The Vision - Part III

A week after the Heaven experience, I was watching Father John Corapi on EWTN. He began the program by saying that he would be talking about Mary, mother of Jesus. Normally, I would have turned the program off. Though I had already entered the Catholic Church at this point, I believed that Catholics were idolatrous in their love for Mary. However, because of my experience, I decided to keep the program on. Father Corapi immediately began by saying, "You know how at the end of the 'Hail Mary' we say 'pray for us, now and at the hour of our death?' " Well, I heard very little of what Father Corapi said after that, because in that moment, I became keenly aware that Mary had been praying for me and the troubles I was having with my heart. I had said the 'Hail Mary' so many times in my life and had no real understanding that I had been asking her to pray for me. But, there she was that evening praying for ME!

The next Sunday, I told my priest what had happened. He laughed and said to me, "You had a vision of Mary." He proceeded to ask me what the date was on which the "vision" had occured. I had no idea. At that point, I didn't even know what a "Mary Vision" was, and I certainly didn't know that she often appears on special dates.

That vision brought so much comfort to my sister and me after our mother died only 6 months later. I do not have a death wish, and I am very grateful for the life that has been given to me. But, I no longer have any fear of death at all. God has revealed to me that what I saw in the "vision" is nothing compared to what is wating for us all. Still, I want to raise my children and do all of the things that I enjoy doing most, especially write, ski, and travel.

About a year and a half ago, I collapsed after my heart had become very weak due to a slew of other health issues. Before the doctors even knew what was wrong with me, I asked God to please tell me why I had collapsed and why I was having so many other problems. The Holy Spirit said to me Why was Mary praying for you? Ask her to pray for you now. Of course, I knew that God was referring back to the vision and the heart palpitation. At that point, I realized that it had been my heart that had caused my collapse and the seizures that followed. Four months of doctors appointments confirmed God's Words.

Mary was the first Christian, the first one to believe that our Messiah had come. No matter your faith, I encourage you to ask Mary to pray for you, too. As Sacred Scripture tells us, Jesus' first Miracle was performed at the request of his mother at the Wedding at Cana (Gospel according to St. John 2:1-11). It is important to note that the emphasis is not on Mary. She always points back to her Son. In Mary's own words, we are to "do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5). We don't pray to Mary or those in Heaven. We ask them to pray for us, just like we would ask a friend to pray for us. We are blessed to have such "a great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) to ask to intercede on our behalf... those who are already in the full presence of God.