1-4c) The Kiss of Grace


Reprinted with kind permission from St. Joseph Publications from the book She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Book 1) NOTE: All excerpts from Conchita's Diary will be in extra-bold type

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On that July Monday, the day of the second apparition of Mary, Queen and Mother, the calls appeared for the first time, as we have just seen. And something else also appeared that has no precedent in the history of the Catholic Church, and which would come for that reason to be uniquely characteristic of Garabandal. I undertake to describe here the kisses of grace.

The people and our parents who were there gave us articles so that we might present them to be kissed.

And she kissed them all.

Through these words this gracious event is indicated. During the course of this history, many examples will come forth of the Virgin's hidden generosity. Here it is necessary to make some observations which will aid in understanding this better.

Again we go back to the testimony of Father Ramon Maria Andreu and the report he wrote three months after the Garabandal phenomena had begun:

«Stones have also been a frequent article in the visions of the children. The stones involved were small, about the size of caramel candy. They gathered them from the ground while in the trance, or else they brought the stones with them beforehand. They gave them to the Virgin to kiss, and afterwards they returned them to people as a gift or sign of pardon. It was frequently seen that the Vision herself asked the children for more stones; but they didn't gather more.

Cases of hierognosis (secret and mysterious understanding to distinguish holy and sacred objects from other things) have been observed in connection with the stones kissed by the Virgin. For example, one day one of the children in a trance held up a little cup of stones to offer them up to be kissed by the Virgin. While raising one of them toward the Virgin, she was clearly heard to say, What? What has already been kissed? Oh! It is Andre's.»

A little stone is an insignificant thing, worthless; but the same stone is converted into a precious treasure by being distinguished with the Virgin's kiss.

The kissing of stones occurred mainly in the first weeks of the ecstasies. Later almost nothing else was kissed except religious articles like crucifixes, rosaries, medals, holy cards, scapulars.

«It was customary to see the children with rosaries, medals, and crucifixes around their necks. These were the things that the public gave them for the Virgin to kiss. A considerable number of cases of hierognosis have been observed in connection with the offering of these objects to be kissed. Also cases have been cited —the majority difficult to prove— of favors obtained or cures made either at the moment of giving those objects to be kissed, or on receiving them back, or later when the recipients used them.» (Father Ramón)

PHOTO: "Cases of hierognosis have been observed in connection with the stones kissed by the Virgin."

It was a proven fact that the children, in spite of the multitude of objects that passed through their hands and which they held up to be kissed without any pre-established order, never erred in returning each one of the objects to the proper person. And they did this with their faces turned upwards, without seeing the people, and sometimes with the persons involved being behind their backs, or deliberately remaining at a distance. In all these circumstances it was evident that someone invisible was there with words or gestures directing the hands of the children.

But the Virgin did not only kiss definitely religious articles and small stones, the simple stones of biblical significance; she also kissed other objects that did not seem appropriate for her lips.

Among the numerous episodes that have been recorded with complete guarantee of accuracy, this one is particularly striking:

One day Conchita was in the kitchen of her house surrounded by persons who were waiting for the moment of the apparition. On the simple table that served for the family meals, the objects that she was going to give to be kissed were being gathered. Together with these, someone had put there a stylish woman's powder case. The child and those present wanted this removed. How could the Virgin come to kiss an object so profane and used only for the service of vanity? Nevertheless, the powder case remained there.

The ecstasy began and those present saw with astonishment that the visionary's hand, without her looking at it, before going to any other object, went first of all toward the previously discussed powder case. The child raised it toward the invisible Virgin and then set it down with great respect on the table. Among those present, surprise must have been mingled with doubt. Was it really the Virgin who was appearing? It didn't seem that she would kiss such an object . . .

As soon as the ecstasy was finished, Conchita was asked for an explanation. And she declared that the Virgin had asked immediately for the powder case in order to kiss it, saying that it was something «belonging to her Son».The girl did not know anything more. But the person who had put the powder case there did know more and revealed the secret. During the terrible Spanish civil war (1936-1939) in the Red Zone when priests were being executed and had to be hidden, the powder case had been used to bring Communion Hosts to various locations and especially to prisoners whom the Reds held captive in order to execute. Thus it had served as a pyx.[This episode definitely happened. Ramón Pifarré from Barcelona, visiting Garabandal with his daughter Asunción, brought the powdercase to Conchita's house.]

