A Ray of Hope in Southern
Asia
by Michael Whitcraft
In the small town of Vailankanni, India,
a ray of hope penetrated the dark and tragic events that
claimed over one hundred thousand lives in southern Asia,
as 2,000 pilgrims and a centuries-old shrine to Our Lady
were miraculously saved from the devastation.
The Story Begins
The shrine which is dedicated to
Our Lady of Good Health of Vailkanni, has an amazing and
miraculous history dating back to 1560, when a young shepherd
boy was asked to fetch some milk for his master. On the
return trip, he stopped to rest at a tree near a pond.
He was awakened from his slumber by
a vision of the Blessed Virgin with the infant Jesus in
her arms. She smiled at the boy and asked him for some
of his milk for the Divine Child. After the Child drank,
Our Lady smiled at the boy and the vision faded.
Returning with little milk, the boy’s
master did not believe his story until the lid was taken
off the milk jug and according to the official web site
of the shrine, it miraculously began to run over with
milk.
After this, the pond where the vision
took place became a popular place of worship and was known
as “Our Lady’s Tank.”
The Lame Walk
Towards the end of the sixteenth
century, Vailankanni received another miraculous visitation
from the Mother of God. This time she appeared to the
lame son of a widow, who supported his mother selling
buttermilk.
One day, while he was selling his goods,
the Blessed Virgin appeared to the boy with the Child
Jesus in her arms. Both were enveloped in the brightest
light. She asked the boy for a cup of buttermilk. Upon
receiving the cup, the Queen of Heaven gave it to her
Infant Son and asked Him to heal the boy’s legs.
She then told the boy to visit a wealthy Catholic gentleman
who lived in another town and ask him to build a shrine
in her honor on that very place.
Just as the boy was about to protest
that his infirmity made it impossible for him to travel,
Our Lady commanded him to get up and walk. He then realized
that his withered legs had regained their strength and
motion. He immediately went to see the gentleman.
Upon arriving the gentleman received
him warmly and immediately complied with Our Lady’s
wishes. He had received the same message in a dream the
previous night. He had a simple chapel built on the same
spot where the Basilica stands today.
Saved From Shipwreck
Our Lady of Good Health worked another
miracle in the nineteenth century. A group of Portuguese
sailors encountered fierce storms traveling from Macao,
China. In desperation they beseeched the help of Mary,
Star of the Sea and vowed to build a Church in her honor
wherever she led them, if she would save them.
After washing ashore near Vailankanni
on September 8, the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady,
they immediately went ashore and fell on their knees in
thanksgiving. A group of Indian fisherman, recognizing
that they were Catholic, directed them to the shrine.
They immediately began construction
of a larger brick shrine, and throughout their lives made
several more trips to Vailankanni, to enrich the shrine
with treasures they acquired in China and elsewhere.
A Ray of Hope Amid the Chaos
This brings us to December 26, 2004,
when the terrifying tsunami wrought destruction throughout
the coastlines of southern Asia. The town of Vailankanni
was not spared the destruction. However, as the waves
engulfed the town, a Mass was taking place in the shrine
with 2,000 pilgrims in attendance.
Although, it left the entire town in
shambles, killing thousands, the deadly waters did not
enter the shrine, and everyone present was spared. According
to the BBC, the shrine was the only building to escape
the devastation.1
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect
is that buildings on the same elevation, further inshore
were destroyed, while those inside the shrine remained
entirely dry.
Basilica officials did not hesitate
to call the event miraculous, an opinion shared by Sebastian
Kannappilly, a businessman from neighboring Kerala state
who was in the shrine during Mass. He stated: "It
was a miracle that the water did not enter the church."
His driver, who was waiting outside the Church, perished.2
A Lesson
to Be Learned
In the midst of all the devastation
caused by this calamity, many have asked how God could
allow such a thing to happen. From one perspective, the
events at Vailankanni can help answer this question, above
all because it reinforces two very important truths.
First it shows that God is in control.
For God, it is as easy for Him to save a Church full of
pilgrims as it is to save a whole nation, or even eleven.
His Divine Plan gives to each what His Mercy and Justice
demands.
Many lose sight of this truth and it
leads them to errantly assume that sometimes God loses
control of events or is incapable of changing them.
In truth, every event which occurs fits
into His plan which sees all of history from eternity.
Life is nothing more than a gateway to that eternity.
Whether men, endowed with free-will, accept or reject
God’s grace and goodness influences this plan, but
God always remains in control. Since we are incapable
of seeing the intricacies of this plan from His perspective,
we often stumble on what seems incomprehensible.
Second, it shows that God is Mercy. He
wants men to understand that Mercy and so He sometimes
demonstrates it in a spectacular way, as He did in Vailankanni.
If, from our limited perspective, we
are incapable of equating the thousands who perished with
His Mercy, we must bow our heads in humility and then
raise them with confidence and trust in adoration of His
infinite Wisdom which eclipses our comprehension.
For those suffering the cataclysmic
devastation wrought by the tsunami we offer our hopeful
prayers to Our Lady of Good Health. To God we offer our
humble and confident adoration.
Another
miracle has been reported in India:
Click here to read about the reported miraculous sparing
of St. Thomas's Cathedral in India.
___________________
