Background; I was born 20th of March 1951 into a Catholic family, my parents were 2nd generation Italian Americans. We moved to an adjacent suburb of Detroit Michigan when I was three years old. We were not, nor have I ever been overly religious. Our house, like the others in the neighborhood was a brick bungalow, a tract home.
I was the second oldest of five children. We slept upstairs. My two sisters shared a bedroom as did my two brothers. Opposite the upstairs landing was my sisters' bedroom. Behind me was my brothers' bedroom.
My bed was at the top of the stairs in what would be more of a study or sewing room. I always had by own bed. My bed faced a south westerly direction. I am not sure of the year, I was still a young boy. I think I was probably nine years old or so and the year would probably have been 1960.
I think the time of year was late winter or early spring because I remember a heavy blanket. It was early morning, long before daylight when I was awakened by a bright light. I opened my eyes and saw what I can only describe as the brightest, most brilliant white light that I have ever experienced. The light hovered in front of me at the foot of the bed over a cedar chest. I was terrified. I was so scared that as my heart pounded I stopped breathing on purpose, hoping the light would stop or go away. As I continued to try to look into the light, to try and see what it was or where it was coming from; the image of Jesus appeared. A typical image like you might see in a catechism or prayer book. It was the image of Jesus back lit by a brilliant white light. I didn't understand. I could not understand what was happening to me. Still terrified I looked into the image of Jesus. Jesus was looking into me as the light and image floated and drifted, and at that moment I realized I had nothing to fear. When the fear left me and I was calm, I understood. The image and the light stopped and then I was calm and exhausted and went back to sleep. When I got out of bed the next morning and there was normal daylight and it was just a regular day I put the experience aside. I knew it happened, I knew I did not imagine it but I could not fit it into my young life's makeup or reasoning. The light was there, that I am convinced of, but did my mind insert the image of Jesus to calm myself? That part I cannot be sure of.
I have never told this story nor have I told of this experience to anyone.
Just recently I decided to search the web. The search was for "brilliant white light". It brought me to this web site where I have found others who have had similar experiences.
This was a true and not an imagined experience. What does it mean?
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