Book Snippets

Bandit rewarded by Mary for honoring her

2 min • Digitized on June 25, 2021

From The Glories of Mary, page 722
By St. Alphonsus Liguori

84.—A young woman in the Papal States, who was very devout towards Mary, met in a certain place a chief of banditti.

Fearing some outrage, she implored him, for love of the most holy Virgin, not to molest her. “Do not fear,” he answered, “for you have prayed me in the name of the mother of God; and I only ask you to recommend me to her.” And, in fact, he accompanied her himself along the road to a place of safety.

The following night Mary appeared in a dream to the bandit, and thanking him for the act [he] had performed for love of her, told him she would remember it, and would one day reward him.

The robber, at length, was arrested, and condemned to death; but behold, the night previous to his execution, the blessed Virgin visited him again in a dream, and first asked him: “Do you know who I am?” He answered, “It seems to me I have seen you before.” “I am the Virgin Mary,” she continued, “who have come to reward you for what you have done for me. You will die to-morrow, but you will die with so much contrition that you will come at once to paradise.”

The convict awoke, and felt such contrition for his sins that he began to weep bitterly, all the while giving thanks aloud to our blessed Lady. He sent immediately for a confessor, to whom he made his confession with many tears, relating the vision he had seen, and begged him to make public this grace that had been bestowed on him by Mary.

He went joyfully to execution, after which, as it is related, his countenance was so peaceful and happy, that all who saw him believed that the promise of the divine mother was fulfilled. ^*

^* P. Recup. de Sign. Fruct. Sign. 12.