Muslim writer defends crucifixes in Italy

The following article appeared on the Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Young Muslim writer defends crucifixes in Italy

Rome, Italy, Nov 13, 2009 (CNA) - A young Muslim writer named Randa Ghazy has written an article entitled, “I, a Muslim, Defend the Crucifix,” in which she expresses her opposition to a ruling by the EU Human Rights Court that ordered all crucifixes be taken down in classrooms across Italy. The article will appear in the December edition of the magazine Mondo e Missione, a publication of the Pontifical Institute Missioni Estere.

“One of the most beautiful memories of my childhood and adolescence was of Father Bruno,” she writes. “I would often go to the oratory with my little brother and the sisters would treat us with great kindness and care.”

Ghazy recalls as well that “Father Bruno made us truly laugh. When it was time for Mass, my brother and I would run off to play ping pong and eat candy. Every day Father Bruno would ask us to stay with the other kids who were there in the church, which we embarrassingly declined to do.”

“One day, Father said to us, ‘Why don’t you come and say your prayers?’ And so we did. During Mass my brother and I slowly recited prayers from the Koran. So the crucifix, all the different kinds that I remember (from grade school to college) was always a symbol of security for me, a projection of the greatness of the heart of Christ, and in some way, of Father Bruno."

For this reason, Ghazy says, “I support and encourage every possible debate between Muslim and Christian citizens, all discussion about the secularity of the State, but with respect for the great models of humility that each one can find in his past and his experiences."

“I turn off the television so I don’t see the continuous verbal assaults, I remember Father Bruno and I smile, thinking about those two little Muslims who looked at each other in that beautiful church. I almost feel nostalgia for the 90s,” she writes.

The young Muslim writer was born in 1987 in the Italian region of Lombardy to Egyptian parents. She has written three books, the first when she was only 15, entitled, “Dreaming of Palestine.” The book is about the friendship shared by a group of young people in the occupied territories.

Her second book, “Bloody Trial,” was published in 2005. In 2007 she wrote, “Today I'm Not Going to Kill Anyone: Short Stories of a Young Muslim Who is Not a Terrorist.”

Deacon Miraculously Healed through Cardinal Newman’s Prayers Tours England - Catholic Online

The following article about Deacon Jack Sullivan is posted on Catholic Online:

The Cause for the Canonization of John Henry Cardinal Newman: (www.newmancause.co.uk/)

Deacon Jack Sullivan’s visit to England will be a special opportunity for English Catholics to discover more about Cardinal Newman and deepen their obedience to the Vicar of Christ.

LONDON (Cause for the Canonization) - Deacon Jack Sullivan, whose miraculous healing in 2001 is the basis for Newman’s Beatification next year, is to visit the Birmingham Oratory (UK) this week, in a event which the Boston deacon has said will be ‘the greatest moment of my life’. His wife Carol will be accompanying him throughout the visit.

On Wednesday and Thursday Deacon Sullivan will visit Cardinal Newman’s room, assist at Mass in his private chapel, and visit his library, a collection of international importance. At the Birmingham Oratory, he will give the only two personal interviews that will be conducted during his visit to the U.K, for the Catholic News Service (U.S.) and EWTN. It was after watching an EWTN broadcast about Newman in 2000 that Jack started praying to Newman for his spinal condition to be healed. Jack wrote down the address of the Birmingham Oratory, heralding the beginning of his providential connection with Newman’s own community.

Jack Sullivan will also be deacon at Mass in the Church of the Oratory, otherwise known as ‘Little Rome’, in Edgbaston. He will also visit Rednal, where Newman was buried in 1890, on the edge of Birmingham.

On Monday and Tuesday, Jack Sullivan will visit London, the place of Newman’s birth, where the Archbishop of Westminster has invited him to a press conference and Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Monday evening (9th November).

On Tuesday evening he will give the Catholic Truth Society 2009 Lecture at the London Oratory in Brompton, the second Oratory founded in England by John Henry Newman, in 1849. Father Ian Ker, the internationally renowned Newman scholar, will be giving an introductory address.

From Thursday to Saturday Deacon Sullivan will be staying at Littlemore, where Newman made his first confession and was received into ‘the one true fold of the Redeemer’, the Catholic Church, in 1845. He will pay visits to Trinity and Oriel Colleges. On Saturday he will visit the Oxford Oratory, founded in 1990, which fulfilled Newman’s hopes of an Catholic Oratory in his own university city.

Newman retained an abiding affection for Oxford, writing of it in his 1875 Letter to the Duke of Norfolk: “No one mourns, for instance, more than I, over the state of Oxford, given up, alas! to ‘liberalism and progress,’ to the forfeiture of her great medieval motto, ‘Dominus illuminatio mea’ [‘The Lord is my Light’]”.

When Jack Sullivan exercises his diaconate at Mass at the Birmingham Oratory at 12.45pm on Wednesday 11 November, he will do so at the Oratory’s ad orientem (east-facing) High altar. This traditional position for Catholic altars has, exceptionally, been preserved at the Birmingham Oratory. Pope Benedict XVI has often spoken of the deep theological and spiritual significance of celebrating Mass ad orientem, and of what has been lost through the current practice of celebrating Mass facing the people. Anticipating a Papal visit to England next year, Wednesday’s Mass links in a special way Newman’s Beatification to Benedict XVI’s own ‘hermeneutic of continuity’.

Father Paul Chavasse, Actor of Newman’s Cause, and Postulator-General of the Oratorian Confederation, said: “Deacon Jack Sullivan’s visit to England will be a special opportunity for English Catholics to discover more about the fascinating figure of Newman, to learn that he is an intercessor in their needs, and to renew their devotion and obedience to the Vicar of Christ, whose anticipated visit to the U.K. will be a powerful affirmation of the universal value of Newman’s path to the Catholic religion.”

Please visit the following link for Deacon Sullivan's Account of the Miracle.

Prayers to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Guadalupe, Mexico (1531)

Patroness of the Americas
Protectress of the Unborn
Feast Day in the USA - December 12th

John Paul II’s Intercessory Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the prayer that we address to you with filial trust, and present it to your Son Jesus, our sole Redeemer.

Mother of Mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice, to you, who come to meet us sinners, we dedicate on this day all our being and all our love. We also dedicate to you our life, our work, our joys, our infirmities and our sorrows. Grant peace, justice and prosperity to our peoples; for we entrust to your care all that we have and all that we are, our Lady and Mother. We wish to be entirely yours and to walk with you along the way of complete faithfulness to Jesus Christ in His Church; hold us always with your loving hand.

Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray to you for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service of God and souls. Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede with the Lord that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God, and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious, strong in the faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries.

Grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children.

Our hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to go continually to Jesus and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him, by means of the confession of our faults and sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul.

We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth.

Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

By His Holiness Pope John Paul II while visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, January 1979.


Prayer of John Paul II for Life

O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life:
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.

By Pope John Paul II

Encyclical Letter "The Gospel of Life" Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, in the year 1995, the seventeenth year of his Pontificate.

The prayers of Pope John II are found on Catholic websites.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Saint Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City between December 9 and December 12, 1531.  For additional information about the apparition of the Blessed Mother with her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, please visit Catholic Online.

The stained glass window of Our Lady of Guadalupe was photographed inside Our Lady Star of the Sea Church.  The Catholic church is located in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Solemnity of All Saints

Signs, Wonders, and Miracles - Images of Faith

The Solemnity of All Saints is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church on November 1st in honor of all saints. It's a day of reflection on those who have been a witness to the faith and lived a life of Christian Holiness. 

Regarding saints and their intercessory help, Revelation 8:3-4 says, Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.

For additional information, please visit All About The Solemnity of All Saints.

Please visit Christian-Miracles.com for a selection of daily Devotional Prayers.

The stained glass window detail was photographed inside St. Virgil Church, Morris Plains, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Miracle of the Sun Witnessed at Fatima Shrine in New Jersey

Prayers for Life and World Peace Acknowleged by Heaven

News Story by Loci B. Lenar

The World Apostolate of Fatima (USA) in cooperation with  EWTN,  televised a worldwide prayer service on Sunday, October 18, 2009 for the sanctity of life and peace.  It was estimated that millions of viewers  would tune in and join with prayer on this special occasion. 

Well over a thousand visitors came to celebrate by joining together in prayer at The Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.  The shrine is located on the grounds of the World Apostolate of Fatima in Washington, New Jersey.

What began as a cold and breezy day at the Catholic shrine, ended with peace, as some visitors saw the sun emit or change colors.  I was fortunate to have my camera on hand and photographed the solar phenomena.

Without reservation, I believe on this special day, Our Lady of Fatima  acknowledged the prayers of the faithful by giving a sign to humanity through her divine son, Jesus Christ. Numerous visitors were blessed by Our Lord in order to witness the Miracle of the Sun.  I believe the sign is a confirmation of God's love for humanity.  I also believe the sign is intended to help evangelize the world through the gospels of Jesus Christ with the message of Our Lady of Fatima.

In John 12:46-47, Jesus said, "I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world."

Michael La Corte, Executive Director of the World Apostlate of Fatima (USA), spoke about the Fatima Message, and how the Miracle of the Sun was witnessed by over 70,000 people on October 13, 1917 in Fatima, Portugal.  For additional information about Our Lady of Fatima and the heaven sent message of 1917, which was communicated to Sister Maria Lucia, I would suggest everyone to visit the World Apostolate of Fatima. 

Michael La Corte also highlighted the noteworthy changes taking place in Russia since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.  Remarkably, in Kazan, Russia, all Muslims, Christians, and Catholics respect one another by living together in peace.  For additional information about their societal way of life, please visit the following link: Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims live peacefully together in Tatarstan

In Matthew 5:9, Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

 

Guests included Diana von Glahn, she is the host for the new show The Faithful Traveler, airing on EWTN. The show will focus on churches and shrines throughout the USA.

Tony Melendez and his band were performing with inspirational songs of faith.  Tony was born without arms, but is gifted in playing a guitar with his feet.  He is a truly inspiring artist, especially when you listen to his outstanding vocals.  I recorded some video with my Canon G7 digital camera. The video is of course not on the same scale as someone using professional equipment. However, it's presented for the purpose of exhibiting the artistic talent of Tony Melendez.  Please visit the following link to view and hear the music: The Remarkable Music of Tony Melendez 

Visitors at the Blue Army Shrine during Hoy Mass.

Holy Mass was celerbrated with Father Clement Machado (front), and Father Andrew Apostoli (right).  The mass was a true blessing for anyone that attended ... very spiritual and uplifting. 

Father Apostoli later spoke about the Message of Fatima and reminded everyone that God sent the Blessed Mother to three shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos, and Jacinta and Francisco Marto to help eatablish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in order to save souls from being lost.

Regarding secularism and the unborn, Father Apostoli said, "It's not a political battle, it's not a military battle, but a spiritual battle."   He said it's important to change the hearts of people by going to Our Lady in prayer for her intercessory help.  He also reminded everyone that through the power of prayer the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph in victory.  And, as Our Lady promised in Fatima, an era of peace will be granted to the world by God.

Regarding the sanctity of life, I must emphasize individual responsiblity before considering the termination of a pregnancy by reflecting first on Psalm 139:13-16, which says, "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be."

Please do not underestimate the power of prayer in changing circumstances into a favorable outcome. 

In Mark 12:24-25, Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions."

Father Apostoli also said that when God is ready to move forward, great things will happen. 

1Samuel 12:16 states, Now then, stand ready to witness the great marvel the Lord is about to accomplish before your eyes. 

I believe we are already at the stage where God is performing signs and wonders throughout the world in order to move forward with an era of peace.

Artist Joe DeVito spoke about his work in creating the beautiful sculpture of Mary, Mother of the Life Within.  His artwork is refreshing and resonates with God's love.

At the end of the service, the Holy Rosary was recited outdoors by Father Paul Ruge in the amphitheater, and cries of joy could be heard in the rear as visitors were blessed in seeing a solar phenomena.  Numerous people were using cell phones or cameras to take pictures of the sun as it was emitting or changing colors (Miracle of the Sun).  I also overhead someone saying that they saw an image of a heart appear in the sun (sky).  Perhaps the Sacred Heart of Jesus?  However, one woman was on her knees with hands folded in prayer and looking at the sun.  The Lord indeed provides a special grace in order to observe the phenomena without injuring the eyes.  The images shown here were photographed with my Canon G7 camera.

As a follow-up to Sunday's beautiful prayer service, I contacted the World Apostolate of Fatima (USA) by email, requesting some updated information on the reported solar phenomena.  Michael La Corte responded by saying, "Some people claimed to have seen something but as you can guess I was not a witness as I was live on the air at the time."

(The above images photographed by Loci B. Lenar)

Photograph courtesy of Maureen Therese Pinho

Photograph Courtesy of Maureen Therese Pinho

Photograph Courtesy of Maureen Therese Pinho

Photograph courtesy of Maureen Therese Pinho

Maureen Therese Pinho, a visitor to the shrine, also attended the prayer service with her children and a friend on Sunday.  She was kind enough to contact me through my website and supplied me with some images that were photographed by her at the shrine on October 18th.  ( Please Note: Her digital camera was not formatted and set with the present date and time.) 

Maureen said afterward, "My children and friend and I all saw the same thing with the sun spinning, changing colors, and pulsating as soon as the Hail Holy Queen was finished being recited" (Holy Rosary Prayer). 

Maureen is a parishioner of The Church of St. Michael, located in Netcong, New Jersey.

The photos of the solar phenomena are posted here for your discernment.

In John 8:12, the following is noted: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

May God the Father through the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Our Blessed Mother, usher in an era of peace by unifying all nations, religion, and people with the Lord's divine love.

(The information posted in the article has been shared with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of Saint Mary's Church, Denville, NJ, USA).

Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

PRLog Press Release

Catholic Online Press Release

http://www.catholicprwire.com

Pope Benedict XVI establishes structure for Anglicans uniting with Rome

Pope Bendict XVI - Public Domain Clip Art

CNS STORY: Pope establishes structure for Anglicans uniting with Rome

The following story by Cindy Wooden appears on the Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has established a special structure for Anglicans who want to be in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving aspects of their Anglican spiritual and liturgical heritage, said U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada.

The cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said a new apostolic constitution would establish "personal ordinariates" -- similar to dioceses -- to oversee the pastoral care of those who want to bring elements of their Anglican identity into the Catholic Church with them.

Anglican priests who are married may be ordained Catholic priests, but married Anglican bishops will not be able to function as Catholic bishops in keeping with the long-standing Catholic and Orthodox tradition of ordaining only unmarried clergy as bishops, Cardinal Levada said.

The cardinal announced the new arrangement at a press conference Oct. 20 at the Vatican. He said the pope's apostolic constitution and norms for implementing it were undergoing final revisions and would be published in a couple of weeks.

In establishing the new jurisdictions, Pope Benedict is responding to "many requests" submitted by individual Anglicans and by Anglican groups -- including "20 to 30 bishops" -- asking to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, the cardinal said.

At the same time, Cardinal Levada said the new provision does not weaken the commitment of the Vatican to promoting Christian unity, but is a recognition that many Anglicans share the Catholic faith and that Anglicans have a spiritual and liturgical life worth preserving.

"It has always been the principal aim -- the principal aim -- to achieve the full, visible unity" of the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion, the cardinal said.

But given recent changes within many Anglican provinces with the ordination of women priests and bishops and the acceptance of homosexuality in some areas, the prospect of full unity "seemed to recede," he said.

The church recognizes and welcomes those Anglicans who fully share the Catholic faith, agree with the Catholic view that only men can be ordained priests and recognize the role of the bishop of Rome -- the pope -- as the sign and guarantor of church unity, he said.

At a press conference in London Oct. 20, Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Communion, and Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, issued a joint statement saying the new provisions are a recognition of "the substantial overlap in faith, doctrine and spirituality between the Catholic Church and the Anglican tradition."

"Without the dialogues of the past 40 years, this recognition would not have been possible, nor would hopes for full visible unity have been nurtured," the two leaders said.

Archbishop Williams told reporters that some members of the Church of England are uneasy about positions their church is taking, yet they would not want to become Roman Catholic.

"This will not resolve their challenges, and we in the Church of England have to continue to engage with that," he said.

Cardinal Levada told reporters he met personally Oct. 19 with Archbishop Williams, who had been told about the new arrangement a month earlier.

In a letter to top Anglican leaders, Archbishop Williams said, "In the light of recent discussions with senior officials in the Vatican, I can say that this new possibility is in no sense at all intended to undermine existing relations between our two communions or to be an act of proselytism or aggression. It is described as simply a response to specific inquiries from certain Anglican groups and individuals wishing to find their future within the Roman Catholic Church."

"For those who wish to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in the near future, this announcement will clarify possible options, and we wish them God's strength and guidance in their discernment," the Anglican leader said.

Cardinal Levada also said Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, had been informed about the pope's decision.

Asked Oct. 15 about the possible entrance of groups of former Anglicans into the Catholic Church, Cardinal Kasper said, "We are not fishing in the Anglican lake; proselytism is not the policy of the Catholic Church. But if there are people who, obeying their consciences, want to become Catholic, we cannot shut the door."

U.S. Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia, secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments and former undersecretary of the doctrinal congregation, spoke at the press conference with Cardinal Levada.

"We have been praying for unity for 40 years. We find now that the prayers we have had are being answered in a way that we did not anticipate. So the Holy Spirit is at work here and the Holy See cannot not respond," the archbishop said.

In 1993 the Catholic bishops of England and Wales asked the Vatican not to implement special structures for former Anglicans in their country, saying that the formation of Anglican-identity Catholic parishes would only further fracture the Christian community and would make the eventual unity of the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion more difficult.

