She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Page 48)

As many as 3,000 spectators a day came to see the ecstasies and participate in them.

The Spectators

«In the beginning the spectators did not take any part in what was happening. But later they took a certain participation. The girls not only spoke about the spectators whom they knew, but also located them and touched them during the ecstasies. As the girls explained it, they didn't see them but they felt them by touch. (Although they didn't feel it when they were touched by the spectators.)
They came to localize spectators in two ways; either by pointing in various directions until the Vision would tell them where they were, or by allowing their hand to be taken by the Vision to the place where the spectators were. This occurred mainly when they were returning the medals and rosaries.(14)

When they went to put a rosary or a gift kissed by the Virgin over someone's head, they were accustomed to say, Take my hands and place them since I do not see the person. At those times the movement was much more rapid and more exact, and they placed the rosary or gift without touching the head. These cases have been very numerous.

There has also been participation by the spectators as a group. One day the Virgin advised the girl to pray the rosary in the church after the apparition; but she found the church locked. So she started to pray at the door, and entering again into ecstasy, was told by the Virgin to pray louder so that the people could answer her. It was a beautiful rosary through the streets of the village; the girl in ecstasy marching ahead leading in a loud voice, and the people answering. The girl did not count the Ave Marías that were being said but she did not err on the number for any mystery, for the Virgin told her when it was time for the Gloria. This occurred on many other occasions.»

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On the pages of his history Father Ramón put down many details about this relationship between the visionaries and the spectators. Let us read some of them:
«On one occasion the girls in ecstasy fell down on their knees before each person present and said the Act of Contrition. But when coming in front of a young child—without seeing him—instead of saying the Act of Contrition, they prayed a Salve.»

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The example is forceful and nothing could make us more aware on the one hand of the dignity of every son of God with a baptized soul, and on the other hand of the realization that we are all sinners and in need of a continual practice of repentance. And beyond that, it points out the permanence of the state of grace brought on by baptism in those who still have not committed personal sins.

«Another time one of the visionaries made the Sign of the Cross on all the persons around them except one . . . We can imagine that person's dismay. The parish priest asked the girl later why she had not made the Sign of the Cross over this person. And the girl responded that the Virgin had said that this person was the only one of those present who had made the Sign of the Cross on getting up in the morning. On questioning all those involved, it was learned that it had indeed been like that.»

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A good lesson concerning the necessity of not starting our day without prayer. There are few things so advisable for a Christian Life as to mark the start of each day with the raising of the heart toward Our Father Who art in heaven.
«A very concerned woman requested the visionary to ask the Virgin if her husband believed in God. After the ecstasy she learned the answer. In God he believes; in the Virgin, very little; but he will believe.»

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This became clear on learning—the visionary did not know—that the husband was a Protestant.(15)
«A man on his knees prayed mentally for the conversion of his son-in-law. As he was thus in prayer, known only to himself, a girl in ecstasy approached and spoke into his ear the word Yes, which some of those nearest to him were able to hear also. When I asked the girl later why she had said this Yes, she answered, The Virgin told me: Here is a man: Tell him "Yes." I insisted on knowing to what this "Yes" referred. I don't know, the Virgin only told me at the time that I should say "Yes" to the man.

On August 15th one of the girls prayed with a rosary that I had given her; when returning it later I saw that the cross was gone. It had come off and been lost. It was useless to search in those streets, alleys, and trails. After twenty days, on the fifth of September, it occurred to me to mention it to the girls, who asked the Virgin for the cross from my rosary. I was able to hear myself the dialogue in which they asked and how the exact location was indicated. At the end of the vision, we went without hesitation to the place mentioned and there the crucifix was found in the mud under a stone.

Another time five holy cards were given to the children for the Virgin to kiss. The visionary was holding them up one by one to the Vision, all except one which it appeared she did not wish to take. The owner of that holy card, shaken, then came to me crying and saying that she wanted to confess her sins. Later she returned to give her holy card to the girl in ecstasy and the girl, after she had listened to the Virgin and smiled, offered that holy card first of all to Her to kiss. The person to whom this happened in front of me gave me permission to mention it.
Here is another case concerning the state of conscience. I saw one of the girls in ecstasy suddenly fall on her knees in front of a woman. The woman drew back very deliberately as the girl, holding her glance fixed on high, corralled her in a corner. There the girl smiled very gently for a few moments and then left her.

The effect that this caused in the person was very great. And afterwards I learned that she had come to Garabandal very distraught with the thought that her confessions had not been made properly. For that reason she had prayed to God and the Virgin, If my past confessions have been made properly, let the girl come clearly to me. She had barely formed mentally this prayer when the girl—from the other end of the street—advanced on her knees toward her without paying attention to any other person. The answer had been wonderful.

The capacity that the girls in ecstasy possessed to know hidden things about the spectators has been shown on many other instances. But attention is called particularly to the facility with which they discovered some of those around them were priests.
Many times they said that priests were there when no one could have suspected it. Or that there were more priests than there appeared to be (due to their disguises), and it was always proven that it was indeed so.»(16)

14. It should not be lost from view that the girls, when entering into ecstasy, were taken away from the normal world of the senses; taken up into a supernatural light, which blinded their normal vision, breaking their contact with everything that physically surrounded them.

15. Now he is a Catholic, and definitely as a fruit of the child's play of Garabandal. His story will be brought forth later on.

16. It is beyond doubt that particular attention has been accorded priests at Garabandal. Proofs of this are innumerable. In this regard, these events point out the tremendous crisis in the Church that soon would come out in the open.