Besides religious articles, the objects that probably were the most kissed at Garabandal were wedding rings. Concerning this we have innumerable stories, some of which will be mentioned later.

If there is anything mysterious as to why the Virgin kissed these objects, it is not difficult to figure out. This is the hour of great crisis in family life. Among non-Catholics the breaking up of married life has been advancing during the past few years in an alarming degree. But even in Catholic families this evil is becoming more and more prominent. Certainly in Spain it is noticeably less than in other countries, and certainly the people of Garabandal have remained in this respect unchanged; but the Virgin did not come only for Garabandal, nor only for Spain. She came for all her children and if some ought to reform for the evil done, others should be warned so that they do not fall into the same evil. With her kiss the Virgin here indicated in advance what the Church, united in the Council, wanted to remedy and would declare later with its Pastoral Document Gaudium et Spes (Part II, Chapter I).

With regard to the Virgin's kisses, I would like to inscribe here two interesting things.

The first is an affirmation. It is certain that Conchita has said more than once on behalf of the Virgin:

«Jesus will perform prodigies by means of the objects kissed by her, before and after the miracle. And the persons who use these objects with faith will undergo purgatory in this life.»

The second is an anecdote which helps us understand that these kisses belonged strictly to Mary's maternal role. It happened several years later on June 18th, 1965, an important date in the history of Garabandal. On that day the village was swarming with strangers who had come to be present at a special apparition announced in December of the previous year. One of these strangers, undoubtedly not possessing a kissed object and wishing to have one, offered a rosary to Conchita. The young girl, sure that on that day only St. Michael was coming, would not accept it, saying to the surprised man:

—The Angel doesn't kiss.

Conchita smiled and said, Only the Virgin kisses. The Angel is not the person for that.

Now let us return to those first days in July of 1961, The apparition of Monday, July 3rd, started at 7:30 at night and ended at 8:00.

When she said to us, Stay with God and with me also, that made us sad. (Her departure)

And we said, Goodbye, goodbye.

The last thing she said to us was, Tomorrow you will see me again.

On July 4th, we were the same as usual, and the people of the village and our parents, brothers, and sisters were believing more each day.

The strangers who came were very enthusiastic in telling other people to come.

We continued leading our normal lives, doing what our parents told us.

Evening came on Tuesday, July 4th, the third day of seeing the Virgin.

Many people had come, and priests.

The rosary was at 6:00 in the evening at the parish church and we had one call.

The church was full of people and on the main altar were about a dozen priests and photographers [Cameras appeared in Garabandal from the beginning, brought for definite reasons, most of the time with the desire of perpetuating the beauty and emotion of those extraordinary scenes.] taking pictures.

When the rosary was finished, we had two calls and we decided to run to the cuadro, and the people ran after us ...

Before all had arrived, Mari Cruz and I were a little higher up than Loli and Jacinta. The two of us were inside the cuadro itself, and the other two not inside.

And the people said that for all that we had run, we didn't perspire.

And they were perspiring and arriving all exhausted

And they were amazed.

But it was as though the Virgin carried us!

According to the witnesses of the Garabandal phenomena, the girls' race to the site of the apparition after feeling the third call was awesome, and there was no way of following them. Therefore, Conchita said with reason that it was the Virgin—a supernatural force—that carried them. Because of this they did not feel any tiredness or signs of fatigue, like perspiration, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, etc. . .

If all this were mere child's play, as has been said (even officially), they would soon have become physically and psychologically worn out. Nevertheless the races, the trances, the exertions and the vigils—which took place almost daily, month after month for several years—exhausted everyone else except the visionaries. And all who could observe these things from up close, including eminent doctors of various specialties, agreed in describing the amazing naturalness, normality, childlike and adolescent freshness and mental balance that the girls had in their way of acting. Only intervention from on high could have left the girls' weak natures intact and enriched in such circumstances.