1-9e) Back Again Close to the Mother

The witness Maria Herrero de Gallardo continues her description about what she saw on Thursday, August 17th, the first day of her stay in Garabandal:

«After several very rapid tours through the village — at times they changed directions so quickly that several times I bumped into them — the girls made their way toward the church. There in front of the open door, they fell on their knees and prayed . . .

Then Jacinta laughed and said to the Vision that she didn't dare jump over the doorstep in order to go into the church. The Vision must have insisted. And then very smoothly, without any contraction of her body — just the way she was, with her hands joined on her chest and kneeling — she leaped [The word leaped is used to describe the marvelous, instantaneous, inexplicable and very beautiful passage over the doorway that left the observers stunned with wonder.] inside, hurdling over the obstacle of the doorsill to the amazement of all those present. She smiled at the Vision.

As if playing, the two girls made their way toward the altar; and there on the altar rail continued their celestial game, scandalizing some.»

«I can testify that the beauty of their attitudes during this play was truly captivating. Later they fell down very slowly, very smoothly, in front of the tabernacle: Jacinta on one side with her dress covering her legs very properly, her hands crossed on her chest; Loli, similarly, but leaning her head against Jacinta's knees. During this episode, certainly very moving — there were priest witnesses who regarded it with great respect — they carried on a very long and intimate conversation. This could hardly be heard, but it gave me the impression of being like the conversation of children with their mother, whom they tell all about their affairs and what is happening.»

We know through this witness that the ecstasies did not end here, but that the girls then continued their unusual and mysterious game in the choir loft, frightening many of the spectators when they glided along on the rails of the balcony and moved toward the edge in obvious risk of falling and killing themselves.

«Sometimes they gave the impression of being about to fly. They told me later that the Most Holy Virgin had told them then that they should follow her without fear, but they didn't dare. If we'd have obeyed, we'd have flown.

After a long time they set out, still in ecstasy, toward the village square. Next to the house of Fania they fell another time on the ground, lying full length. Loli was the first to get up and knelt down in prayer with a magnificent expression and gleaming eyes. She recited the Salve Regina in a touching way with tears streaming from her eyes. [Loli, truly transfigured, was on her knees like this for a while imploring, «Mercy».Then she recited an act of contrition with extraordinary fervor, and then a Salve as mentioned in the text.] And she was like this at the time that she contemplated the HOLY FAMILY as if in a picture.

    A priest at my side called my attention to the fact that the trance had already lasted two hours and 25 minutes. At this time a young couple came with a 3 year old girl, born without sight. With her eyes full of tears, the mother requested and requested again for a miracle from the Virgin. The girls in ecstasy joined in her petition. The silence during this scene was striking. Then suddenly the little blind girl burst out singing a charming song, full of happiness. Emotion overwhelmed us. [This song of the three year old infant is full of meaning.
    It was a proof that the requests made for her were not made in vain. In place of the bodily sight that was asked, she received a more useful grace of interior enlightenment that unloosened her tongue with the mysterious inspiration to sing.
    There is one thing that we have to hold for certain from the point of view of faith: we never have recourse to God without some benefit. If we do not receive exactly what we seek, and which sometimes is not the most appropriate, He compensates us in other ways, underestimated at the time, but which will show themselves more beneficial for us. After all, the here and now is not always the most important.]

Finally Jacinta and Loli departed for Loli's house. And very swiftly, without our being able to follow, they went up to the first floor where the apparition continued. A little later the window opened suddenly, and we saw the two girls leaning outside and calling out requests to the Vision not to leave, and requesting that she take them with her. The earnestness with which they petitioned her was striking. A little later they began to make gestures of goodbye with their hands, as if the Vision were withdrawing toward the horizon at the left of the Pines.»

«In front of his house Ceferino told me to go up immediately to the Pines, since Mari Cruz had already been some time in ecstasy. On this day there was a group of pilgrims assembled up there around the girls, listening to Mari Cruz say to the vision, Ah! Then it is a Dominican Father who is here dressed as a civilian. (This fact is certain since later in the evening the religious himself, about 30 years old, told me that he was very impressed since he had not revealed to anyone either his condition or his identity.)

When I arrived, Mari Cruz gave the Vision a large number of rosaries and medals to kiss — perhaps more than one hundred. At the same time she began a backward descent toward the village ... It would have to be seen: sometimes slowing down her walk; at others, speeding up with extreme swiftness, barely touching the ground with her feet, and then only slightly.

