{"id":4206,"date":"2015-10-22T03:30:37","date_gmt":"2015-10-22T08:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbookblogger\/?p=4206"},"modified":"2015-10-15T16:59:25","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T21:59:25","slug":"two-stories-of-conversion-through-mary-mary-day-093","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicbookblogger\/2015\/10\/22\/two-stories-of-conversion-through-mary-mary-day-093\/","title":{"rendered":"Two stories of conversion through Mary, Mary: Day 093"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"year_with_mary_alphonsus_1\"<\/a>Two stories of conversion through Mary<\/strong><\/p>\n

St. Alphonsus tells of two men in quite different circumstances who had one thing in common: Through Our Lady\u2019s intervention, they were converted.<\/em><\/p>\n

A man in Germany once fell into a serious sin. Through shame he was unwilling to confess it. But because he was unable to endure the remorse of his conscience, he went to throw himself into a river. Just as he was about to end his life, he hesitated. Weeping, he begged that God would forgive him his sin with- out his confessing it in the sacrament. One night, in his sleep, he felt someone shake his arm, and he heard a voice saying, \u201cGo to Confession.\u201d He went to the church, but he still didn\u2019t confess.<\/p>\n

On another night he heard the same voice again. He returned to the church, but when he got there, he declared that he would rather die than confess that sin. Yet before returning home, he went to entrust himself to the most Blessed Virgin, whose image was in that church. As soon as he had knelt down, he found himself quite changed. He immediately got up and called a confessor. Weeping bitterly through the grace received from Mary, he made an entire confession of his sins. Afterward he declared that he experienced greater satisfaction than if had he obtained all the treasures of the world.<\/p>\n

In another instance, a young nobleman on a sea voyage from Genoa began to read and take much pleasure in an obscene book. A religious priest noticed it and said to him: \u201cWould you like to make a gift to our Blessed Lady?\u201d The young man replied that he would. \u201cWell,\u201d the brother answered, \u201cI wish that, for the love of the most holy Virgin, you would give up that book, and throw it into the sea.\u201d \u201cHere it is, Father,\u201d said the young man. \u201cNo,\u201d replied the priest, \u201cyou yourself must make Mary this gift.\u201d He did so. And as soon as he had returned to his hometown, the Mother of God enflamed his heart with divine love.\u00a0\u2014St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary<\/p>\n

IN GOD\u2019S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .<\/strong>
\nDo I see myself in either of these stories? Have I ever felt so ashamed of a particular sin that I let it prevent me from making a sacramental Confession? Have I ever been pressed to give up a sin that I knew kept me from the graces I needed?<\/p>\n

CLOSING PRAYER<\/strong>
\nMary, Refuge of Sinners, help me make a good Confession.<\/p>\n

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