Participants in the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue also have expressed concern in the past that the movement of Catholics to the Anglican Communion is making the Anglican Communion more liberal, while the movement of Anglicans to the Catholic Church is making the Catholic community more conservative.

Archbishop Di Noia said, "The ecumenical movement has changed. There has been a tremendous shift" in the prospects for full, complete union.

Many Anglicans already consider themselves to be Catholic, Archbishop Di Noia said, and the pope's new initiative will make "explicit the bond that is already implicit."

In 1980 the Vatican made a special pastoral provision for members of the Episcopal Church, the U.S. province of the Anglican Communion, who wanted to become Catholic after the Episcopalians began ordaining women priests. The provision included permission for entire parishes of former Episcopalians to use elements of their liturgy in the Catholic Mass.

Archbishop Di Noia said only a handful of parishes took advantage of that special permission, and in 2003 the Vatican approved "The Book of Divine Worship" for their liturgical use.

But he said many of those now seeking communion with Rome wanted a stronger affirmation of their Anglican heritage and a guarantee that it would continue to have a place in the Catholic Church, which is why the pope ordered the establishment of personal ordinariates.

The number of ordinariates and their headquarters will be determined by the number of Anglicans seeking full communion, Cardinal Levada said. The head of each ordinariate will be a former Anglican clergyman, who will not necessarily be ordained a Catholic bishop.

New priests for the ordinariates will study in seminaries with other Catholic seminarians, but an ordinariate can "establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony," Cardinal Levada said.

In general, married Anglican priests and bishops who become Catholic will be ordained Catholic priests, as will married Anglican seminarians, he said.

But an unmarried man ordained a Catholic priest will not be permitted to marry, and the pope's apostolic constitution will state a clear preference for a celibate clergy, Archbishop Di Noia said.

Cardinal Levada told reporters that he realizes "for some people it seems to be a problem" that the Vatican is allowing married former Anglicans to be ordained Catholic priests, but will not allow Catholic priests who have left to marry to return to ministry.

"They are two different circumstances," the cardinal said. Respecting "the authenticity of the call to service" of Anglican clergy who were married when they came to the decision to become Catholic is different from the case of "a Catholic who knowingly commits to a celibate priesthood and then decides for different reasons to leave the priesthood for married life."

"I do not think it is an insurmountable problem," Cardinal Levada said, adding that the church needs to educate Catholics that the dispensation for former Anglican clergy is an exception and that the church continues to uphold the virtue of celibacy.

END

The Remarkable Music of Tony Melendez

You Tube - The Remarkable Music of Tony Melendez

News Story and Video by Loci B. Lenar

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, Tony Melendez and his band played a selection of inspirational music of faith at The Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. The Catholic shrine held a televised event of One World Praying for Life and Peace. EWTN was broadcasting the prayer service with Tony's beautiful music.

Remarkably, Tony was born without arms, but is gifted with an ability to play a guitar with his amazing feet. I attended the event and recorded some video with my Canon G7 digital camera.  The video is of course not on the same scale as someone using professional equipment.  However, it's presented for the purpose of exhibiting the artistic talent of Tony Melendez.

The following excerpt is from Tony's website:

It was an unforgettable moment when, on September 15, 1987, he played his guitar for Pope John Paul II in Los Angeles. Born without arms, he performed a touching song entitled Never Be The Same. When the Pope approached him from the stage to kiss him in appreciation, it seemed to reflect the sentiments of the entire country.

Tony Melendez Ministries is dedicated to bringing compassion and hope to people throughout the world while inspiring and changing the hearts of all God's people.


Photograph and Video Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Devotional Prayers

The following prayers are posted on Christian-Miracles.com and can be used in daily devotions. Please click on the links listed below in order to read the prayer. Periodically new prayers will be added to the list.

Devotional Prayers

The Miracle Prayer

Prayer of Confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague

Prayerful Healing for Children

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

The Memorare: Intercessory Prayer to the Blessed Mother

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony

Prayer to St. Jude

Prayers of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Millennium Prayer to World Peace

Prayer to Christ the King

Prayer before a Crucifix

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

The Holy Rosary

The stained glass window detail was photographed inside St. Virgil Church, Morris Plains, New Jersey, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Miracle of the Sun Witnessed at Knock Shrine in Ireland

Photograph by Keith Heneghan/Phocus

Thousands wait for Knock apparition - The Irish Times - Mon, Oct 12, 2009

The following excerpt is from an article published on IrishTimes.com:

THOUSANDS GATHERED at Knock Shrine, County Mayo, yesterday hoping to see an apparition of Our Lady.

There were ripples of applause from a crowd estimated at more than 5,000 as some people believed they could see the sun shimmering, changing colour and dancing in the sky.

John Tunney, from Islandeady, Castlebar, said: “I’m 53 years old and I never seen the sun go like that before. I witnessed the sun go all different colours, yellow, red and green. Then it completely darkened and began shimmering. Sometimes the sun emitted a clean, bright light, then it would darken again.”

Mr Tunney’s wife, Nina, said: “The sun was spinning in the sky. I experienced a feeling of total happiness. It is a feeling I would love to experience again. It was amazing. I felt marvellous.”

Yvonne Rabbitte, from Dunmore, Co Galway, showed other pilgrims a photograph she had taken on her digital camera which showed vivid rays radiating downwards from the sun at the time the image was taken.

Maggie Ahern, from Castlebar, had no doubt that the happenings in Knock were due to “heavenly intervention”.

Earlier in the week Dublin-based clairvoyant Joe Coleman predicted Our Lady would appear at the old parish church – scene of the 1879 apparition – at 3pm. Quite a number of those present were members of the Travelling community.

The crowds waited in the open air despite an invitation on loudspeaker at about 2.30pm from Knock parish priest Msgr Joseph Quinn that those in the grounds enter the adjacent Basilica to participate in ceremonies to mark the annual Dominican pilgrimage.

Msgr Quinn was not available for comment last night.

(For additional information, read Joe Coleman's Profile.

(For additional information about the story, please visit Spirit Daily.com)

The Anointing of the Holy Spirit (Poetry)

Photographed inside St. Mary's Church, Denville, NJ

The Holy Spirit

Wings of loving freedom—

soaring peacefully into harmony with hymns of faith

encircling earth in search of virtuous souls

encountering scores of compassionate hearts
in tunes of praise and glory—

the gospel music of salvation.

Our Heavenly Father

aggrieved by turbulent winds

and clouds of fury

that displace innocent lives,

humanity is gifted with prayer to mitigate ominous storms,

protecting God’s children from misfortune.

The outpouring of divine love

thawing humanity’s chilled heart,

shadowed in moments of indifference,

blessed and thoughtfully forgiven by grace.

Photographed inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Boonton, NJ

In unified prayer of mercy,

Jesus pardons our sins,

wipes away tears—

prepares our soul to embrace the Holy Spirit.

Behold the Light of Resurrection—

the Choir of Heaven in symphony with the Book of Life

recording all who believe in God’s providence!

By Loci B. Lenar

Photographs © 2009 Loci B. Lenar 

Poem © 2005 Loci B. Lenar

Registration Number TXU1-286-432

Christian-Miracles.com

Pope Benedict XVI Canonizes Saint Damien

Photo REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Pope canonizes leper saint Damien, hailed by Obama - U.S. - Reuters

Reuters reported that Pope Benedict canonized Saint Damien and four others on Sunday. The following story is by Stephen Brown:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict created five saints on Sunday including Belgian priest Damien who worked and died among Hawaiian lepers, earning the admiration of President Barack Obama who sent a message hailing Damien's canonization.

The U.S. president was born in Hawaii, where Damien worked in the leper colony of Molokai, caught leprosy and died in 1889. Obama said in a statement that Damien had "a special place in the hearts of Hawaiians."

"I recall many stories from my youth about his tireless work there to care for those suffering from leprosy who had been cast out," Obama said, adding that the priest had "challenged the stigmatizing effects" of the disfiguring disease.

"In our own time as millions around the world suffer from disease, especially the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, we should draw on the example of Fr. Damien's resolve in answering the urgent call to heal and care for the sick," the president said.

Born Jozef De Veuster, Damien went to Hawaii when he was 23 and 10 years later began work among the lepers, "not without fear and repugnance" at first, the pope said. He got ill and was "a leper among the lepers" for the last four years of his life.

The life of "Damien of Molokai" is well known to young U.S. Catholics but his appeal stretches to members of the broader Christian community such as Obama, who was baptized as an adult in the Trinity United Church of Christ. There is even a statue of Damien in the U.S. Congress.

Belgium's King Albert and Queen Paola attended the ceremony in St. Peter's, as did Polish President Lech Kaczynski, French premier Francois Fillon and Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos to celebrate new saints from their countries.

The pope also canonized Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski, archbishop of Warsaw when Poland rebelled against annexation by imperial Russia in 1863. Exiled to Siberia for 20 years by the czar, he was "a shining example for all the church," the pope said.

Dominican friar Francisco Coll Guitart, one of two Spaniards created a saint, preached in Catalonia in the 19th century and "reached the hearts of others because he transmitted what he himself lived with passion, which burned in his heart," said the pontiff.

The other is Brother Rafael Arnaiz Baron who became a Trappist monk and died at the age of 27 in 1938. He "did not know how to pray" when he began monastic life but became an example "especially for young persons who are not easily satisfied," the pope said.

France's new saint is Jeanne Jugan, venerated as Marie de la Croix. She worked with the poor and elderly, shedding all her own material possessions to become "a poor person among the poor" until her death in 1879.

(Writing by Stephen Brown; editing by David Stamp)

© Thomson Reuters 2009

1 Million Children Pray Rosary for Peace - Catholic Online

The following article and photo appeared on Catholic Online from the Zenith News Agency:

CARACAS, Venezuela (Zenit.org) - Venezuela's National Council of the Laity is encouraging children throughout the world to pray for peace and unity.

The plea is part of the annual campaign "One Million Children Praying the Rosary," which is set to take place this year Oct. 18.

The council explains on its Web site that the reason for the project is "because the world urgently needs peace and unity. Because God wants us to pray. Because prayer leads to faith, faith leads to love, love leads to service and service leads to peace."

This year, the organizers are asking children to pray three times: once on Oct. 16 in their schools, the second time on Oct. 17 in their parishes, and the third time on Oct. 18 with their families and friends.

The campaign recalls St. Pio of Pietrelcina's words: "And to think that if one million children prayed the Rosary. How many graces would be shed over the world!"

Those participating in the campaign are encouraged to send photos and testimonies of their local events.

Prayer to Our Lady of Surprises

Miracle at Cana

Intercessory Prayer to Our Lady of Surprises

O, Mary my mother and Our Lady of surprises,

what a happy joy you caused the wedding guests,

when you asked your Divine Son

to work the miracle of water into Wine.

What a happy surprise for them,

since they thought the wine had run dry,

I too Mary, love surprises, and as your child,

may I ask you to favour me with one today.

I ask this only because you are

my ever caring Mother.

 Amen.

The above prayer is published on Spirit Daily in the following article: When Things Don't Go Well, Try Letting Go - And Invoking Our Lady of Surprises

In the gospels, we read about Jesus transforming drinking water in wine; one of his first miracles, resulting from a request made by our Blessed Mother.

With those words in mind, John 2:1-11 says, On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

The stained glass window detail was photographed inside Our Lady of the Lake Church. The Catholic church is located in Sparta, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

New movie about Our Lady of Fatima to be screened in major U.S. cities

New movie about Our Lady of Fatima to be screened in major U.S. cities

The following article appeared on the Catholic News Agency (CNA) regarding a new movie about Our Lady of Fatima.

San Francisco, Calif., Oct 1, 2009 / (CNA) - A new film about the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, based on the memoirs of visionary Sister Lucia and the accounts of thousands of eyewitnesses, will be holding pre-release screenings in at least seven major U.S. cities.

“The 13th Day” is the first major motion picture by directors Ian and Dominic Higgins. According to the film’s U.S. distributor Ignatius Press, their film tells the story of the Virgin Mary’s appearances to Lucia Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

Over a six month period in 1917, the Virgin Mary gave prophecies and warnings to children that included a harrowing vision of hell, the spread of communism and the attempted assassination of a Pope.

The film was shot on location in Portugal and in the United Kingdom. It has a cast of hundreds and three young Portuguese actors will play the roles of the young visionaries.

Anthony Ryan, Director of Marketing for Ignatius Press, described the film as an “antidote” for our times.

“It is a reminder that a thin veil exists between our world and the next. The Message of Fatima is a relevant wake-up call to a culture torn apart by abortion, war, and injustice. Every Catholic, perhaps every person, should see this film,” he said.

Screenings of “The 13th Day” are scheduled for October 13, the anniversary of the final apparition. They will be held in Atlanta, New York City, Denver, Chicago and Oakland. Other cities with screenings include Orlando, Florida and Austin and Fort Worth, Texas.

Interested Catholic leaders can sign up for a screening in their area at the site http://www.maximusmg.com/catholicscreenings/index.html

The movies website is at  http://www.ignatius.com/the-13th-day/

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Michael, Gabriel and Raphael: Archangels and Powerful Allies - Catholic Online

Michael, Gabriel and Raphael: Archangels and Powerful Allies - Catholic Online

The following story by F. K. Bartels appears on Catholic Online.

GLADE PARK, Colorado (Catholic Online) - Spring of 1916: three peasant children, Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta, were playing a game in the hills of Portugal. The children often tended their sheep among these hills, and lived in a hamlet just minutes away from the village of Fatima, called Aljustrel.

Startled by a sudden, strong wind, the children turned and saw "a light whiter than snow in the shape of a transparent young man, who was more brilliant than a crystal struck by the rays of the sun." This young man looked to be about "fourteen or fifteen years old," as Lucy recalled. She said they were "surprised and ecstatic," and that they "did not utter a word." The young man said to the children, "Fear not. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me."

Angel is from the Greek, "aggelos," and means "messenger". The angel who appeared to the children, as it was later realized, was the guardian angel of Portugal, none other than St. Michael the Archangel himself. He appeared to the children three times. In regards the third apparition, Lucy notes:

"In the third apparition, the presence of the angel was still more intense . . . It seemed to deprive us even of the use of our bodily senses for a long period of time. For several days afterward, we performed our physical actions as though sustained by that same supernatural being who compelled us to do them. The peace and happiness we felt were great, but intimate, as our souls were entirely concentrated on God."

Little did the children know that St. Michael the Archangel was preparing the way for them to meet the Lady "more brilliant than the sun".

The name Michael means "one who is like God". His will is focused, immovable, and entirely driven toward accomplishing goodness; he is the protector of souls, and wields his powerful sword against the poisonous and vindictive aspirations of he who is known as a liar from the beginning.

During a visit to the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, John Paul II said, "The battle against the devil . . . is the principal task of Saint Michael the archangel."

Scripture relates such a truth: "Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. Although the dragon and his angels fought back, they were overpowered and lost their place in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent known as the devil or Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was driven out; he was hurled down to earth and his minions with him" (Rev 12:7-9).

Michael the Archangel said to the three children at Fatima, "Fear not. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me." Then he prostrated himself, and repeated three times: "My God; I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love Thee! I beg Thee forgiveness for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love Thee!"

In mind of the powerful experience related by Lucy, the above prayer of St. Michael brings tears to our eyes when we contemplate the utter serious nature of this committed warrior who strives after peace with all his being. Too, we can fathom the seriousness of our situation in regards the reality of life, of good and evil, of the battle that rages around us, and of God’s wondrous love in giving us such a vigilant and magnificent protector.

Gabriel means "God is my strength". He was sent from God to Nazareth, "to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, . . . and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you’" (Lk 1:27-28).

Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote: "He [Gabriel] came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle" (excerpt from Hom. 34, 8-9).

Raphael means "God is my health". He is one of seven angels "who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord" (Tob 12:15). The meaning of Raphael’s name reflects the fact that he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to heal them of blindness.

St. Augustine says: "‘Angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’: from what they are, ‘spirit,’ from what they do, ‘angel.’" With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word" (CCC 329; Mt 18:10).

The angels are truly beautiful. As we reflect upon them we are drawn toward a deeper and clearer understanding of God’s love for man; for billions of angels, to be sure, are given the personal charge of looking after their own child of God. Every moment of each day, day after day, year after year, our faithful guardian angels stand at our side, focused on our well-being with far greater power than even we ourselves can summon; for they see the reality of our life in clarity, which is something we often fail to do. God has commended to each of us an angel for our very own. What love!

The CCC explains: From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God (336).

Now, what more do we know about these wonderful angels?

"As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness" (CCC, 330; Dan 10:9-12).

God created the angels, like man, with an intellect and will, yet these shared attributes cannot be exactly compared, for they differ greatly in strength and power. For example, we might compare the intellect and will of a child to that of an adult: the former is not nearly so strong as the latter.

The angels’ intellect is far advanced over that of man, and, as for their will, they do not struggle with doubt, weakness, and the tendency to fall into sin. On the contrary, the angels’ will is an incredible force, unceasingly directed toward the Ultimate Good, powerfully focused upon that Good, which is, of course, God.

The angels were created with far-reaching intelligence. Unlike man, the angels have no need to labor away day after day in order to arrive at some small understanding. The knowledge contained in their intellect was infused therein in an instant. Man’s intellect is but a fragmented, dim light when compared to that of the angels, who know not only all about music, the arts, and nature, but all about the farthest reaches of the universe as well.

