By Tim Binnall
A Brazilian journalist who filmed an early morning bike ride believes that the Virgin Mary appeared in the footage to warn him about difficult times he would soon face in his life. The curious case reportedly occurred earlier this year, but only recently came to light when media in the country heard of the odd account which unfolded as Pablo Mesquita Magalhaes was bicycling on a rainy day in the community of Januaria and encountered some friends along the way. Filming the ride to show that the group was exercising despite the inclement weather, he did not notice anything out of the ordinary during the trip, but was astounded when he later watched the video at home.
In the video, a car passes the group of riders and its headlights create an anomaly that bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary. "I didn't even have to repeat it," Magalhaes recalled, "the first time I saw it and said: Our Lady passed in front of me." The journalist says that he immediately showed the footage to his mother and she had a similar response, telling him that "she saw the image of the saint and was moved." Magalhaes subsequently posted the video to social media without mentioning the peculiar anomaly and was soon overwhelmed with responses from people who also noticed the uplifting oddity.
As for why the Virgin Mary might have chosen to appear in the video, he suspects that it was a sign of support ahead of a difficult series of events that befell his life just a few weeks after that fateful ride. According to the journalist, around two weeks after the footage was filmed, his sister passed away from COVID-19 and then Magalhaes also became stricken with the virus, causing him to be hospitalized for six days. "This was the most difficult time of my life," he said, reflecting on that dark period, "I believe that this sign of Our Lady in the image was to warn me, to prepare me for what was going to happen."
Skeptical observers, of course, say that the anomaly was simply the product of rain hitting Magalhaes' cell phone camera and combining with the car's headlights to create the eerie image. Despite that prosaic explanation for the event, the journalist credits the incident with having a profound effect on him as he was struggling with the virus. "All the time I believed that I would overcome COVID-19, that she would be there interceding with Jesus for my improvement," Magalhaes said, "instead of fear of dying, I had confidence." Following an arduous two months of recovery, the journalist was finally able to ride his bicycle again and now sports a shirt bearing the likeness of the Virgin Mary to pay homage to what he sees as her miraculous visit earlier this year.