from her eyes. She told them that she was sad because her children were turning away from her Son and she did not know how long she could hold back her Sons hand. She appeared to them several times asking to tell the people to pray, repent and do penance and return to Jesus. We spent several hours in LaSalette and in the quiet, magnificent beauty of this sacred place, I understood why I was there. I prayed and asked Mary what I could do to console her tears. Just before we boarded the bus again, we were allowed a few minutes to visit the gift store. I found a pewter pendant of the image you see here and it was the only one in the store. Browsing through the prayer cards, I picked up one with the same image and read the prayer on the back. It read, You can console me by leading a holy life. I boarded the bus speechless, sobbing and still I am in awe of what happened that day high up on that mountain in that remote place I had never heard of, but is forever engraved on my heart. That mountain top experience was a preparation for a return to life in the valley.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 13:55:49 +0000
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