PERU/CHILE, Queca Espinoza. I had the good fortune to visit the Shrine of Arica in Chile on May 2nd. It was an unexpected trip and despite all the advancements that are currently available to locate places, I went with my sister Vica without knowing for sure where it was located, only that it was close to the border with Peru.
We hired a taxi driver named Sebastián, who was very nice, but he did not know where the place we wanted to go was located. Despite this, we boarded and traveled looking attentively to see the place, until I saw it from the Pan American, since I saw the steeple of the Shrine. We arrived and happily the entrance door to the place was open, but the door to the Shrine was closed. We entered and there was no one to welcome us.
I was waiting for you
We walked and I prayed: Blessed Mother open the door for me, look how far I have come to greet you, I want to see you. Hopefully, I turned the handle and the door opened. What happiness to be able to enter and to see her there, always with that gaze of “I was waiting or you”. It is wonderful to enter and to feel at home; it was not necessary for anyone to welcome me: I prayed and took the opportunity to pray for my relatives and friends, especially those who are in ill.
A stone of the Original Shrine
I took photos of every special detail: for example, there is a stone from the Original Shrine, a placard with the Pilgrimage prayer and another one with the explanation of how to gain the Plenary Indugence, an enormous gift that Pope Francis has given us for the Jubilee Year. I explained what the capital of grace was to Sebastián and he happily began to fill our his little paper. We told him: every time you pass by here come to visit the Virgin. We gave him a holy card of the Blessed Mother, which I always have in my purse, so that he will not forget this visit and we prayed the Pilgrimage prayer, the Confidence prayer and the consecration prayer together. We concluded by singing “Mary look at me” with all our might.
My bouquet of flowers
We bid farewell to the Blessed Mother and as we left an older lady with her daughter arrived with a bouquet of flowers for the Blessed Mother. At that moment I thought: how did I come with empty hands, I did not bring a single flower! Then I told her: Dear Little Mother, my presence here was not to bring you flowers, it was to feel caressed and spoiled by You. Thank you for your niceties, I need them so much, I know that your gaze is constantly on me, but it is so beautiful to feel your Mother love.
Original: Spanish – Translation Celina M. Garza San Antonio, Texas USA