As for how the angels move, we are all familiar with pictures of winged cherubs. Yet, as wonderful as wings might be, they do no justice as a description of an angel’s movement. The angels are able to travel from our bedside to the sun’s corona, from there to the most distant star and back again in less than an instant. In fact, it is actually irrelevant to include the element of time in a discussion of angels’ movement. The speed of light is really no speed at all for our powerful guardians; for they are not constrained by the laws of time and space as are men. Their movement is as quick and effortless as a thought.

Further, because angels are not governed by the laws of nature as is man, they can be in two places at once. This is evident in the fact that they never lose sight of God in heaven yet are still able to remain at our side, ever watchful, always prepared to assist in our every need. Therefore to think that our angel might not be present in some sudden, immediate time of need is folly, for no unfortunate event can occur so quickly as to outpace the speed of our loving keepers.

Too, the angels assist us on our final journey, accompanying the dead on their way to the destiny reserved for them, as was the poor man, Lazarus, carried away and placed in the bosom of Abraham (Lk 16:22).

There are many accounts of saints who’ve been assisted by angels, their help arriving in various forms: there are stories of the sudden appearance of a large and ferocious dog who wards off enemies intent on inflicting grave harm; we hear of criminals who admit they refrained from assailing a women due to a large, powerful looking man seen walking at her side, when, actually, the woman was journeying alone; we often hear stories of a young, unknown man who displays actions of complete devotion and love, filling in for an absent parishioner during Eucharistic Adoration; et cetera.

That our own personal guardian angel is at our side cannot be doubted. Yet, unfortunately, we often fail to acknowledge him. How many weeks pass as we go along about our daily activities without giving him even so much as a thought? How many times have we narrowly escaped death yet failed to attribute our survival to the help of our guardian angel? Surely this must bring him disappointment.

Gabriel announced the most wonderful and sublime event ever to occur in the universe, the coming of the Incarnate God into the world through the womb of our precious Virgin Mary; let us, then, seek to hear the announcement of our personal guardian angel within our heart: "Listen to your Mother; seek her glorious Son; fix your will upon God!"

F. K. Bartels operates catholicpathways.com, and may be reached via email at: bartels@catholicpathways.com. He is a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

Leprosy patients from Hawaii to see canonization of Fr. Damien

Leprosy patients from Hawaii to see canonization of Fr. Damien

The following story regarding Fr. Damien appeared on Catholic News Agency:

Honolulu, Hawaii, Sep 26, 2009 (CNA)

Eleven elderly leprosy patients from Hawaii will travel to the Vatican for the canonization ceremony of Fr. Damien de Veuster, the heroic priest who cared for leprosy patients in Hawaii and died of the disease. The patients’ attending doctor called Fr. Damien their “personal saint.”

The Belgian-born priest is a hero in Hawaii for caring for those victims banished to the isolated Kalaupapa peninsula. Native Hawaiians were devastated by leprosy, which appeared after the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778.

About 90 percent of the approximately 8,000 people exiled to the peninsula were native Hawaiians. The state of Hawaii stopped exiling leprosy victims in 1969, more than two decades after a reliable treatment was discovered.

Many patients chose to stay at the colony because the community had become their home.

Eleven of the about 20 patients still living at Kalaupapa will make the 12,000-mile trip to Rome for the priest’s canonization, according to the Associated Press.

Their physician, Dr. Kalani Brady, said the trip will be an “energy-laden” voyage for many patients.

"They're going to see their personal saint canonized,” Brady told the Associated Press. The event is “incredibly important, incredibly personal for them.”

Since 1936, Fr. Damien’s body has rested in his Belgian hometown of Tremelo. However, his grave at Kalaupapa contains a relic of his right hand.

The canonization of Fr. Damien was announced earlier this year after the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints ruled that there was no medical explanation for a woman’s recovery from terminal cancer. She had prayed to Fr. Damien to intercede for a cure.

Pope Benedict XVI will preside over the canonization on October 11. The priest was beatified in 1995 by Pope John Paul II.

Pope Benedict is expected to meet privately with the patients during their stay in Rome.

About 650 people from Hawaii are traveling to Rome for the canonization. Most are expected to be part of the delegation of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.

A Boy Scout group called the St. Damien Boy Scouts of Oahu will document the capstone event and their travels on the internet using a blog, YouTube and Facebook.

In an August interview, Scout Master John Fielding told CNA about his scouts’ planned journey and the place of Fr. Damien in Hawaii.

“Fr. Damien is not only a symbol of our Church, but he is a hero to the Hawaiian people for his sacrifice,” he explained. “Fr. Damien’s statue is in the front of the Hawaii State Capitol and the U.S. Congress. Damien Memorial High School, where one of our scouts attends, is named in his honor.”

“Even if you are not Catholic, you know of his sacrifice and love for the many Hawaiians left to die there [at Molokai].”

The scouts have set up a Facebook account under the name of Damien de Veuster and have set up a YouTube channel named “saintdmienscouts.”

They will also report on their journey at http://stdamienboyscouts.wordpress.com/

Prayer to Christ the King

Prayer to Christ the King

Christ Jesus, I acknowledge You King of the universe.

All that has been created has been made for You.

Make full use of Your rights over me.

I renew the promises I made in Baptism,

when I renounced Satan and all his pomps and works,

and I promise to live a good Christian life

and to do all in my power

to procure the triumph of the rights of God

and Your Church.

Divine Heart of Jesus,

I offer you my efforts

in order to obtain that all hearts

may acknowledge your Sacred Royalty,

and that thus the Kingdom of Your peace

may be established throughout the universe.

Amen.

The prayer can be found on Catholic websites.

Stained glass window photographed inside The Church of Saint Michael, Netcong, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Heavenly Sign: Rainbow Emitted from Statue of Archangel Michael | Guideposts

Joan Wester Anderson

Heavenly Sign: Rainbow Emitted from Statue of Archangel Michael Guideposts

Over the Rainbow

Michael offers a colorful sign just in time for Feast of the Archangels

By Joan Wester Anderson

Hi, angel friends,

You may know that, in the Catholic calendar, September 29th is the Feast of the Archangels.

In fact, the entire month of October is dedicated to angels. I doubt they are more active during October than any other time, but it’s nice to have an entire month to think about the joy and the mystery of these very special beings.

I especially love Michael the Archangel, who comes to do battle for us. I wonder how often he and his fellow Archangels prevent accidents, encourage us and even keep us away from temptations, and we don’t even know it!

A friend of mine, Loci Lenar, recently found himself at the Church of St. Michael in Netcong, New Jersey. Being an angel fan like me, he stopped in to say a prayer.

He was immediately taken with the beautiful stain glass image in the front of the church, depicting Michael holding his sword. Michael was in front of a colorful window, with an even more vibrant rainbow behind him.

Loci snapped a few pictures. “In order to capture the rainbow colors seen on the stained glass behind the statue,” he says, “I photographed the image without using a flash, even though the indoor lighting was dim. The only light was from some church windows nearby—best described as faint.”

Photo by Loci B. Lenar

But if you examine the photograph, Loci points out, it appears as if Archangel Michael is creating a trail of rainbow colors as he lands on top of the serpent and crushes its head.

And yet there doesn’t seem to be a source for this rainbow. He observes, “The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways.”

Check out the window at Loci’s site, and see what you think. Where is the rainbow light coming from?

See why I love angels?


Joan W. Anderson has been involved with angels for many years and has authored numerous angel books, including Guardian Angels: True Stories of Answered Prayers.

Visit her website or, if you have a question about angels, you can email it to her at: janderson@guideposts.com.

Vatican probe next after Diocese of Metuchen reviews possible miracle

Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory

(Diocese of Metuchen)

Vatican probe next after Diocese of Metuchen reviews possible miracle / mycentraljersey.com
 
The following article from MyCentralJersey.com is written by Jeff Grant:
 
PISCATAWAY — The path to possible sainthood for a Carmelite nun whose case was investigated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen now heads to the Vatican.

A 20-minute ceremony inside the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center at diocesan headquarters formally concluded the local inquiry Monday. The case involving Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory next will be reviewed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

"I'm pleased that the investigation was completed within four months," said Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski. "We were honored to be asked by the Vatican to investigate the possible miracle," Bootkoski added.

The case in question involves a family in the general diocesan area who has not been identified for reasons of privacy, according to diocesan spokeswoman Joanne Ward. The diocese includes parishes in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties.

The family had prayed to McCrory — the foundress of The Carmelite Sisters For the Aged and Infirm in Germantown, N.Y. — to intercede with God after their unborn child was diagnosed with a genetic abnormality. When the baby was born, the defect was not present in the degree that it had been expected. The miracle and the birth occurred in the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., although few other details, including the date of the birth as well as when the family first prayed, were unavailable Monday.

McCrory was considered a woman of great faith, and spent her life caring for the elderly and ailing in long-term care facilities operated by the order, which runs 17 facilities around the country. She died in 1984 at age 91.

The diocese's review of the case, begun in May, involved interviews with doctors and other witnesses, including people who knew the medical facts of the case and people who prayed for the miracle, according to Lori Albanese, chancellor of the diocese and notary of the investigation. A total of 10 to 15 individuals were interviewed in all, Albanese said.

"We were very pleased with the quality of testimony," she said. "The witnesses were very accessible."

Prayer of Confidence to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer of Confidence to the Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Oh Lord Jesus Christ, to Your most Sacred Heart I confide this intention (name petition).

Only look upon me, then do what Your love inspires. Let Your Sacred Heart decide. I count on You. I trust in You. I throw myself on Your mercy. Lord Jesus, You will not fail me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Your love for me.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Your kingdom come.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked You for many favors, but I earnestly implore this one. Take it, place it in Your open Heart. When the Eternal Father looks upon it, He will see it covered with Your Precious Blood. It will be no longer my prayer, but Yours, Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You. Let me not be disappointed.  Amen.

The above prayer can be found on Catholic websites.

Stained glass window detail photographed inside The Church of Saint Michael, Netcong, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaks at St. Cecilia's Church in NJ

Dr. Alveda King
Photograph By Loci B. Lenar

News Story by Loci B. Lenar

On September 18, 2009, Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke on behalf of the pro-life movement at Saint Cecilia's Church, located in Rockaway, NJ.  Congressman Chris Smith (R-4th District) of New Jersey, joined Dr. Alveda King in championing the cause for life at the Catholic church with a presentation that included video of the civil rights era and made a comparison to the civil rights of the unborn.

Dr. Alveda King and Congressman Chris Smith

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

Dr. Alveda King is advocating to prevent abortion from being included in health care reform on a federal level.  Dr. Alveda King is also a Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and Coordinator of the African-American Outreach.

Dr. Alveda King said, “We are living in turbulent times, but in the midst of these times, there is always hope and promise.”  Dr. King is encouraged in helping to make a difference with her cause in support of civil rights for the unborn.  She believes in working collectively to achieve bipartisan support on the issue.

Prayer to End Abortion 

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,

And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,

Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death

by the Resurrection of Your Son.

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

Today I commit myself

Never to be silent,

Never to be passive,

Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,

And never to stop defending life

Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

And our nation once again becomes

A nation with liberty and justice

Not just for some, but for all,

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen!

By Father Frank Pavone

National Director, Priests for Life

Photographs Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer

Photo by Loci B. Lenar

News Story by Loci B. Lenar

Saint Michael the Archangel is recognized for being the guardian and protector of God's church and people.  While traveling through the town of Netcong on September 14, 2009, I stopped into The Church of St. Michael to say a prayer and took some photographs of the beautiful display of stained glass windows.  The Catholic church is located in Morris County, New Jersey.

Perhaps the most remarkable photograph is of Saint Michael with stained glass behind the statue which gives the appearance of being a window.  In order to capture the rainbow colors seen on the stained glass behind the statue, I photographed the image without using a flash even though indoor lighting was dim.  The only inflowing light was from some church windows nearby - best described as faint.  Perhaps inflowing light from Our Lord caused the rainbow color effect.  Whatever the case, it is an interesting phenomena.

If you examine the photograph closely, it appears as if Saint Michael is creating a trail of rainbow colors as he lands on top and crushes the head of the serpent.  I did not observe any indoor lighting that might create such an effect, since church lights were turned off.  The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways.

After the photograph was taken, I shared the image directly as captured on the camera's digital memory card with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of Saint Mary's Church, Denville, NJ. The original digital image was transfered onto a CD for church archives.  I also gave a copy of the CD to the youth minister at The Church of Saint Michael for their records.

The following biblical prophecy is noted in Daniel 12:1, 3-4: "At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, And those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. As for you Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the book until the end time; many shall fall away and evil shall increase."

In Revelation 12:7 and 8 the following is stated:  Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

To view a miraculous photo of the Shield of Archangel Michael that was photographed in 2005, please visit Christian-Miracles.com.

The following excerpt regarding prayers to Saint Michael is found in the Wikipedia Encyclopedia:

The Prayer to Saint Michael is a prayer, used mainly by Catholics, which is addressed to Michael the Archangel.

Pope Leo XIII added it in 1886 to the Leonine Prayers, which he had directed to be said after Low Mass two years earlier. The practice of reciting these prayers after Mass was suppressed in 1964. However, Pope John Paul II referred to the St. Michael prayer in his Regina Coeli address of 24 April 1994 as follows:

"May prayer strengthen us for the spiritual battle that the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of: 'Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might' (Ephesians 6:10). The Book of Revelation refers to this same battle, recalling before our eyes the image of St Michael the Archangel (cf. Revelation 12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had this picture in mind when, at the end of the last century, he brought in, throughout the Church, a special prayer to St Michael: 'Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil...' Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world."

Regarding prayers to angels, Revelation 8:3-4 says, Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. 

Angels do indeed intercede before the throne of God on behalf of all who pray for God's assistance.

The Church of Saint Michael, Netcong, NJ, USA
Photo by Loci B. Lenar

Prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle,

be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou,

O Prince of the Heavenly host,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits

who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.


Photographs Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

 

Message from Our Lady of Medjugorje

Today in Medjugorje Our Lady Speaks of Betrayals - Medjugorje.com

On September 2, 2009, the following message from Our Lady of Medjugorje was conveyed to visionary Mirjana Soldo: 

 “Dear children! Today, with a motherly heart, I call you to learn to forgive, completely and unconditionally. You suffer injustice, betrayals and persecutions, but by that you are closer to and dearer to God. My children, pray for the gift of love. Only love forgives all, as my Son forgives—follow Him. I am among you and am praying that when you come before your Father you can say: ‘Here I am Father, I followed your Son, I had love and forgave with the heart, because I believed in your judgment and trusted in you.’ Thank you.”

For additional information on the story, please visit Medjugorje.com

The Canticle of Mary

The Canticle of Mary - Luke 1:46-55

The Magnificat - (Also known as the Song of Mary)

And Mary said,

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;

behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

The Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm,

dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones

but lifted up the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things;

the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped Israel his servant,

remembering his mercy,

according to his promise to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his descendents forever."

The stained glass window detail photographed inside St. Christopher Church, Parsippany, NJ, USA.

 

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Acts of the Apostles

In Acts of the Apostles we read about the Glory of God working through Peter by curing a man unable to walk.  We also read that God the Father inspires us to believe in the healing power of Jesus Christ with miracles of faith accomplished through the Apostles.

Through the power of prayer, God's grace enfolds humanity with the Holy Spirit for healing and salvation. The Lord's work continues today through church ministries.

In Acts 3:1-10 the following is noted:  One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

To read inspiring stories of the Lord's miracles being performed in modern times, please visit the following links:

http://www.christian-miracles.com/anthonyfuinasmiracle.htm

http://lenarpoetry.blogspot.com/2009/07/active-year-for-miracles.html

http://lenarpoetry.blogspot.com/2009/07/investigator-for-vatican-finds-evidence.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1166858/Wheelchair-boy-miraculously-walks-memorial-visit-tomb-Pope-John-Paul-II.html

Stained glass window art photographed inside Saint Peter the Apostle Church, Parippany, NJ, USA.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Tower of Remembrance

The Tower of Remembrance has steel from the North Tower Building of the World Trade Center. The steel is combined with bells from the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity's Seminary in Monroe, Virginia.

The bells are a reminder by calling all people to pray and strive for world peace. The names of each innocent victim who died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in the field in Pennsylvania from Flight 93, are inscribed on the memorial walls.

The structure is located on the grounds of the Shrine of Saint Joseph, Stirling, NJ, USA.

The memorial site is a place of healing, prayer, and peace, honoring the innocent victims who died on September 11, 2001.

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Woman Healed During Visit to Our Lady of Lourdes

Healing ‘gift’ from Lourdes visit frees ALS victim from wheelchair

The following story on Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported that Antonia Raco claimed she was healed of ALS while visiting the shrine at Our Lady of Lourdes in France.

Turin, Italy, Aug 25, 2009 / 12:03 am (CNA).- A woman who suffered from a severe nerve disease now no longer uses her wheelchair and has even gone for a run, after she visited to Lourdes earlier in August. The woman credits the baths at Lourdes for the ‘gift’ of her improved health.

Antonia Raco, 50, had been in a wheelchair for four years because of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. She made a trip to the shrine at Lourdes on August 5.

''Ever since I came back I have been walking, doing everything normally, and I've even run,'' Raco told ANSA.Raco, who is from a village near the southern Italian city of Potenza, said she would rather talk about the change as “a gift, an act of mercy, rather than a miracle.”
She reported to ANSA that when she was in the healing bath at Lourdes, “I felt a voice encouraging me and a strong pain in my legs.”

On Tuesday, Raco will be examined by a specialist at the prestigious Molinette Hospital in Turin. The hospital’s specialist, Adriano Chiro, has been treating her since 2006, according to Italian news reports.

