The Day the Sky Opened

It was very cold on January 17, 1871 and France was at war. Paris was besieged and the victorious Prussians were at the gates of Laval, France. At Pontmain, Eugene Barbedette stuck his nose out the door to check the weather and discovered a beautiful lady standing on the roof of the house opposite, wearing a dress covered with stars. She looked at him and smiled. The other villagers ran over to the barn. Children could also see the apparition. A blue oval with four blown-out candles surrounded the Lady. The parish priest and the nuns from the local school organized a prayer vigil. They prayed the Rosary, then the Magnificat, when suddenly a banner unfolded between the oval and the roof of the house. Letter after letter spelled out a message read aloud by the children: "But pray, my children, God will hear your prayers quickly. My Son will let Himself be touched." Fervor grew and the children expressed their joy: "Oh! She is so beautiful!" All of a sudden the children became sad and Mary's face was also imbued with profound sadness. A red cross appeared in front of her with the body of Jesus covered in blood. The name Jesus Christ was written in red at the top of the cross on a white horizontal bar. Mary took the crucifix in both hands and presented it to children while a small star lit the four candles of the oval. The bystanders prayed in silence. Everyone kneeled down in the snow for the evening prayer. When the prayers were said, everyone returned home, with a peaceful heart. Also on January 17th, General von Schmidt was ordered to go on the Seine instead of entering Laval. This unjustified change in tactics put a stop to the pursuit of annihilation. In fact von Schmidt said: "It's finished, we will not get any further. In the direction of Brittany, there is an invisible lady blocking the road." Eleven days later the armistice was signed. The Prussians never entered Laval.