Une Minute avec Marie
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One day, in India, a young man who was a follower of the god Shiva, came to ask Father Collin, an Oblate missionary, to admit him into the Catholic Church. He explained why:
- "I worked as a mason when a splash of lime burned my eyes and I became blind. In my distress, I prayed to all our Hindu gods, but with no result. Then a beautiful lady appeared before the eyes of my soul and told me: "Go to Madhu and become a Christian."
I didn't know what Madhu was, or what being a Christian meant, and I didn't bother to find out. The lady came back and told me again: "Go to Madhu and become a Christian." I still didn't do anything. But a third time the lady came back and told me firmly: "Go to Madhu and become a Christian. If you don't, you will be lost forever in this world and the next." I got so scared that I asked around about Madhu and found someone to take me there. I applied some dirt to my eyes and my sight returned completely. Now, Father, please instruct me and baptize me."
A little later, the priest heard that the young man was living in sin and sent for him:
"How can you offend the good Lord so gravely after making all those promises?
- It’s not my fault, Father. The young priest who replaced you for a while told me I could do it. My fiancée refused to renounce Shaivism in order to marry me, which was my condition. So I asked the young priest if she could 'cook my rice' anyway and he said yes. What are you blaming me for?
- You scoundrel! The young priest didn't know the meaning behind this expression! He thought it was only about cooking your meals! If he had known that cooking someone's rice meant living together as if you were married, he would never have approved of it. Leave this woman as soon as possible and live as a good Christian. Otherwise, the Blessed Virgin may well regret healing you and will let you know it."
Santiago (which was the name the young man had chosen at his baptism) promised, but did not keep his promise.
So the priest's threat came true: Santiago went blind again.
However, he returned to Madhu, made his confession, sincerely renewed his resolutions, put the miraculous soil back on his eyes, and his sight was restored. Twenty years later, Father Collin met Santiago. He hadn't married, because the young Hindu girl, the only one he loved, had remained stubbornly pagan. At least he was living as a faithful Christian.