1-4b) The Mysterious Calls


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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When the hour was approximately the same as Sunday—the first day on which we had seen the vision—our families, who were now believing a lot, said to us You should go to say the rosary in the Cuadro.

And we told them, Wehaven't been called yet.

And they thought about this and said, But how are you called?

And we answered that it was like an interior voice, but that we didn't hear it with the ears, nor did we hear ourselves called by name.

It is a JOY.[Here the youthful Conchita tries to explain in her poor vocabulary what no human tongue is able to express adequately. She does not succeed in telling us what these calls are in themselves; she informs us as well as she can about some of their effects. We are here before a case of direct communication between God and the soul, without the interplay of signs and words. The interior of the soul is marvelously filled by a divine breath which calls it, and fills it with light, assurance, docility, and joy toward God or the Virgin.]

There are three calls.

The first is a very little joy.

The second is somewhat greater.

At the third we become very excited and feel great happiness. And then she comes.

We would go outside (to the site of the apparition) after the second call.
For if we would go after the first we would have to wait a long time, since from the first to the second there is a long wait.

Here emerges for the first time a phenomenon that is most amazing, most unusual, and most proper to Garabandal: the visionaries' interior calls. At this stage of our history Conchita advances explanations that were the fruit of larger experience later on. So as to better understand this phenomenon, I am going to insert here what was written in the early times of the apparitions by Father Ramon Maria Andreu S. J.,[The name of this Jesuit priest will forever be linked to the history of Garabandal. He had three brothers in the Jesuit order, two of them stationed outside of Spain. He was dedicated especially to directing retreats on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and had his residence in the House of Christ the King in Valladolid. Later on we will see in detail his connection with Garabandal.] an exceptional witness of the Garabandal events. It is to be pointed out that the calls occurred only when the Virgin was going to come, and never when it was simply a visit with the Angel.

Father Andreu reported:
«The phenomenon of the calls or interior touches from which the ecstasies arose happened to the four girls in the following way. They would say that there were always three calls. These could occur at the same time when they were together; they could occur at the same time when they were separated; they could occur at a time which was not the same even though they were together; they could occur to all four, or to just one, or to several of them.

The word call was originated by the girls themselves who talked like this: Today the Virgin did not "call" me. Today she "called" me. I have already had one "call" or two . . .

It is not easy to describe the nature of the calls. The girls said they were like a joy from within, a clear and definite joy that was always present. It was as if the Virgin had said in the first call, Jacinta! and in the second, Jacinta, come! and in the third, Jacinta, run, run, run! But all this without audible words.

The children hid the calls; and if they were not asked, or if they did not spontaneously mention them in some cases, they would not have been noticed.

Here are some cases that I myself observed. One day Loli was pouring a glass of water for Mr. Mattutano [Mr. Matutano, who was from Valencia, lived in Reinosa (Santander) because of his rice business. He frequently visited Garabandal, pitching a tent near Conchita's home. One of his daughters was very close to Conchita, and from this came occasions of mild vanity for the visionary, since the young Valen-cian painted her nails, gave her jewelry, clothes, etc.

After relaying this information, this priest who was trustworthy added: «This is another detail that shows what many of us have done to the girls—disturbing at times the work of heaven in preparing and directing these girls toward the struggle that they are going to have to face in the future.»] so that he could take an aspirin. And while she was still pouring she felt the third call. Putting down the pitcher and glass, she exclaimed, Let's go, Father, since she's calling me.

On another occasion I was with Jacinta, Loli and three priests. Being advised that they had received the second call, I went with one of the priests to Conchita's house and there asked her, How many calls have you had? She answered me, Two, Father. Then Mari Cruz who was there said, The Virgin hasn't called me. I told her, Well, then, go home. And she obeyed.

The children could notice that, although the third call had begun, there still remained a period of time, as they told me on one occasion, There is only time for one line. (I was writing, and that was the way it was.) Another time I heard this, Father, there are now two and a half. This half must be like the coming of the third.»

These words were written down by Father Ramon Maria Andreu, an eyewitness of many things at Garabandal. Let us return now to the unfolding of the story on Monday, July 3rd.

We told (our families) about the calls.

So with the parents' permission, it was done that way. Loli and Jacinta were put in Loli's house; Conchita and Mari Cruz in Conchita's house.

    They separated us that way to see if the four of us would come together at the same time.
    And after a half hour we received the second call.
    And the four of us came together there in the cuadro at the same time. And the people were amazed.
    As soon as we arrived at the cuadro, the Virgin appeared to us with the Child Jesus.
    But the Angels didn't come.
    She came with a broad smile, and the Child was smiling too.
    And the first thing that we said was, Where are St. Michael and the other Angel?
    And she smiled even more.
    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.
    And since we liked to make up games for the Child Jesus, we picked up pebbles.
    And I put them in my braids, Loli put them in her sleeves, and Jacinta gave them to Him.
    But He didn't take them; He only smiled.
    (On this occasion Mari Cruz offered the Child some caramels that had been given to her.)
    And she said many things to us.
    But she didn't allow us to tell these things.

In this childlike narration there are many astonishing things: 1. the miraculous exact coincidence of the calls in the four girls in spite of the separation imposed on them; 2. the fact that the angels, having completed their mission to prepare and accompany, had prudently withdrawn so that all attention might be directed on the person who really mattered; 3. the presence of the spectators who tried to enter more into the grace of Mary's presence, offering objects for her to kiss so as to treasure them later as the sweet radiation of her maternal benevolence; 4. the girls' normal reaction to a beautiful Child, making up games as an expression of their affection for Him.

But what is most worthy of attention is that She said many things . . . although she did not permit the girls, as least for the moment, to repeat what she said.

With the visionaries she tolerates many childish things. What mother or teacher doesn't do so? But she raises them up above their childish ways and natural dispositions. She didn't come just to pass the time, even in her almost divine way. Nor did she come to demonstrate her kindness in a multi-tude of small favors. She came above all to aid and direct, not according to our ideas or plans, but completely according to the difficult designs of God. For this she spoke many things on that night. For this she was to continue to speak on many other nights. Certain things, that were of interest to all or many, would be known at the proper time; certain others would remain forever personal secrets of the visionaries. What St. Therese of the Child Jesus wrote about her own story, can be written now about Garabandal: Many pages of this story will never be read on earth,

In this meeting, after having exchanged words with the children, the Queen might have added the words from Proverbs (8: 32-35) that the Catholic liturgy has often placed on her lips.