When faced with “hopeless” situations, let us have recourse to the Mediatrix of all graces. She will know how to deliver us from the clutches of the demon.

Newsroom (01/07/2023 09:00, Gaudium Press) In the era of the Great Navigations, when America was still in the dawn of civilization, there was in Quito, Ecuador, an illustrious architect whose exquisite constructions were a cause of admiration for all the inhabitants of the city. His name was Francisco Cantuña, and he was a descendant of an ancient indigenous lineage.

It was in 1550 when some Spanish Franciscan priests asked this builder to construct a magnificent church in honour of the founder of the order, St. Francis. The architect accepted the priests’ request and promised to complete the work within a year.

However, this man had a terrible habit: he indulged in excessive drinking. Therefore, he squandered all his possessions in order to satiate his vice, and even spent all the money he had received from the Franciscans.

Time went by. The delivery date was approaching and Cantuña was getting more and more desperate… All the inhabitants of the city were anxious to see the finished church.

Cantuña did not know what else to do. However, when there were only a few days left before the deadline, he made a regrettable decision: he would make a pact with the devil, giving up his soul in exchange for the completion of the construction, as long as no stone was missing from the building. The devil appeared to him, accepting this contract and, anxious to receive the soul of the unfortunate Indian, he summoned countless legions of evil spirits to finish the church. When they would lay the last stone of the temple, Cantuña would then surrender his soul to the devil.

From the heights of Heaven, St. Francis, seeing a feeble soul in imminent danger, begged the Blessed Virgin to deliver the Indian from eternal damnation. Our Lady then appeared to Cantuña, who, coming to his senses, repented of his sin. The Mother of God consoled him affectionately, telling him not to worry about the problem, because She herself would solve it.

Finally, the moment came for the handing over of the church. The devil, having already finished the work, and content with Cantuña’s doom, demanded that his soul be handed over. But the Indian wanted to be sure that the work was indeed finished.

Going through the building, both of them noticed a gap: a stone was missing from one of the walls. Mary Most Holy had indeed hidden the last stone and, thanks to Her, the Indian escaped from the clutches of the devil.

He was buried at the foot of the altar of the Chapel that bears his name, Cantuña. In his will, he asked that, on the day of Our Lady of Sorrows, a Mass be celebrated for the eternal rest of his soul, and that it be done until the “end of time“. In fact, the chapel possesses a beautiful altarpiece consecrated to Our Lady of Sorrows.

So, when faced with “dead-end” situations, let us have recourse to the Mediatrix of all graces. She will know how to take us from the clutches of the devil and lead us back into the arms of her Divine Son.

With Files From: Arautos.org

Compiled by Sandra Chisholm