I Have Chosen You to Fight Under the Flag of Jesus Christ! (I)

One day, in a Dominican church in Paris, during the All Saints' Day octave in 1465, Blessed Alain de la Roche reproached himself for the lukewarm way he was reciting his rosary. Suddenly, Our Lady, accompanied by other virgins appeared before him and said, "Do not flee, my son! If you don't believe who my companions and I are, just make the sign of the cross before us. If we are hellish visions, we will disappear immediately. If, on the contrary, we are heavenly visions, we will remain, and the light that emanates from each one of us will brighten."

So Alain made the sign of the cross and the light of the apparition grew brighter. "O my son, doubt no more! I am your virginal bride," Our Lady told him. "I have always loved you and I am concerned about you always. But you must know that nobody is without pain in this world; neither me, nor my Son, nor any of these saints have lived without suffering. What is more, you must keep the faith and patience as your weapons and prepare yourself for trials more difficult than those which you have experienced up to now. I have chosen you to fight like a brave man and a hero under the flag of Jesus Christ, not like a parody of a soldier! You will stand next to me under my banner. As for the moments of spiritual desert that you have experienced these past few days, don't let them worry you anymore. I wanted you to take that test. Accept it now as a penance and punishment for your past sins. Accept it also as a means of making progress in patience and for the salvations of others, both dead and alive."