Lourdes, France has been the site of pilgrimage and devotion since the 1858 Marian visions of peasant girl St. Bernadette Soubirous at a grotto.

Following the guidance of the Virgin Mary, Bernadette scraped away soil besides the grotto until a spring of water began trickling out.

The spring produces 27,000 gallons of water every day. Many miracles have been attributed to the shrine’s waters and Our Lady of Lourdes.

(More details regarding the story can be found on Zenit.org)

Infant Jesus of Prague

Prayers to the Infant Jesus

The following prayers to the Infant Jesus are found on Catholic websites and are used for petitioning for help in financial matters, health, family, schools, children, liberty and peace, and for safety while traveling. Please visit The League of the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague for history regarding devotion to the Divine Child.

Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague in Urgent Need

(To be said for nine days or nine consecutive hours)

O Jesus, Who said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knockand it shall be opened to you," through the intercession of Mary, Your most holy Mother,I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be answered.
(Mention your request.)

O Jesus, Who said, "All that you ask of the Father in My Name He will grant you," through the intercession of Mary, Your most holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your Father in Your Name that my prayer be granted.
(Mention your request.)

O Jesus, Who said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word shall not pass,"through the intercession of Mary, Your most holy Mother,I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.
(Mention your request.)

Amen

Prayer to the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague

PRAYER REVELATED BY OUR LADY

To the Venerable Father F. Cyril OCD

O Infant Jesus, I have recourse to You and ask You through the intercession of Your Holy Mother to help me in my need, ( mention it here) for I firmly believe that Your Divinity can help me.

I hope, in complete trust, to obtain Your holy grace. I love You with all my heart and with all the strength of my soul. I am truly sorry for all my sins, and beg You, O good Jesus, to give me strength to conquer them. I shall never offend You and I am ready to suffer rather than to cause You pain.

From now on I want to serve with complete faithfulness and for love of You, O Divine Child, I will love my neighbour as well as myself. Omnipotent Child, Lord Jesus, again I implore You, help me in this need of mine (mention it).

Grant me the grace of possessing You eternally, with Mary and Joseph and of adoring You with the holy angels in Your heavenly court. Amen

The stained glass window of the Infant Jesus of Prague is found inside Saint Mary's Church, Myers Avenue, Denville, New Jersey, USA

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Healing and the Holy Face of Jesus

A Story of Healing and the Holy Face of Jesus - Catholic Exchange

By Margot Kyd

I had been suffering from serious pain in my seat and legs since February 2009 to the point that I had been unable to sit. After four months of taking pain medicine, doing physical therapy, and going to an acupuncturist and chiropractor with no relief, I finally had an MRI done in late June that revealed lesions on three vertebrae in my spine that were suspicious of “sclerotic metastasis” or cancer metastasizing from somewhere else in my body. I was given this news by my doctor on Monday, July 6. She immediately ordered a series of tests including cat scans, nuclear bone scans, chest and neck x-rays, mammogram, etc. to identify the source of the cancer. She also authorized me to have the lesions biopsied as soon as possible to confirm their malignancy.

On the evening of July 6, I shared this news with my brother, Randy Weber, of St. Charles, Missouri. Very early the morning of July 7, Randy called me saying that he had been awakened from his sleep thinking about an incident that occurred several weeks prior and felt so compelled to call me that he could not get back to sleep.

Randy shared with me that four weeks earlier his parish priest, Fr. Noah, stopped him coming out of his pew after Sunday Mass and handed him a book he thought Randy would enjoy reading, The Holy Man of Tours , on the life of Leo DuPont. Randy was taken by surprise as he did not know Fr. Noah very well and had never heard of the Holy Face Devotion (image left on Veronica’s veil) of which Leo DuPont was such a great Apostle. Even stranger, Fr. Noah told Randy that if he didn’t have time to read the entire book to just read the few pages he marked on the holy card enclosed – pp. 158-60 & 186-87.

Randy read with interest about the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus given in Tours, France in the 1840’s to a Carmelite nun, Sister Mary of St. Peter. Its purpose is to make reparation to Our Lord for blasphemies against His Holy Face, profanation of Holy Days and Sundays and to combat atheistic communism which was just beginning to spread at the time. It was also given as a means of asking God for anything we wish. After reading the book, Randy put it away in the closet.

In the early hours of Tuesday, July 7, Randy was awaken from his sleep with thoughts of this book, and after being unable to go back to sleep, arose to read the pages Fr. Noah marked. The first two pages told the story of a young woman with 3 cancer wounds who came to pray for a cure before the image of the Holy Face of Christ which hung in Leo DuPont’s home with a lamp burning perpetually before it! The image had become well known the world over for its miraculous healing powers. After returning nine times to present her petition before the Holy Face and after nine anointings with oil from the lamp, the woman was completely cured. Tears welled in Randy’s eyes as he thought of me with the 3 potential cancer lesions on my spine.

The second two pages marked by Fr. Noah told the story of a young woman with a severely crushed foot who came to pray before the Holy Face for a cure, and cried out “Lord, if it be Thy will you can grant me a cure”. Leo DuPont retorted “That is not the way to pray. You should pray with confidence and make your desire known to God in a positive manner.” You should say “Lord, cure me.” After gaining her confidence, the girl was completed cured.

Randy told me he now understood that this book and these marked pages were meant for me and that God was assuring me through him that I would be fine. He instructed me to get a picture of the Holy Face, light a lamp before it and pray a nine day Novena asking God with complete confidence to cure me. He said I should keep the lamp burning the entire nine days and have my husband, Tom, anoint my back with oil from the lamp each night after we recited the Novena, just as Leo DuPont had done for the thousands of pilgrims who were cured at his home.

Randy also encouraged me to pray for the intercession of the Blessed Mother since I have a devotion to her and suggested I anoint my back with Holy Water from Lourdes as well. He had a vile of holy water from the spring at Lourdes which he FedEx’ed to me the next day. I complied with all his suggestions and was so grateful to God for His clear assurances to me that I would be healed!

Meanwhile, I scheduled some of the many tests the Doctor requested that week, but was having great difficulty scheduling the biopsy and the bone scan needed by the radiologist doing the biopsy.

On Saturday, July 11, after morning Mass, my husband said he thought I should have the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. I was taken by surprise but said I would consider it. The next morning Randy called me after Sunday Mass and said he thought I should receive the Anointing of the Sick. I was so surprised to hear the suggestion twice in 24 hours that Tom and I immediately drove to our Church and happened to catch our priest walking out of the Church after the last Mass of the day. He anointed me immediately.

On Monday, July 13, Randy called to say that he had joined the Arch-confraternity of the Holy Face of Jesus and had just received a package in the mail. He mentioned that his name would be registered in the Arch- confraternity that coming Thursday, July 16, the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. I was taken by surprise, as July 16 was the last day of my Novena! I took this as a sign from the Blessed Mother that she had heard my prayers and would obtain the favor for me from her Divine Son on her feast day.

On Tuesday, July 14, after still no luck with scheduling the biopsy and being told I’d have to wait until July 28 for a bone scan, I finally decided to go out of my health care network to a specialist that had been referred to me by a good friend who is the CEO of one of our San Diego health care systems. Remarkably, by the end of the day on Tuesday I was able to get a bone scan scheduled at another location the very next day, July 15, and a biopsy scheduled for Thursday, July 16, the last day of my novena!

On Thursday morning, July 16, Tom and I woke up and finished our novena and then went to Mass. From Mass we went directly to the hospital for the biopsy and, as I lay on the operating table ready for the anesthesia to be injected, the doctor walked in and said “I’ve been looking at all the tests you’ve had this past week, including yesterday’s bone scan, and I do not see any evidence of cancer. I think these lesions are benign. In fact I don’t think you need this biopsy unless you just want to be 100% sure there’s no cancer.”

I lay their stunned and asked for his recommendation. He said “let’s do one more “cone” cat scan that is focused directly on these 3 lesions to see if there is anything suspicious and then decide.” After the cat scan he returned saying “I see nothing suspicious in any of these. There is no reason to do this biopsy.”

I then asked him about the pain I continue to have in my seat and legs, and after some discussion, he said “it must be providential that you came to me today because I believe you have piriformis syndrome and I happen to be a specialist in this area. I can give you cortisone shots that should take care of it!”

As my husband and I returned home from the hospital I was incredulous that all of these events had fallen into place by the ninth day of my novena and all the test results had come back negative… all but one. The only test result that I had not yet gotten back was my mammogram from the day before, and breast cancer was the one area the doctors felt was my greatest risk. I called that afternoon to see if the lab results were in, but could not get a return call.

After dinner Thursday my husband brought in the day’s mail and incredibly there laid a postcard from the lab saying that my mammogram results were fine! How they were mailed and delivered within 24 hours of the test is beyond me.

The picture of the Holy Face of Christ is now hanging in a place of honor in our family room as a constant reminder to us of God’s tender love for his children.

Go here for more information about Devotion the to Holy Face of Jesus .

(Margot Kyd, Chairman of the Board of Catholic Exchange, and her husband, Tom Kyd, co-founder and Vice President of Catholic Exchange reside in San Diego CA where Margot serves as Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer for Sempra Energy Utilities. Both Margot and Tom are members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and are very active in their community and parish. They have one adult son who resides in San Diego as well.)

Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Photograph by Jan Zatko

Our Lady of Guadalupe ‘completely beyond' scientific explanation, says researcher

(In 1531, the Blessed Mother, known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted her image on Saint Juan Diego's cloak.)

The following excerpt is from Catholic News Agency:

Phoenix, Ariz., Aug 7, 2009 / 04:10 pm (CNA).- Researcher and physicist Dr. Aldofo Orozco told participants at the International Marian Congress on Our Lady of Guadalupe that there is no scientific explanation for the 478 years of high quality-preservation of the Tilma or for the miracles that have occurred to ensure its preservation.

Dr. Orozco began his talk by confirming that the conservation of the Tilma, the cloak of St. Juan Diego on which Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared 478 years ago, “is completely beyond any scientific explanation.”

“All the cloths similar to the Tilma that have been placed in the salty and humid environment around the Basilica have lasted no more than ten years,” he explained. One painting of the miraculous image, created in 1789, was on display in a church near the basilica where the Tilma was placed. “This painting was made with the best techniques of its time, the copy was beautiful and made with a fabric very similar to that of the Tilma. Also, the image was protected with a glass since it was first placed there.”

However, eight years later, the copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was thrown away because the colors were fading and threads were breaking. In contrast, Orozco said, “the original Tilma was exposed for approximately 116 years without any kind of protection, receiving all the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the tens of thousands of candles near it and exposed to the humid and salty air around the temple.”

Dr. Orozco then discussed the Tilma’s fabric. He noted that “one of the most bizarre characteristics of the cloth is that the back side is rough and coarse, but the front side is ‘as soft as the most pure silk, as noted by painters and scientists in 1666, and confirmed one century later in 1751 by the Mexican painter, Miguel Cabrera.”

Following an analysis of some of the fibers in 1946, it was concluded that the fibers came from the Agave plant, however, noted Dr. Orozco, the researchers couldn’t figure out which of the 175 Agave species the Tilma was made from. Years later, in 1975, “the famous Mexican researcher Ernesto Sodi Pallares said that the species of the agave was Agave popotule Zacc,” Orozco explained,“but we don’t know how he reached this conclusion.”

Before concluding his presentation, Dr. Orozco made mention of two miracles associated with the Tilma.

The first occurred in 1785 when a worker accidentally spilled a 50 percent nitric acid solvent on the right side of the cloth. “Besides any natural explanation, the acid has not destroyed the fabric of the cloth, indeed it has not even destroyed the colored parts of the image,” Orozco said.

The second miracle was the explosion of a bomb near the Tilma in 1921. Dr. Orozco recalled that the explosion broke the marble floor and widows 150 meters from the explosion, but “unexpectedly, neither the Tilma nor the normal glass that protected the Tilma was damaged or broken. The only damage near it was a brass crucifix that was twisted by the blast."

He continued, “There are no explanations why the shockwave that broke windows 150 meters afar did not destroy the normal glass that protected the image. Some people said that the Son by means of the brass crucifix protected the image of His Mother. The real fact is that we don’t have a natural explanation for this event.”

Dr. Orozco thanked the audience for listening to his presentation and closed by reassuring them that “Our Lady visited Mexico 478 years ago, but she remains there to give Her Love, Her Mercy and Her Care to anyone who needs it, and to bring Her Son, Jesus Christ to everyone who receives Him.”

Miracle of the Sun Witnessed in Medjugorje During Apparition of Blessed Mother

A Great Cry Bursts Forth From The Thousands During Mirjana’s Apparition Today, August 2, 2009 - Medjugorje.com

Medjugorje.com reported that on August 2, 2009, a crowd of over 50,000 people at Apparition Mountain in Medjugorje, witnessed the Miracle of the Sun while the Blessed Mother appeared privatley to visionary Mirjana Soldo and gave her a message. The apparition took place at a nearby location known as Blue Cross.

The following excerpt is from Medjugorje.com:

Mirjana came early today, around 8:35 a.m. The apparition of Our Lady began at 8:45 a.m. and lasted approximately 4 ½ minutes. Shortly after the apparition began, cries of surprise, shock, deep emotion and awe were heard rippling through the crowd from different directions, growing in magnitude. While Mirjana was enraptured in her own vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, something had happened. A commotion in the crowd was paralleled by something that the pilgrims could not have known, by what Mirjana had seen, and Mirjana, on the other hand, while in ecstasy could not have known what the pilgrims were seeing during the apparition. During the apparition, Mirjana herself saw the sun behind Our Lady. When she came out of ecstasy, Mirjana had to be surprised at what was taking place.

As for the pilgrims themselves, they had also seen a miracle. The sun became a miraculous sign for them. More and more people began looking where the first ones were pointing—at the sun. Many were seeing the sun “dancing” or “spinning,” others saw a cross illuminated in the sun, still others saw different colors within or streaming out of the sun. Tears were streaming down many faces, others stared in wonder, others in joy. And there were those who did not look up at all, so intense in their prayer as the apparition was still taking place. It swept through the crowd what the early days of Medjugorje were like when physical miracles abounded. It was very moving as the people knew what a chance of a lifetime it was to see the actions of God take place right before their eyes. To know after the apparition that Mirjana also had the sun in her apparition behind Our Lady confirmed the pilgrims’ “vision,” and the pilgrims confirmed Mirjana’s vision that the miracle was wed to each other.

The following message was conveyed to Mirjana by the Blessed Mother, Our Lady Queen of Peace:

“Dear children, I am coming, with my Motherly love, to point out the way by which you are to set out, in order that you may be all the more like my Son (Jesus); and by that, closer to and more pleasing to God. Do not refuse my love. Do not renounce salvation and eternal life for the sake of transience and frivolity of this life. I am coming to lead you and, as a mother, to caution you. Come with me.”

To read complete story, please visit Medjugorje.com.

For news story regarding the Miracle of the Sun being witnessed on October 13, 2008 at the National Blue Army Shrine in Washington, NJ, please visit the following links:

Christian Miracles.com

Angels, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith

Catholic Online

Anthony Fuina Miraculously Healed through Intercession of Padre Pio

Guest Speaker Anthony Fuina

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

Visitors at the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima were happily amazed and touched by hearing Anthony Fuina’s heartfelt testimony about being miraculously healed through the intercession of Padre Pio.

On July 13, 2009, over a thousand faithful came to the shrine, located on the grounds of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA, to celebrate the 92nd anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. The Catholic shrine is located in beautiful Warren County on Mountain View Road, Washington, NJ

Mr. Fuina’s story is a testament to God’s healing grace working through the power of prayer and His saints. With intercessory prayer, Mr. Fuina experienced the Lord’s miraculous blessing and healing though Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

With respect to Padre Pio and the saints, Wisdom 3: 7 and 9 says, In time of their visitation, they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love; Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

I believe the following inspirational story by Mr. Fuina will open your heart to God’s love and to the intercessory help available through His Holy Saints.


My Greatest Miracle by Anthony Fuina

It all began on February 18, 1997, when I was diagnosed as having a large tumor that had to be removed from my colon in stages because of its size. On March 5, 1997, Doctor Ferrara surgically removed one half of the tumor, and a biopsy was taken. I was told that the results of such biopsy would be available on Friday, March 7, 1997 and they would call me. I impatiently waited and waited for the results on that day. The waiting felt like an eternity. I began to worry and became very concerned. Suddenly, I heard a noise at the front door. I went downstairs and found a package on the stoop. I opened this package and found a note and a beautiful statue of an angel with patches on her wings and dress. The note was addressed to my wife for her birthday from our niece, Jo Ann. When I picked up this figure, I felt immediate warmth and a closeness that I cannot describe and I took possession of it. This angel could not have come at a more opportune time. I will call this angel Victoria, since I was told from a woman who prayed to find out for me that Victoria is the name of my guardian angel and also the name of my deceased sister-in-law, who was always like an angel to me. She is deceased but lives on as my guardian angel. I knew that good things were to come. I prayed to this guardian angel to see me through these trying times, and prayed that I would have positive news with my biopsy report.

Suddenly, the telephone phone rang, my heart started to beat faster and faster. I anxiously picked up the phone, but the voice on the other line was not the doctor. It was my real estate agent asking for me to bring the keys to the house, so that she may show the house in ten or fifteen minutes. I said that I would and hoped that I did not miss the call from the doctor while I was out on this errand. I picked up the most beautiful angel and put her in my pocket. This was the beginning of a beautiful day ahead.

