Answer to a Novena

      I just wanted to post this small favor that Mary granted me.  I did a novena to her under the title of "Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal," a novena which ended on November 27th, the day which Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine and manifested to her the miraculous medal design.  I have had a devotion to Mary but specifically through the Miraculous Medal for some time now but I don't think that I ever did a novena like this one. 
      Here is what happened...I have also had a love for Eucharistic Adoration for some time and here at the seminary we have typically had it on Saturdays and Sundays.  I became aware that many guys had been struggling with their prayer life so I thought it might be helpful for the seminary in general to have Adoration on a daily basis.  When I first brought it up, there was some opposition, mostly for theological reasons or liturgical reasons.  I mostly figured that it had to do somewhat with spiritual warfare and people's negative experience of Adoration or those that attend Eucharistic Adoration regularly.  Whatever the case, I knew that it would take prayer for this to pass and it was not favorable.  In the words of a seminarian...it would take something of a miracle for it to come to pass. 
      It's too complicated to mention all the details that I had to cover in proposing this idea to the seminary but it essentially took about 3 weeks and it was supposed to start today, the first Monday of Advent.  I finished the novena, by providence during Eucharistic Adoration at the Co-Cathedral...I arrived at the seminary the following Sunday after night prayer to find a note stuck in my door saying...."Eucharistic Adoration...ok...it will be done as you proposed it..." or something along those lines....can you imagine the joy I felt when I read that.  So we had it this morning...very early...very simple...but very beautiful and I know in my heart that Our Blessed Mother was behind it all!!!

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal....pray for us!

St. Therese of Lisieux: a little personal anecdote

So I want to speak about my own personal experience of St. Therese's involvement in my life and how she led me to love the Blessed Virgin Mary more.  I cannot say that I had a particular devotion to her nor can I say that I particularly enjoyed her book "Story of a Soul" even though I know that it is a wonderful book.  I guess I didn't have much of a personal connection, nevertheless, I would often ask her intercession simply because I knew that she is a powerful intercessor before God.  In fact, she helped me very much in discerning my call to enter the seminary. 
    So in 2005, my family went to Spain for a 2 week trip that would include a tour of Barcelona as well as some other cities in the Northwest part of Spain near France.  It was quite a wonderful trip and the highlight would be that we would cross over the Pyrenees and into France so that we could make a stop in Lourdes.  I was looking forward to the entire time given that I was about to enter the seminary and have a devotion to Our Lady.  The timing was also going to be perfect given that it was going to be the feast of the Visitation towards the end of May.  We arrived in Lourdes that morning and it was a soft mist of rain (as it usually is near the French mountains) and got out expecting to spend the whole day touring the apparition site.  For whatever the reason, my Dad was really frustrated and wasn't liking the weather and so he decided that we were only going to stay for 2 hours.  It took him a while to come that conclusion, but upon arriving at Lourdes he decided without asking anyone else in the family that we were staying for 2 hours and then leaving promptly.  I was so infuriated that I cannot even begin to describe how angry I was.  I was so angry that my brother and I just stormed away and decided to run around Lourdes as fast as we could to go see all the different sites there. 
      It was raining but we didn't care one bit, and it turned out to be an incredible experience.  Nevertheless, I was so angry because we didn't even have enough time to go into the baths or see the nighttime Rosary procession.  We didn't even go to Mass there!!!  We ended staying at some ugly little town about 1 hour away, meanwhile we could have stayed in the Lourdes where there are plenty of beautiful hotels.  I remained angry almost the entire rest of the trip (which was about another week).  A bit later we stopped a small French town to get some lunch and I was still so angry that I walked off to go visit a cemetery that happened to be nearby.  I saw that there was also a Church just right there and so I decided to go inside to pray and beg God to help me forgive my father, something that seemed impossible at the time.  I went inside and found the most beautiful statue of St. Therese and I sat there and just prayed for sometime.  I still remember that statue because it had glass eyes and so looked almost as if it was real.  I knew that St. Therese had heard me, and so I became able to forgive my father over the next few days....
Flash forward 3 years....

