Page 22 - FLIPBOOK - Life of Saint Gerard Majella - Vassall-Phillips

O. R. VASSALL-PHILLIPS

delights are to be with the children of men, seemed to descend from
His Mother's arms, a smile upon his lips, and commenced to play
familiarly with little Gerard. Then after a while the Holy Child gave
10
Gerard, as a pledge of his love, a tiny loaf of exceeding whiteness.
When Gerard reached home, he was, as we may well imagine,
brimming over with innocent happiness. Without delay he brought
his wonderful present to his mother in the gladness of his heart. She
was naturally much surprised, and asked the boy who had given him
the bread.
“It was,” he answered, “the Child of a beautiful lady with whom I
have been playing.”
For many succeeding days this miracle was renewed. Drawn by
the heavenly attraction of the Divine Child of Bethlehem, each
morning Gerard went to the shrine of Capotignano, and each
morning did the prodigy recur. On one occasion his sister Bridget
followed him at a safe distance, and was an eye-witness of the magic
scene.
In later years, after he had become a Redemptorist, when this
same sister came one day to see him, Gerard said to her with his
usual simplicity:
“Now I understand that it was the Infant Jesus who used to give
me those beautiful little loaves.”
“Very well,” replied his sister with a smile, “let us then go and visit
Him once more.”
“No,” said Gerard, “for now I can find Him everywhere,
whenever I please.”
This holy child, already so dear to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was
not seven years old when already his soul yearned for the Bread that
cometh down from Heaven. One day during Mass the little boy felt a
secret inspiration to go up with the people and receive Holy
Communion. The priest, seeing that he was hardly more than a baby
in appearance, passed him by. The child went back to his place in the
church, the tears flowing down his cheeks. But the next night the

10 Miracles, however extraordinary, are not, as a general rule, isolated in the
lives of the Saints. Thus it is interesting to note that we find a miracle very
similar to this recorded in the account of the early childhood of Blessed
Hermann Joseph.

12