A Prayer on Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!
Photo by Loci B. Lenar

Prayer to the Mother of the Lord for all Mothers

Mary, on this day when we honor all mothers, we turn to you. We thank the Lord whom you serve for the great gift of motherhood. Never has it been known that anyone who sought your intercession was left unaided by grace. Dear Mother, thank you for your “Yes” to the invitation of the angel which brought heaven to earth and changed human history. You opened yourself to God’s word and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Dear mother, intercede for all of our mothers. Ask your Divine Son to give them the grace of surrendered love so that they could join with you in giving their own “Fiat.” May they find daily strength to say yes to the call to the sacrificial love- the very heart of the vocation of motherhood. May their love and witness be a source of great inspiration for all of us called to follow your Son.

On this Mothers day, Mother of the Word Incarnate, pray for us who have recourse to you…

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

***

The statue of the Blessed Mother can be seen outside the convent of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Denville, NJ.

St. Padre Pio Appears to Hospitalized Patient in Delaware

Padre Pio - Photo by Loci B. Lenar

  

Vince Beddia: A man of faith - By Frank Rega - CapeGazette.com

The following excerpt is from CapeGazette.com:

Long Neck resident Vince Beddia had been under the watchful care of his Delaware cardiologist, Dr. Roberto Rosa, for a dozen years. In January 2011, after Vince complained of having trouble breathing, his physician ordered a catheterization procedure. Prior to the test, Vince had a premonition that he was not going to be leaving the hospital that day. In fact, Rosa and Dr. Fernando Garzia, the medical director of Beebe Medical Center’s cardiac surgery program, determined from the test results that multiple heart bypasses were needed without delay.

While awaiting the intervention, Vince fell asleep in his hospital bed until he was awakened by someone standing near him. He knew immediately who it was. St. Padre Pio, in full Capuchin habit, beamed a great, warm smile as he stood next to Vince’s bed. The saint said nothing verbally, but words were not necessary for Vince to receive the message of peace, hope and confidence that Padre Pio brought to him. The long-deceased Capuchin priest held out his right arm toward Vince, and Vince could see that he was holding a book but was not able to discern its title.

The visit was brief - Padre Pio disappeared just as a nurse was entering the room, but Vince knew that all would be well, and he felt no fear. He asked the nurse if she had seen the saint. Looking at him as if he were hallucinating, she assured him that no else was present in the room.

The doctors and staff at Beebe were quite astonished at how relaxed, carefree, and confident Vince appeared as he was prepped for the anesthesia. Vince spoke to them about the Lord Jesus, and found to his surprise that everyone in the operating room knew the Lord. Garzia later remarked that he had never before operated on someone who was so calm and unafraid.

The extensive surgery that January day lasted about seven hours. The 77-year old patient was subjected to a heart valve replacement and six bypasses.

Many times during his serious illnesses and trials, he would suddenly experience the scent of roses, seemingly coming from nowhere. He thought at first that perhaps the Blessed Virgin was sending him a sign. Later he learned that Padre Pio often signals his spiritual help and presence by means of the aroma of roses and other flowers, as reported in the many books about him. Vince now considers that the heavenly scents were most probably consoling gifts from the saintly Capuchin.

Vince Beddia has fathered 12 children, and he lives with his wife Betty in Long Neck, just a short distance from his son’s Italian restaurant, La Dolce Vita. Formerly a Catholic, he now attends East Gate Presbyterian Church and has words of praise for his pastor, the Rev. Gary Knapp. When Vince told Knapp of his Padre Pio experience, the pastor, who had heard of the Catholic saint, replied, “You are in good hands!” Though currently not an active Catholic, Vince still keeps in prayerful contact with his favorite saints, including Padre Pio, and often prays the Rosary.

Read more: Vince Beddia

The Divine Rescue on Highway Six

The Divine Rescue on Highway Six - CBN TV - Video

The following excerpt is from CBN.com:

It’s been called The Miracle on Highway 6. After a fiery car crash and desperate prayers, witnesses say angels showed up and performed a miraculous rescue.