      It was towards the end of May on memorial day when a few friends and I decided to go to the beach to go have some fun.  We had been having some parties that weekend and I had been eating a little bit too much but we all went to bed looking forward to the next day.  I woke up the next morning feeling that I was still somewhat full as if I hadn't digested anything, but I ignored it, took a shower, and got ready to go to the beach.  Well on the way there, I started getting nauseous and asked them to stop.  You can imagine what happened!!! I got sick and had to be left in the house the whole day because I started feeling terrible.  Well, it got worse over the next few days as I hardly ate anything.  It culminated the following Wednesday when I did eat and felt in such pain that later that night I had to be taken to the emergency room.  It was now Thursday morning and it was clear that I had an intestinal obstruction.  They had to place in me an NG tube (I don't even want to go there...) and I was in the hospital for the next few days...3 to be exact.  I was worried because there was a chance that they had to do surgery on me, which could have turned a more complicated issue.  I have even heard of people who have died from similar situations.  So I was in the Hospital May 29, 30, 31, and was released the 1st.  I had my initial scans done on Thursday showing the obstruction.  I had a second one done on the 30 (Friday) showing that there was no change and that surgery was imminent but the doctor was going to wait one more day before deciding.  Well a friend visited me later that Friday with a small glass container.  What is that? I asked her...She said...It's Holy water from Lourdes.  I felt like God had sent her and so I drank some of the Holy water.
      I kept praying that day and simply waiting and dealing with some of the pains of being in a hospital.  So many friends had been visiting me and so many people had been praying for me that I concretely felt God's graces throughout the whole situation.  So I went to bed that Friday night awaiting the next scan on Saturday to see what the Doctor would say.  I was scanned...and guess what they said...the obstruction had been cleared...and all they had to do is wait for is my body to do its normal thing....I had my first liquid food later that Saturday....and was released the following Sunday. 
      Wait a minute....what just happened???  Let me just recap some of the details you may have missed...I received Holy Water from Lourdes exactly 3 years after I was there in Spain.  Guess what feast day I received the news of my healing? The feast of the Visitation of Mary.  Think about it...what is that feast about??? The Blessed Virgin Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth.  Not only did she visit Elizabeth, brothers and sisters, She visited ME!! She healed me through the Lourdes water.  And listen to what I just realized a few weeks ago...guess who's on the cover of the glass bottle....St. Therese......she did hear my prayer in a way more amazing than I could possibly imagine!!! I still have the bottle in my room with plenty of Lourdes water ready to heal at a moments notice....

Praise Jesus and His Blessed Mother!!!!



St. Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal

I want to introduce to you a friend of mine that has been influential in my life although not always explicitly.  Her name is St. Catherine Laboure and she had the priviledge of having one of the most intimate encounters with the Blessed Virgin in recorded history.  The apparitions that she received were quite profound!  It really impacted me the love that St. Catherine had for Mary.  It also made a huge impact on me the importance that was placed on the Medal, given the promises Mary attached to it.  For that reason, I wear it every day, and often pass them out to others.  It has been quite an experience.  So I wanted to place here an excerpt from a biography of St. Catherine, retelling the account of the apparition.  Please, enjoy!

VIII. The Apparition of the Miraculous Medal

Outside the convent on the rue du Bac, the City of Paris had grown quiet; people had gone back to their daily living. Charles X retreated to England, where he no longer ruled even "like an English king." Louis Philippe came to the throne. Although a Bourbon, he was not of the line of Bourbon kings, but of the Orleans family, and most certainly he was not the divine right monarch the royal Bourbons had been. Dubbed from the start "The Citizen King," he was the figurehead the new nation wanted.


Saturday, November 27, 1830, was just another day, busy like all the rest with prayer and work and study of the things of God. The next day would be the First Sunday of Advent. At half past five, all the Sisters, professed and novices alike, gathered in the chapel for their evening meditation. The chill November dusk had settled outside, and the chapel was in semi-darkness.


