Edward the Confessor and Alexandrina of Balasar, the miracle of the sun and the strange tales surrounding Pope Leo XIII

Blessed Alexandrina da Costa of Balasar

Some days in the Church's liturgical calendar seem far more crowded than others. Today happens to be one of those days that have been chosen by Divine Providence as a special one for saints and miracles. Here in Westminster, 13 October is the great solemn feast of St Edward the Confessor, but in Portugal and some other parts of the world, today is also kept as the feast of Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar, sometimes known as the "fourth seer of Fatima."

Alexandrina died on this day in 1955, after having lived on the Eucharist alone for 13 years. The same day in 1917 saw one of the greatest marvels in the Church's history, when over 70,000 people witnessed the great miracle of the sun at Fatima. Some also contend that it was on this day in 1884 that Pope Leo XIII had his mystical, and rather horrific, vision of Satan's desire to destroy the Church, which apparently led to the reciting of the prayer to St Michael after all low Masses - which is observed in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

1066 and all that: St Edward the Confessor on the
Bayeux Tapestry

St Edward's life is known to many, but those who would like to know some more can read my post from last year. As well as being an extremely pious and holy king, Edward was also a true father to the poor and vulnerable in his realm. He was the the last Anglo-Saxon king of the English, and the last ruler of the House of Wessex. He lived a chaste life, even though he was a married man, and is known above all else as the re-founder of Westminster Abbey, which was rededicated to St Peter according to his wishes. Before St George replaced him during the fourteenth century, St Edward was the principal patron saint of England, and many believe that he should be restored to his former dignity. He is currently the patron saint monarchs, the English Royal Family, difficult marriages and the City of Westminster.

During last year's Papal visit to the UK, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned St Edward when he spoke these words of gratitude at Westminster Abbey: -

I thank the Lord for allowing me, as the Successor of Saint Peter in the See of Rome, to make this pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Edward the Confessor. Edward, King of England, remains a model of Christian witness and an example of that true grandeur to which the Lord summons his disciples in the Scriptures we have just heard: the grandeur of a humility and obedience grounded in Christ’s own example (cf. Phil 2:6-8), the grandeur of a fidelity which does not hesitate to embrace the mystery of the Cross out of undying love for the divine Master and unfailing hope in his promises (cf. Mk 10:43-44).

I firmly believe that devotion to this great saint needs to be restored and renewed, especially here in the country that he loved so dearly. But I would like to concentrate on another great saint in today's post...

Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa of Balasar is a saint that not many of us are aware of. She is one of those hidden gems of the Church, waiting to be fully discovered by the world at large. Born in Portugal in 1904, Alexandrina was severely injured whilst preserving her purity during an attempted rape on Holy Saturday 1918. As a result of her injuries, Alexandrina became bedridden and unable to move when she was only 20-years-old. She determined to unite her constant suffering to Our Lord's Passion, and therefore became what is known as a "victim soul". In doing this, Alexandrina was responding to the message of Fatima, a message that she herself would often repeat: "Do penance, sin no more, pray the Rosary, receive the Eucharist."

After some years of living as a victim soul in the small town of Balasar, Alexandrina was called by God into a life of deeper mysticism and joy. In November 1933, a Mass was offered in Blessed Alexandrina's room for the first time. Soon after this special event, she received a vision of Jesus, which she described thus: -

One night Jesus appeared to me in natural dimensions, as if he had just been taken down from the cross. I could see deep, open wounds in his hands, his feet and his side. The Blood streamed from these wounds, and from the breast it came with such force that, after having drenched the garment around his waist, it flooded onto the floor. Jesus drew near to the edge of my bed. With great love I was able to kiss the wounds in his hands and I longed to kiss those in his feet. But due to my paralysis, I was unable to do so. Though I said nothing of this desire to Jesus, he knew what was in my mind and with his hands he held up one foot and then the other and offered them to me to kiss .... Enraptured, I contemplated the wound in his side and the Blood that was gushing from it until, filled with compassion, I threw myself into his arms and cried out, "O my Jesus, how much you have suffered for me!" I remained in his arms for some moments and he finally disappeared.

Part of an ecstasy of the Lord's Passion as suffered
by Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar

Within a year, Our Lord invited her to enter more deeply into his suffering, saying in another vision: -

Give me your hands, because I want to nail them with mine. Give me your feet, because I want to nail them to my feet. Give me your head, because I want to crown it with thorns as they did to me. Give me your heart, because I want to pierce it with a lance as they pierced mine. Consecrate your body to me; offer yourself wholly to me ... Help me in the redemption of mankind.