Halfway down the path near the Cuadro, Loli and Jacinta, who were accompanying her, went into ecstasy too. And the three, holding hands, walked toward the church, which in those days still was not closed to the visionaries. Before going inside, they made several trips [Many times procession-like marches occurred around the church. These marches show the importance of the sanctuary for meeting with God. And also they indicate the importance of religious practices that many would like to confine to oblivion as if they lacked meaning.] around it, counting out the Hail Marys of the rosary. The crowd around them had become very close together . . .

At that time, Conchita also went into ecstasy. The four joined arms, and in an incredible manner passed through the small door of the church courtyard. I say incredible since the door or gate was not sufficiently wide to permit the passage of the four side by side without either hitting or crushing the girls.

    I was able to slip swiftly into the church, and there at my leisure I had the chance to be able to contemplate the stunning entrance into the sacred precinct of the four girls in ecstasy. They did this slowly, with a stiff and rhythmic step, like a military march, that resounded loudly in the silence and darkness of the holy place. They gave quite an impression of force, as Loli in passing barely grazed with her arm one of our friends of considerable size, and knocked her on the ground [It should be taken into account that Loli, during these days, was very diminutive for her age.
    We have valuable testimony of the impression that the steps of the girls, rhythmic and strong, made in the silence of the night in the streets of Garabandal, drowning out the confused medley of footsteps made by those who followed while praying.
    It should not be forgotten that the Virgin, so kind and charming, is also the Virgo Potens (Virgin Most Powerful) who battles the powers of evil and is capable of destroying, as the Church sings out in her liturgy, all the heresies that have ever been.] I think that all those who were there were seized with a salutary fear. As for me, I confess that I experienced a strong feeling of the fear of God and I was reminded of that part of Scripture that the Church applies to the Virgin, You are beautiful and full of charm, Daughter of Jerusalem, but you are also terrible as an army in battle array.» [Related to this is an annotation made by Fr. Valentin for the 5th of August:
    «At nine thirty at night, I was in front of the church gate. The children came, and I wanted to stop them. But I wasn't able. The force that they display during their marches is enormous; and though wanting to stop them, one can't, or it is extremely difficult.»]

During these trances, in which the girls were taken up from the world around them to enter into amazing conversation with persons and realities from another hidden world, only certain external manifestations could be seen by the spectators. What was really happening in the internal part of those phenomena only the visionaries could tell about; and up to now, there is little that they have been able to say. This would be expected since the language that we use is made to express realities and experiences of this world, not of the world above.

Conchita has stated in her diary that in the trances on the days that are now being recounted, the Virgin took special attention to bring the girls, who were lacking human instruction, to a habit of praying with the greatest care and concentration.

She told them to pray the rosary just as on so many other occasions; but in order to instruct them practically on the way of doing this, she told them on Friday, the 18th of August, I am going to pray first, and you should follow me. And she — states the girl — prayed very slowly. The girls then repeated word by word what she said first, trying to copy her manner, tone and pronunciation. The exercise followed completely the usual way of praying the rosary; but, Conchita tells us, very slowly. And at the Salve she told us to sing, and we sang it.

Attention should be given to this: She prayed very slowly. It is not important to do many things, but to do well the things that have to be done. The thing that matters is not the rapid recitation of many prayers, but rather always praying well during the time that is allotted. To give to each deed — especially to conversation with God — the time and attention that it deserves, has to be the style of the one called Full of Grace. It has been said that one cannot act fast and well at the same time. Always acting properly has been the characteristic of the Virgin's life; for this reason, her perfection is unique.

«From the beginning Conchita always said that the Vision made them recite the rosary very often. Sometimes it was chanted, other times simply recited. Also the girls often said it during the ecstatic inarches. Then they would be seen stopping at the doorsteps of the houses, or even entering and going upstairs — always in ecstasy — to a sick person's room.»

There are tape recordings of the recitations of these prayers. The Hail Mary is said very slowly in a voice both intense and slightly trembling; the words are pronounced very distinctly. Likewise with the Our Father: Hagase tu voluntad, (Your will be done.) is said with special emphasis.

PHOTO: "Conchita always said that the Vision made them recite the rosary very often."

As unusual background music in the tape recordings, underneath the voices of the girls is heard the muffled sounds made by the footsteps of the people accompanying them during their mystical marches through the village.

Many observations could be made about what has just been described; but it would be better that these observations be made by each person himself. Certainly all these particular instructions and reprimands of the Blessed Mother should not be ignored, both for our own good and that of the Church.

