I'm a little amazed. Well, kind-of a lot amazed, really. Today was a weird kind-of day. I've been feeling out-of-sorts, lost, not sure what to do about a lot things in almost every area of my life, including my faith and spiritual life.
I had some time alone and found myself thinking about Jesus and how distant I feel from him. I came across a video that I purchased a couple of years ago, but never got around to watching: The Diary of Immaculee. I have been a great admirer of Immaulee Ilibagiza ever since I first saw her interview on 60-Minutes in December of 2006.
If you do not know her story, she is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who has told her amazing story of survival, suffering, and forgiveness in her book Left to Tell. I definitely recommend that you read it. She has written a couple other books, as well, including Our Lady of Kibeho (more on that in a minute).
I have not thought of Immaculee in a very long time, but as I said, I picked up this previously unseen video, which was a short interview and documentary of her first trip home after starting her new life here in the U.S. It was incredibly moving.
After watching it I went to check on her website to see if anything was new. Her site led me to her blog (http://www.immaculee.info/) where I found that she is, right now, even as I write this, back in Rwanda, leading a group to Kibeho, the site of approved apparitions of Mary, Mother of the Word. The most amazing thing to me is that TODAY is the designated Feast Day in honor of Our Lady of Kibeho. I had no idea, none whatsoever. And upon Immaculee's blog I found this Prayer to Our Lady of Kibeho:
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Word, Mother of all those who believe in Him and who welcome Him into their life, we are here before you to contemplate You. We believe that you are amongst us, like a mother in the midst of her children, even though we do not see You with our bodily eyes.
We bless you, the Sure way that leads us to Jesus the Savior, for, all the favors which You endlessly pour out upon us, especially, that, in your meekness, You were gracious enough to appear miraculously in Kibeho, just when our world needed it most.
Grant us always the light and the strength necessary to accept, with all seriousness, Your call to us to be converted, to repent, and to live according to your Son’s Gospel. Teach us how to pray with sincerity, and to love one another as He loved us, so that, just as You have requested, we may always be beautiful flowers diffusing their pleasant fragrance everywhere and upon everyone.
Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, teach us to understand the value of the cross in our lives, so that whatever is still lacking to the sufferings of Christ we may fill up in our own bodies for His mystical Body, which is the Church. And, when our pilgrimage on this earth comes to an end, may we live eternally with You in the kingdom of Heaven.
Amen.
Imprimatur: Gikongore, the 25th of March, 2006
+August Misgo-Bishop of Gikongoro
I also include here a link to a video that I found on youtube during with one of the visionaries speaks of Mary and light: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfTtIl_MXaU
Immaculee's books, including her newest title, If Only We Had Listened: Heaven Warned Rwanda Long Before the Genocide, are available at her website: http://www.immaculee.biz/.
I plan to get the book and begin anew to listen and to listen more closely with my heart.
For peace and light in our hearts and in our world, Our Lady of Kibeho, pray for us.
A blessed Advent.
Novena in Honor of Saint Clare of Assisi
12 years ago