I continued on my journey and drove off down the road. It was rainy that day. The sky was filled with clouds and the ground was wet. As I approached the traffic light on Merrick Rd and Hicksville Rd., I saw a figure waiving to me from the distance. As I waited for the light to change this man approached my car and begged me, “Please! Give me a lift to Jerusalem Ave. and Hicksville Rd., by the Tabernacle Church and Maria Regina Church.” He said that he had been waiting all morning for a lift. It was now early afternoon! I never pick up strange hitchhikers, but some miraculous, overpowering feeling came over me, and I told this bearded man, dressed in a white bakers uniform, to get in and that I would take him. Unfortunately, it was going to make me really late for my appointment, but that did not seem to matter to me anymore. I felt an immediate tie to this man for whom I did not know. As he sat in my car, he told me that I was a good man for putting aside my appointment to take him to his destination. He blessed me and thanked me. He then told me that he sensed I was troubled and worried over a sickness that I had. I was amazed at his assessment of me. Again, I did not know this man. He had asked me what was bothering me, as if he already knew. I told him that I just had a surgical procedure done to remove a portion of a tumor, and that I have been anxiously waiting all morning for the results of the biopsy report. I felt an overwhelming feeling of peace and calmness with this man sitting next to me that was unbelievably beautiful. He asked me if he could place his hand on the area where I had my surgery and pray for me. Of course I did not mind, although, I was a little taken back by this most beautiful encounter. I guided the man’s hands to the area in question, as he placed his hand upon my side and he began praying in another language. The sensation that took over my body was so incredibly intense and miraculous, that I felt the hairs stand from my flesh, as the chills ran down my spine. I called out, “O’ My God, O’ My God I can not believe this, I can’t wait until I tell my wife. I cannot believe this. He continued to pray until he was finished, and asked me, “What can’t you believe?” I told him every hair on my body, including the hair on my head was standing; the electricity that was piercing my body through his hand was unbelievable. He told me, “You are healed! You are healed the Holy Spirit has entered upon you!” Once again I was getting jolted with this wonderful feeling that came upon me. I anxiously asked, “Who are you? Who are you?” He told me that he was a Servant of God. I became speechless and amazed. When we reached our destination, he told me once again that I was healed, and that I should go to various healing masses whenever I could to pray for the sick and those who are in need. As he got out of my car, he told me, “I know now, why I waited all morning! I was waiting for you!” I could not help but to think, who was this man? I thanked him for his prayers and told him to be careful as he crossed to the other side of the street. He got to the other side and waived to me good-bye. The traffic light changed for me to proceed. I tried to take one more glance of this wonderful man that I had picked up, but as I looked he was gone. I made a right hand turn and continued to look for him through my mirrors, hoping to catch another glance of this blessing, but he was gone. Where could this man that I felt so much apart of gone?

I arrived late at the Real Estate Office, with the key in my hand. I apologized for my lateness and told her a brief story of my amazing, miraculous encounter. At this point, I still felt the goose bumps and electricity piercing my body. She looked at me a little strangely, as I left the office in complete glory. I resumed my journey back home with this continuing euphoria that was to remain with me through out the day and into the night. I could not wait to tell my wife Barbara and my family. When I arrived home, late that afternoon, the call that I was waiting for finally came. The biopsy report was in and Dr. Ferrara was happy to inform me that the tumor was benign (negative), however, he still had to remove the remainder of the tumor on April 10, 1997. I thanked him for this great news. I jumped for joy and excitement with this wonderful news. I reached into my pocket and took out my angel, Victoria. I am so lucky to have such an angel. I thanked and kissed this figure that I held in my hand, and told her thank you for guiding me today to my newfound friend. I felt the blessings I received were all ready being answered.

When my wife and family arrived home, I could not wait to tell them all of my day’s events. In fact, I wanted to tell the world. My family was quite ecstatic with the happening of the day and could not believe what I was telling them. In fact they where in aura and looked at me strangely, but they were happy at any event. That evening when I went to bed, I awoke from a pulling sensation, which felt like multiple tugs on the area of my surgical procedure. My wife asked me what was the matter. I told her of my discomfort. It was almost like someone was removing the rest of my tumor.

April 10, 1997, had arrived, and it was time to remove the other half of my tumor. I made sure that I had my guardian angel, Victoria, in my pocket and with me at all times. Dr. Ferrara began the procedure. As he was looking in my colon through the use of the television monitor and other surgical instruments, he stated that the tumor was no longer there and that there was nothing to remove. He wore a look of bewilderment on his face. I began to feel good things happening to me. I could not help but to think of my friend, whom I had picked up on that rainy day, saying, “You are healed, you are healed, the Holy Spirit has entered upon you”, I thanked God, my Angel Victoria and my newfound friend for all of my blessings.

I was checked every three months, for the first year, and then every six months following, and finally once a year the following year. Tragically, on my third year of 2000, I developed a swallowing problem, completely unrelated to my previous problem. I was diagnosed with esophagus cancer from a biopsy report, which confirmed Dr. Ferrara’s findings. He had called early morning at approximately 8:00 AM to tell me of the bad news, which confirmed 3rd stage esophagus cancer. The cancer had broken through my esophagus wall and had spread to my lymph node. The news was grim. I was unaware that my daughter, Stacey, was listening in on the other line, as we both picked up the phone together to answer this call. I was unaware that she had heard this tragic news, of which I was not planning to tell her at this time. News had traveled fast and I felt it would be in the best interest to tell the rest of the family the bad news, since I knew that they would sense that something was wrong and find out anyhow, I hated this, but it had to be done, and we had to be strong. I prayed to God for strength, for the sake of my daughter Darlene, who was to be married the following week on May 19, 2000. My daughter Stacey left to go to work on the morning that she overheard my tragic news. Needless to say, she never made it to work, but instead went to church to pray for me. Once again my family was reliving this nightmare all over again. Only this time it was more threatening and risky.

Later in the evening at about 9:45PM my son, Michael, was praying to God in his words, “Please let my Dad be OK. Make him better. Please give me a sign that you’re listening to my prayers.” He then felt a positive, spiritual energy throughout his body in which he asked God to pass it through him to his Dad. “Let him know he will be OK.” At that precise moment my daughter Stacey, came home at approximately 10 PM. She came downstairs and kissed me on the cheek and handed me a statue of the Blessed Mother and said, “Dad this is for you”. As the tears began to well in my eyes, “don’t worry”, she told me, “You are going to be OK.” She handed me a wallet size card with a picture of a man with an inscription of GUIDA I NOSTRI PASSI”. I took one look at this picture and the electricity, euphoria and warmth began piercing my body. The tears began to roll down my face, and I cried out, “where did you get this picture? Where did you get this picture? You must tell me! It is him! It’s him.” With tears rolling down my face and my daughter’s, she asked me, “What is wrong? Who is it?” I stated, “This is the man I picked up on Hicksville Rd. This is the man that blessed and prayed over me and told me I was healed, three year’s ago.” My daughter responded, “Dad this man is deceased.” I told her that it was impossible. I insisted, “This is the man that sat with me in my car. Stacey you must tell me, where you got this card?” She told me that she did not go to work because she was quite upset. Instead she went to church to pray for me, and then went to a religious store to purchase the Blessed Mother. She later went to pray for me at the Pallazolo’s home, a very religious, warm and loving family that she knows. While she was there, she was given this wallet size picture of a man. She had no idea who this man was, other than the fact that he was a deceased priest by the name of Padre Pio who is a known healer. I was instructed to hold onto this picture at all times. I hugged and kissed my daughter and thanked her for my gifts. We both cried from all the emotions of this overwhelming evening. She told me that she would try to find out more about Padre Pio. I truly believe the sign that my son Michael had asked God for, to assure me that everything was going to be all right, was given. I found my long lost friend, who I had picked up three years ago! YES! It was PADRE PIO! He was there to help me then, and I know he is here to help me now. Padre Pio is all around me.

The prayers from everyone began to pour in from all my family, friends, priests and nuns. I received Mass cards and get-well cards from everyone. Small children from my cousin, Sr. Linda’s first grade class prayed for me every morning and crafted get well and prayer cards with their own little hands. The Knights of Columbus, Cardinal Mercier Assembly, of which I am a member of the 4th degree and a Sir Knight of the Honor Guard, also included me in their prayers. The power of prayer enabled me to become less and less afraid and I was beginning to accept the fact of my illness.

On May 19, 2000, my daughter Darlene was married. We all remained strong for this blessed event. We had a great and wonderful time, despite the illness that lurked inside of me. No one would have ever surmised that anything was wrong with me, although a good portion of the guests were aware of my misfortune. The fear of the unknown inside of me was frightening, but Padre Pio guided my family and I through this wonderful blessed event of my daughter’s marriage and helped us all to be strong.

A few days later, I began chemo and radiation treatments. The tears rolled down my family’s faces and our hearts pounded with fear everyday. Again, I remained strong for the family but deep down inside I was really terrified. The Prayers were coming from everyone, day in and day out. My daughter, Stacey, had told the Palazzolo’s of my jaw dropping reaction when she had handed me the wallet size picture of Padre Pio. They invited the both of us into their home for a blessing from a man, who himself, has experienced a miracle of Padre Pio. He is known to mediate and transform into the healer himself. I sat in a silent room and received his blessing. He placed a crucifix in my hands; next he placed a medal of Padre Pio upon the table. I experienced the empowering feeling all over again, sending the chills running down my spine once again. Padre Pio was everywhere, in our thoughts, in our prayers, and right beside me though the most difficult time in my life. I truly felt his presence. When he was finished with his blessing, he told me I may keep the crucifix and the medal of Padre Pio, and I thanked him for all. He then asked me to please tell him of my encounter with Padre Pio, which had to be translated from English to Italian by the Palazzolo’s.

The fear began to lessen in my heart. My attitude towards my sickness began to change. I almost forgot at times that there was some evil illness living inside of me. My courage and strength was amazingly brave, and my sense of humor came alive. My six weeks of chemo and radiation was coming to an end. My radiologist, Dr. Karten, had called me into his office to share his own words of encouragement.

He stated, “I’ve seen patients come and go but I have never seen someone with your demeanor, your jovial ways, your attitude, and I can’t believe how good you look. You did not lose much weight nor did you lose your hair, and there were no burn marks in the designated areas of radiation throughout your treatments. With just two more treatment days left of this very heavy duty radiation we have been giving you, (which will be over 6,100 rads of radiation) in conjunction with your chemo, you look just great for what you received. We are going to beat this one! he remarked."

He told me that he usually has to submit a rating report of his patients and that he had given me a ten (10), ten being the highest on one to ten scale, and on another report with a scale of 1-4 he gave me a 1 with one being the highest on that scale. He gave me a big bear hug as I departed from his office. He and his staff of nurses and technicians made me feel so good. Little did they know that when I was being administered my treatments and they all fled the room to throw the switch, I was praying to Padre Pio, to please destroy and kill whatever evil cancer cells I have in my body. I did this each and every treatment and visualized their slow death and disappearance.

It was now time to go forth with more testing to evaluate how well the treatments worked. Dr Ferrara, made arrangements for me to have another cat scan and abdominal x-rays on Aug 25, 2000. I was to follow up with another endoscopic sonogram, at North Shore University Hospital on August 29, 2000, at 7:30 AM with Dr Bansal, who is a specialist in this field. The doctors wanted to see if the tumor had shrunk enough, so that they may prepare me for surgery with Dr Altorki, who is a specialist in stomach and esophagus cancer. In my case the surgery involved both. I was already informed of the procedure that was more than likely to be performed.

Later on that evening, I was asked to participate as an Honor Guard member of the Cardinal Mercier Assembly Fourth Degree K of C, in the prayers and hopeful glorification, that one day soon Padre Pio would become a saint. This mass was to take place on August 19, 2000. This could not have come at a more appropriate time. It was an honor to share and pray at this very special mass for Padre Pio, at St Thomas the Apostle Church, in Hempstead, NY. I arrived early so that I could participate in the rosary for Padre Pio prior to the mass. I met a friend, Thomas Gallagher, who is also an Honor Guardsman. I told him of my intentions and he joined me. The Church was full of worshipers from all over. I could not help but to feel the warmth, and electricity responding through my entire being. It was time for all of the Honor Guardsman to get ready outside of the church in preparation for the beginning of the mass. We led the congregation of Priests, from all over, to begin the celebration of Mass for Padre Pio. I was so honored. As we made our way in to the front of the altar, I saw a large banner with a portrait of Padre Pio on the left side of the church. The feeling of warmth, and closeness came upon me. We took our assigned post (seats). I sat on the left side near the banner. Padre Pio seemed to be looking right at me and me at him. The electricity was insurmountable piercing through my entire body. I was praying to Padre Pio to please help me in the coming weeks and to see me through my crisis. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I was hoping that none of the parishioners noticed tears rolling down my face. Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my left arm and looked to see if the man seated next to me had wanted me for something, but he remained looking straight ahead. A short while later I felt that same tap, once again. I looked at the man seated next to me but he was in prayer. Somehow, I got the feeling that this was Padre Pio’s way of assuring me that everything was going to be all right. The Mass was coming to an end. It was a very beautiful mass and it meant so much to me. We, the Honor Guardsman, escorted everyone out of mass and saluted with our swords everyone that passed between us. I heard a very beautiful cry, “Dad, Dad!” I looked to see where the cries where coming from among the crowd of parishioners. I then saw the beautiful site of my children, or shall I say grownups. They had come to see their Dad and the Spirit of Padre Pio at this very special mass. They knew how much this mass and Padre Pio meant to me. I hugged and kissed each and every one of them. They had made me feel so good. We made our way to the souvenir stand and purchased a small statue of Padre Pio, medals and other souvenirs, which they had given me. What a beautiful day this was turning into. I escorted them to a Shrine of Padre Pio and we all prayed to him. I seemed to sense a smile upon his face and mine.

The day had arrived for my endoscopic sonogram, August 29, 2000, just ten days following the visit with Padre Pio. It was about 7:30 in the morning, at North Shore University Hospital. The nurses were preparing me and told me to take off my shirt, shoes and to keep my pants on, and to put on the gown. Thank God that I was able to keep my pants on, for in my pocket was this small 4 1/2 inch statue of Padre Pio. I laid down upon the table to get prepped with an IV in my arm so that the Doctor could administer sedation through the IV tube. One of the nurse’s in the room remarked at the beautiful cross I had around my neck chain, and said, “What a beautiful medal of the Pope.” I told her that it was not a picture of the Pope, it was Padre Pio, and I have him in my pocket as well. I reached under the gown and removed Padre Pio to show her. I said, "This is Padre Pio, he is here to help me today,” as I held it up for all to see. She remarked oh how beautiful, and she left the room touched by my words. Dr Bansal, entered the room, as I was putting Padre Pio back into my pocket. I held on to him with a tight grasp. I wondered if the doctor knew what I was holding on to, and what he had thought as he administered the anesthesia. When I awoke I saw my wife crying, I thought dear God don’t let it be bad news. I looked up at the doctor who had a bewildered happy face as he blurted out the great happy news, “It is gone! Your cancer is not there, it is gone.” I could not comprehend for the moment because I was still a little oozy from the sedation. A moment or two later, I asked Dr Bansal, “Is it gone? But what about my lymph nodes?” He responded, “They are gone, they are not there!” I jumped for joy and my wife began kissing me all over. “It’s gone!” she responded, still somewhat bewildered although extremely happy. I wondered what he meant that the lymph nodes were gone. I found out later that lymph nodes, when irritated or attacked by cancer are very prominent or swollen, and when at a normal state cannot be seen. Dr. Bansal, had told me that in his observation the cancer was no longer there, but to please get another opinion.

I followed his advice and arranged to go for a second opinion from, Dr. Altorki, at N. Y. University Hospital, Cornell in New York City. He was more than likely to be the doctor to perform my operation. I had made arrangements to pick up copies of all my medical records so that he could review them and come to his own conclusion. Upon reviewing my medical records, he made this statement, “I agree with the other doctor’s in their findings that your cancer is gone, apparently they went for the cure and got it”! They had given you maximum radiation and chemo; sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. In your case it did, and you cannot argue with success. He proceeded to call the doctor’s that were involved in my treatments, and to congratulate them on a job well done. Upon completion of his phone conversation, he told me that if I had come in from the beginning and saw him, he would have treated me differently. He would have given me less doses of radiation and chemo treatment, and went for the treatment not the cure, so that the tumor shrunk and then he would have operated. He stated, “You are one lucky man.” My wife and I began to cry with tears of happiness.

I know who my cure was, and who was responsible for my success! My success never left my side through many ordeals. He was always there for me and with me. My cure is “Padre Pio”! He has affected our lives in such a way that has changed our lives forever. Padre Pio, is a saintly soul who deserves the title of a true Saint. Padre Pio, from my family and me, thank you! Please continue to look over my family and I, as I will always continue to look upon you as my “Padre”.

Let us always remember all miracles are gifts from GOD.

Prayer Before a Crucifix

Prayer Before a Crucifix

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus,

while before Your face I humbly kneel and,

with burning soul,

pray and beseech You

to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments

of faith, hope and charity;

true contrition for my sins,

and a firm purpose of amendment.

While I contemplate,

with great love and tender pity,

Your five most precious wounds,

pondering over them within me

and calling to mind the words which David,

Your prophet, said of You, my Jesus:

"They have pierced My hands and My feet,

they have numbered all My bones."

Amen.

Photographed inside the prayer room of Sacred Heart Church,

Dover, NJ, USA.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Intercessory Prayer Responsible for Miraculous Recovery?

Healed by monk’s divine intervention?

Peter Andersen (left) began to recover from flesh-eating disease after Rev. John Horgan put a relic of Blessed Marmion on his head, heart and diseased leg.