On this 18th of August (exactly 2 months having passed since the beginning of the events), not only were salutary lessons given on how to pray well, but heaven also presented to the onlookers unusual refrains of music, music not composed by man.

The wife of Dr. Ortiz remembers the day well, as it was the first on which she witnessed something.

After the apparent failure of the married couple's first trip (that day of the Assumption which seemed so indicated for a Marian demonstration), they probably would have waited before returning to Garabandal. However the occasion came up of taking to the village some cousins of the doctor's wife who had come from Madrid with a tremendous desire to see what was happening in the publicized village. As Dr. Ortiz could not get away from his professional duties, his wife and some of her friends accompanied her cousins from Madrid.

On arriving in Garabandal, they took advantage of the remaining hours of daylight to wander through the quaint streets and alleys. And as it became dark they set out to witness the remarkable things that were happening there. Since it seemed dangerous and difficult to walk or run after the children in the dark night, they went to the church entrance to wait there, as they had heard that very frequently the trances began, or took place, or ended in that sacred place. Only Fernando, the brother of Mrs. Ortiz, on the recommendation of Fidelin, the taxi driver from Puente Nansa, decided to follow up close all the incidents of the phenomena that were taking place.

And the phenomena began. The only thing that came to those at the church were echoes, among them the cries from the children in the crowd, shouting out, There they come! There they come! This did not make a good impression. Mrs. Ortiz was reminded by this, not to her liking, of the running of the bulls in the fiestas at Pamplona.

Toward 10 o'clock in the evening, after a long and oppressive wait, there began to be heard in the courtyard of the church approaching footsteps — firm, rhythmical, staccato. Mrs. Ortiz, her brother Pan-cho, and his daughter went out toward the street to see what it was, and they found a girl in ecstasy coming in their direction, followed by a small crowd.

The girl stopped suddenly at the side of a house in the little alley that leads up to the church, and stayed there several moments, gazing upwards, absorbed in the heavens. At the same time Mrs. Ortiz, who was very near, was astounded by music like the warbling of many birds, but a marvelous warbling. She turned to her niece and said, Don't you hear anything? PHOTO: Celestial music accompanied Jacinta

The niece turned her ear toward the visionary, since she had learned that the girls in ecstasy spoke with the Vision. She said to her aunt,

— No, aunt, I don't hear anything. I only hear the singing of many birds, but very softly.

— That is what I hear myself!

The visionary — later on they learned that it was Jacinta — went back again toward the village, without coming to the church, and at that moment all the singing stopped.

«On joining our group, we were able to hear some young boys who were walking over the little bridge that stood in front of the courtyard.

— Mother! Mother! Didn't you hear a lot of birds singing?
— Yes, we heard it too, some women replied.

I asked my sister-in-law Maruja, who told me: I also heard it; it seemed like the flight of thousands of birds singing at the same time — and marvelously!

    — Did you notice that everything stopped when the girl left?
    — No. It didn't occur to me to connect the birds with the presence of the girl.
    — Well, it is evident to me that the one thing was due to the other.»

— «Let us know, let us know. What did you see?

— I don't know how to explain it. 1 saw faces transformed with sensational sweetness . . .

— Didn 't you hear a lot of birds singing?

— No, I didn't hear that . . . But really! What is this ridiculous thing you are asking me about? Birds never sing at night! »

This remark left Doctor Ortiz's wife, who was not familiar with country life, completely bewildered ... If birds never sing at night, then what was it that they had definitely heard? It could be said to her, Look Señora, those birds that sing in Garabandal are not the same birds that pass the nights perched on the branches of trees.

Besides, this was not the only time in which the most unusual and sweet songs of birds have accompanied the special communications of God with chosen souls. Anyone wanting to know more on this topic should investigate some of the pages from the life of St. Francis of Assisi, or read the chronicles of the ancient monastery of Leyre in the territory of Navarre and Aragón, which speaks of the holy abbot Virila. [The archives of the monastery have the name of this abbot listed as beginning in the year 928.]

In Doctor Ortiz' family — because birds never sing at night, and in order not to be exposed to believing something ridiculous — it was decided for the moment not to speak about this. But later on when the family became sufficiently close with the girls and learned that Jacinta was the visionary on that night, they could not contain their desire of asking some explanation. The girl limited herself to smiling and saying evasively, «My grandmother also said at times that she heard swallows ...»