Reprinted with permission from The Standard-Times and SouthCoastToday.com
First published on December 29, 2012 -
The Standard-Times - New Bedford, MA
By LINDA ANDRADE RODRIGUES
In John 4:48, Jesus said, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe."
Miracles are happening all around us, according to Loci Lenar, whose mission is to report the news of Christian signs and wonders on his blog and website — "Angels, Wonders and Miracles of Faith" (
http://lenarpoetry.blogspot.com) and "Signs, Wonders and Miracles" (
www.Christian-Miracles.com) — which have recorded over a million page views.
Searching daily on the Internet, Lenar has published excerpts and links of Standard-Times' religion stories, including the conversion experiences attributed to Eucharistic Adoration at St. Francis Xavier Church in Acushnet, and the interview with Baptist minister and New York Times bestselling author, the Rev. Don Piper, who wrote about spending "90 Minutes in Heaven."
Lenar also documents his own spiritual encounters, following instructions from his spiritual advisor, the
Rev. Richard Tartaglia of St. Mary's Church in Denville, N.J.
Sharing his own experiences, he has been interviewed several times for the program
"Sacred Treasures" on the international Catholic station
Radio Maria, which is broadcast locally by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate of Our Lady's Chapel in New Bedford at 88.5 FM (WPMW).
Ironically, Lenar grew up in a family of lapsed Catholics. His parents left Hungary in 1956 because of the revolution uprising against the government and its Soviet-imposed policies. They settled in Brussels, Belgium, where Lenar was born in 1957. Shortly after, the family immigrated to America. He became a U.S. citizen with his parents in1967.
"They weren't really practicing Catholics," he said. "We went to church on holidays."
A resident of Mine Hill, N.J., Lenar married in 1977; and the couple has a son and daughter.
"My kids were going to Catholic school, and my wife would take them to Sunday Mass," he said. "But I wouldn't go."
Then Lenar underwent a conversion experience.
"When I was about 30, I had a very profound dream," he said. "An angel came to me in my sleep and said that Our Lord Jesus wanted to speak to me. I started going to church."
Six months later, he had a second dream.
"I came face to face with Jesus," he said, who told him: "Come follow me for I have much work to accomplish."
At that time Lenar was suffering from cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and severe headaches.
He started to pray for a healing.
"I was guided to St. Mary's in Denville, N.J., which wasn't my parish at the time; and I received the Anointing of the Sick," he said. "I started to feel better."
Then through prayer, he said he felt guided to receive the Anointing of the Sick again.
"I will never forget that day," he said. "I heard Jesus say, 'You are healed.' The symptoms disappeared, and I stopped taking medications. I haven't had any problems with the heart and the headaches for 20 years."
Lenar said that he believes God called him to guide people back to the teachings of the gospels, the church and the sacraments.
"It is important for people to recognize that God is real," he said. "When medicine can't help and even before, it is important to turn to God for healing and blessings. It's my testimony."
In addition to his gift as a spiritual locutionist, Lenar personally observes spiritual phenomena that he captures on film.
"There are lots of things I have documented," he said. "A cross of light has been appearing on my property since 2005."
Tartaglia visited Lenar's home last April on Good Friday and saw the cross. The priest photographed the image and spoke about it in his homily, calling it a sign.
As part of his daily routine, Lenar visits churches to photograph stained glass windows and statues to use on his website and blog. During a visit to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington, N.J. in 2008, Lenar photographed rays of sunlight through a stained glass window, which appear to be flowing towards the ceiling. (See photo on top of page)
"I cannot explain the phenomena," said Lenar. "Remarkably, the stained glass window is a representation of the Miracle of the Sun which was witnessed by 70,000 people on Oct. 13, 1917 at Fatima, Portugal."
In 2009, he stopped to pray at The Church of St. Michael in Netcong, N.J. and photographed a statue of St. Michael the Archangel.
"Without the flash, you see the striking rainbow beyond the statue and around the arms," he said. "I gave the small memory card to Father Richard."
Catholics invoke St. Michael the Archangel in prayer for physical protection.
Lenar said that Jesus is calling people to pray for divine protection, not just for their families but for the world.
"We are living in difficult times, but through prayer we could change things," he said. "Through prayer violence could be mitigated."
Lenar added that Christmas time is all about signs and wonders, as Christians celebrate the miracle of Christ's birth.
"The prophecy is fulfilled," he said. "It is good to know that God's presence is still here. It didn't end 2,000 years ago. It still continues to our time."
***
Additional Note: Linda Andrade Rodrigues interviewed Loci B. Lenar on November 29, 2012 for this article. There are two extra photographs added to the original Standard-Times' story. The two images are the
Cross of Light and
Signs of Archangel Michael. However, both images are mentioned in the original story.
Furthermore, all photographs by Loci B. Lenar were shared with Fr. Richard Tartaglia exactly as captured on the camera's memory card. All images were transferred to a CD for church archives.
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