Mary prevents someone from a moral relapse, Mary: Day 092

Mary prevents someone from a moral relapse

St. Alphonsus recalls how Our Lady forcefully kept a man who showed her devotion from falling back into sinful habits.

Another wonder involving Our Lady’s intercession was reported by Fr. Paul Segneri in the work entitled Christian Instructed. The story of a young man being freed from immoral habits through devotion to her was recounted in a homily by Fr. Nicholas Zucchi in Rome. A captain in the congregation, who for many years had carried on an improper relationship with a certain woman, heard the story.

He determined that he also would practice the same devotion, so that he too might be delivered from the horrible chains that bound him as a slave of the Devil. (For it’s necessary that sinners have this intention, so that the Blessed Virgin may be able to help them.) So he also gave up his wickedness and changed his life.

But there’s still more. After six months, relying too much on his own strength, the captain foolishly went to pay a visit to the woman, to see whether she also had been converted. But when he approached the door of the house, where he was in clear danger of falling back into sin, he was driven back by an invisible power. Suddenly he found himself far away from the house, all the way down the street, and standing in front of his own door.

Through this experience the captain was clearly made to understand that Mary had delivered him from being lost. From this incident, we ourselves may learn a lesson: Our good mother is eager—if we entrust ourselves to her for this purpose—not only to rescue us out of a state of sin, but also to deliver us from the danger of falling back into it. —St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .
Have I ever been prevented from approaching an occasion of sin, only to real- ize later that heaven had intervened to protect me?

CLOSING PRAYER
Blessed Lady, defend me from me the Enemy of my soul, and when necessary, defend me from myself, so often my own worst enemy.

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