OUR LADY OF THE FLOWERS

Day 231: December 29

Madonna dei Fiori (Our Lady of the Flowers), Bra, Cuneo, Italy



Between the old and the new Sanctuary of the "Madonna dei fiori" of Bra, at the end of a long avenue of elms and plane trees, there is a garden of wild plums that bloom every year in the middle of winter. Tradition dates this prodigy back to December 29, 1336, when the Virgin appeared in protection of a young bride Egidia Mathis, who was about to become a mother, threatened by two soldiers.

They belonged to the mercenary companies that devastated Piedmont in that first half of the 14th century. They were two foreign captains, one English and one German, who competed in the Braidese region to see who proved to be the braver. The farmsteads were plundered mercilessly, the villages were constantly cut, the boys kidnapped to make them brigands and the girls often reduced to crying over their past. Every evening, towards dusk, Egidia went from her house to bring milk and eggs to a wealthy family in the surrounding area, and had to pass in front of the guardhouse of soldiers of fortune. Jokes, coarse compliments always greeted her, but she continued her journey without answering. But it was too desirable, so much so that two of those heroes of rags and prison, after having looked at her several times and after having studied her itinerary well, decided to perform a certain amorous feat against Egidia.

A heavy, misty atmosphere hung over the earth, and the two soldiers of fortune took up position behind some spring bushes in the path of the beautiful bride. Some time passed, and finally a noise made itself. "Here she comes!"

A pylon stood a few steps away and one of the two soldiers flattened himself next to it. Meanwhile, Egidia, singing, drew nearer, perhaps thinking of the joy of her husband's return; but suddenly two iron arms squeezed her, and a shaggy beard brushed her soft cheeks. A stifled cry, some violent squeeze, an impetuous wriggling, and Egidia fell with folded hands in front of the pylon, where a Byzantine Madonna was painted with singularly primitive art. "Blessed Virgin Mary, help me...!", she cried.

The clump of dry bushes suddenly lit up and seemed all in bloom; The pylon was enveloped by a ray descending from the sky, and the two rascals, leaving their prey intact, fled hastily towards the guardhouse or towards hell. Egidia came to her senses, and saw a Lady dazzling with light next to her who was reassuring her; in the niche of the pylon Byzantine painting was no longer there. Then the Lady also disappeared, but the whole countryside miraculously remained in bloom all around, as if it were not December that extraordinary evening.

Egidia would have liked to ask Our Lady questions, but she realized that she was about to give birth prematurely, and so she admitted herself as best she could among the blackthorns, where she gave birth to a child. As it was very cold, she was trying to shelter her son in her arms, Our Lady approached her again and, comforting her, handed her white swaddling clothes to cover the child. Egidia took them and swaddled the child. Looking around she saw that the bramble trees, in the midst of which her helper had appeared, had miraculously bloomed. Then he understood that she was Our Lady.

Egidia Mathis returned home, told what had happened, and the parish priest of the village interpreted the apparition as that of the Virgin: the bushes around the pylon were all still in bloom, as if to confirm that the woman had not really dreamed. Since then, every winter the mysterious blossoming of Our Lady's hawthorn has been repeated, three months earlier.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"Queen, not only on account of the shared rights of Your Son, but because of the intrinsic sovereignty of every merit; on account of the voluntary dedication to You of all the Elect; Queen...because you are the sole Mother of Jesus and of His Mystical Body."

(Justin Russolillo, Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, Newark, 1996, p. 144) 

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