Published on 1/6/24 1:18 PM Blogger

 Merriam-Webster Websites:

miracle noun

1. An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs, the healing miracles described in the Gospels,
2. An extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment. The bridge is a testament to engineering ingenuity.
3. Christian Science: a divinely natural phenomenon experienced humanly as the fulfillment of spiritual law

I do not know if it’s a Miracle, but this event happened to me in 1983.

This story begins at the beginning of the 1970s, when I was a passenger in my friend Gaetan H.’s car. We drove around the surrounding area of the Outaouais most of the time, but occasionally, we drove up to Montreal to spend a few hours in that city. Then it was a four-hour drive down and back in Hull (Gatineau today)

On a few occasions, he took me to visit Montreal’s churches, Notre-Dame and St. Joseph Oratory, but not simultaneously. We also went to La Ronde, a cinema, and various bars and restaurants.

One time at the Oratory, when you exit the primary worship space, there was an escalator to take you down, and just across the escalator was a souvenir boutique. I don’t know why, but I purchased a Holy Mary Car Magnet to be stuck on the car’s dashboard. The car dashboard was built in metal then. I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t even have a driver’s license. So, during my motorcycle time, I stuck Mary on the tachometer.

1983

One day at lunch hour at work, my friend Denis invited me to have a beer with him, so we went to a bar on Portage. After one beer, he said I must go home for supper. I worked the evening shift, and lunch was at 1:00 p.m. for me. He wanted me to go with him to his residence for supper, and he would be back on the job in no time. I didn’t want to go, but he convinced me to go; Denis was driving a Honda Goldwing, and I was riding the Suzy. From Highway 5, there are two exits to take to get to his place. One is St. Raymond, and the other is Blvd. Mont Bleu. I was in front of him, aiming at Mont Bleu, when I looked in my mirror and saw him heading off to St. Raymond. So, to be in his place simultaneously, I accelerate up to 80 mph, passing a car, and then it happens.

I don’t remember the month, but it was probably around that time. In June, the bike was out of storage in May. At the same time, I asked Honda of Outaouais to do maintenance and a few repairs. It cost a fortune to take it out, but the mechanic told me that it leaked from my front fork. That needs to be addressed; no more cash, so it was ok to drive at an average speed. That year, Suzuki put oil and air in the front fork, and the air leaked.

Carrying on with the story, the motorbike, at that speed, starts to zigzag and wobble, and it slows down to approximately 50 or 40 MPH. It then flips, and the bike and I start to slide for a good two to three hundred feet.

I was terrified of three things:

1. Will I hit the cement divider? I’m in the passing lane.
2. The bike is in front of me. Will I hit it if it stops sliding before I reach it?
3. Will a car run me over?

It was a scorching day. I had never done this, but I didn’t wear my leather jacket that day.

The result was a second-degree burn on my arms and back.

Treatment: at Hull Hospital, a whirlpool bath in water and iodine.

I was sure of dying, and it didn’t happen. Why?

A few days later, I probed my jeans pocket and found my Holy Mary Magnet all bent. My father told me that she saved me, probably lifting me off the ground and watching the surroundings so nothing worse would happen. I smiled and left; I believed in flying saucers and ghosts more than I did in divine intervention.

This Story was published in the Order of Franciscans of the Eucharist Newsletter: United in Spirit in December 2024

Michel of Notre Dame

Dash photo taken in 1982

About Mary, a few days ago, I received an email from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, as I am a member, with documentation and two bottles of Lourdes water.

I poured water on Marie’s legs and right arm on Tuesday. This morning, I asked her if she was healed. 

Her reply was no, but I have a lot less pain. 

Michel of Notre Dame

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