Memoirs of a Spanish Country Priest (Chapter XVII)

CHAPTER XVII

Returning the Kissed Articles

The girls frequently returned rosaries, medals and chains, crucifixes, holy cards, etc. to their owners during the ecstasies. They also put wedding rings on married people, on the proper finger.
One day, I left a white metal crucifix on the little table where Loli had placed the articles to give to the Virgin. Since she was not able to observe this, she searched all day to find the owner. On this subject, she questioned one of my friends from Cataluña, who could not answer her since she had not seen me either.
That evening, I was sitting in Conchita’s kitchen. Once again, Loli came in ecstasy, accompanied by her father and other visitors. She knelt down on the floor and held out her crucifix to kiss. She came toward me and she did the same, using the crucifix that she held in her hand. She remained in front of me, trying to give me something else.
Because of my poor vision and being more attentive to her face than her hands, I didn’t notice her intention.
“Father,” Ceferino said to me then, “She’s giving you another crucifix.”

It was the metal crucifix that I left in her home that morning without being seen by anyone. The young woman from Cataluña, astonished likewise, cried out in speaking to Loli, as if the girl could hear her:
— “Oh, see then to whom the cross belongs that has concerned her so much all day!”
That was one of the most moving moments of my life.