One night I dreamed of her, I dreamed of Mary… who took me by the hand

We are already in May and an important date within the Church is approaching. A date on which we remember a beautiful moment in the life of our Mother. Therefore, today I would like to talk to you about my relationship with Mary. A great woman, Mary, full of grace, Mary the friend, Mary who was there when her family needed her.

My mission companions always remember some anecdotes with laughter. They remember that I always told them in the mornings what I dreamed the night before. It was a fun moment, recounting snippets of funny things that almost always were consequences of things experienced the previous day.

But one night I dreamed of Mary, it was Mary of Luján, with her triangular-shaped mantle, but her hands were not joined on her chest as the image shows. She was in the field, surrounded by two priests, and she took my hand… she silently asked me to take it. She invited me. I must confess that that day I said I had not dreamed. It was something intimate, very personal.

Many years have passed since this event, 2001, if my memory serves me right. But the memory is so vivid that it frequently returns to my mind. If you ask me what I felt. I would say trust, tenderness, tranquility, and above all, joy. It was an invitation full of love.

But why am I telling you this? Simply because after feeling it, little by little I understood and decided that I wanted Mary as a role model, as a guide on my path, my example, a mirror where I could look and see what aspects of myself I needed to shape, with tenderness, with patience towards myself. With love.

And almost without realizing it, the gospel I always had at hand in every mission I went to, in every visit to the elderly, in every encounter with a sick person, or with whoever the mission put in front of me, was her visit to Elizabeth. The Visitation.

I have always identified three crucial moments in this passage. The first was recognizing the brother, his person, his name, his needs, and his pains. And making the decision to set out, leaving everything behind. A difficult decision if there is any.

The second was the journey to be taken to reach those in need, stripping away oneself and enduring the hardships and situations that might arise. Allowing oneself to be polished, transformed. Arriving as a better person.

And the third was the joyful, selfless encounter, giving oneself completely. Without half measures, without a time limit. Without setting conditions.

And from that day on, I tried to follow her example.

When we usually take our first steps as missionaries, members of the Vincentian family, we always think of Jesus, and how not to, He is the Master; his mission, his encounter with the poor and afflicted, with the hungry and sick show us his love for them. And we see His actions. Which undoubtedly come from the Father… but also from his mother. I am completely sure that she showed him how throughout his life. How to be gentle with those who have been attacked, to empathize with those who are suffering, how to discover before anyone else what his neighbors, friends, family needed. She was the one who was attentive, the one who encouraged him to help when at the wedding they ran out of wine…

Recognizing that another needs me, that they are alone and in a vulnerable situation. Always attentive. Always a step ahead. But she also taught him how to set out. How to act. Prioritizing the other before his own safety and personal satisfaction.

Setting out towards the other, with its challenges. Because the path is not always easy. On the contrary, it is often full of stones, often of sadness and even loneliness.

But without a doubt, she also taught him that after overcoming every hurdle, after overcoming every difficulty and cleaning our wounds, there is the joy of the encounter. The emotion and tenderness of a sincere embrace. The heart almost explodes for feeling that in the other who is in front of me, that joy is also being produced that cannot be hidden.

It is feeling firsthand the words of the Magnificat. “…My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant…”

A long time ago, upon waking up, I felt that there was a great love in me, a desire to meet others. Mary was my model, my guide, and although the journey is not yet over, I have been able to feel in every “Elizabeth” I met in my life, that something fit, that despite my weaknesses God chose me as the bearer of his message. Am I capable of being a faithful and alert disciple? That is my question every day. Not to torture myself or constantly see my flaws, but to be loyal to the mission entrusted to us.

On this day that we celebrate the Visitation of Mary, may we feel deep within us that God continues to call us. He continues to choose us. Wherever we are in this moment of our lives. Perhaps going through the worst difficulties. He continues to choose us, he continues to call us. For what? For whom? Where? That remains for us to ponder, on this very special day. Where Mary gives us an example of selfless dedication, unconditional love, and total abandonment of herself and her well-being.

If our gaze is fixed on God, there will be no path we cannot travel. Let us go confidently. Always with hope in his Word. “…I will be with you until the end of time…”