Childhood miracles of Saint Mariana de Jesus Paredes y Flores: natural phenomena, divine protection and premonitions

First Ecuadorian saint and proclaimed national hero. This is Santa Mariana de Jesus Paredes y Flores, so little known in Brazil or even in the world. Holiness and mystical events ran throughout her life, but in this post we will only highlight the miracles of her childhood!

Born in Quito, capital of Ecuador, in 1618. Daughter of direct descendants of the colonizers of the region, a family of high nobility and also of great virtues. And right at her birth, the first mystical event:

On that day he came into the world, 10/30/1618, several unusual phenomena in the heavens occurred, which were clearly related at his birth and legally attested in his beatification process.

During his early childhood, even without Christian understanding, his life was already surrounded by prodigies and divine graces. For example, when his father died when he was four years old, leading his mother to spend a few days in the countryside to reduce the sadness of the loss. She rode on a mule with the girl in her arms, until she crossed a stream....

...the mule tripped and they fell, except little Mariana, who was caught in the air by her guardian angel, holding her in his hands until her mother got up and took her back in her arms!

Two years later, the little girl also lost her mother, being raised by her older sister and brother-in-law, who at that time were already parents of other children Mariana's age (that is, her nieces). During this period, premonitions began to develop:

One day while playing with the other girls in the garden, she sensed something bad, stopped suddenly and made her nieces quickly leave where they were. Then, exactly where they were previously, a wall collapsed. They were all saved.

Even when she was very little, she felt a strong need to share her faith, as well as her devotion to Maria. And... with the attitude of a child not yet fully formed, she decided with her nieces to go and live on a mountain, fasting and praying, but...!

...God would not allow His little saint to take such a small risk and still take His other little daughters on this "adventure" Christian. He then sent a wild ox across their path to the mountain which made them run back home (! ). Testimonial reports indicate that the little saint was saved from death several times! The divine protection was a constant in his childhood.

Now at home, safely, the children demonstrated their devotions with actions that were for now within their reach (and immensely blessed): the girls, led by Marianita (as they called her in their early years), prayed the Rosary and they made the Way of the Cross. Her life of prayers, penance and sanctification would deepen immensely a few years later during adolescence and adulthood, stay tuned for future posts!

_{References: Tesouros de la Fe: Revista de Cultura Catolica, CFFB - Conferência da Família Franciscana do Brasil, Franciscanos, Salve Maria}