It was the First Friday in July 2009. The church bells echoed loudly from the steeple announcing the noon hour. I was kneeling quietly in the church, making a holy hour with Our Lord. After the third clang of the bell, I prayed the following, "The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Spirit."
In my mind, I saw Preborn Jesus within the womb of His Mother. However, instead of an umbilical cord connecting the Mother and Child, I saw Our Lord encircled by a rosary.
Several weeks prior to this event, I had asked one of my sons to draw an image of Jesus within the womb of Mary. He agreed and said that, although he would be able to draw the Virgin Mary, he would need a model of a baby in order to draw Jesus within Mary's womb.
On the computer, I did an image search of Mother and Child. To my amazement, a page came up entitled "Mother and Child in High Renaissance" by Leonardo da Vinci. My eyes scanned four or five beautiful prints of the Madonna and Child, but stopped abruptly at the third row, last column. Suddenly, Our Lord made apparent to me the very image that he wanted my son to use: Da Vinci's astounding anatomical sketch of a fully developed child within the womb!
For many weeks I had been contemplating Our Savior as a hidden child within the womb of Mary. The following thoughts kept coming to me: "We meditate on Jesus as Risen Savior, as Crucified Lord, as Babe in the manger, but not as Preborn Jesus within the womb!"
Finally, when my son presented me with his lovely drawing of Jesus within the womb of His Mother, I thought, "Our Lord wants to be recognized within the womb." In contemplating the "Word Made Flesh," I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this young, Jewish girl's "Yes" in the name of humanity. To honor Mary's role in God's plan for the redemption of mankind, I named the image, Vessel of the Preborn Jesus. At this point, I actually thought that the portrait was complete. However, after hearing the noon bells on that day in July and visualizing baby Jesus wrapped in the rosary, I asked my son to make one more adjustment: to replace the umbilical cord with the rosary. The sketch was now complete.
Christmas in July
Allow me to share with you a miracle from the hand of God that I believe confirmed His desire to be honored within the womb as Preborn Jesus.
Intending to use the portrait as a poster in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., I researched the cost of enlarging it onto foam board and found the estimate to be $50.00. That evening, I went to church and prayed, "Lord, if You want this done, I know You will open a window." The very next morning, I routinely went to my job as a dental hygienist. The first patient of the day on this July morning complimented me on my work and placed money in my hand. When I tried to refuse this unconventional tip, he insistently curled my fingers around the money and made a quick exit while calling out, "Merry Christmas!"
Considering how God was writing this script at nearly every turn, I solemnly opened my fingers and spied a $50 bill nestling there.
Of course, I immediately had the image of Vessel of the Preborn Jesus enlarged and, since then, the same enlargement or copies have traveled to the Pro-Life March, pregnancy centers, abortion clinics, churches across the United States, and even various locations abroad.
The idea for this ministry occurred in the spring of 2009, just after I had completed the St. Louis de Montfort consecration, "to Jesus through Mary." At this time, a relative shared with me that a young girl was considering an abortion. I promised to pray a rosary for her and, upon seeing her baby via ultrasound, this young mother chose life for her child.
This incident led me to discern about creating a ministry where a cord rosaries (representing the umbilical cord) could be made for mothers experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Presently, as each variegated pink and blue cord rosary is made with a medal of Baby Jesus attached, the "Joyful Mysteries" of the rosary are prayed. This beautiful rosary and the image of Vessel of the Preborn Jesus are then given as tokens of love to the expectant mother and child.
Vessel of the Preborn Jesus in Watercolor
As the original sketch began to circulate, a friend asked me if I would consider having the image done professionally in watercolor. She introduced me to a local artist, Lea Ravotti. While somewhat familiar with Lea's artistic talent, I had never had the opportunity to meet her. We arranged to meet and within a few short months, Lea rendered the image of Vessel of the Preborn Jesus in Watercolor, a beautifully painted Preborn Jesus, wrapped in a rosary within the womb of His Mother.
You may wonder why the Lord revealed the umbilical cord as a rosary. While the umbilical cord is the physical lifeline between mother and child, the rosary is the spiritual lifeline. Consider the baby who is in danger of losing its precious life to abortion. The rosary wraps the baby in prayer. Prayer is protection from evil. As the Word of God is announced and meditated on in the first and second chapters of Luke's Gospel, Satan flees. Life triumphs.
Next, consider that the master of lies, Satan, has never wanted the rosary prayed. Yet through this inspirational work, Preborn Jesus shows us His own truth. I humbly suggest to you that Jesus wants the rosary embraced because, in the image, He is embraced by this prayer. He offers the rosary as a way to meditate on His life and pray. Then, in a supremely intimate sense, Jesus offers the rosary to each expectant mother. It is almost s if His little preborn hand is presenting this prayer as a gift to the mother with child.
Finally, the Lord put on my heart a very simple sentence that summarizes the vision for Preborn Jesus Ministry. I did not audibly hear these words. I can only tell you in all humility that I felt them in my heart. The words still resonate, "Bring them to the picture and I will bring them to My Mother."
Motherhood
Remarkably, there is more to this story. People from all faith backgrounds are embracing this rosary devotion to Preborn Jesus. Personally, I can attest to recently teaching non-Catholics to pray the rosary. As a result of hearing the above testimony, they trust that they are saving lives through this rosary devotion to Preborn Jesus. Also, they acknowledge God's esteem for the marvelous vocation of motherhood, as He has revealed so clearly in "Vessel of the Preborn Jesus."
In closing, I have a confession to make . Have you ever had the sense that the Lord wanted to be in control of a situation and that you were getting in His way? I am embarrased to confess that I initially did not want to place too much focus on Mary, for as so often happens, people turn away. But as Our Lord takes this apostolate in the direction that He desires, I recall His words: "Bring them to the picture and I will bring them to My Mother."
Jesus wants us to imitate Him in all things, most especially in His gratitude and boundless love for the woman who mothered Him in every moment of His earthly life. He truly wishes that expectant mothers who are fearful and confused will look to His Mother and imitate her trust in bringing forth life. In a profound way, He wants us to have respect and love for the vocation of motherhood.
Lovingly submitted to Preborn Jesus through Mary, the Vessel
April 26, 2010
Bernadette (PrebornJesusMinistry@zoominternet.net)