OUR LADY OF TEARS

Day 300: March 08

Our Lady of Tears, São Paulo, Brazil

Immediately after the First World War, in the period of the Great Depression in America, there lived a very pious nun whose religious name was Amalia of Jesus Crucified. Her convent, the Institute of the Missionaries of Jesus Crucified, was located in South America, in a small town called Campinas in Brazil. Monsignor Count Franciscus von Campos Barreto, Bishop of the Diocese of Campinas, gave life to the Institute with the help of Sister Amalia as co-foundress. Sister Amalia was one of the first eight women who decided to dedicate their lives to the service of God in that Institute.

Like St Francis, Padre Pio and Theresa Neumann, Sister Amalia was a privileged soul in bearing the stigmata of Christ. Only this trial would have made us understand what fate lay ahead for this soul who offered herself as a victim for the needy. A soul that was certainly generous in nature and willing to sacrifice. December 8, 1927, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Sister Amalia made her temporary vows and received her habit. December 8, 1931, Sister Amalia made perpetual vows, and became a nun consecrated to the Church and to God.

One day in the autumn of 1929, a relative of Sister Amalia showed up at the convent. He had a great need. His wife was seriously ill, and he was very distressed. He said that according to the diagnosis of many doctors, his wife's illness was incurable, and he didn't know what to do and didn't know what God expected of him. Sister Amalia was his last hope. Grieving and with tears in his eyes, he cried desperately and said aloud, "What on earth will happen to the children?"

Sister Amalia's heart ached at the sight of the pain of others. Her innate inclinations immediately led her to desire to help him in all possible ways, so as her relative told this story of sorrow, she prayed inwardly to our Divine Redeemer in deep reflection, as she thought just as intensely of what she might offer or do.

Listening to both her relative and her soul at the same time, Sister Amalia felt an inner impulse urging her to visit Jesus in church. When their meeting ended, she responded faithfully and quickly to this voice of the heart.

After entering the house of God, Sister Amalia knelt reverently and approached a few steps from the altar. Here she knelt face down and stretched out her arms to Jesus in the tabernacle. (From her own account and example, we consider Sister Amalia to be an extremely perfected soul, with the gentleness and tender grace to recognize – and respond to – the Divine Presence of our God and Redeemer in the Most Blessed Sacrament.)

In this devout and humbly submissive disposition to our Eucharistic King, she spoke to Jesus: "If there is no hope for T.'s wife, I am ready to offer my life for the mother of the family. What do you want me to do?" Jesus answered: "If you want to receive these favors, ask Me through the intercession of My Mother's tears." Sister Amalia asked further, "How should I pray?" Jesus said to her, "Oh Jesus, hear our supplications and petitions for the tears of Your Holy Mother! Oh Jesus, remember the tears of her who loved you more than anyone else on earth." Then Jesus added: "My daughter, all the people who ask Me for graces by praying My Mother's tears, I will grant them to them lovingly. My Mother will give this treasure to our adored Institute to attract My Grace." This happened on November 8, 1929.

Jesus fulfilled, precisely four months later, the promise made to Sister Amalia; It was in the spring of the following year. At the divine appointment the Blessed Virgin Mary gave this treasure of Heaven to the Institute.

The following passage is taken from Sister Amalia's memories of what happened.

"It was March 8, 1930. I was in the chapel kneeling by the altar, suddenly I felt prompted to look up. Then I saw a Woman of unspeakable beauty approaching. She had a blue-purple mantle on her shoulders and a white veil on her head. Smiling, she remained suspended in the air facing me, while holding a Rosary in her hands that she herself called "Rosary". Our Lady, smiling amiably, gave me the crown whose beads, white as snow, shone like suns.

The Virgin said to me: "Here is the crown of my tears. My Son entrusts it to your institute as a portion of an inheritance. He has already revealed the invocations to you. He wants me to be honored in a special way with this prayer and He will grant to all those who recite this crown and pray to Him in the name of my tears, great graces. This crown will serve to obtain the conversion of many sinners. Your Institute will have the great honor of bringing back to the bosom of the Holy Church and converting a great number of the followers of this nefarious sect. The devil will be defeated with this Crown and his infernal commitment will be destroyed."

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"The Heavens resound with the Divine Invitation to your Eternal Reward: "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one and come! O my dove, let me see your face forever! Your face is beautiful and your voice is sweet!""

(Justin Russolillo, Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, Newark, 1996, p. 159)