New Phenomena
Soon after Our Lady of Carmel appeared, the ecstatic walks began. The girls went throughout the entire village – up and down stairways, in and out of homes, at all hours of the day and night, avoiding obstacles without faltering, guided solely by the vision. Frequently, they ran at great speed down the steep mountainside, even backwards, so that it was impossible for the astonished spectators to follow them. Their bodies did not seem to be subject to the law of gravity, but endowed with some sort of spiritual agility. During their high-speed running, the objects entrusted to the girls were sometimes lost. However, upon seeing Our Blessed Mother again, they asked as to their whereabouts and She told them where to find them.
The Miracle of the Host
Above the village is a steep hill on which stands a cluster of 9 pine trees. “One day,” said the girls, “an angel with a golden chalice appeared to us at “Los Pinos”. He told us to recite the Confiteor and then he gave us Holy Communion.” This wonderful favor happened many times during those days when the parish priest of the neighboring town of Cosio could not go to Garabandal. It was possible to film some of these Communions, using very bright light. The movements of the lips and tongues of the girls gave the exact idea of a real Communion. On May 2, 1962, the angel told Conchita that God would perform a miracle so that all people would believe: they would see the Sacred Host on her tongue at the moment of Communion and that she should make this known fifteen days in advance. On July 18, 1962, the town was crowded with visitors. At midnight Conchita, who had remained in her home continually surrounded by visitors, entered into ecstasy and went out into the street. At a short distance from her house she fell down on her knees in the midst of the crowd. Lanterns were focused on her. She put out her tongue upon which nothing was resting, as everyone could see. In a few moments, a white host appeared on her tongue and remained there for a few minutes. A businessman from Barcelona, Don Alejandro Damians, standing less than three feet from the girl, secured some very good moving pictures. In the film there appeared 79 pictures of the extraordinary scene. This same witness wrote a report which he submitted to the Bishop of Santander, together with a copy of the film. The number of witnesses on this occasion was very large: there were people from different cultures and social classes. Don Benjamin Gomez, a farmer from Potes, wrote:
“I was standing at less than an arm’s length from the girl. I saw very well that her tongue was completely clean of everything. The girl did not move. Suddenly there appeared on it the Sacred Host. It was white, shining and resplendent. It reminded one of the snow when the sun strikes it with its brilliant rays. The girl’s face was beautifully transformed into heavenly ecstasy. Her face was angelic I can certify that she was there motionless, moving neither hands nor tongue. In this motionless position she received the Sacred Host. We had enough time to contemplate this marvelous phenomenon without any undue haste, and we were many who saw it. I was an unbeliever until that day. I am not such a Catholic as to be subject to any hallucination or imagination. I had not concerned myself about God until then except to offend Him. I went to confession in April but previous to that time I had not gone to confession for twenty-three years.” The miracle of the host is a true confirmation of the apparitions of Our Blessed Mother in Garabandal and of the reality of her message. But a still greater miracle has been promised.
A Greater Miracle to Come
Conchita has clearly said that Our Lady has promised a greater miracle in Garabandal so that all may believe the apparitions and be obedient to the message. “As the punishment which we deserve for the sins of the world is great, the miracle must also be a great one, for the world needs it.” It will occur on a Thursday on the feast day of a saint devoted to the Eucharist, at 8:30 in the evening, and will last for about one quarter of an hour. It will also coincide with a great event in the Church. The sick who come to Garabandal on that day will be cured, unbelievers will be converted. There will remain a permanent sign at “Los Pinos” as a proof of Our Lady’s tremendous love for all her children.