She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Page 37)

Conchita waiting . . .

On another occasion I was with Jacinta, Loli and three priests. Being advised that they had received the second call, I went with one of the priests to Conchita’s house and there asked her, How many calls have you had? She answered me, Two, Father. Then Mari Cruz who was there said, The Virgin hasn’t called me. I told her, Well, then, go home. And she obeyed.
The children could notice that, although the third call had begun, there still remained a period of time, as they told me on one occasion, There is only time for one line. (I was writing, and that was the way it was.) Another time I heard this, Father, there are now two and a half. This half must be like the coming of the third.

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These words were written down by Father Ramón María Andreu, an eyewitness of many things at Garabandal. Let us return now to the unfolding of the story on Monday, July 3rd.
We told (our families) about the calls.
They were astounded since they had never seen or heard this!
After our conversation with them, we had a call and we told them about it.
The four of us were together.
And there were many people and some of them didn’t believe, which could have been because they had never come.
They spoke to the parish priest Fr. Valentín, Why not put two in Loli’s house and the other two in Conchita’s house?
And Father Valentín said, That’s a good idea.

So with the parents’ permission, it was done that way. Loli and Jacinta were put in Loli’s house; Conchita and Mari Cruz in Conchita’s house.

They separated us that way to see if the four of us would come together at the same time.
And after a half hour we received the second call.
And the four of us came together there in the cuadro at the same time.
And the people were amazed.
As soon as we arrived at the cuadro, the Virgin appeared to us with the Child Jesus.
But the Angels didn’t come.
She came with a broad smile, and the Child was smiling too.
And the first thing that we said was, Where are St. Michael and the other Angel?
And she smiled even more.
The people and our parents who were there gave us articles so that we might present them to be kissed.
And she kissed them all.
And since we liked to make up games for the Child Jesus, we picked up pebbles.
And I put them in my braids, Loli put them in her sleeves, and Jacinta gave them to Him.
But He didn’t take them; He only smiled.
(On this occasion Mari Cruz offered the Child some caramels that had been given to her.)
And she said many things to us.
But she didn’t allow us to tell these things.
In this childlike narration there are many astonishing things: 1. The miraculous exact coincidence of the calls in the four girls in spite of the separation imposed on them; 2. The fact that the Angels, having completed their mission to prepare
and accompany, had prudently withdrawn so that all attention might be directed on the person who really mattered; 3. The presence of the spectators who tried to enter more into the grace of Mary’s presence, offering objects for her to kiss so as to treasure them later as the sweet radiation of her maternal benevolence; 4. The girls’ normal reaction to a beautiful Child, making up games as an expression of their affection for Him.
But what is most worthy of attention is that She said many things . . . Although she did not permit the girls, at least for the moment, to repeat what she said.
With the visionaries she tolerates many childish things. What mother or teacher doesn’t do so? But she raises them above their childish ways and natural dispositions. She didn’t come just to pass the time, even in her almost divine way. Nor did she come to demonstrate her kindness in a multitude of small favors. She came above all to aid and direct, not according to our ideas or plans, but completely according to the difficult designs of God. For this she spoke many things on that night. For this she was to continue to speak on many other nights. Certain things, that were of interest to all or many, would be known at the proper time; certain others would remain forever personal secrets of the visionaries. What St. Therese of the Child Jesus wrote about her own story, can be written now about Garabandal: Many pages of this story will never be read on earth.
In this meeting, after having exchanged words with the children, the Queen might have added the words from Proverbs (8:32-35) that the Catholic liturgy has often placed on her lips.

Now therefore, you children, hear me:
Blessed are they who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not.
Blessed is the man who hears me,
and watches daily at my gates,
and waits at the posts of my doors.
He who shall find me, shall find life,
And shall have salvation from the Lord.