The Reward of Those Who “Cry Out Even Louder”

Hearing the clamour of the crowd approaching, the blind man began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many of the people about him were alarmed, and some rudely ordered him to remain silent. But in vain, for the wretched man cried out even louder… And as a reward for his constancy and confidence in the power of God, he heard these words of Our Lord: “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he could see (cf. Mk 10: 46-52). Episodes such as that of Bartimaeus, the blind man of Jericho, are multiplying in our days and, however much science and technology are currently exalted, faith in divine power has achieved numerous physical and spiritual cures. Yes, although the noise and the atheism of the modern world strive to stifle manifestations of faith, countless devotees find in the maternal protection of Dona Lucilia strength and courage to “cry out even louder” with incessant supplications and prayers.

“I asked to be freed from this diagnosis”

Leilane with her daughter

Wishing to offer her testimony of this constant help from Dona Lucilia, Leilane Mara Portes Alves Carpanez, a teacher and psychologist living in Juiz de Fora (Brazil), tells us about a special grace received by means of this generous lady. Having been married in October 2018, she and her husband soon noticed signs of problems that would be an obstacle to their desire to have children. Finally, overcome with severe pain, nausea and malaise, Leilane sought medical assistance. She tells us: “With the suspicion that it was endometriosis – an autoimmune disease that causes pain and infertility – the doctor prescribed some medication and requested a magnetic resonance imaging to check for possible lesions stemming from the disease. It was a moment of great distress, in which I asked Our Lady and Dona Lucilia to deliver me from this diagnosis; or, if I had to face this disease, to give me strength, because alone I would not be able to cope with it.”

“She helped and interceded for me”

It was not long before Leilane was convinced that her request had been heard: “While attending Holy Mass, at the time of Communion I strongly felt Our Lady saying to me: ‘Don’t worry, my daughter, I am taking care of everything.’ And three times, in different places and at different times, I found a picture of Dona Lucilia, as if she were telling me: ‘I am with you.’ I felt cared for, knowing that she was supporting me and interceding for me with God and Our Lady.” Shortly afterwards, Leilane received an unexpected confirmation that her prayers had been fully answered: “When I least expected it, there were indications of a possible pregnancy, making it impossible for me to undergo the already scheduled MRI. So, on the day that had been reserved for that exam, I had an ultrasound scan instead, and could hear our baby’s heart beating. Today, I am so happy for the graces I have received. Even with several difficulties at the beginning of the pregnancy, I was sure that Dona Lucilia was and is with me.”

“I pleaded with Dona Lucilia to intervene on my behalf”

Prof. Edson Sampel holding his portrait of Dona Lucilia

Prof. Edson Luiz Sampel, lecturer at the St. Paul the Apostle Canon Law Faculty, of the Archdiocese of São Paulo, also writes to tell us about two more favours received through the mediation of this kind lady: “I needed a certificate from the INSS. For various reasons, the procedure was delaying, even after the interposition of a writ of mandamus. When I pleaded with Dona Lucilia to intervene on my behalf, from Heaven, the answer came the next day. They told me that the INSS would issue the certificate right away. Later, I made bold to ask Dona Lucilia to ensure that the above-mentioned certificate be sent immediately. "The result: in a very short time I obtained the implementation of the clear and definite right that I was requesting.”

“As of tomorrow, your fever will be gone”

Desiring that others could also enjoy Dona Lucilia’s protection, Prof. Edson decided to ask for her intercession to obtain the recuperation of the health of his nephew’s girlfriend, who was hospitalized with very serious kidney problems and had an unrelenting fever. Here is his testimony of what happened: “My nephew told me of a certain lady, who made a visit to the hospital. She was an employee and an old friend of the family, a namesake of Dr. Plinio’s mother, and she said the following to the girl: ‘As of tomorrow, your fever will be gone; remain calm.’ And, in fact, my nephew’s girlfriend had no more fever. Wonderful, isn’t it? Another Dona Lucilia brought to the girl the good news of divine grace.” Thus, Prof. Edson became accustomed to ask for the help of this maternal lady, always invoking her at the end of one of the decades of his Rosary. For, as he states in the article Dona Lucilia, Mother of Dr. Plinio, Pray for Us!, published on the website of the Brazilian Society of Canonists, “Dona Lucilia offered love and solicitude even to those who treated her badly. In Heaven, she will lovingly help us wayfarers who ask her for some assistance.”¹

“Dona Lucilia, arrange for an honest person to find the wallet”

Mrs. Roseli Gaviolli, from São Carlos (Brazil), impressed by Dona Lucilia’s care and promptness in answering her petition, gives us a simple testimony of the grace received on the first day of her novena.