Catherine liked this time of evening. She had always liked it. even at home: the laborious day was over and the tired mind found rest in thinking of God. Tonight, the quiet voice of the Sister reading the prophecies of Christ's coming at Christmas seemed like the voice of Isaiah himself, calling down the centuries. In the darkness, time and place were no more; only the mind was alive. The voice stopped, and a great stillness followed.

Suddenly, Catherine's heart leaped. She had heard it—that rustling, that faint swish of silk she could never forget, the sound of Our Lady's gown as she walked! There it was again—and there was the Queen of Heaven, there in the sanctuary, standing upon a globe. She shone as the morning rising, a radiant vision, "in all her perfect beauty," as Catherine said later.

Catherine's eyes widened with bliss at the sight. Yet they were not so dazzled but that, womanlike, they took note of every detail of the Virgin's dress: that her robe was of silk, "of the whiteness of the dawn," that the neck of it was cut high and the sleeves plain, that she wore a white veil which fell to her feet, and beneath the veil a lace fillet binding her hair.

The Virgin held in her hands a golden ball which she seemed to offer to God, for her eyes were raised heavenward. Suddenly, her hands were resplendent with rings set with precious stones that glittered and flashed in a brilliant cascade of light. So bright was the flood of glory cast upon the globe below that Catherine could no longer see Our Lady's feet.


Mary lowered her eyes and looked full at Sister Laboure. Her lips did not move, but Catherine heard a voice.

"The ball which you see represents the whole world, especially France, and each person in particular."


These words stirred the heart of the Sister with fresh transports of joy, and the dazzling rays seemed to her to increase to blinding brilliance.


"These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls forget to ask."


At this moment, Catherine was so lost in delight that she scarcely knew where she was, whether she lived or died. The golden ball vanished from Mary's hands; her arms swept wide in a gesture of motherly compassion, while from her jeweled fingers the rays of light streamed upon the white globe at her feet. An oval frame formed around the Blessed Virgin, and written within it in letters of gold Catherine read the words:

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.


The voice spoke again:

"Have a Medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence."


The tableau revolved, and Catherine beheld the reverse of the Medal she was to have made. It contained a large M surmounted by a bar and a cross. Beneath the M were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the one crowned with thorns, the other pierced with a sword. Twelve stars encircled the whole.

And then the vision was gone.

Habit is a saving thing. Certainly it saved Catherine embarrassment or discovery in the next few minutes. She must have said the closing prayers of the meditation with the others; she must have taken her place in line to go to the dining hall; she must have recited the grace and sat down at table. She did not remember. It was the chastening voice of the Mistress of Novices that brought her back to earth.


"Sister Laboure must still be in ecstasy," it said dryly.


Catherine started in confusion. Why the other novices had begun to eat!

The three great Apparitions of our Lady to Catherine Laboure—they are designated by number for convenience—were complete. The first, the Apparition of July 18, is sometimes called "The Virgin of the Chair"; the second and third, actually two phases of the Apparition of November 27, are known by the titles: "The Virgin of the Globe" or "The Virgin Most Powerful," and "Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal."

Let me introduce you to St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Maximilian Kolbe is one of the first saints to really stir up in me a deep love for the Blessed Mother.  I joined the Militia Immaculatae which he founded even before I really knew what it was and WHO he was.  I came to read about him and came to love his love of the Blessed Mother.  Especially, I came to love his missionary zeal and his love for the Miraculous Medal.  I have also come to benefit so much from his deep reflections on the mystery of Mary's Immaculate Conception (something that I will go into later into much more detail).  On this feast of All Saints, this is one saint that you should come to know better!

St. Maximilian tells how he founded the MI was founded.

The Story of Claude Newman

Hello again!

It has been about 3 months since I last posted a blog here.  So I wanted to start using the blog again but this time for a different purpose.  I originally started this blog because I wanted to post my experiences while I was in the Holy Land.  Now I want to use the blog to bring people to love the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I want to do that by sharing what has brougth me to love her more: the stories of saints who have been converted by her.  So I wanted to start with this one: Claude Newman.  Click on the link and enjoy a beautiful and inspiring story!

