Her First Vision
Her first vision took place the evening between April 1-2, 1942 which was Holy Thursday. She was eighteen years old at the time. She was surprised and doubtful when she saw Jesus. In this vision, Jesus talked about five matters:
1) He said he needed her help;
2) He asked her for love, prayers, and penance;
3) He told her she would learn to read and write;
4) He announced His engagement with her and placed an engagement ring with five rubies, symbolizing His passion on her ring finger. He added that one day the ring would be His again, meaning that He would exchange it for a wedding ring;
5) He foretold her of great sufferings in store for her in a not too distant future.
Maria responded to Jesus that she could not correspond to these requests because “I do not know how to pray, I am nothing, I am a miser.” She further objected saying that it would be impossible for her to learn to read and that her home was not a good place because her mother blasphemed. She then asked Jesus to make her mother good. In return, Jesus told her that that was the reason why He chose her because she was nothing. He assured her that she would learn to read and promised her that her mother, Giuseppa Samiolo, one day would become good. The conversion of her mother began on March 15, 1947.
During this first vision she also asked Jesus for proof of His presence by asking Him to heal the sister in law of Angelina Piva who was gravely ill. Jesus answered her in a way that would characterize future requests. He said, “Yes, I can heal her, but you should pray much.”
Her typical way of responding to Jesus in this and future encounters was to say: “Jesus, I give you all my heart. Use me as You wish, I am nothing.”
Her typical way of responding to Jesus in this and future encounters was to say: “Jesus, I give you all my heart. Use me as You wish, I am nothing.”
After this first encounter with Jesus, Maria wrote: “I am really terrified. I have a ring on my finger. I don’t understand. I don’t understand anything.” She expressed her fears to Angelina Piva and told her that her sister in law would be healed. Then they both went to pray at the bedside of Angelina’s sister in law, and to their amazement, she was healed and went to work.
Maria and Angelina then went to tell all about the apparition, the ring and the healing to Rev. Bassiano Paiato, an old priest at the parish of Crespino, who was spiritual director to both of them. He believed Maria and ordered her to start writing the dairy and to include whatever she remembered from her childhood. This was a difficult task for her since she had only finished second grade. Nevertheless, she obeyed and managed to type 1,800 pages of her spiritual life. She kept a dairy from April 1942--July 10, 1967 when she was released from doing it by orders of her spiritual director.
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