Photograph by Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun

The following excerpt is from an article by Gerry Bellett of The Vancouver Sun:

VANCOUVER - Rev. John Horgan knew a dying man when he saw one. Years of working as a chaplain in Vancouver General and St. Paul’s hospitals had seen to that.

So when he saw Peter Andersen in Vancouver General’s intensive care unit on the afternoon of July 3, 2008, he didn’t need anyone to tell him that Andersen’s situation was grave. His blood stream was teeming with the bacteria from two flesh-eating diseases: myositis, which attacks the muscles, and necrotizing fasciitis, which invades the flesh beneath the skin.

Andersen, on life support, was bloated beyond recognition from septic shock. Whole muscle groups of dead tissue had been stripped away by surgeons from his right leg. His blood pressure was so low it was in the range that indicates imminent death, and his kidneys and other organs had failed.

He appeared to be within hours of dying.

But what happened next is going to lead to a formal investigation by the Catholic Church to determine if the spiritual intervention of an Irish monk who died in 1923 was responsible for a medical miracle.

Because Andersen didn’t die. He made a recovery that at first sight seems to defy medicine and logic.

The canonical investigation of Andersen’s healing will be the first such inquiry ever held in the history of the Vancouver archdiocese — founded in 1863 — and could lead to the canonization of the monk as a saint.

“In fact it will be the first time such an inquiry has been held in Western Canada,” said Horgan, pastor of St. Peter and Paul’s parish in Vancouver.

“It’s extremely rare for this to happen,” he said.

On June 30 last year, Andersen suddenly developed a high fever and complained of a pain in his leg. The next day he asked his wife, Charlene, to call an ambulance when the pain became unbearable.

“I remember them putting me in the ambulance, but after that I lost consciousness for two weeks,” Andersen said.

Except for a brief moment when he remembered receiving communion from Horgan, the rest is just an awful darkness, he said.

For Charlene, it was the beginning of a nightmare. The couple, without children of their own, had a few months earlier adopted two children from the Ukraine.

Until he developed what appeared to be the flu, Peter was a healthy, strapping individual with no health problems, she said.

A day after being admitted to Peace Arch Hospital he was rushed to VGH on life support after multiple organ failure with his body full of flesh-eating-disease bacteria. The overall diagnosis was that he was suffering from streptococcal myonecrosis, and on the charts his doctors had described the extent of the disease as “advanced ... severe ... extensive,” she said.

“The surgeons removed bagfuls of dead tissue and muscle and he’d had two skin grafts. Then he contracted severe septic shock syndrome, which caused his body to bloat like a balloon. I asked them, ‘Can you save him?’ and one surgeon said, ‘We are trying, but no, he’s not going to make it.’ I pleaded with them to take his leg off but they said it was too late for that.”

Charlene sent for Horgan, the couple’s parish priest, who some years before had introduced them to books written by the Irish-French monk Columba Marmion.

Horgan arrived carrying with him a relic of Marmion — a fragment of his monk’s habit. The nurse who met him said there was no hope, but she was glad to see him because he could comfort Charlene.

The priest was gowned and masked and led into intensive care unit.While praying that God would spare his friend’s life for the sake of his wife and their two adopted children, he took the relic and placed it on Andersen’s head, heart and on the dressing covering his diseased leg.

“I asked Blessed Marmion to intercede with the Lord and bring healing,” said Horgan.

At mass the next day he asked the congregation to pray for a miracle for Andersen, “as this was his only hope.”

Charlene didn’t believe her husband would survive: “I was beside myself looking at him. We were new parents, the kids had only arrived in April, and I didn’t know what I would do. I knew he was going to die and I didn’t believe a miracle was going to happen, my faith wasn’t strong enough. The charge nurse told me he was at the point of death.”

But Peter didn’t die that Thursday, or the Friday.

On Saturday, July 5, five days after he fell ill, a male nurse rushed up to Charlene.

“He was really excited. He said, ‘The blood culture’s come back and it’s negative. I’m taking him off life support.’ He pulled the tube out of his mouth and Peter said to me, ‘Can you give me a hug?’”

One his surgeons told Charlene her husband’s recovery was a miracle, another said he was very lucky.

If Andersen’s recovery is declared a miracle through the intercession of Marmion, then the monk will be canonized as a saint. For the Andersens, that would be the icing on the cake. “We’re hoping, too, that he is declared a doctor of the church,” said Charlene.

To read complete story, please visit the following link: Miraculous Recovery

My Peace I Give to You

My Peace I Give to You

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." -John 14:27

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and become my disciples." -John 15:5 and 8

"As the Father loves me, so I love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love." -John 15:9 and 10

"I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. You are my friends if you do what I command you. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the father in my name (Jesus) he may give you. This I command you, love one another." -John:11, 12, 14, 16, and 17

The collage of images are photographs taken of stained glass window art inside of Saint Peter the Apostle Church, and Saint Christopher Church, both located in Parsippany, NJ, USA.

Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

An Active Year for Miracles

The following story is by Christie Hadley of the Cincinnati Catholic Examiner:

This year is the 40th anniversary of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints, and it has been an active one for miracles. Three of the possible miracles that are currently being investigated have been in the news recently, one right here in Cincinnati.

According to an Enquirer Article published on May 10, 2009, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has begun its first-ever investigation into a possible miracle attributed to someone who is up for sainthood.

The miracle, which occurred in 1989, was the healing of Tim Siemers, the chairman of Franklin Savings. Siemers had a massive hemorrhage in his brain, caused by a ruptured aneurysm. Every medical therapy the doctors attempted failed. And yet, he made a full recovery and is alive today to talk about it. The person Siemers and his family credit with his healing is the founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, Sister Frances Schervier. She has a special connection to Cincinnati as it was the order’s first site in the United States.

But Cincinnati is not the only archdiocese investigating miracles. Just last week, a Vatican representative landed in Wichita, Kansas to investigate the healing of Chase Kear. A young man of 20, Kear fell while pole vaulting in October 2008 suffering a traumatic brain injury. Within an hour of his arrival at the hospital his family, parish and hundreds of others were praying to Fr. Emil Kapaun for his intersession. He has sense made a near complete recovery from a broken skull. Kapaun has a special connection with Wichita, growing up in Pilsen, Kansas and becoming ordained by the archdiocese of Wichita in 1940. He became an Army Chaplain and died as a prisoner of the Korean War in 1951.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is investigating the healing of 71-year-old Mary Ellen Heibel’s terminal cancer. In May of 2004, Heibel was told by Walter Reed Medical Center to “go home and die.” She was given six months to live with malignant tumors in her lungs, liver, stomach and chest. Not accepting a death sentence her friends and family began to pray to Fr. Francis Seelos for his help. Seelos was a pastor in Baltimore and Cumberland, Maryland in the mid-1800s and spent time at Heibel’s home parish, St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Annapolis. A month after starting the novena, a CT scan showed that she was tumor free. She has remained that way since 2005.

Being from a Protestant background, it was difficult for me to understand intercessions at first. This just wasn’t apart of my background, but I must say it has always fascinated me. So I looked into it a little bit more. Now I understand it to be a bit like networking. Especially in this economy, it is incredibly helpful if your resume is given to a potential employer by someone that employer already knows and respects. Intercession, to me, seems to work the same way. Your request is placed in front of God by someone He already knows and respects.

Through my research I discovered many Biblical passages that support the idea of intercession, including a powerful one from 1 Tim. 2:1–3 which states, “I urge then, first of all that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving should be offered for everyone, for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live peaceful and quiet lives with all devotion and propriety. To do this is right, and acceptable to God our Savior.”

What a wonderful idea. When we’re in need we can ask not only our friends, family and parish to pray for us but we can also network a bit with the Saints. This can get our need seen by God with all the more oomph behind it.

God blesses us in so many ways. I’m just so grateful that we have miracles here in Cincinnati and elsewhere in the United States. It shows without question that God is with us and our prayers are answerd. Thanks be to God!

For more information: Sister Frances Schervier, Fr. Emil Kapaun, Fr. Francis Seelos, praying to Saints, sainthood process

Investigator for Vatican Finds Evidence of Miracle in Chase Kear's Survival

Investigator for Vatican finds enough to continue - Featured Story - Wichita Eagle

(Chase Kear's remarkabe recovery is being attributed to intercessory prayer made to Father Emil Kapaun. Father Kapaun is being considered for sainthood by the Vatican.)

The following excerpt is by Roy Wenzl of the Wichita Eagle:

The Vatican found enough evidence of a miracle in the survival of Chase Kear of Colwich that it intends to keep studying his survival, with an eye toward declaring it an official miracle, church officials say.

Declaring it a miracle would help determine whether Father Emil Kapaun of Pilsen will be canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church.

Andrea Ambrosi, a lawyer and investigator for the Vatican, visited family members and doctors for two Wichita-area families on Friday who believe the survival of their children during nearly lethal medical crises recently should qualify as miracles.

One of them involved Chase Kear, a 20-year-old Colwich athlete severely injured in October.

The Rev. John Hotze, judicial vicar for the Wichita diocese, is not allowed to say who or what families are being investigated for miracles. But he said there was one other "alleged miracle" in the Wichita area that Ambrosi studied during his time here.

With both families, Hotze said, Ambrosi met with the doctors involved and studied medical reports and X-rays.

"Afterward, the Vatican investigator said that in years of investigating miracles, he had never seen doctors who made such a compelling case for miracles occurring," Hotze said.

If the miracle is proven, it will significantly advance the chances that the church will declare Kapaun a saint, decades after he died a hero in a North Korean prison camp in 1951. The church requires miracles to elevate a person to sainthood.

Hotze has investigated Kapaun's proposed sainthood for eight years, which is only a fraction of the time the church has been considering whether to elevate Kapaun to sainthood.

American soldiers came out of prisoner-of-war camps in 1953 with incredible stories about Kapaun's heroism and faith. They said that in the fierce winter of 1950 and 1951, when 1,200 out of 3,000 American prisoners starved to death or died of illness in Camp 5 along the Yalu River, Kapaun kept hundreds of survivors alive by stealing food and by force of will.

Kapaun was assigned to the U.S. Army's Eighth Cavalry regiment, which was surrounded and overrun by the Chinese army in North Korea in October and November 1950. He stayed behind with the wounded when the Army retreated. He allowed his own capture, then risked death by preventing Chinese executions of wounded Americans too injured to walk.

To read complete story, please visit the following link: Chase Kear Miracle

What Does Scripture Say about Angelic Protection?

What does the bible say about angels?

Hebrews 13:2 states, "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels."

Throughout scripture we read about God sending his angelic servants to rescue people in time of need.

One of the most interesting stories of God's angelic protection is found in Acts 12:6-11, which says, On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him saying, "Get up quickly." The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandels" He did so. Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me." So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting."

God is awesome and will provide assistance in time of difficulty through his angels. Prayer is of course essential in order to receive God's divine help.

Please read my own personal testimony (Loci B. Lenar) about the matter in which my family has received aid from Michael the Archangel by visiting the Signs, Wonders, and Miracles website at the following link:
http://www.christian-miracles.com/signsofangels.htm

(Photograph taken at the National Blue Army Shrine, located on the grounds of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA. The Catholic Shrine is in beautiful Warren County, NJ.)

Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Sneak Preview of New Fatima Movie

The World of Apostolate of Fatima will hold a Mini Conference on Sunday, June 28, 2009 between 1:00 and 5:30 PM at the National Blue Army Shrine.

Father Paul Ruge will discuss the story of Fatima, while Michael La Corte will talk on miracles. Other events include a sneak preview of the new movie Fatima.

Register at the door or in advance by calling 908-689-1700, extension 10.

The Catholic shrine is located in Warren County at 674 Mountain View Road, Washington, NJ.

For information on the new upcoming Fatima movie, The 13th Day, please visit the following link: http://www.the13thday.com/index.htm

Christian-Miracles.com

Miracle Approved for Newman Beatification

Excerpt of article by Peter Jennings from Independent Catholic News (ICN):

The miracle necessary for the beatification of the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman the best-known English churchman in Victorian England, has been approved by the Cardinals of the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints, writes Peter Jennings

Jack Sullivan, aged 70, who lives with his wife Carol in Marshfield, near Boston, Massachusetts, was cured of an extremely serious spinal disorder on 15 August 2001, the Solemnity of the Assumption, after his intense intercession to Cardinal Newman.

The Congregation is now working on the document including a résumé of the life of Cardinal Newman and the miraculous cure attributed to him of Jack Sullivan, a Permanent Deacon from the Archdiocese of Boston.

When completed, this will be taken by the Perfect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Archbishop Angelo Amato, to Pope Benedict XVI who alone has the authority to promulgate the decree.

The Pope, who is taking a personal interest in the Cause, was first introduced to the theology of Cardinal Newman as a young seminary student in Germany in January 1946.

Beatification come from beatus, a Latin word meaning happy, blessed, holy. Beatification is an act by which the Catholic Church, through an official decree by the Pope, permits public veneration under the title Blessed of a dead person whose life is marked by holiness and the heroic practice of the virtues.

This correspondent was able to give the joyful news of the miracle by telephone to Deacon Jack Sullivan at his home on 13 June. Asked for this initial impressions upon receiving the news of the favorable recommendation of the cardinals, he responded by email 24 hours later: "When I first learned of the favorable recommendation of the Cardinals and bishops comprising the congregation for the Causes of Saints, I felt a sense of awe and immense gratitude to God and Cardinal Newman.”

Deacon Sullivan emphasised: "If it wasn't for Cardinal Newman's intercession when experiencing extremely severe spinal problems, it would have been virtually impossible to complete my diaconate formation and be ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston. Nor would I have been able to continue in my chosen profession as a magistrate in our court system to support my family."

He continued: "My fervent desire to give all that I have in my parish ministry at both St Thecla's parish in Pembroke, Massachusetts, and my prison ministry at the House of Correction in Plymouth, Massachusetts, best expresses the intense appreciation I have for God's gift and Cardinal Newman, who directs my efforts."

"I have developed a very real relationship with Cardinal Newman in frequent prayer and I try to pass on what marvelous gifts I have received to those I meet."

"Secondly, when receiving the news, I felt a very deep sense of the reality of God's love for each one of us especially during times of immense difficulties and suffering."

Deacon Sullivan added: "I realise that indeed there is such a thing as the Communion of Saints and a place of perfect peace which God has prepared for each one of us. As the kindly light of truth guided the life of Newman amidst unspeakable challenges in his world, so too I feel the same sense of direction when reflecting on these awesome gifts by realising that God dispenses His favour especially on the lowly and those who are ordinary as beautifully described in our Lady’s praises in her Magnificat."

To read complete article, please visit the following link: Newman Beatification

Vatican to Investigate Chase Kear Miracle

Is it a miracle that Colwich man survived? Religion Wichita Eagle

Video By Travis Heying

The following excerpt is from a video interview of family members regarding Chase Kear's recovery:

Family and friends of Chase Kear called his recovery from a severe head injury a miracle last year. During his hospitalization, several people prayed to Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Kansas priest who died in a Korean P.O.W. camp. Kapaun is a candidate for Sainthood and now the Vatican is sending a representative to Kansas to investigate Chase's story. To view the inspirational story, please visit the following link: Chase Kear Miracle

Angels, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith Nominated in 2009 for Catholic New Media Awards

Lenar's Website and Blog Recognized for Reporting News of Signs, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith.

Commencing in 2007 and onward, Angels, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith set in motion a campaign to publicize news connected to Christianity and Catholicism with biblical insight. With an increased number of reports related to the miraculous, the blog embarked on broadcasting events in order to create public awareness of signs and wonders arising from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Loci B. Lenar launched the blog because of his own personal growth in the Catholic faith, resulting from a spiritual encounter with the Lord in 1991. The event was life changing and transformed him into a faithful believer of the gospels of Jesus Christ.

Subject matter related to Lenar’s testimony is in several articles, posted on his other website, Signs, Wonders, and Miracles. In 2008, he created the new site as a gathering place for all who are seeking Jesus, especially Christians and Catholics to renew their faith with God through inspirational stories and news of miracles. The site has a selection of prayers that visitors can use in their daily devotions as well.

As our millennium unfolds, Lenar believes that God the Father is calling His people to move forward with Christian unity by awakening church leaders and promoting efforts to instill peace into religious denominations through constructive change. Further information on the issue is noted in Tribute to King: Signs from the Heavenly Kingdom. The spiritual locution from Jesus can be examined and studied by visiting the Signs, Wonders, and Miracles website.

Lenar has shared the locutions with his spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of Saint Mary's Church, Denville, NJ.

Regarding God's word, 1Samuel 12:16 states, Now then, stand ready to witness the great marvel the Lord is about to accomplish before your eyes.

In Luke 18:27, Jesus said, “What is impossible for human beings is possible for God.” In unified prayer, all is possible with faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Through the power of Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, he believes that the message of Our Lady of Fatima from her 1917 apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, pertaining to an era of peace, will unfold as well. He believes that Revelation 20:1-3 will come to light with a Thousand-year Reign of God’s Peace. The blog and website will report news related to the topic as events unfold.

Lenar is grateful for Angels, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith being recognized and nominated in 2009 in categories of Most Informative Blog, People’s Choice Blog, and for Best Blog by a Man. His website, Signs, Wonders, and Miracles is nominated as well in categories of Best Catholic News Website and for Best Overall Catholic Website.

Voting continues until June 30, 2009. Please register and cast your votes today for your favorite blog and website at Catholic New Media Awards. Voting results will be available in July.

Thank you very much for your kind support of all the nominees in the 2009 Catholic New Media Awards contest.

