The horrible crime – Katia told me her story, and if I had not met her, I would never have believed the nightmare she went through.
When she met Claudio, her husband, he was a “good guy”, although he had bouts of depression, with some ups and downs. But Katia didn’t worry about it. He didn’t want children (Katia didn’t know that, in the eyes of the Church, this is a cause of nullity of marriage), but she wanted at least four. Claudio soon became very harsh and increasingly depressed, especially when their daughter was born. He loved her very much, and although he was never violent, he was very bossy with her. Katia saw her life become more and more restricted, limited by Claudio’s depression and his authoritarianism. Furthermore, he blamed his wife for everything; she was the reason for anything that went wrong. He was taking medication to control his depression, but in vain.
In 2008, on her way home one day, Katia found her 7 year-old daughter stabbed with seven deadly wounds and Claudio lying dead in his own blood. Had he had a raptus – a pathological paroxysm giving vent to impulse, even violence? Only God knows! Here is what Katia said:
“To say that I was desperate is too weak a word. My life was broken forever; I thought I couldn’t go on living. The pain was excruciating, impossible to bear. My gut was torn to shreds. I wanted to die. Only my faith in God prevented me from doing something terrible. Three days after the tragedy, a friend saw my daughter in a dream, in the arms of the Mother of God. That comforted me a great deal! Then, one morning, I opened my eyes and saw my daughter at the foot of my bed. She didn’t talk to me, but she looked at me with great tenderness. Her eyes told me so much! I knew then that I had to choose to live, since my little one was with me. The fever immediately left me; I was able to stop taking medication and go back to work. But the pain remained and there was this resentment in me that blocked any possibility of serenity. It was like a stone that crushed my heart. I was angry at everyone.
The Krizevac effect – “I was able to go to Medjugorje last year, my heart full of hope, knowing that my daughter is happy with Jesus and Mary. On Mount Krizevac, the cross mountain, at the 4th station of the Cross where Jesus met his mother, my gaze was drawn to the brilliant reflection from a stone and I clearly saw in this reflection my little baby girl, smiling as always. I burst into tears. I sobbed for a very long time. When I pulled myself together, I found peace and serenity at the depth of my heart. The pain had left me! I was able to forgive my husband and those who did me wrong. I was healed!
Now, I praise and thank Jesus and Mary every day. I live alone and I work. I take care of my parents. My strength is renewed by the Sunday Eucharist and Thursday adoration in my parish.”
How was Katia able to come out happy from this awful nightmare? I was able to personally sense her deep serenity when I met her. Once again, the miracle of peace that is granted in Medjugorje is proven real, the Mother of Mercy and her Son Jesus beautifully restored the heart and life of this broken mom, who trusted them!
Sister Emmanuel