[The Five Spiritualities Testimony] 😭 Through the Five Spiritualities, I changed, and my husband also changed! - Testimony by Benedicta Lee

"💟 By practicing the Five Spiritualities taught by Mama Julia, 

I changed — and my husband also changed. Now we are a joyful couple,

making the pilgrimages to Naju together😭"

Praise be to Jesus! Praise be to the Blessed Mother! My name is Benedicta Lee.

I had been away from the Church for a long time, and I had married a non Catholic. In the early days of our marriage, my husband—who has a fiery temperament—and I, with my own strong pride, often argued over the smallest things.

He also loved to drink, and seeing him come home after drinking all night, unable even to go to work the next morning, made him seem so irresponsible to me.

“Can I really spend my whole life with this person? Maybe it’s a blessing that we didn’t receive the sacrament of marriage.” But my older brother was very insistent, so we went ahead and received the dispensation. After receiving the sacrament, I thought, “Now I’ve made a vow before God. We absolutely cannot separate. How am I supposed to live like this?”

It was then that Mama Julia’s words began to sink in little by little: “Dear ones, can love grow if you keep nagging and complaining? Don’t expect the other person to change—if you change yourself first, love will begin to blossom.” As I tried to change myself, the number of arguments with my husband gradually decreased.

Praying the Way of the Cross at the the Blessed Mother’s Mountain in Naju Shrine also helped me realize just how much I had hurt the Lord and the Blessed Mother during my long absence from the Church, and I shed many tears of repentance.

During the individual meeting with Mama Julia, she would always make the sign of the cross on my heart. I truly believe that even without me saying anything, she understood the wounds in my heart and prayed for me.

Because of this grace, my husband and I have now lived together happily for 23 years without divorce. My husband, who was originally not Catholic, has since been baptized, and he joins me faithfully on pilgrimages.  

My husband really didn’t like me going on pilgrimages to Naju at first. But as I tried to practice the Five Spiritualities, I noticed my own character becoming gentler. I treated my husband with more kindness, and seeing me change with love gradually influenced him in a positive way.

I also realized that I had carried a lot of hurt because my mother-in-law had opposed our marriage due to my age. During the Retreat on the Five Spiritualities with Mama Julia, I reflected on this and came to understand that our strained relationship was largely my own fault—I had not been warm toward my mother-in-law and had only seen her as a stern figure.

Through this reflection, my emotional wounds were healed. Now, I feel very comfortable around my mother-in-law.💓

When I was young, I injured my back while playing a game called “Korean horse-riding,” and my spine became crooked. Even slight strain on my back caused severe pain.

When I told Mama Julia about my back pain during the individual encounter with her, she made the sign of the cross on me with the Fragrant Oil and prayed for me—and since then, I have not experienced any pain at all.

I’d like to share another grace I received last year. My right ear has had reduced hearing since my twenties. When I went to the hospital, they said there wasn’t much that could be done. So I just lived with it. About ten years ago, I began to experience severe tinnitus, and the doctor told me that my right ear had almost no hearing left. I tried using a hearing aid, but it didn’t help, so I relied entirely on my left ear.


I worked together with my husband for about two and a half years, but working with family turned out to be much more difficult than I expected. Because our ways of thinking were so different, we often clashed and both of us experienced a lot of stress. Around April of last year, I suddenly began experiencing severe tinnitus and difficulty hearing.

When I went to the hospital, they told me that my previously normal left ear had developed sudden sensorineural hearing loss in the low-frequency range. Low-frequency hearing loss is not helped by hearing aids. Sudden hearing loss usually needs treatment within two weeks of onset to have any effect, but I visited the hospital well over a month later. The doctor told me that the prognosis probably wouldn’t be very good.

The symptoms of low-frequency hearing loss make ordinary sounds seem extremely loud. Even the sound of a passing car would seem as loud as construction noise, so I had to use earplugs just to block the noise—it was overwhelming all day long. I was taking high-dose steroids, but the side effects were severe.


It was very difficult, and the medication didn’t seem to help at all. I began to feel anxious and fearful, thinking, “Am I going to become deaf?” What really shook my heart at that time were Mama Julia’s words:

"In this world, so many people judge and sin with their words. That makes it very difficult for Jesus and the Blessed Mother to hear. So I participate in their suffering. My ears hurt, and recently when I wake up, there’s fluid coming out. While wiping it, I pray for the health of your body and soul."

I realized, “Ah, because of my countless judgments, complaints, and dissatisfaction toward my husband, the Lord and the Blessed Mother have been suffering through my sins. And Mama Julia has been offering herself in atonement for my sins.” Tears of repentance flowed endlessly as I came to this understanding.


After that, I offered up the loud noises I heard with Semchigo as if they were the melody of love of the Lord and Blessed Mother. I also turned them into prayer for the repentance of sinners who judge and complain as I had, and I offered up my own suffering for the health and safety of Mama Julia, both body and soul.


I no longer went to the hospital, but every day I poured the Naju Miraculous Water into my ears, placed a video of Mama Julia’s breath of love near my ears while praying,

 

and slept with the Beanie with All Signs of Grace of Naju pressed firmly over my ears.

After some time, the Lord and the Blessed Mother, seeing Mama Julia’s suffering, my ears are now totally healed!!! Amen!!! 🙏

At the Naju Shrine, where the Lord and the Blessed Mother are truly present, I have felt Their love in a way I could never have experienced anywhere else in this world.

I am infinitely grateful and give endless praise to the Lord and the Blessed Mother for forgiving this humble sinner and bestowing such immense love. I also thank Mama Julia, who offers up her life and love for this unworthy sinner. I love you. 💓💌

May 3, 2025 Benedicta Lee, 
South Korea