(A press release was submitted through Catholic Online)

Copyright 2009 Christian-Miracles.com

Metuchen Roman Catholic Diocese investigates possible miracle - NJ.com

by Jeff Diamant/The Star-Ledger

The following excerpt is from the article which appeared on NJ.com:

METUCHEN -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen is helping oversee a church investigation into whether a nun being considered for sainthood caused a miracle.

The case involves Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, who died in 1984 at age 91 and was foundress of the Carmelite Sisters For The Aged And Infirm.

A married couple in New Jersey whose unborn baby was diagnosed with a genetic disorder is claiming prayers to McCrory helped their child, who was born far healthier than expected, said Mother Mark Louis Randall, superior general of the Carmelite order, based in Germantown, N.Y.

She said another member of the order, who is related to the couple, had suggested they pray to McCrory.

Citing privacy reasons, church officials would not identify the family making the miracle claim, except to say the parents live within the boundaries of the Metuchen Diocese, which includes Middlesex, Hunterdon, Warren and Somerset counties. They also would not say when the child was born.

To be canonized, a person must be credited after death with interceding in two miracles. People credited with interceding with one are beatified and given the title "Blessed."

McCrory, born in Ireland in 1891, joined an order called the Little Sisters of the Poor in 1910. She later founded the Carmelite Sisters For The Aged And Infirm, in 1929, in New York. That order now has 198 sisters in seven states and Ireland.

To read complete story, please visit the following link: Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory

Religious Sightings

Story from NY Daily News:

A bonfire atop Matyska mountain in southern Poland took an auspicious shape in 2007, leading locals to believe it resembled the silhouette of late Pope John Paul II, above left, making a blessing. The picture was taken by amateur photographer Grzegorz Lukasik during a vigil marking the second anniversary of the Polish pope's death.

Credits: AP Photo/Grzegorz Lukasik
Published: 04/27/2009 12:21:36

(The photograph is a reminder of Wisdom 3: 7 and 9, which states, "In time of their visitation, they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love; Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.")

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/galleries/religious_sightings/religious_sightings.html#ph3#ixzz0IjMM9UPo&C

God is Miraculous, but Intelligent

Guest Opinion

By Junior Desouza Ministries

Signs, Wonders, and Miracles. We can't help but love and celebrate them. Our Bible says Yahweh Elohim is a wonder worker, a master of miracles, a specialist in signs (Job 5:9, Dan 6:27, Ps 77:14, Jer 32:20, Mk 16:17, Ac 2:19, Gal 3:5, Eph 3:20,21). He dances at the opportunity to defy natural law and baffle human reason with remarkable demonstrations of power. It pageants His omnipotence, that it might be known "He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth" (Dan 4:35). Such demonstrations come in different forms, in different seasons, in different quantities, in different geographies, for different reasons. However, the immutable nature of the Unique One has never mutated: He was, is, and is to be miraculous.

This very attribute indicts cessationism as one of the most tragic compromises in the history of the church (I say this with love and respect to my cessationist Christian brothers). At worst, it disregards God's miraculous virtue, at best, it downplays it. We can expect from God what we project onto God. Jesus said, according to our faith will it be done to us (Mt 9:29). Consequently, if we perceive Him to be miraculous only occasionally--and that occasion is, conveniently, the distant past or distant future--then we forfeit a relationship with the miraculous side of our Father. For all practical purposes, a piece of His character has been amputated. Cessationism has failed us.

I am so happy that a faith-filled people relating with the miraculous side of God is resurging. Many are abandoning the God-taming tendencies of cessationism and seeking a fuller, more biblical Christian journey. The same spirit of faith that prevailed in generations past is rousing itself once again. Like Gideon, these God-hunters are asking, "Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about?" (Jud 6:13). Like Habakkuk, they are praying, "LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known" (Hab 3:2). And God is answering them.

These Christians are discontent with intellect-only, information-only Christianity. Certainly cognition plays a crucial role in our spiritual journey, but it is incomplete by, in, and of itself. Are we brains only? Did God make us computers? No. First and foremost we are spiritual beings, craving spiritual realities because eternity has been preprogrammed into our heart's desire (Ecc 3:11).

However, in the same way cessationism has given God's miraculous side the cold shoulder, the signs-n-wonders movement must be careful to not do the same to God's intelligent side. As cessationism snuggles with dry orthodoxy, the signs-n-wonders movement occasionally flirts with strange doctrines and magic show religion. At the end of the day, both extremes injure the beloved body of Christ.

Jesus said Spirit and truth are Siamese twins, and when they remain connected, true worship happens (Jn 4:23,24). The Father requires experience AND education...power AND principle...Spirit AND truth. Spirit without truth is a river with no riverbanks--plant life is flooded and ruined. Truth without Spirit is riverbanks without a river--plant life is little to none. The Father dreams of a powerful riverflow of the Spirit safeguarded by sturdy riverbanks of truth--plant life is maximized and protected.

Purposes of the Miraculous

Why signs and wonders?

Asking why the church needs signs and wonders is equal to asking why the church needs the miraculous side of God, which is equal to asking why the church needs any side of God. Answer: because we cannot attain "the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" unless we "in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ" (Eph 4:13,15). Whole measure, fullness, all things...definitive terms telling us we need all of Christ, every attribute and expression, to mature personally and corporately. We cannot nitpick which aspects of the living Christ we want to relate with based on our personality, upbringing, experience (or lack of), denomination, or dispensational constructs.

The corporate maturity of the church is central to the divine program. Because God's glory is stewarded by the church (Eph 3:21), the knowledge of that glory cannot cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14, 2Co 4:6) unless the church matures and prevails on the earth. Isaiah 2:2 says the last-days church will be the generation that actualizes this lofty destiny. But how will she do it? One way is through the miraculous side of God. Ecclesiastical institutions, Christian campaigns, and well-organized programs fall short, though they have a dimension of benefit. However, a church regularly demonstrating the Omnipotent One can surpass the mountains of this world so that "the mountain of the LORD's temple is chief among the mountains" (Isa 2:2). Moses understood (Ex 33:15,16): If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here...What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?

Signs, wonders, and miracles are increasing everywhere not because there is a "signs-n-wonders movement" inducing demonstrations, some real, some not. Rather, the Lord Jesus Christ is maturing His church, actualizing His global glory, prevailing over the mountains of this world with the mountain of His temple, all in preparation for His epic return.

Situational purposes

Besides the overarching purpose just mentioned, there are several local, or situational, purposes for the miraculous.

1-Authenticate Jesus as the Messiah. Many scriptures directly state that signs and wonders were used to accredit Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah (Ac 2:22, Jn 2:11, 7:31, 10:24,25, Mt 11:2-5).

2-Authenticate the Word of God. Since God's Word is powerful and life-giving (Heb 1:3, 4:12), the miraculous often happens alongside the faithful, anointed proclamation of it (Mk 16:20, Ac 8:5,6, 14:3, Heb 2:3,4, Ro 15:18,19; Jer 23:28,29, 1Ki 17:22-24).

3-Create saving faith. Some unbelievers can be convinced of salvation through awesome demonstrations of divine power (Jn 20:30,31, 2:11,23, 4:48-53, Ac 13:6-12, 16:25-34, 19:13-20, Rom 15:18,19, 1Co 2:4,5). Some can be convinced through extraordinary wisdom (1Co 1:22). Some will never be convinced regardless (Jn 12:37, Lk 16:31).

4-Reward for faith. At times, miraculous happenings are a heavenly reward for active and ongoing faith (Heb 11:6, Mt 9:29, Mk 9:23, 11:22-24, Jn 14:12-14; Mt 7:7-11).

5-Compassion. God occasionally grants miracles out of pure compassion for people's hardship (Mt 15:32-38, Jn 11:33,38,43,44).

6-Judgment upon enemies. In a punitive sense, the Lord will act miraculously to directly confound, chastise, or defeat His enemies (Deu 6:22, Neh 9:10, Ac 12:21-23, 13:6-11).

Translating Miracles Into Maturity

Moves, Movements, & Maturation

Corporate maturity. This is why God "moves". This is why He initiates "movements". To supply a missing or struggling element of the church, an element necessary to progress the church to greater maturity (1Th 3:10, Ro 1:11). Genuine moves of God are not spiritual fads, celebrity opportunities, or a business-like Christian innovation. All genuine moves of God are motivated by this purpose in Ephesians 4:12,13: ... so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Corporate maturity.

If the human stewards of a divine move do not fully embrace and enforce this intention, sadly, the move eventually dissipates. God then schedules another move, in another season, with the same intention. This cycle will repeat itself until the move has been successfully integrated into the true, cross-denominational church, and a new level of corporate maturity has been reached. For example, the Protestant Reformation brought about a tremendous move of the Spirit concerning salvation by grace through faith alone. We have not seen any more significant moves along these lines because the corporate church, for the most part, is established and mature in this area. Every move of God, then, must be successfully integrated into the church for corporate maturation.

The signs-n-wonders movement is no different. If we become inebriated by the miraculous, we will ignore our sober responsibility of integrating the move into the larger Christian spirituality. How heartbreaking would it be to see the move become a fossil, a hardened story of a once-living organism that died back-when and back-then? The Lord is gracious and patient, waiting, watching, and continuing to move in the hopes that His human instruments will translate the movement into broader maturity. This is done through spiritual education.

Thunder & Lightning...but No Rain

Spiritual Education

Generally speaking, signs and wonders are not the basic tools of spiritual growth, development, and education. Rather, they ignite the faith, desire, interest, and enthusiasm necessary for a commitment to growth. Miracles do not teach you how to pray, feed on Scripture, love a difficult person, forgive your oppressor, manage your money, overcome certain habits, discover your calling, learn the Lord's voice, and so on. Sure, the Lord might give a miracle in one of these areas, imparting a significant amount of know-how in a short amount of time. But this is not typical kingdom protocol. When it comes to spiritual education, the Lord has appointed other gifts and functions to shoulder the task.

At soccer practice some time ago, the sky overhead grew dark with a looming thunderstorm. As practice continued, the thunder got louder and longer, the lightning brighter and more frequent. It got our attention; practice had to stop for awhile. As I stood under a tree, slightly fearful of the awesome power the weather was demonstrating, and frustrated that my practice was interrupted, the Lord said to me, "Stay here. I have something to show you."

The thunder and lightning kept intensifying, but the rain wouldn't come. Thunder and lightning...but no rain. The Spirit prompted my eyes to notice the lush green grass, the flourishing trees, and all the healthy plants and vegetation surrounding the park. The scene made sense: What makes the grass, trees, and plants grow is the rain. It could thunder and lightning all day, but if there is no rain, nothing grows. If we demonstrate signs and wonders, but undervalue or neglect the teaching and education of the people, they will never mature in Christ. They will be sign-n-wonders junkies, but spiritually immature, ignorant, and imbalanced. Eventually they'll become easy prey for the enemy, strange doctrines, false leaders, and other dangerous elements. Yes, they need thunder and lightning to get their attention and "stop their practice", but then they need rain to make them grow and mature.

In Scripture, rain is sometimes used as a symbol for biblical education and equipping. Moses uses the imagery exactly as I experienced that stormy day at the park, Deuteronomy 32:2: Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. How exact and how awesome! Isaiah 55:10,11,13 say the same about God's Word: As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth... Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. In the language of John 4:23,24, if we have miracles but little to no spiritual intelligence, we are lopsided toward Spirit but wanting for truth. As Jesus said, true worship happens only when both Spirit and truth are honored in approaching the Father.

Leaders, let us not be that one spoken of in Proverbs 25:14: Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give. Do not withhold the gift of spiritual education.

Life After the Miracle

Where do we go from here?

Life goes on after the miracle. No matter how glorious the miraculous might have been, we still have daily lives to live. If we never learn to succeed in daily life, the glories of a mighty miracle will be overshadowed by the embarrassments of a defeated life. The solution? Facilitate the miraculous, but focus on spiritual education.

Shepherds: shepherd the flock

Scripture uses three terms to identify local church shepherds: pastors, elders, and overseers (bishops). All three designations are synonymous, as Acts 20:17,28 and 1Peter 5:1,2 show. Local churches are to have a plurality of these shepherds (Ac 14:23, 1Ti 4:14, Tit 1:5).

Shepherds need to be diligent and do just that--shepherd. Paul says to the elders at Ephesus (Ac 20:17,28): Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Leaders, we must not neglect visiting our people in their homes, calling them, healing their wounds, praying with them, developing in them a biblical worldview, helping them process life by the Spirit, nurturing them into spiritual intelligence and success. Manifesting miracles without diligent pastoral guidance is like giving a Ferrari to a 7-year old.

Teaching: teach carefully and correctly

The gift of teaching (Ro 12:6, 1Co 12:28, Eph 4:11) is the supernatural ability to explain and apply Scripture effectively. Paul told Timothy not to neglect his teaching gift (1Ti 4:14), but to devote himself to the public reading, preaching, and teaching of Scripture (v13), with great patience and careful instruction (2Ti 4:2). Much of what is called "teaching and preaching" in today's popular Christianity is simply a hodgepodge of hype, faddism, basic encouragement, and a few scriptures. This is rhetoric, not teaching.

Genuine teaching that spiritually educates means interpreting Scripture responsibly, communicating it clearly, and applying it relevantly. It means consecrating time and energy to biblical studies, depending on the Spirit to give meaningful illuminations into what is studied. The miraculous would be the candy bars and ice cream of the kingdom; teaching, the meat and potatoes.

Paul said not to be ignorant or uninformed about spiritual gifts (1Co 12:1), and the psalmist said the works of the Lord are to be "studied" (Ps 111:2 NKJV). If Christians can better understand thorough biblical truth concerning the miraculous, the lure to become a sign-n-wonders junkie is weakened (Mk 8:12), and even more so, the possibility of being deceived and derailed (Mt 24:24).

Wisdom: counsel the entire person

The gift of word of wisdom (1Co 12:8) is the supernatural ability to reason skillfully and produce ideal, practical counsel for decision-making and problem-solving (1Co 6:5). (Some scriptures on the age-old wisdom/counsel relationship: 1Chr 26:14, Job 12:13, Jer 18:18, 49:7). This gift is often present among effective Christian counselors and effective pastors.

Why would God juxtapose the Spirit of counsel and the Spirit of power in Isaiah 11:2? Because excellent, Spirit-led advice is equal to an awesome demonstration of God's power! Yes, the people need the Spirit of power, and equally so they need the Spirit of counsel to help them find emotional freedom, mental soundness, physical wellness, relational fulfillment, vocational destiny, and financial capability.

Non-leaders

Do not wait to be spiritually educated. Educate yourself. Study your Bible diligently, read books, ask questions, pray for heavenly intelligence. There is a promise beckoning you in Proverbs 2:1-6.

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A World in Peace with God's Love

The above contemporary icon is a three panel painting depicting a world of violence and suffering, followed by a future of hope and peace. The interesting design is crafted from a medievel triptych by artist Don Kuhn of Millington, NJ. The attention-grabbing artwork is actually displayed in horizontal order inside the Catholic church at the Shrine of Saint Joseph, located on Long Hill Road, Sterling, NJ.

From the bottom up, the icon illustrates a timeline of the world engulfed in hostility, war, violence, and chaos. As you approach the top, emerging on the right is a glimpse of God's light with a field of lilies, a future of possibilities with hope and peace as in Christ's resurrection. A new creation.

What world would you prefer to live in? A world of chaos or a world transformed and resurrected into the likeness of Jesus Christ?

In order to create positive change, nations and leaders must make a concerted effort to achieve mutual respect for human life, regardless of an individuals ethnic background and race or nationality. A world united with respect for one another is a world connected and living in God's peace.

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

(1 Corinthians 14:33)

In John 13:34, Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Jesus also said, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44)

My sincere hope is for God's blessing and grace to enfold humankind with love, respect, and peace.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Israeli Christians: Oil-streaked icon 'miracle'

(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The following excerpt is from the Associated Press, written by Joseph Marks:

A Greek Orthodox nun looks at a painting of St. George, at a church in Ramle, central Israel, Tuesday, June 9, 2009.

Christians have been flocking to this heavily Muslim suburb of Tel Aviv for two days to see what local Christians are calling a miracle, streaks of what looks like oil mysteriously dripping down an icon of St. George, at a Greek Orthodox church named for the 3rd century saint.

El-Edam, 47, said she was convinced the streaks were a miracle in part because of a strange smell emanating from the icon. She said it reminded her of her visit as a teenager to the site of a miracle in Ermysh, Lebanon. There, she said, the odor came from a recently deceased woman whose Christian faith was legendary.

"It's a special, holy smell," she said. "It's not ordinary, like olive oil. It's something strange that comes from God."

The Greek Orthodox patriarch inspected the painting Sunday, el-Edam said, and the church has sent a sample of the oil to a laboratory.

Father Nifon said the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate had asked him not to speak publicly or to answer questions about the streaks, so that believers could draw their own conclusions.

"People these days, they've forgot God and this is a sign to tell them, 'I'm still here,' said Edith Fanous, 31, who works for a local trucking company and said she has been attending St. George's since she was a little girl.

Fanous said she was singing in the church choir when the oil streaks appeared Sunday. She guessed as many as 1,000 visitors had been to the church since then. She dismissed the idea that the streaks could just be paint running on a hot day.

"This icon is 114 years old," she said. "It passed through so much weather, hot and cold. And now that we have air conditioning in the church it's started to melt? I don't think so."

Kosty Tannous, 33, an Israeli customs worker, said he thought the streaks may have appeared now because God sees trouble in Israeli society.

"There's war and discrimination," he said. "I see a lot of discrimination against Arabs here in Israel, and maybe this is a good lesson for everybody to love each other and live with each other with equal rights."

