Hello Forum Friends, This question about Bruno and Our Lady of Revelation has bothered me for a long time. I am hoping someone on the forum can explain it for me. As I understand it, Bruno says he was converted and was given the visions of OL, because he did the Nine First Fridays, at the request of his wife. Bruno was not practicing and was attached to Seventh Day Adventists and wanted his wife to leave the Catholic Church and join the Adventist. She agreed to this on condition that Bruno would do the Nine First Fridays. Since First Friday Devotion includes Confession, Mass and Communion in Reparation to the Sacred Heart; how could Bruno do this as he had left the church? Would a priest give him absolution when he was not repentant, not once but nine times? After the nine first Fridays, Bruno was still not repentant and the entire family joined the Adventist church. His encounter with OL was years after this. I never have understood this and it makes me doubt the authenticity of the visions. Any explanation or thoughts? Thanks!
Receiving the sacraments in a state of mortal sin kinda heaps the coals onto our souls in a most terrible way. However, the sacrifice of the Holy Mass, being a perfect and divine offering, can still open up the channels to make a heart repentant. Now as we know, Bruno did not have an on-the spot-conversion yet with how much devotion did his wife assist at those masses? I believe it was her, pleading and begging for her husband's soul at those very masses. Just my two cents.
I wonder if he did, or tried to do the nine first Fridays without confession or the Eucharist? Or to put it another way, he did it as best he could? God is very merciful.
I for some reason I had always assumed too that he had only attended the mass, thus considering his obligation to his wife fulfilled. But I don't know why I assume that. I don't recall reading it...
If he was baptised a Catholic then he remained one whether he liked it or not. Assuming he’d had his 1st Communion as a child then he’d be able to go to confession, though whether he received absolution is potentially doubtful. Then of course he could not take communion but it sounds as if God blessed the effort! This sounds a bit like a version of Pascal’s wager, though in that case to take it up one just has to live as a Christian for a year which would involve attending Mass but not communicating
I think maybe it was Bruno's wife rather than Bruno himself that was being rewarded here; Bruno was simply going through the motions, Matthew 15:8 “’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
I had the same questions. Padraig's answer that it was his wife rather than Bruno who was being rewarded seems the most likely answer. I didn't know that the entire family had joined the Adventist church.
Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replies. All reasonable explanations of this detail of Bruno’s conversations with our Lady. thanks a bunch, now I can put this aside. This issue continually popped into my head at times; but it did not occur to me that he did the 9 Fridays as “best he could” or that his wife’s prayers were the reason.
This situation almost looks the same with another Pascal's wager with the Jewish Catholic Convert Alphonse Ratisbonne. The frequent blasphemer and radical Alphonse Ratisbonne accepted a dare to wear a Miraculous Medal from his Catholic friend, but he didn't expect to meet the Blessed Mother herself...
One thing about Bruno and which we must make allowances for is that he had the most horrendous upbringing. Often starving, beaten and with almost no teachings at all in the Faith. I doubt if any of us given the same circumstance might have made much of a better job of things. Certainly he turned to evil and did evil and nasty things and hated the Catholic Church with a passion. But as Gk Chesterton said , people who hate the Church do so not because of what it is but of what we imagine it to be. I do not believe God is random in His choices. If he choose Bruno and sent Mary to him he did so with good reason . It all reminds me of what Our Lady said to St Bernadette at Lourdes, that if she could have chosen someone more unworthy to visit she would have done so. God is proven Great in His Mercy.
One of the visionaries of Mejugorje asked the Virgin Mary why she picked her and Our Lady told her-I don't always pick the best.
2 Thessalonians 1:10 when He shall come on that Day to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
