Mother Mary's Hand at Work

By Veronica D’Andrea, Salesian Lay Missioner (SLM)

The following was taken from a recent testimony by Veronica D’Andrea, an SLM serving in Montero, Bolivia.

There are movements in my faith that are so beautiful. The Lord is so gracious to give me the time to notice them. The more I am here [in Bolivia], the more I come to know how important it is to set time aside during our day for self-reflection and meditation. We miss so much if we don’t. We miss noticing — noticing our answered prayers, His hand at work, the nudges He so lovingly gives us so we may choose to do good. The more I keep the habit of reflecting, the more I recognize these movements in my spiritual life. I notice, and I get better at it. Now I am more aware of different aspects of my life in terms of where, how and Who is at work in my life.

Mother Mary has always been close to me. She always wishes to be close to her children. Just as a mother desires to feed her children with nutritious food to be healthy and grow, so, too, does our Lady wish to pour on us the graces to become holy. She is so attentive to each of us. Our Lady’s ears are right up at our lips, closer than our ears are to our mouth, hearing our words before we even hear them ourselves.

I would like to share how I’ve seen our Lady stay so close to me ever since I thought of discerning whether or not to serve in the missions. Some may know my story about why I knew God was calling me to serve in the missions; I will share part of it, since our Lady helped me see her hand at work in my discernment.

The call came on a Sunday at St. Benedict's, my home parish in Etobicoke, Ont., where I especially felt more peace at Mass than usual. One of my favorite parts of the Mass is the time for Holy Communion. I love watching the community receive Jesus; it brings such a beautiful sense of unity as we become one with Christ. That Sunday, I remember seeing a mother bring her child up for Communion. The child was so excited to walk towards the altar, holding both hands of her mother, walking between her feet. She had looked up to see her mother already looking down at her, smiling with a loving gaze. That image stayed within me, and it taught me so much about how I could understand how our Lady is at work in my life. She holds both my hands, letting me walk ahead, being covered by her mantle on both sides. She walks me towards the altar, towards Jesus; she leads, she guides, and she watches over me at every step. Looking down at me with a loving gaze as my eyes are fixed on the man ahead. The scene filled me with joy and enticement.

During orientation, one of the Salesian priests kept telling us that it was our Lady who brought us here. What he said stayed with me, and I wondered: “Was it truly our Lady’s hand that guided me here?” I kept this in my heart for the past two months. One Sunday a few weeks ago was when she showed me her working hand in this mission.

Masses here are a little different and uniquely beautiful. The music is always upbeat, and the participants usually clap to most of the songs. It is quite normal here not to receive Jesus. When we had first arrived, we noticed that none of the girls had gone up for Communion. We asked Madre: “Is it because they haven’t had their sacraments?” She answered: “No, it is because they must go to confession.” The Church’s teachings on when you can and when you cannot receive are stricter here than back at home. Because a lot of the congregation doesn’t go up, it’s like a free-for-all when it comes to standing up and going for Communion. There is a line, but people don’t follow the row-by-row manner; they just stand up and go.

A few Sundays ago, as I was in line for Communion, one of the younger orphaned girls came up to me. Without communicating anything, other than the most adorable smile, she hugged and took both of my hands and wrapped them around her. It was as if I was shielding her from all that was around her. She walked between my legs. I looked down, and she looked up to me with that most adorable smile. My gaze was so loving as I delighted in her trust towards me. We walked up, she received a blessing, and I received Jesus.

This was our Lady’s way of showing me that “Yes, I brought you here, my child; hold my hands, and I will protect you and lead you to my Son.” It was only through reflection that I knew these things. As I am a mother to these children, Mother Mary holds my hands, too; she shows me how to love them, allowing me to follow and imitate her ways.

Stay tuned for the next parts of Veronica’s testimony in future issues of Salesian News!