A Mother points to the Way
Mosaic of Sister Lucia'a last vision at Fatima, Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Donora, Pennsylvania. Created by Rudolph Rohn
Before reading this post I would like the reader to know that I am open to all religious traditions as far as any Spiritual Truth can be found within them. Furthermore, I would like to let it be known that I have stepped forth peacefully from the Catholic Church without bitterness some 20+ years ago. The following is just part of an account of my spiritual journey.
This post is dedicated with gratitude to my Mom. For she is the one who planted the first seed of Faith in my life when I was around 7 or 8 years old. She told me the story about her mom being miraculously healed as a answer to her prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is with that story that I began to believe in the real Love of the Virgin Mary for us. Since then I have always turned to Her during times I really need help and guidance. She has never failed me and now that seed my mom had sown has grown into a strong tree of Faith, I went from just believing to knowing to the extent that I do.
So, why am I sharing this with the world? Because upon reviewing my walk in Faith I have come to recognize a pattern. A pattern that points in one direction to the revelation God's Plan for Man. And by sharing I hope it will encourage others to review deeper their walk in life. To see how God has moved in their lives and that we can seek a deeper collective understanding of True Christianity.
Although I am no longer follow Roman Catholicism I grew up in that church. Believing in the Virgin Mary's intercession was of course a prominent tenure of the Church's teaching. I went to all the Catechism classes at Our Lady of Grace Church. Of course the 1917 Visions of the three sheperd children in Fatima, Portugal were often talked about. It is around that point I began to have the belief that the Blessed Virgin could and would actually appear and communicate with people.
Well, life went on and I never really thought about what the visions of the Blessed Virgin meant. Then in late my twenties I met some people who talked about the Virgin Mary appearing in Medjugorje Yugoslavia. I believed it to be true, but more importantly I decided to follow the messages that were being conveyed from there. That's when the Spirit of God really began to move in my life and my conversion began.
Among other messages, praying the Rosary was encouraged. It was something I never did before, but once I began my inner life began to change. A deeper sense of purpose, hope and peace began to well up in me. I did not just say the prayers over and over again, but meditated upon the meaning of each of Jesus, Mary and Joseph's actions that accompanied each section of the Rosary as described in Scripture. I tried to understand and live the virtues conveyed by each sections of the Rosary. While I no longer pray the Rosary, I try to live the mysteries there contained within.
I began to travel in religious circles and from there I was introduced to the message of Divine Mercy that came from a Sister Faustina's diary. She was a Polish Nun who lived in the early 20th century that reported having a vision of Jesus. Much could be said about Divine Mercy, but trying to understand the most simple prayer recorded in the Diary, 'Jesus, I trust in you' as a spiritual reality in my daily life became my preoccupation. For me the prayer served as a reminder to love God with all my mind, heart and strength, and to love my neighbor as I do myself. Not only that, but I was also reminded He wants to communicate with us even here on earth. And then Trust what you received. That might sound weird to many people, even Catholics, but after all, what is Holy Communion supposed to be all about? Should we not expect Him to communicate with us in some way?
It was 1991 and my fiance (now wife) and I had heard of special, seemingly miraculous signs occurring at two different churches outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So we went to see what they were all about. A few remarkable things did occur during our visit.
The first was that my Mom and Dad surprised us by showing up at the hotel we were staying at. I did tell my Mom where we were going be, not ever really thinking she would come to see us. But my Mom and Dad decided to meet us there without telling us. That might not sound unusual, but my Mom often suffered from debilitating depression, so seeing her smiling face when we walked into the hotel lobby was a great and wonderful surprise.
The first church we visited was Holy Trinity Catholic Community Church in Ambridge, Pa.
It was reported that the crucifix there depicting Jesus' with His eyes open would at times have it's eyes close.
We stopped to prayed there but what was more significant to me was the Divine Mercy picture of Jesus right over the tabernacle. We did take some pictures and most all of our pictures turned out normal except for a few. At the time the crucifix was draped in a red cloth and in one of the pictures only the stain glass window depicting Jesus Risen was visible. From the angle the picture was taken one should not been able to see it unobstructed. Plus, everything else was blacked out around it. (To the best of my recollection I was and am fairly certain I did not go up to the alter to take this picture.) With later Council we realized that it was a indication that Jesus wants us to focus on His Resurrection. What do you think? That church was closed in 1994.
Sunday, the next day, we visited The Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Donora, Pa. It had a huge Mosaic of marble chips created by German artist Rudolph Rohn in 1975 depicting the last vision of Lucia dos Santos of Fatima, Portugal. There too were reports of special signs given there by the Blessed Mother.
It was the Feast of Pentecost when we arrived and we were very late for Mass. To enter the church we had to open two very heavy doors and then go up a flight of covered stairs to the vestibule. We decided to wait there until Mass was over. No other people were there with us. While we were waiting a very strong wind blew open the shut doors and went right up the stairs into the vestibule. That was something. Well, after Mass was over we went inside to pray. All I can say is that Peace I felt there was so deep that I would describe it as almost like being submerged in water without being wet. The mosaic was beautiful. That experience is something I have contemplated over the years. The Church has since then also been closed.
