March 7th & 8th; A Weekend Filled with the Inspiration of the Saints

For the most part, it was a gloomy weekend; a little overcast and unusually chilly for Hawaii weather standards at this time of the year. But despite the adverse weather conditions, it was a very busy weekend for my little ministry. St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Kailua had its monthly First Saturday Rosary for Peace yesterday and I also conducted another Saints and Holy Relics Presentation this afternoon. I'd like to think that, at least for us who participated in these events, the lives of our Saints and Blesseds brought us a measure of warmth and the light of heavenly inspiration in the cold and cloudiness.

MARCH 7th:  First Saturday Rosary for Peace at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Kailua

This month's First Saturday Rosary for Peace definitely had that Lenten "vibe" going on; the mood in the Day Chapel before we started our prayer was somewhat somber with the cold, darkened weather and my black-draped Rosa Mystica statue adding to the experience of it all. The statue looked imposing from its display, near the altar, and even its face appeared unusually serious and sad; a change from its normal amicable expression.

   

My Rosa Mystica statue, veiled in black, was

again the visual focal point of the meeting.

After the Rosary Prayer, several people

venerated the relics on the altar.

The mood lifted a bit when I shared about the life of St. Catherine of Bologna, our Saint of the Month. This Saint's goodness and practicality inspired admiration from the prayer participants... and amusement and awe when I spoke of a few of the numerous miracles that occurred through her intercession. I hoped my narrative of her incredible life encouraged the people to not hold back when it came to their personal spirituality, and to strive to live the same level of faith that leads to miracles. After all, we shouldn't forget that God is still working wonders even in our times.  You can read about St. Catherine of Bologna here.

But when the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary were prayed, things again became intense, at least for me. Our monthly parish rosary is always offered for World Peace and I couldn't help but think of recent events in the war-torn Middle East. My heart went out especially to the innocent people - Christians and Non-Christians - who are being brutally victimized and killed in the terror campaigns waged in that part of the world, especially in Iraq and Syria... and I wept. I felt wounded for the people and sad for our Lord, who is being re-crucified through the unjust persecution of His innocent children. It all just goes to show that now, more than ever, the world urgently needs prayers for PEACE, which is why I am happy and grateful we continue to gather for this special parish devotion, rain or shine.

So with that shared, the next First Saturday Rosary for Peace will be prayed on April 4th - Holy Saturday - beginning at 4:25pm.  All are welcomed to participate in our worthy Cause for Peace.

March 8th:  Holy Relics Visitation & Presentation

This afternoon I was re-invited to the Finan Residence in Hawaii Kai to conduct a second presentation. This time around, the BCC Cell Group that gathers weekly at the home requested a Saints and Holy Relics Presentation, which I gladly did for them.

My hosts - the Hawaii Kai BCC Cell

Group in the Finan Residence.

The Saints and Blessed who I chose to speak about, and whose holy remains were present, represented a diverse blend of vocations and spirituality. They included St. Bernadette Soubirous; St. Euphrasia Eluvathingal of the Sacred Heart; Pope St. John Paul II; Louis & Zelie Martin and their daughter, St. Therese of Lisieux;  Bl. Marguerite Bays; Bl. Mariam Baouardy; and St. Padre Pio. Only after I had planned the line-up did I realize that I had inadvertently included three Stigmatics in this presentation, which however, made for a good Lenten reflection on the Passion of Our Lord... and Jesus' call from Luke 9:23: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

After the presentation: participants

venerating the relics I brought to the Finan

Home and reading more about the Saints &

Blesseds I shared about, via my Bio-Notes.

As with the prior presentation, the feedback was positive and encouraging... but it was the beautiful, personal faith-experience stories that were shared with me by some of the group members that I will not forget. There was even an impressive first-time manifestation of escarchas that occurred in the Finan home on the evening of February 22nd, long after I finished my Rosa Mystica Presentation for the group and left. Significantly, the multi-colored flakes appeared in the vicinity of a large framed print of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was hanging nearby (see a video of the escarchas here). I have no doubt the sign of escarchas was the Blessed Mother's way of expressing her maternal presence with this special group of people.  God continue to bless them.