In 2010, I was at the prime of my life. I was in my secondary four year. I had done extremely well in my exams. As a member of the SJI Judo team, I was also physically very fit. The future was supposed to be promising for the young me. However, I did not know Jesus or Mother Mary. Faith was redundant to me.
My close to perfect life came to a sudden halt during the semi-finals match of a judo competition that year. During that fateful match, I had an unsafe landing when receiving an attack from the opponent. I suffered a traumatic brain injury that caused me to fall into a deep coma. It was during this period of complete helplessness that initiated my journey with the Mother of Christ.
Looking at the pathetic state I was in, those around wept in despair. My mum, however, found the strength to sing hymns as she surrendered me to our Lord through asking our Lady’s intercessions.
One of the hymns she sang was
“Hail Queen of Heaven:
Hail, Queen of heaven, the ocean star,
Guide of the wanderer here below,
Thrown on life’s surge, we claim thy care,
Save us from peril and from woe. Mother of Christ, O Star of the sea
Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.
Although I was not conscious then, the hymn manifested itself as a vision of a bright star in a beautiful pink night sky above the water horizon with a little sailboat sailing under.
Till this very day, the image remains in my mind. Whenever I recollect that memory, a serene hope and Peace never fail to pervade my mind. It must have been Mother Mary’s intercessions that allowed my heart to remain strong through the storms which I had faced all these years.
In this month of October, the month of the rosary, I would like to share about the power of the rosary, and with it, the graces our blessed Mother’s intercessions have delivered me during the initial days of my recovery.
I was in a coma for two months. Upon waking up, I realised that I had lost virtually all of my physical functions. Unable to even eat, or drink, coupled with an inability to turn my head, sit, or talk, I was left an invalid. Only a miracle could save me.
In faith, my various school and church communities pleaded for Divine aid. Countless rosary prayers have been prayed… so much that Mother Mary must have stepped down from heaven to meet me!
One fateful night during my hospitalisation, a middle-aged lady came to visit. She introduced herself as “Mary” and said she was from my parish, the church of Saint Mary of The Angels. Mary gave me Holy Communion, and before she departed, she passed a beautiful red rosary and a bottle of Holy Water from Lourdes to my dad. My parents decided to leave the gifts on my bed while awaiting my return home. It was their way of entrusting me to mother Mary’s care.
This Mary continued to visit me the following week and brought me Holy Communion.
Strangely enough, she stopped coming after I regained my speech. Furthermore, none of the priests at my parish were aware of this communion minister Mary. We found it very odd, since no one is allowed to administer the Holy Communion without the approval of the priests.
On my first home leave three months after my injury, my initially immobile right leg and right arm regained its ability to move up the moment I laid on my bed!
Many may think that this whole event may just be a coincidence in my recovery journey, but I firmly believed that Mother Mary had visited me on that fateful night.
I want to echo these words by Elizabeth during The Visitation: “why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
My encounters with Mother Mary were immensely tangible. I met Mary again through angels she sent to aid me.
In the initial years of my discharge from the hospital, I was dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. We sought acupuncture treatment in hope of helping with my recovery. On a particular evening when I was treated, my home coincidentally hosted the family block rosary. 3
After the acupuncture session, my dad and I waited for about 20 minutes and could not get a cab. The two of us were really disheartened and fatigued, as we were both very tired after the long day of school for me, and work for my dad.
Suddenly, a car passing by us came to a halt. A lady’s head popped out and she offered us a lift!
In their car, they mentioned they were Catholics; and as I observed my surroundings, I noticed a rosary hanging on the rear-view mirror! This had to be more than a mere coincidence. The Rosary prayers going on at my home and the sight of seeing the rosary on the car…. I felt it only goes to show Mary’s companionship with me that night.
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“When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’. Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” (Jn 19:26-27).
Mary is our heavenly mother with whom Jesus shares with us. Praying the rosary may sometimes be dry because of the repetitions of set prayers like the Hail Mary. Yet, I believe that it is a prayer that connects us to Jesus. Besides, the rosary already invites us to ponder with Mary the significant events of Jesus’ life. A life consecrated to Mary can only lead us closer to our Lord. May all of us make our way to Jesus, through Mary.