Perhaps, these experiences are just for me. Yet, if you read my September 13th post, hopefully, you can see the pattern. Divine Mercy wants to lead us to a understanding. The Blessed Mother is the one who wants us contemplate the Holy Trinity. Because if we do we will see the One God and His Singular plan of Salvation. It is worth thinking about. The mosaic is made up of thousands of pieces showing a picture that tells a story. God wants us to be part of His mosaic. To put together all our collective experiences as pieces to a mosaic that reveals His Plan for us and all Mankind.
The book; God's Plan For Man, Who is the Messiah-Christ? can help us see the picture beyond standard theology. The author, Dennis A Gunn, has described the Plan not as a religious one but as a Spiritual Journey of Experience. It is worth checking out.
Among other messages, praying the Rosary was encouraged. It was something I never did before, but once I began my inner life began to change. A deeper sense of purpose, hope and peace began to well up in me. I did not just say the prayers over and over again, but meditated upon the meaning of each of Jesus, Mary and Joseph's actions that accompanied each section of the Rosary as described in Scripture. I tried to understand and live the virtues conveyed by each sections of the Rosary. While I no longer pray the Rosary, I try to live the mysteries there contained within.
I began to travel in religious circles and from there I was introduced to the message of Divine Mercy that came from a Sister Faustina's diary. She was a Polish Nun who lived in the early 20th century that reported having a vision of Jesus. Much could be said about Divine Mercy, but trying to understand the most simple prayer recorded in the Diary, 'Jesus, I trust in you' as a spiritual reality in my daily life became my preoccupation. For me the prayer served as a reminder to love God with all my mind, heart and strength, and to love my neighbor as I do myself. Not only that, but I was also reminded He wants to communicate with us even here on earth. And then Trust what you received. That might sound weird to many people, even Catholics, but after all, what is Holy Communion supposed to be all about? Should we not expect Him to communicate with us in some way?
It was 1991 and my fiance (now wife) and I had heard of special, seemingly miraculous signs occurring at two different churches outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So we went to see what they were all about. A few remarkable things did occur during our visit.
The first was that my Mom and Dad surprised us by showing up at the hotel we were staying at. I did tell my Mom where we were going be, not ever really thinking she would come to see us. But my Mom and Dad decided to meet us there without telling us. That might not sound unusual, but my Mom often suffered from debilitating depression, so seeing her smiling face when we walked into the hotel lobby was a great and wonderful surprise.
The first church we visited was Holy Trinity Catholic Community Church in Ambridge, Pa.
It was reported that the crucifix there depicting Jesus' with His eyes open would at times have it's eyes close.
We stopped to prayed there but what was more significant to me was the Divine Mercy picture of Jesus right over the tabernacle. We did take some pictures and most all of our pictures turned out normal except for a few. At the time the crucifix was draped in a red cloth and in one of the pictures only the stain glass window depicting Jesus Risen was visible. From the angle the picture was taken one should not been able to see it unobstructed. Plus, everything else was blacked out around it. (To the best of my recollection I was and am fairly certain I did not go up to the alter to take this picture.) With later Council we realized that it was a indication that Jesus wants us to focus on His Resurrection. What do you think? That church was closed in 1994.
Sunday, the next day, we visited The Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Donora, Pa. It had a huge Mosaic of marble chips created by German artist Rudolph Rohn in 1975 depicting the last vision of Lucia dos Santos of Fatima, Portugal. There too were reports of special signs given there by the Blessed Mother.
It was the Feast of Pentecost when we arrived and we were very late for Mass. To enter the church we had to open two very heavy doors and then go up a flight of covered stairs to the vestibule. We decided to wait there until Mass was over. No other people were there with us. While we were waiting a very strong wind blew open the shut doors and went right up the stairs into the vestibule. That was something. Well, after Mass was over we went inside to pray. All I can say is that Peace I felt there was so deep that I would describe it as almost like being submerged in water without being wet. The mosaic was beautiful. That experience is something I have contemplated over the years. The Church has since then also been closed.
Perhaps, these experiences are just for me. Yet, if you read my September 13th post, hopefully, you can see the pattern. Divine Mercy wants to lead us to a understanding. The Blessed Mother is the one who wants us contemplate the Holy Trinity. Because if we do we will see the One God and His Singular plan of Salvation. It is worth thinking about. The mosaic is made up of thousands of pieces showing a picture that tells a story. God wants us to be part of His mosaic. To put together all our collective experiences as pieces to a mosaic that reveals His Plan for us and all Mankind.
The book; God's Plan For Man, Who is the Messiah-Christ? can help us see the picture beyond standard theology. The author, Dennis A Gunn, has described the Plan not as a religious one but as a Spiritual Journey of Experience. It is worth checking out.
For it is the Dedicated work of the Son of Man.
http://www.theword2.org
My Mom is a part of that Mosaic for she gave me my first piece. How about you? Do you see the big picture? Who gave you your first piece? Mary Immaculate will guide you if you trust. And as I was reminded by the author, so I will remind; if you do trust. Then remember Her last recorded words from the Wedding Feast of Cana in Scripture.
"Do whatever He tells you" John 2:5
Then Trust Him
