Magnificat Vol. LVI, No 5 135 Eugene Barbedette, the first one to see the Apparition, understood very well the meaning of this but and this implied yes. He said to the members of the Commission of Inquiry, “I was praying to obtain the grace for my brother not to receive a ‘bad hit,’ to obtain peace, the departure of the Prussians and the return of tranquility.” He had felt that his prayer was granted. When the little seers read the message on the white banner, all those present said, “The war will end; we will have peace!” – “Yes,” said Eugene perceptively, “but pray.” Thus he made everyone understand the meaning of this word which had seemed so extraordinary. – POWER In the circumstances in which they were addressed to us, the Blessed Virgin’s words, but pray! seem to me a new proof of the power of prayer, an omnipotence on our knees. Think of the hour when this word was written in the sky in golden letters; think of the abyss of mud and blood in which our agonizing Nation was moaning because of its sins. Humanly speaking, there was no longer any hope. O France, it was at the hour when you had lost everything, even your honor, that your Queen appeared and said to you, “Your prayer will be heard in a short time; My Son is letting Himself be touched... BUT PRAY!” Can a blind man be restored to the light, can the dead return to life? Can bone-rotting leprosy disappear? Can a lightning flash return upon itself or die out in a void? Can Holofernes, drunk with pride and wine, be stopped by a woman? Can the Red Sea open its protective waves in front of Israel? Can Nineveh be spared? [...] –Yes, everything is possible, but pray. – And shall we see, along with the Kingdom of God, peace and happiness return, and along with justice, the rest be given to us besides? Yes, but pray. So then, faithful souls, let us pray! Let us watch and pray! Let us give our prayer the conditions indicated by the mysterious candles lit around the Virgin of Pontmain. Let our prayer be universal, as indicated by the number four, which is the sign of the universality of created things; let this prayer come from the four points of the compass. May our prayer fulfill the four conditions taught by the Catechism. May our prayer be made with attention and faith. Let us ask for our conversion before we ask for victory. May our prayer be full of humility. May our prayer be perseverant. May our prayer be filled with confidence; if it is, God will answer us in a short time. Already the Queen of Heaven and Earth has answered all our wishes: Yes... BUT PRAY!
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