The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-10-24
The Earliest Recorded Apparition Of the Blessed
Virgin.
from DIR. Newman writings.i

FROM DE- newman WrlLlnRs.I
know of no instance to my purpose ear
lier than A. D. 234, but it is very re-
markable one. st. Gregory Nyssen,
then, a, native of Csppadocia in the fourth
century, relates that his namesake, Bishop
of Neo-Cesarea, surnamed Thaumaturgua,
in the century preceding, shortly before
he was called to the priesthood, received
in a vision a Greed, which is still extant,
from the Blessed Mary at the hands of st.
John. The account runs thus:-He was
deeply bordering theological doctrine.
which the heretics of the day depraved.
"In such thoughts" says his namesake of
Nyssa," he was passing the night, when one
appeared, as if in human form, aged in
appearance, sanity in the fashion of his
garments, and very venerable both in
grace of countenance and general mein.
Amazed at the sight, he started from his
bed, and asked who it was, and why he
came I; but, on the other calming the per-
turbation of his mind with his gentle
voice, and saying he had appeared to him
by divine command on account of his
doubts, in order that the truth ofthe ortho-
dox faith might be revealed to him, he took
with mixture of joy and fright. ThenR
on his stretching his hand straight forward
and pointing with his fingers at something
ON one side, he followed with his eyes the
extended hand, and saw another appearance
opposite to the former, in shape of o wo-
his eyes could not bear the apparition, he
heard them conversing together on the
| subject of his doubts; and thereby not
only gained a true knowledge of the faith,
but learned their names, as they addressed
each other by their respective appellations.
And thus he is said to have heard the per-
son in woman's shape bid John the Evange
| list disclose to the young man the mystery
of godliness and he answered that he was
ready to comply in this matter with the
wish of the Mother of the Lord and
enunciated formulary, we'll. turned and
other hand, Immediately committed to
writing that divine teaching of his mys-
tagogue, and henceforth preached in the
Church according to that form, and be-
queathed to posterity, as an inheritance,
that heavenly teaching, by means of which
his people are instructed down to this day,
being preserved from all heretical evil"
He proceeds 20 rehearse the Creed thus
given, "There is One God, Father of
Living Word" Sc. Bull, after quoting it in
his work on the Nicene Faith, alludes to
this history of it's origin, and adds, "No one
violence should befall man whose life
was conspicuous for revelations and mira
cles, as all ecclesiastical writer's who have
mentioned him land who has not y witness
J with one voice."
Here our Lady is represented as rescu-
ing a holy soul from intellectual error.
This leads me to q reflection. 1t is
said of her in the Antiphon, " All heresies
thou hast destroyed alone" Surely the
truth of it is verified in this age, as in
former times. She is the great e1amp-
| Ter of prayer in generation which empha-
tically denies the power of prayer in toto.
which determines that fatal laws govern
the universe, that there cannot be any
direct communication between earth and
heaven, that God cannot visit His earth,
| Al
dence. CAnglican Dih1culties."P. 1873