Your Son is Burning

	Your Son is Burning! In 1734—at the time of the War for Corsican Independence—in the village of Romanacce, dependent of the town of Oletta, there lived a certain Michael Bartolo, who had a painting of the Virgin in his house that he had received as a gift (...). Michael was an ardent patriot. His house served as a refuge for bold messengers bringing news from beyond the mountains during the war against the Genoese. On Good Friday of 1734, his wife, a very devout woman, was busy kneading dough to make the traditional Corsican Easter cakes. And, as was her beautiful habit, she prayed while working. Suddenly, in the middle of her occupations, she heard her own name called out in a stern and urgent tone: Maria! She quickly turned around, but when she saw no one at all in the room, she resumed her work, confused about what had happened. A second time the voice called: Maria! And it added: Your son is burning! Maria leapt towards the crib where her child was sleeping, underneath the painting of the Madonna. A burning log had fallen from the "fucone" (the Corsican word for a hearth made up of a simple slab of stone in the middle of the room). Fire was licking the crib. The mother grabbed her child, hugged him, and overwhelmed with emotion, after putting out the nascent fire, fell to her knees in front of the Madonna! She had no doubt in her mind that the Virgin had saved her child! But while she lovingly contemplated the image of Mary, she was astonished to see tears coming down her eyes. To make sure this wasn't an illusion; Maria put her finger on the canvas, and left a fingerprint there that is still visible today! L. Cristiani Marie reine de la Corse (Mary Queen of Corsica) In: Maria-etudes sur la Vierge Marie-under the direction of Hubert du Manoir, S.J. Volume IV, 1956