For additional information and photos, please visit the following link: Icon Miracle

Hall of Candles and Saints

Regarding saints and their intercessory help from heaven, Sirach 46:13 and 20 states, Beloved of his people, dear to his maker, dedicated from his mother's womb, Consecrated to the Lord as a prophet, was Samuel, the judge and priest. At God's word he established the Kingdom and anointed princes to rule the people. Even when he lay buried, his guidance was sought; he made known the King his fate, And from the grave he raised his voice as a prophet, to put an end to wickedness.

Wisdom 3: 7 and 9 states, In time of their visitation, they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love; Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect.

How do you pray for intercessory help through a saint?

One method is to pray a novena for 9 successive days as a private devotion. A novena can also be prayed once a week for 9 consecutive weeks. A novena is a prayer used to petition God for a specific need.

In the Catholic Church, it’s a common practice to pray for intercessory help through a particular saint. The saint intercedes on an individuals behalf before the throne of God. Through faith we believe that God answers our requests through the saint's intercession.

For additional information on praying a novena, please visit the following link: http://www.mycatholictradition.com/

For information on praying to a saint, please visit the following link:

http://www.catholic.com/library/Praying_to_the_Saints.asp

Displayed from the right are Saint Jude, Saint Therese, and Saint Anthony.

During a recent visit to the Shrine of Saint Joseph, I made an offering for a candle to be lit for seven days on behalf of world peace and Christian Unity. Please join in prayer for the Lord to intervene in our world and change the course of history into an era of peace with unity. Thank you very much for the prayer support.

The Catholic shrine is located on 1050 Long Hill Road, Stirling, NJ, USA.

Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

October 18th a Day to Pray for Life and Peace

Fatima - Our Lady of Fatima - World Apostolate of Fatima, USA - Blue Army Shrine

The World Apostolate of Fatima and the Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Located on Mountain View Road in Washington, NJ, will hold on October 18, 2009, a special day of prayer for the sanctity of life and peace. The event will be televised by EWTN from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Scheduled guests include Reverend Clement J. Machado, Reverend Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., Tony Melendez - Christian Singer, Joe DeVito - Artist and Sculptor of the Mary, Mother of the Life Within Statue, and MC and Special Guest Diana von Glahn.

Psalm 127:3 states, "Children too are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward."

I am reminded of Psalm 139:13-16, which says, "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be."

Please join in prayer for the Lord's blessing and mercy to enfold humanity and the unborn with God's grace for respect and love of life including world peace. Thank you very much for the kind prayer support.

The Pray for Life and Peace poster was displayed recently at the National Blue Army Shrine. The poster was photographed during my visit.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Saint Bernadette's Incorrupt Body a Sign from God

Excerpt from Wikipedia regarding Saint Bernadette:

Bernadette Soubirous - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Saint Bernadette (born Maria-Bernada Sobirós (Marie-Bernarde Soubirous)); January 7, 1844 – April 16, 1879), was a miller's daughter from the town of Lourdes in southern France. From February 11 to July 16, 1858, she reported 18 apparitions of 'a small young lady.' Despite initial skepticism from the Roman Catholic Church, these claims were eventually declared to be worthy of belief after a canonical investigation, and the apparition is known as Our Lady of Lourdes. After her death, Bernadette's body reportedly remained incorrupt, and the shrine at Lourdes went on to become a major site for pilgrimage, attracting millions of Catholics each year. On December 8, 1933, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church; her Feast Day is celebrated on April 16."

Excerpt from CatholicPilgrims.com :

A crystal coffin was made for Saint Bernadette's body. She was placed in a chapel in the Church of St. Gildard at the convent in Nevers where she lived for thirteen years. She has remained undisturbed and on view in this chapel since August 3, 1925. The Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction at Nevers are not secretive about the body of St. Bernadette. They welcome visitors, and encourage learning about the life example and messages of their sister saint.

For other news regarding signs, wonders and miracles, please visit Christian-Miracles.com

Signs, Wonders, and Miracles - The Memorare

The Memorare

Intercessory Prayer to the Blessed Mother

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence, I fly to you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.

Amen

Photographed at St. Theodore Roman Catholic Church, located on 855 Route 57, Port Murray, New Jersey.

Photo Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Archdiocese Investigates Seelos Miracle

The Catholic Review Online Catholic newspaper, Archdiocese of Baltimore, world and national Archdiocese news, CNS

The following excerpt is from an article written by George P. Matysek Jr. for The Catholic Review:

Go home and prepare to die.

That’s what Mary Ellen Heibel’s doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington told her May 11, 2004, after they discovered that the cancer that had attacked Heibel’s esophagus in 2003 and then a lymph node later that year had spread throughout her body.

At the suggestion of a Pittsburgh priest, Mary Ellen Heibel began praying a novena in 2005 to Blessed Francis X. Seelos – a 19th-century Redemptorist pastor of her parish who died of yellow fever in 1867 in New Orleans.

One week after she began the novena at her parish, Heibel’s cancer disappeared. Gone were tumors in both lungs, her liver, back and sternum. When Dr. Michael Gibson, her doctor at Hopkins, called with the news, Heibel couldn’t believe it.

“I was just so excited. I called everyone,” the 71-year-old mother of four remembered. “I never thought in a million years this would happen.”

Told by her doctors that the unexplained healing could not be the result of her chemotherapy, Heibel is convinced that Blessed Seelos interceded on her behalf. “I know this had to be a miracle,” she said.

Archdiocesan officials are now investigating whether Heibel might just be right.

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Our Lady of Czestochowa on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The painting is a replica of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The picture is displayed behind the alter in Saints Peter and Paul Church, located on Route 46 in Great Meadows, New Jersey, USA.

Excerpt from CatholicTradition.org:

The miracles attributed to Our Lady of Czestochowa are many and most spectacular. The original accounts of them, some of them cures, are archived by the Pauline Fathers at Jasna Gora. Papal recognition of the miraculous image was made by Pope Clement XI in 1717.

For additional information regarding miracles associated with Our Lady of Czestochowa, please visit the following link:

http://www.sspx.ca/EucharisticCrusade/2002_October/Our_Lady_Czestochowa.htm

Photograph Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar

Christian-Miracles.com

Deacon Healed Through Cardinal Newman's Intercession - Catholic Online

Miraculous Healing Through Cardinal Newman's Intercession

The following excerpt is from an article written by Meghan Noe:

LONDON (UK Catholic Herald) - An American deacon has described in detail how he was cured from a severe spinal condition after praying to Cardinal John Henry Newman. John Sullivan, 70, of Marshfield, Massachusetts, described the healing to American television networks just days after it was reported that Vatican theological consultors had unanimously ruled it a miracle that could pave the way for the beatification of the Victorian convert.

The healing, which was earlier concluded to be inexplicable by medics, now awaits the approval of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Sainthood and Pope Benedict XVI before Cardinal Newman can be declared Blessed.

For additional information regarding the story, please visit Catholic Online at the following link: http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=33558

Revelation 20: Thousand-year Reign of God's Peace

Do you believe in Signs, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith?

Revelation 20:1-3 states, "Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain. He seized the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan, and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed."

Please pray and petition Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to fulfill the biblical prophecy as written in the Book of Revelation in order to change the course of history into an era (Millennium) of peace. The biblical scripture is linked to a period of peace as foretold by Our Lady of Fatima during her 1917 apparitions in Fatima, Portugal.

As a messenger of heaven, Our Lady of Fatima conveyed God's plan for salvation and conversion through three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Our Lady also said in her message that "In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph and a period of peace will be granted to the world." With those words in mind, please pray for Our Lady to intercede before the throne of God to obtain a blessing of mercy and divine protection so that peace can enfold humanity and the world with God's love.

Also pray for angelic help through the intercession of Michael the Archangel, protector of God's people and the church. Matthew 24:31 states, "And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

Please do not underestimate the power of prayer!

In a spiritual locution received in 2007, 2008, and again in 2009, Jesus communicated and repeated the following: "Now is the time to move forward, release the truth and prophesy with scripture." In Luke 18:27, Jesus said, "What is impossible for human beings is possible for God." The personal locution has been shared with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of Saint Mary's Church, Denville, NJ, USA.

Revelation 21:3 and 5 states, I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God." The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Then he said, "Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true."

Jeremiah 29:11-12 states, "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you," says the Lord, "plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you."

In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus said: "I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

For additional insight on the biblical prophecy, including a miraculous photo of the Shield of Archangel Michael, please visit the following links: Signs of Angels and a Personal Testimony of a Spiritual Visitation of Our Lord and and Savior Jesus Christ

The article is also posted on Catholic Online.

Copyright 2009 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com


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Cross Appears in Sky over Russian Home

Excerpt from YouTube:

According to news reports, Vladimir Rostovcev, a resident of Sharya, Russia, became a witness of a interesting phenomenon: In the sky right above his house he saw a glowing cross. Vladimir Rostovcev shot a video on his camera and the story subsequently appeared on Russian News.


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Medical Miracles through Faith

Medical Miracles WSPA

Do you believe in medical miracles? The following excerpt is reprinted from a story written by Carrie Davis from WSPA regarding Bill Pitts, who is living proof that miracles do happen:

According to some people, Bill Pitts shouldn’t be here. He’s walking a life path he never thought possible and he’s been given a second chance to try a passion he’d only ever dreamed about.

Bill Pitts says, “I appreciate every day and I thank God for each day he gives me. I look at life a lot different today than I did in earlier years.“

You see Bill Pitts has stage four colon cancer. Three years ago he stopped all his treatments to live out his last days enjoying time with his family and his art.

Pitts says, “When I first got the news I was devastated. Medically speaking I am not supposed to be here, but here I am.“

According to his doctor, Dr. Steve Courso, Pitts is a medical miracle.

He says, “He was here just last month and he looks great. we can’t see any signs of the cancer in him.“

Dr. Courso says no one can figure out why these miracles happen. They are unexplainable by modern science.

Dr. Courso admits, “I don’t have a medical explanation. I just simply smile and realize God’s presence is in these patients.“

Bill Pitts says, “At some point they have done all they can do and at that point I believe is when God takes over in your life and that is the point I am at right now.“

At Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Chaplain Carson Rogerson says he’s seen cases like Bill Pitts before. He says he believes the miracles may occur when a persons mind, body and soul all get in line.

Chaplain Rogerson says, “ There is evidence to say a person who has practices of their faith whether it be prayer or meditation or some kind of worship attendance tend to have stronger immune systems. They certainly have a hope that would sustain them in difficult times.“

A study done at Pacific College of Medicine found that people who received prayer were six times less likely to be hospitalized than those who didn’t have someone praying for them.

(In Matthew 21:22, Jesus said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.")

The complete story can be read with a video interview at the following link: http://www.wspa.com/spa/lifestyles/health_med_fit/medical/article/medical_miracles/16792/

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The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a beautiful set of prayers similar to a Rosary. In fact, it's said on Rosary beads. It was composed by St. Faustina Kowalska in response to visions she had from Jesus Christ, who revealed Himself as the Divine Mercy.

Steps

1. Make the Sign of the Cross.
2. Say this Optional Opening Prayer.
   • O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!
3. Pray the Lord's Prayer.
   • Our Father who art in Heaven, hollowed be Thy name. By kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us no into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. Pray to the Virgin Mary.
   • Hail, Mary, full of Grace, the LORD is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
5. Say the Apostle's Creed.
   • I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
6. Say the Eternal Father.
   • Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
7. Say "For the Sake..." prayer on the ten small bead of each decade.
   • For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. Repeat for the remaining decades.
9. Conclude with Holy God.
   • Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
10. Say this Optional Closing Prayer.
    • Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

Tips

• There is also a Novena of Divine Mercy traditionally prayed between Good Friday and the Feast of Divine Mercy (the Sunday after Easter).
• As with the Rosary, while it is helpful to have beads (and the Chaplet is easier to say on a full five-decade Rosary than on a one-decade or ring rosary), it is not necessary to have the beads. You can say the prayers on your hands by using one hand to count the five decades and the other hand to count the ten prayers by counting the fingers twice. However, using rosary beads is easier.
• As with the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an indulgence prayer (see the Marians website for details). However, it isn't magic. Think about what you're saying, and try to draw a little closer to God and a little further from sin as you say the Chaplet.
• Another way of reflecting whilst praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is to focus on the five wounds of Christ: his head, his side, his two hands and two feet. Pray each decade while reflecting on the many sins we commit with our head (mind), our hands, our feet, etc. For example, we commit the sin of gossip with our mouth and our mind, the sin of assault with our feet and hands, the sin of envy with our eyes, etc.
• Offer each decade for a person who particularly needs prayer.
• Praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a good way of reminding yourself that God is God, and you are not, and you do need Jesus as your Savior. It's a healthy reminder that we all have sinned but God is ready and willing to forgive us, but not just so we can go out and sin again.

Things You'll Need

• Rosary beads or 10 fingers

Related wikiHows

• How to Pray the Rosary
• How to Say a Novena to St. Therese the Little Flower

Sources and Citations

• http://www.marian.org/divinemercy/chaplet.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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Wheelchair-boy 'miraculously walks again' at memorial visit to tomb of Pope John Paul II | Mail Online

The following excerpt is reprinted from Mail Online of a miracle being reported as connected to Pope John Paul II:

A child crippled by a kidney tumour was able to walk again after praying at the tomb of Pope John Paul II on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the late pontiff's death, it was claimed last night.

The nine-year-old Polish boy was brought to St Peter's Basilica on a pilgrimage to the grave of the Polish pope who died on April 2, 2005.

Last night Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the former private secretary of Pope John Paul, said that after praying at the tomb in the crypt of the Rome basilica he 'suddenly' started walking again.

Please visit the following link for the complete story: Wheelchair-boy Miraculously Walks Again

'Miracle' Recovery of Man from Gunshot Wound Reported by ABC News

A Rosary blessed by Pope John Paul II is being attributed to the miraculous recovery of Jory Aebly from a gunshot wound to the head.

Shortly after the shooting of February 21, 2009, hospital chaplain, Father Art Snedeker, gave Jory Aebly the rosary. In a press conference, Father Snedeker said "The first night that Jory arrived and I performed the sacrament of the sick, I also asked asked Pope John Paul to pray for Jory and to protect him." Through intercessory prayer, it is believed that Pope John Paul II was helpful in Jory's recovery. Jory also gives credit to family members and everyone that prayed for him.

The Vatican is said to be investigating cases of miracles that are connected to Pope John Paul II since his passing. The Vatican is also considering possible Sainthood for Pope John Paul by examining various stories of reported miracles according to ABC News.

Hebrews 13:7 states, "Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."

With respect to Pope John Paul II, I am reminded of Wisdom 3: 7 and 9, which states, "In time of their visitation, they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love; Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with the elect."

For additional details regarding the recovery of Jory Aebly, please visit the following link: Vatican Investigates 'Miracle' Recovery of Man

Healing Mass Celebration Continues throughout 2009 at World Apostolate of Fatima, USA

Fatima - Our Lady of Fatima - World Apostolate of Fatima, USA - Blue Army Shrine

The World Apostolate of Fatima, USA, will celebrate a Healing Mass every month throughout 2009 with Father Paul Ruge. The next scheduled Mass will begin with Divine Mercy Prayer at 3:00 pm on Sunday, April 26, in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Healing Mass will also include the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. The National Blue Army Shrine is located in Warren County on 674 Mountain View Road, Washington, New Jersey.

In 2007 and 2008, the Catholic Shrine generated attention as a result of visitors witnessing the Miracle of the Sun on two occasions. For further details on the story, please visit Christian-Miracles.com.

Please join Father Paul as he celebrates a Healing Mass at 3:00 pm in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel on the following dates:

Sunday, April 26th
Sunday, May 3rd
Sunday, June 7th
Sunday, July 12th
Sunday, August 9th

Sunday, September 6th

Sunday, October 4th

Sunday, November 1st

Sunday, December 6th

I would recommend calling the shrine at (908) 689-1700 for any changes or updates on the healing mass schedule.

Photograph © 2009 Loci B. Lenar

God's Divine Mercy aboard Flight 1549

TheDivineMercy.org has an inspirational story regarding Fred Berretta, a passenger who was on flight 1549. In January, the aircraft made what can be described as a miraculous landing in the Hudson River. If you believe that God performs miracles today, then I encourage you to read the article by Felix Carroll.

Is it a result of providence that Fred Berretta recited a day earlier the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy before boarding Flight 1549 on the very next day? Mr. Berretta's story is recounted with events that influenced him to pray the chaplet. Please visit the following link to read the entire story, 'God Be Merciful to Us.' Fred Berretta's testimony is a reminder of how miracles are still being performed today by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In a revelation that occurred in the 1930s, Our Lord and Savior Jesus gave St. Maria Faustina Kowalska a prayer to be recited for God's mercy and requested that it be released to the whole world. The prayer became known as the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and now is recited by many throughout the Catholic church.

During a revelation, Jesus said to St. Faustina, "I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will." (Diary of St. Faustina 687 and 1731)

One cannot underestimate the power of prayer, especially in time of difficulty.

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Healing Mass at World Apostolate of Fatima, USA

Our Lady of Fatima - World Apostolate of Fatima, USA - Blue Army Shrine

The National Blue Army Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrating a Healing Mass on February 1, and on Sunday, March 8, 2009 in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at 3:00 PM. The Healing Mass will be celebrated with Father Paul and include the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The Catholic shrine is located in scenic Warren County on 674 Mountain View Road, Washington, New Jersey.

Matthew 4:23-24 reminds us of the healing power of Jesus. The scripture states that "He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people. His fame spread to all of Syria, and they brought t