Behold the Lamb of God

Almost 150 years ago on the 21st August, a strange and wonderful thing happened in a small village in the west of Ireland.  The people were still grieving and traumatised by the Great Famine (1845 - 1852) in which over a 1,000,000 people died and as many more emigrated.  

On this wet, cold evening a group of villagers, ranging from a 5 year old boy to a 74 year old

woman,  witnessed an extraordinary sight -  a lamb, symbol of The Lamb of God -  standing on an altar with an empty cross behind Him and angels circling in adoration around Him.   At first,  the people did not pay much attention to this though it was the brightest of all the figures and later to become the  central focus of the apparition.  

Their gaze was drawn to three other figures whom they recognised as Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist.  They prayed and spoke among themselves as to what this sight might mean.  The vision lasted as long as the people stayed in the pouring rain, about 2 hours.  No word was spoken by the figures which seemed to be made of an extraordinary light each of different intensity.  

Knock is now  an international Eucharistic shrine and “a house of prayer for all the nations”.  Recently we spent a week in this holy place and witnessed about 10,000 pilgrims from many places celebrating Mass together each day and gazing in wonder at the beautiful marble statues depicting the apparition,  praying to penetrate some of  its  unfathomable message.    

(Rev: 5)

We carried in our hearts the millions of people being starved and displaced by famines, wars and violence in our own day.   

We were reminded of Nicolas Barre’ s words: 'We must go on taking Jesus as our Food in Holy Communion until we become, as it were, His food.  In this way He becomes incarnated in us., we share in the Divinity of Christ.'   (RR 9)

Agnes Ijs and Georgina Ijs