Saturday, April 09, 2011

Man Claims to Have Seen Jesus

 


Fort Smith Man Writes About Seeing "City of Light" - ky3.com

The interview and following excerpt is from KY3.com

John Edwards has written a book about his experience the night he nearly died. Edwards spoke with 5NEWS via Skype from his home in Dallas.

He was a junior at Northside High School the night the car he was riding in rolled at a Fort Smith intersection pinning him underneath the Oldsmobile. The year was 1966.

The driver and other passengers suffered minor injuries, but Edwards skull was fractured. He says today doctors would probably diagnose it as a traumatic brain injury. The teen was rushed to St. Edwards emergency room. There he claims to have had an out-of-body experience, traveling through a black void toward a tiny point of light.

"I saw something that's described in revelation 20 and 21 very well,” Edwards said, recalling the experience. “It was the city of light."

Edwards says members of his family were there to greet him; his uncle and a close family friend. As they talked, he stood in the green grass admiring the city from afar. He's careful in his choice of words, but it's obvious that Edwards believes he saw heaven. His uncle Cleve told him they were waiting for someone to arrive, but Edwards could not make out the man's face because of the bright light.

Edwards says he believes the figure that stood before him was Jesus himself. He would grow up to become a missionary and bible translator. Forty-five years after that night, the author tells his story in a new book entitled "Encouraged By The Light."

Read more: John Edwards

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Finding Fatima: A Documentary for Our Times

Photo courtesy of Dynomite Productions Ltd


Finding Fatima DVD: The following photographs and commentary is courtesy of Joel Fletcher, Director of Dynomite Productions Ltd:

The film opens on Hiroshima 1945, where 8 Jesuit priests miraculously survived the atomic bomb without any trace of radiation poisoning and minor injury, when asked why they survived, Fr. Hubert Schiffer’s only answer was ‘we survived because we were living the message of Fatima.’



Finding Fatima Official Trailer - YouTube

In 1917, while a generation of men were being sacrificed on the killing fields of World War 1 and the seeds of a bloody revolution were being sowed in Russia, just outside a small town called Fatima in Portugal, three young Shepherd children made an extraordinary claim that they had been visited by a lady from heaven, a lady "brighter than the sun."

The series of events that followed, would resonate around the world, culminated in what has been described by many, as the greatest miracle of the 20th century, an event witnessed by over 70,000 people.
Photo courtesy of Dynomite Productions Ltd

Directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins and filmed over two years, the documentary presents the complete story of Fatima with innovative and dramatic reconstructions of the events, interviews with many leading experts on Fatima and rarely seen archival material.

Photo courtesy of Dynomite Productions Ltd

Filmed on location in both Portugal and the UK, utilizing state of the art CGI and a cast of 100’s ‘Finding Fatima’  is an epic production that spans from 1910 to the present day.

With worldwide and mainstream appeal for both Catholic and non Catholic audiences Finding Fatima’ is a beautiful depiction of an event that is as relevant today as it was almost a hundred years ago.

Finding Fatima’, is a documentary that will both move and inspire you.

Run time: 90 mins

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Sister Marie Simon-Pierre to Speak at Beatification of Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II
Photograph by Loci B. Lenar


The Canadian Press: 'Miracle nun,' John Paul II aides to be protagonists in beatification ceremony

The following excerpt is by Nicole Winfield of The Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY — A French nun whose inexplicable cure from Parkinson's disease was the miracle needed to beatify Pope John Paul II will have a starring role in the Vatican's three-day, around-the-clock beatification extravaganza, officials said Tuesday.

Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, as well as John Paul's closest aide, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, and longtime spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, will all speak about their experiences with the beloved pope at a prayer vigil at Rome's Circus Maximus on the eve of the May 1 beatification.

The Vatican on Tuesday released details about the ceremonies, which are expected to draw some 300,000 people to the Eternal City on charter trains, planes and boats. Tent cities are being planned at two locations outside the city in case hotel rooms become scarce.

Eight churches in Rome's historic centre will remain open all night from April 30 to May 1 for a "white night" of prayer reminiscent of the all-night cultural events that Rome and many other cities organize, said Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the pope's vicar for the diocese of Rome which is organizing many of the events.

St. Peter's Basilica itself is expected to keep its doors open well into the night of May 1 to accommodate the faithful who want to pray before John Paul's tomb, which will be moved upstairs from the grottoes underneath the basilica for the occasion.

Shortly after John Paul died, Sister Simon-Pierre says she experienced an inexplicable cure of her Parkinson's disease. Benedict earlier this year confirmed that her healing was indeed miraculous, setting the stage for the beatification.

Beatification is the last major step before possible sainthood, and means John Paul can be publicly venerated. No feast day has yet been set, Lombardi said.