Through these mystical visions, Alexandrina became aware of the immense salvific fruits that can come about through suffering, and was also consoled by her increasingly intimate union with the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

By 1935, Jesus revealed to Alexandrina that a second World War was imminent, and could only be avoided by having the world consecrated to his mother's Immaculate Heart. As means of achieving this goal, he invited the Portuguese mystic to undergo his Passion each Friday. She consented, and therefore on 3 October 1938, Alexandrina underwent her first mystical union to Our Lord's Passion. Although having been completely paralysed for 14 years, Blessed Alexandrina was able to move around her room during these ecstasies - even if she might have been completely unaware of her surroundings, for she was so transfixed on Christ's suffering and on his love for us poor sinners during this strange events. One local woman who was present at Alexandrina's first ecstasy of Our Lord's Passion gave this account of what happened: -

At the hour fixed by Jesus, our ‘seraph of love' began to suffer for us and for many sinners whom she wanted to save. I was present at that agony, but I do not know how to describe it. She suffered from the Garden to the Cross. Oh how everything was reproduced in that frail body of Alexandrina! When Jesus told her that the hour was drawing near that everything was prepared for her via dolorosa, step by step, as far as Calvary, she replied very courageously, "Yes Jesus, for you and to save sinners, I will do everything." It was then that she suffered the agony, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the prison and the meeting with Our Lady at whom she gazed with a sorrow such as my eyes have never before seen. The falls under the cross were so visible that they left no room for any doubt ... In my opinion, her agony intensified when she presented her little white hands and then her feet to be nailed. Then the cross was fixed in the earth… what a heart-rending scene! What sadness flooded our souls! There followed the agony on the cross with her sad and penetrating groans. And her gaze! It was indescribable! She sighed repeatedly and in the end, closed her hollow eyes in the violet sockets, bent her head and died. What a faithful replication of the death of Jesus!

Alexandrina suffered these ecstasies from 12:00pm until 3:00pm for 180 consecutive Fridays. They came to an end in 1942, after Our Lord informed the mystic that Pope Pius XII had agreed to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is believed by devotees of Blessed Alexandrina that this consecration, which happened in October 1942, hastened the end of the Second World War.

As one mission drew to an end, Jesus invited Blessed Alexandrina to begin another - a special witness to the power of the Eucharist, his own life-giving flesh. After her last ecstasy of the Passion, Our Lord appeared to Alexandrina saying: -

You will not take food again on earth. Your food will be my Flesh; your blood will be my Divine Blood, your life will be my Life. You receive it from me when I unite my Heart to your heart. Do not fear, my daughter. You will not be crucified any more as in the past ... And now a new trial awaits you, which will be the most painful of all. But in the end I will carry you to Heaven and the Holy Mother will accompany you.

From Good Friday that year until her death in 1955, Blessed Alexandrina lived on nothing except Holy Communion. Many tests were carried out, and she even spent weeks under intensive observation at a local hospital, yet no-one ever saw anything pass her lips expect the Body of Our Lord.

Alexandrina's last years were spent praying for the Church, for it had been revealed to her by Jesus that "the devil is preparing a massive assault on the Church."  During these years, she also also underwent what one of her biographers, Kevin Rowles, calls: "an astounding array of profound mystical experiences, such as a mystical marriage with Jesus, a coronation by Our Lady, and a piercing by darts of unspeakable love from a flight of angels." Alexandrina also continued to make reparations for the sins of mankind, and encouraged others to do the same.

Images from the Miracle of the Sun, Fatima 

On the morning of her last day on earth, 13 October 1955, Alexandrina received a vision of the Immaculate Heart of Mary who said to her “I am about to take you”. According to Rowles' Blessed Alexandrina: A living miracle of the Eucharist, "[Alexandrina] received Holy Communion for the last time at 8am, and afterwards delivered her final poignant message to those present in her room, and to all humanity, crying out:- 'Do not sin. The pleasures of this life are worth nothing. Receive Communion. Pray the Rosary every day. This sums up everything.' Alexandrina suffered extreme pain throughout the whole day, which she bore with great fortitude to the very end. At 8pm, she kissed the crucifix for the last time, and died at 8.29pm."

Providence had chosen 13 October 1955 as the day on which Alexandrina would be called to her Heavenly reward. This day, the feast of St Edward the Confessor - who, according to Pope Benedict XVI, did not "hesitate to embrace the mystery of the Cross out of undying love for the divine Master" - was also the anniversary of Our Lady's last appearance at Fatima and the day on which the miracle of the sun took place. It is also possibly the day in 1884 when Pope Leo XIII was warned in a vision about the attacks the Church would face in the latter half of the 20th century (see here) - a vision that led, apparently, to the composition of the prayer to St Michael. Even though the stories surrounding this alleged Papal vision certainly appear to be quite apocryphal, there is obviously something very special about this day in general. It is a holy day, it is certainly a day that has been made and blessed by the Lord, for which we should rejoice and be glad (cf Psalm 118:24).

St Edward, King and Confessor, pray for us
Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar, pray for us

For more information on Blessed Alexandrina, please read Blessed Alexandrina: A living miracle of the Eucharist by Kevin Rowles. It can be purchased here.

[Images: 1 Blessed Alexandrina; source: Mystics of the Church blog. 2 St Edward the Confessor; source: Westminster Wisdom blog. 3 Blessed Alexandrina undergoing the Passion; assumed to be in the public domain and copyright expired; source: official Blessed Alexandrina Maria de Balasar website in French. 4 Newspaper report on the Miracle of the Sun; source: Wikimedia Commons]