The Marian Shrine of Liesse, France, is one of the marvelous testimonies of Our Lady’s protection in Church history, although most pilgrims go to Lourdes and Rue du Bac.
It goes back to the 12th century when hordes of Muslims were sacking Europe and the Middle East. To protect his people, the King of Jerusalem rebuilt a fortress in Palestine and entrusted it to the Knights of St. John. During one of the battles, some of the knights were captured, chained and taken to Egypt.
Three of them were brothers and members of the house of Eppes. The Sultan saw that it would be a tremendous victory if they would renounce their Faith and accept Islam. So he ordered them tortured. When this approach failed, the Sultan offered them gold and freedom. To no avail.
On the contrary, the knights were more inspired than before to defend the Faith, even preaching to the Muslim guards. The Sultan was furious. In a devious scheme, he sent his own daughter, Princess Ismerie, to tell the knights they would be brutally tortured unless they became Muslim.
With calm and respect, the three brave Christian nobles shared their faith with the princess. Our Lady and Our Lord appeared to her in a dream that night. That same night, angels also brought the three men a beautiful statue of Our Lady.
Upon learning of this miracle, the Sultan's daughter was convinced that the knights spoke Truth and converted. After bribing the guards, the princess fled with the three brothers. They were aiming for Alexandria where they could hide in the monastery of St. Macanus. But they were soon exhausted and fell asleep. Upon awakening, they found themselves at the knight's castle in France. Yes -- they fell asleep in Egypt and awoke in France holding the precious statue of Our Lady.
A magnificent church was built in Liesse to honor this miracle. Our Lady performed many miracles there, which drew noble and peasant alike to come and honor as "Cause of Our Joy".
From this miracle, we learn how ardently Our Lady seeks to help us. But do we trust her in our time of need?
In return, Our Lady asks our fidelity to her Son, our intransigence against false doctrines, and our resolve to defend the Faith regardless of the trial. Our Lady is then truly the "Cause of OUR Joy".
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