Read more: Beatification of Pope John Paul II

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Cross Appears During Lent as a Sign of God's Love

Cross Appears During Lent
 Examining the cross, Brooke said, "It looks like Jesus"
All photographs by Loci B. Lenar


By Loci B. Lenar

As a Christian and practicing Catholic, God has called me to share my spiritual journey with others by being a witness to my faith through signs and wonders which are arising from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In John 3:21, it says: "...whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Since 2005 a cross with an outline of a shield has appeared annually on my property in Mine Hill, New Jersey. Once again on March 27, 2011, rays of light from the sun are shining on the fence and creating an image of a cross. This image has been showing up every morning since last week. The image appears at the top of the fence and slowly descends until it touches the ground. It then changes into a circle and disappears. The cross can be seen for about 30 minutes.



Interesting Note: The sun is on the outside of the fence, while the cross appears on the inside. However, the sun is high above in the sky and God is shining his light upon humanity including our home and property. With that in mind, it's not impossible for God to send rays of light in all directions of the world, including inside our yard and on the fence.   Furthermore, there are no objects in our house windows which might cause a reflection.

I believe that God has opened the windows of heaven and is pouring out the Holy Spirit on our world.  Joel 2:28 says, "...I will pour out my Spirit on all people..."   
 

In Psalm 84:11, it says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Interestingly, this is the Lenten season, a time of spiritual renewal and conversion for Catholics and many Christians as we prepare for Easter.

Jesus said in John 12:46, "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness."

My wife, Teresa, had invited her cousin Diane Kayal to come visit with her husband and children on Saturday, March 26th. Diane's daughter, Brooke, stayed overnight with my family. Then on Sunday morning, the cross appeared on our backyard fence at around 9:00 AM. Brooke went outside to examine the image. I photographed her standing next to the cross and Brooke said in awe, "It looks like Jesus."

Prior to Sunday, I went on March 24th to visit my spiritual advisor, Fr. Richard Tartaglia to speak with him about spiritual matters including the cross that began to appear once more on our property. I also gave Fr. Tartaglia an open invitation to visit my home to see the cross appear for himself.

On Monday, March 28th, I dropped off some photographs in the rectory office at St. Mary's Parish, which is located in Denville, NJ, for Fr. Tartaglia to examine and to keep for church archives.  Fr. Tartaglia is my spiritual advisor for over fifteen years.

I believe this cross is a sign for the world. God is forgiving and sending a message of love for people to return to the sacraments of the church and to reconcile through confession.

Our Lord is calling everyone to make a sincere effort to attend weekly church services or Holy Mass.  In doing so, it helps to receive Our Lord's blessings and divine favor.  

He is calling each person to pray for world peace and divine protection so that violence can be mitigated.  

Jesus is calling everybody to open their heart to receive the Holy Spirit in order to have peace in their lives and families and throughout the world. 

I believe the Lord's plan is to move forward with an era of peace as foretold by Our Lady of Fatima in her 1917 apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, and to fulfill Revelation 20:1-3 with a thousand-year reign of God's peace.  To read Our Lady's message, please visit the following link: The Fatima Message

I believe that if enough people pray, the course of history will change through God's divine intervention.

"For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37

May Our Lady intercede on behalf of humanity for God's mercy to enfold our world with peace and love.

May Our Heavenly Father bless you and answer all your prayers through his Divine Son, Jesus Christ.

Copyright 2011 Loci B. Lenar
Christian-Miracles.com

Trip to Lourdes Leads to Healing

Lourdes healing hailed as ‘remarkable’ - SCO News

The following excerpt is from the Scottish Catholic Observer:

The incredible recovery of a French man, who walked the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route in Spain after being cured of a paralyzed left leg following a trip to Lourdes is being examined as a possible 68th miracle of the shrine

Serge Francois, a TV repair worker said he felt a warm glow spread down his herniated leg during a visit to Lourdes in 2002.

After having prayed at the Lourdes Grotto Mr Francois reported the healing to the international Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL) and 20 doctors have agreed on the remarkable nature of the healing.

“In the name of the Church, I publicly recognise the ‘remarkable’ character of the healing from which Serge Francois benefited at Lourdes on April 12, 2002,” said Bishop Emmanuel Delmas of Angers in western France, where Francois lives. “This healing can be considered a personal gift from God to man, as an event of grace, as a sign of Christ the Saviour.”

Read More: Lourdes Healing

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Padre Pio's Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Statue of Padre Pio
Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

The statue of Padre Pio is on display inside the Blessed Sacrament Chapel which is located at the Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington, New Jersey. The display is a representation of St. Pio holding prayer requests for his intercession which are presented to Jesus.

The shrine is part of the World Apostolate of Fatima, USA.

***


(Padre Pio recited this novena every day for all those who requested his prayers)

I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of.....(here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

More Prayers: Daily Devotional Prayers