DMNS

The Beautiful Story of Claude Newman

Final Day: August 2nd - the Rosaries

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Originally uploaded by Militiaoftheimmaculata

So why did I come here? I didn't come here with any specific intention but I have now come to realize why God sent me here. It has been difficult being here. It was difficult getting adjusted to the situation here and it was also hard because missed being at St. Paul's where I had been for 10 months of my life. I missed my friends even though I was in a beautiful place. Then, day by day, I fell in love with the place and the people that I had come to meet while being here.

The last week then has been hard again because I knew that the last day was coming. Little by little, people were going home and it was difficult for me to see some of them go home. I had found a new home with new friends and now it is time to say goodbye. I hate saying goodbye!!

But underneath all of this, God was doing something very subtle that I will only realize later in my life. A mission that he gave me was these rosaries. I bought 150 rosaries in Bethlehem at the beginning of the trip and I felt inspired to bring them to all the sites of the mysteries of the Rosary. I wanted to see and touch the places that I pray so often, but not only that, I wanted to bring that to other people as well. I must give these out to friends and family...and when the last one is left, I will keep that one...but only until then will I be able to have that rosary.

So in one sense, I think the Virgin Mary brought me here to Jerusalem and Bethlehem so that I could see and touch and hear the places where she also walked with her son Jesus. So for the rest of my life, I will pray those places that I took these rosaries. But there is one final thing, I couldn't find a place that commemorated or was the "Church of" the Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. I think the reason for that is that since she was crowned in Heaven, there is no spot on earth where we can find a site. Rather, these Rosaries are the crown that we will place on her Head of our love for Her but most importantly, Her love and Jesus' love for us!!

So would you like a Rosary?

Day 31: July 30, Stations of the Cross and Shabbat

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Originally uploaded by Militiaoftheimmaculata

Today was a lonely day. So I had organized a day where Elizabeth, Caitie, and I would go and do the stations of the cross from morning until 3pm. I didn't realize how hot it would be and how unrealistic it was for me to plan 6 hours of religious activities. At the end of the month, many of us are "churched out" and so we need to take it easy.

So they day wonderfully began with a group of 14 of us celebrating Mass at Golgotha!! It was at 8:15 and was very surprising that they gave us this spot since in the Church there are at least 7 other altars that they could have given us. This was a very special mass since many people were leaving on that Friday and so it was our last mass together...many of us who had celebrated mass each day during the month.

From there, Caitie and I went to the 3rd station to my favorite place to pray: the Armenian Catholic church where they have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during the day, it is truly a wonderful place to go. We were there until 11, so about 1h30m and then we left to walk to the Mt. of Olives where Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane. Caitie went inside the garden and then I walked up a bit higher to Dominus Flevit or the church that commemorates where Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Then around Noon, we headed out of the Garden to make our way to Golgotha, where we were going to arrive at 3pm.

However, just before arriving and passing through Stephen or Lion's Gate, Caitie decided that she could not go....and I was left all alone (Elizabeth had earlier decided to go to a Museum)...so my two close friends here left me alone with Jesus....I can assure you, it was a lonely road...so the next 3 hours I walked the stations, stopping to pray, to look at the churches, and to observe the people all around me. It was hot....and there was a lot of commotion around everywhere. I read scripture and really took the time to appreciate the experience....I can tell you this...doing the stations of the cross in Old Jerusalem has been one of my favorite spiritual experiences while I have been here....it truly allows you to feel Jesus' sufferings and some of the horrible things he endured. The picture you see above is the at the 3rd Station (Jesus falls the first time).

So I arrived at the Sepulcher at 3pm and was able to pray on the spot of Golgotha just as a huge group of Russians arrived to pray. Then I waited outside as Elizabeth and Dr. Jones were going to meet me at 3pm...but it took them 30 minutes longer to get there since the craziness in Jerusalem makes it hard to be early.

Finally, we walked around, and ended the most wonderful day by watching a now familiar scene for me...Shabbat...or when the Jewish people celebrate at the Western Wall the beginning of their Sabbath. I truly wish you could one day be with me there to experience the joy!!