There’s a sign hanging in my parents’ house that reads, “OMG my mother was right about EVERYTHING!” Nick Kroll also has a very relatable comedy sketch about the short fuses we all have with the women who raised us. Our poor mothers seem to get the brunt of everything, and we never want their advice, but if you’re a mom, don’t feel too bad, the glorified mother of the world seems to be ignored in the same way.
As I read Immaculée Ilibagiza detail the story of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s eight year stretch of apparitions to three young students in the remote village of Kibeho, Africa, all I could think was, “Why did we not listen?!”
A total of eight young people experienced visions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ in Kibeho, Africa, but the book primarily focuses on the first three of whom the Vatican has officially recognized. Their names are Alphonsine, Anathalie and Marie-Claire.
One of the things I find very interesting in Marian apparitions, is learning about the individuals of whom Mary chooses to receive this phenomenon. Some seem to prove “worthy,” others perhaps to serve a purpose. Whatever the reason, it is in no way random, but appears to all be part of a carefully constructed plan.
What I also find interesting is that the Marion apparitions of Kibeho were not brief, one-time occurrences. The visions lasted in Kibeho from 1981-1989 during which time hundreds of thousands of pilgrims traveled to Kibeho to witness the visionaries. During this time the Virgin Mary was clear with her message: pray the rosary, come back to God and rid your hearts of hate. Her warning was also as straightforward as can be, fail to rid your hearts of hatred and destruction will ensue. She even sent messages to be relayed to government officials urging them to end discriminatory ethnic laws.
Unfortunately, in the Spring of 1994 it was too little too late. A million lives were lost within three months, as a result of the genocide.
However, this book is not about a mother’s ‘I told you so’s.” This book is about a mother’s grace, comfort and unconditional love. I don’t really know if it is possible to fully appreciate your mother until you become a parent and since the Virgin Mary is a mother a billion times over, we do not have the capacity to even begin to fathom her love for us.
In each book I read from Immaculée Ilibagiza I can truly feel her pure love for the Virgin Mary and in return Mary’s favor for her as well. Immaculée is truly traveling a charmed journey led by a pure heart in faith. To think, if we could mirror a similar love, what incredible things might lay in our paths as well. One might stammer, “I could fill a book with everything my mother was right about!” Well, Immaculée Ilibagiza has, in fact she has filled several books, while inspiring millions of readers.
So, like Immaculée, let’s all agree that our mothers (heavenly and earthly) are in fact right from time to time, although we most likely will never grant them the satisfaction of telling them so. File it between ‘take your make-up off before bed’ and ‘always pee before you leave the house.’ From one generation to the next, centuries over, a mother’s wisdom should never go unnoted.