The Mystical Connection between the Widow of Naim and the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sermon notes for the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

And when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother and she was a widow…Whom when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, He said to her: Weep not. And he came near and touched the bier…And He said: young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak. Luke 7:12-15

In today’s Gospel (Luke 7:11-16) we read of the widow of Naim whose son was dead and moved with mercy toward her our Blessed Lord brings the young man back to life.

Through the widow of Naim we can see in a mystical sense the Blessed Virgin Mary who moving her Son to pity for His children can obtain any grace.

There is an added element to our Mother’s mercy in that through our prayers we can move her to act on behalf of others who have not had recourse to her. If we are in friendship with the Blessed Mother she will not fail to hear our prayers and intercede where grace is needed.

To illustrate this great intercessory power that we can gain for others through our friendship with the Blessed Virgin Mary following are three examples of souls who should have been sent to hell but because of the prayers of other in friendship with the Blessed Virgin Mary received her intercessory help and were saved.

1. Emelia - During the apparitions of Fatima, Sister Lucia asks of the Blessed Virgin the state of certain souls that she had known. One of these souls was that of Emelia whom the Blessed Virgin told Lucia that she would be in purgatory until the end of the world.

A group of priests interested in what this soul had done to warrant such a term in purgatory did research into who this girl was and what she had done. It was discovered that Emelia did an irremediable dishonor in the sin against chastity and as far as could be discovered she had died with this sin on her soul.

Sins against chastity are always a mortal sin and so she should have gone to hell. But she was saved due to her friendship with Lucia who always prayed for her and asked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin for her.

2. Charles - Story taken from Block Rosary Crusade International

Once during Saint John Bosco's lifetime, a fifteen-year-old boy, Charles, who lived in Turin was about to die. He requested to see Saint John Bosco, so as to hear his confession, but the saint could not make it in time. So, another priest heard the boy's confession and the boy died.

When John Bosco returned to Turin, he set out at once to see the boy. He was told that the boy was dead, but he insisted that it was "just a misunderstanding." When he got to the boy's house, and after a moment of prayer in his room, John Bosco suddenly cried out: "Charles! Rise!" To the utter amazement of all present, the boy stirred, opened his eyes, and sat up. Seeing John Bosco, his eyes lit up.

"Father, I should now be in Hell!" gasped the boy. "Two weeks ago, I was with a bad companion who led me into sin and at my last confession, I was afraid to tell everything. Oh, I've just come out of a horrible dream! I dreamt I was standing on the edge of a huge furnace surrounded by a horde of devils. They were about to throw me into the flames when a beautiful Lady appeared and stopped them. 'There's still hope for you, Charles,' she told me. 'You have not yet been judged!' At that moment I heard you calling me. Oh, John Bosco! What a joy to see you again! Will you please hear my confession?"

After hearing the boy's confession, John Bosco said to the boy, "Charles, now that the gates of Heaven lie wide open for you, would you rather go there or stay here with us?" The boy looked away for a moment and his eyes grew moist with tears. An expectant hush fell over the room. "John Bosco", he said at last, "I'd rather go to Heaven." The mourners watched in amazement as Charles leaned back on the pillows, closed his eyes, and settled once more into the stillness of death.

3. A Jewish Mother Saved - Father Hermman Cohen was raised Jewish, converted to Catholicism, and became a priest. Father Cohen’s mother never supported his conversion and remained a Jew.

Father Cohen prayed for his mother daily and consecrated her to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then when his mother died he suffered greatly because he was not sure of her salvation.

He went to the Cure of Ars, St. John Vianney, who consoled him and told him on the feast of the Immaculate Conception that he would receive news on the state of his mother’s soul.

Six years later, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Father Cohen received a letter from a mystic of a conversation that she was given knowledge of between Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On the death bed of Father Cohen’s mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary approached her son saying, “This soul is mine. I will not let her go.” At that moment, a stream of graces went out causing the woman to repent and accept Jesus allowing her to have perfect contrition for her sins and her soul to be saved. The mystic was also told that Our Lord wanted this story to be known so that others would have recourse to her.

Each one of us knows somebody who needs help and is headed for spiritual destruction. We must consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to pray the Rosary daily, and to be a devoted friend of hers. If we do these things, then we have the hope of obtaining her intercession and consecrating others to her Immaculate Heart for their salvation.

This is not a pious suggestion but a spiritual necessity.

Also, none of this is said to encourage the presumption that we will be saved by the Blessed Virgin Mary no matter what. Much still depends on our will, and the will of others, and our internal disposition at the time of our death. But there is great hope in being a friend of the Blessed Virgin and if we entrust our salvation to her, and that of those we love, she can attain any grace.