Roseli Gaviolli with her husband Marcos

Her husband, Marcos, had left the house with his wallet full of money, documents and a credit card. It was the day to pay the bills. He went calmly into the bank, and only when he was in front of the teller did he realize that his wallet was no longer in his pocket… Where and how had he lost it? Stunned to find himself deprived of all the money he and his wife had saved to meet the family’s expenses, he retraced his steps in a desperate attempt to retrieve the lost wallet. After searching and finding nothing, he called Roseli and, almost in tears, told her what had happened. She immediately lit a candle to Dona Lucilia and implored: “Dona Lucilia, arrange for some honest person to find the wallet and give it back to us!” Meanwhile, Marcos, not knowing exactly what to do, stopped at a Military Police headquarters, thinking it was the police station, and said to the officer who was on duty there: “I am terribly upset because I lost my wallet. I came to file a report…”

The wallet that was returned

The police officer immediately offered to help him. She explained all the steps he should take, starting with the two most urgent: go to the bank and cancel the credit card and then file a police report.

“Dona Lucilia had resolved everything in an unexpected manner”

Nevertheless, to further increase his affliction, nothing went as Marcos had hoped. At the bank branch, after a long wait in line, he discovered that to cancel his credit card he had to provide a password… Something he didn’t even know existed. At the police station, he made a similarly frustrating discovery. It was only when, after a long delay, he was finally attended, that he was informed that the police report could only be submitted via internet, to him an entirely unheard-of process. Having found no way to remedy the situation, which placed his family in a difficult financial position, Marcos was returning home discouraged when, on the road, he received a phone call from his wife. Weeping with emotion, she told him that the wallet had been found. Dona Lucilia had resolved everything in an unexpected manner! Roseli describes what happened: “A man passing by that street picked up the wallet just as it was about to get drenched by a downpour. Arriving at his house, he opened it and read on the credit card: Marcos Gaviolli. Remembering that he had heard that name before, he asked his daughter if she knew anyone called Gaviolli. She replied that she had a schoolmate with that surname, so she called her, who is my niece, and she immediately got in touch with me.” Soon the wallet was back in the couple’s hands, with all its contents. Only after his wife’s explanation, did Marcos understand the reason why he had not been able to cancel the card or to make the police report, which would automatically invalidate all his documents: Dona Lucilia had not allowed it. Thus, the Gaviolli family could confirm how much Dona Lucilia is ready to help them at any moment, deftly circumventing every tragedy or problem to heed a short prayer addressed to her.

A trip under the protection of a maternal lady

Natália da Conceição Oliveira, from Belém do Pará, grateful for the constant protection of Dona Lucilia, writes to tell us about the grace she received during a difficult incident during a trip with her family:

Natália in the vehicle with her daughters

“We were stopped on the road by a Federal Police vehicle. The officer approached us and said that the driver of the vehicle had committed an infraction: passing another vehicle over a solid line. He asked for the driver’s license and the vehicle registration. He then said that the driver’s license was in order, but that the vehicle registration had expired. We were very surprised, because we thought that the due date for payment of the vehicle registration was still some time off. We then asked him to check it in the system. But the expiry date of the registration was confirmed and, therefore, we had two infractions: passing another vehicle on a solid line and the expiration of vehicle registration. The officer left us momentarily, probably to consult with his chief.” In this difficult situation, Natália could think of no better plan of action than to turn to the maternal help of Dona Lucilia, asking her to solve the problem of the fines and, above all, to prevent the impounding of the vehicle. And she recounts how she was promptly answered: “We began to pray to Dona Lucilia and when the policeman returned, the unexpected happened. His demeanour was completely altered. He told us that he would forgive the first offence, and added that we could continue our journey, but that as soon as we arrived at our destination we had to pay the license renewal fee, since he would monitor the vehicle to confirm this payment. He wished us a good trip with a smile on his face. We continued our journey without fines, without penalties, and without further problems.”.

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In this way, countless souls – following the example of the blind man of Jericho – have faced the “multitude that rebukes them to be silent,” “crying out even louder” in face of afflictions and difficulties, turning to the maternal help of Dona Lucilia. And this good lady has led them through complicated situations and resolved problems that were unsolvable, humanly speaking; heeding the supplications of all those who ask with faith for her intercession, because God can do the impossible! ◊  

Notes

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¹ LUIZ SAMPEL, Edson. Dona Lucilia, mãe de Dr. Plinio, rogai por nós! In: https://www.infosbc.org.br.