Our Lady of Medjugorje: Monthly Message to Visionary Mirjana Soldo



Photograph by Loci B. Lenar


The Medjugorje Web - Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje

Our Lady of Medjugorje's message of May 2, 2011 to visionary Mirjana Soldo:

"Dear children; God the Father is sending me to show you the way of salvation, because He, my children, desires to save you and not to condemn you. That is why I, as a mother, am gathering you around me, because with my motherly love I desire to help you to be free of the dirtiness of the past and to begin to live anew and differently. I am calling you to resurrect in my Son. Along with confession of sins renounce everything that has distanced you from my Son and that has made your life empty and unsuccessful. Say 'yes' to the Father with the heart and set out on the way of salvation to which He is calling you through the Holy Spirit. Thank you. I am especially praying for the shepherds, for God to help them to be alongside you with a fullness of heart."

Mass of thanksgiving for beatification of Pope Blessed John Paul II

YouTube - Mass of Thanksgiving for Beatification of Pope Blessed John Paul II

The following excerpt is from Catholic Online:

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - At 10:30 Monday morning in St. Peter's Square, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., secretary of state, presided over the thanksgiving Mass for the beatification of Pope John Paul II. The liturgical texts were those of the new Blessed.

The celebration included music performed by the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, with the participation of Warsaw's Polish Union of Choirs and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice. Preparation for the holy rite began at 9:30am with the reading of poems by Blessed John Paul II in alternation with pieces performed by the orchestra and choir. Before Holy Mass, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, addressed those present.

"The dialogue of love between Christ and the human person characterized the entire life of Karol Wojtyla ...", Cardinal Bertone said in his homily. "We all recall how, on the day of his funeral, during the ceremony there was a moment when the wind shut the book of the Gospels placed on the coffin. It was as if the wind of the Spirit wanted to signal the end of the spiritual and human existence of Karol Wojtyla, illumined by the Gospel of Christ. With this Book he discovered God's plan for humanity and for himself, but he also learned of Christ, His face and His love, which was always a call to responsibility for Karol".

"He was a man of faith, a man of God," the cardinal emphasized. "His life was a constant prayer that lovingly embraced all who inhabit our planet, created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore worthy of the greatest respect; redeemed by Christ's death and resurrection the human person is therefore truly become the living glory of God. Thanks to the faith that he expressed, above all, in prayer, John Paul II was a true defender of the dignity of every human person and not a mere activist for political or social ideologies".
 
Read More: Pope John Paul II

Angelic Tails: True Stories of Heavenly Canine Companions

Angelic Tails: True Stories of Heavenly Canine Companions

This newly released book is by author Joan Wester Anderson, renown for writing books on angelic visitations and miracles.  The book is published by Loyola Press.

The following excerpt is from Loyola Press:

Angelic Tails is a collection of down-to-earth true stories from ordinary people who believe that God has graced their lives through heavenly canine companions. Each of the 30 stories challenges readers to reconsider their conception of angels—from the story of a former Air Force colonel whose golden retrievers served as his heavenly helpers in the Colorado wilderness to the account of St. John Bosco, who, for more than 30 years, was protected by an angelic dog as he walked the dangerous city streets. In the end, for all who see through the eyes of faith, this book is evidence that God can use even muddy paws and cold noses to fulfill his purposes in our world.

Joan Wester Anderson has been a freelance writer and public speaker for almost thirty years. Her fifteen books include the New York Times Bestseller Where Angels Walk (Ballantine Books, 1993) and Where Wonders Prevail (Ballantine, 1997), and she is a popular guest on radio and television talk shows. The mother of five adult children and grandmother of two, she lives in Prospect Heights, Illinois.

Visit her website: Joan Wester Anderson

Read more: Loyola Press