16th May : Our Lady Of Ethiopia
16th May
Our Lady Of Ethiopia
Country : Africa
Year :
A celebrated missionary, Father Gonzales Siveira, brought with him to Ethiopia in Africa, a beautiful picture of the Blessed Virgin. One of the officers of the court saw it, and not knowing how to distinguish the picture from reality, told his prince that the strange priest had brought with him a lady of singular beauty.
The king conceived a great desire to see her, and sent accordingly to Father Gonzales, who immediately brought with him the painting, and told him this is the lady the officer had seen. The king was so charmed with it, that he placed it under a rich canopy in his own chamber. On the following night, while he slept tranquilly, he seemed to behold the Virgin surrounded with light, in the same dress and similarly ornamented as in the picture. She addressed him in a language he did not understand. This happened on three successive nights. He was so annoyed at not understanding what the unknown lady said to him, that he questioned the missionary on the subject. The latter replied that the language of the Queen of Heaven was a heavenly language, and could only be understood by a Christian. “Well, then,” said the king, “I will be a Christian, since it is so agreeable to the Queen of Heaven”.
He was accordingly instructed in the principles of our faith, and was solemnly baptized together with his mother, and many of the nobles of his court. He then learned that the incomprehensible language of the Queen of heaven was the means she had made use of to induce him to become a Christian; and he esteemed this a duty to be thankful to her by whose means he had obtained the grace of Faith.
