Disclaimer

NOTICE: I am a practicing Catholic, active and in good-standing with my local diocese, who professes faith and loyalty to the Church. This ministry - my "little work" - is strictly a personal expression of that faith and loyalty, and not an officially recognized ministry in the Diocese of Honolulu.

~ Peter, Ministry Administrator


Saturday, July 25, 2015

Monthly Messages from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: July 2015


Dear Children...

Our Lady's Monthly Message to the World on July 25th:
   "Dear children!  With joy I am with you also today and I call all of you, little children, pray, pray, pray so as to comprehend the love which I have for you.  My love is stronger than evil, little children, therefore draw closer to God so as to feel my joy in God.  Without God, little children, you do not have a future, you do not have hope or salvation; therefore leave evil and choose good.  I am with you and, with you, I intercede before God for all of your needs.  Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady's Special Message to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo on July 2nd:
   "Dear children, I am calling you to spread the faith in my Son - your faith.  You, my children illuminated by the Holy Spirit, my apostles, transmit it to others - to those who do not believe, who do not know, who do not want to know - but for that you must pray a lot for the gift of love, because love is the mark of true faith - and you will be apostles of my love.  Love always, anew, revives the pain and the joy of the Eucharist, it revives the pain of the Passion of my Son, by which He showed you what it means to love immeasurably; it revives the joy for having left you His body and blood to feed you with Himself - and in this way, to be one with you.  Looking at you with tenderness, I feel immeasurable love which strengthens me in my desire to bring you to a firm faith.  Firm faith will give you joy and happiness on earth and in the end the encounter with my Son.  This is His desire. Therefore, live Him, live love, live the light that always illuminates you in the Eucharist.  I implore you to pray a lot for your shepherds, to pray so as to have all the more love for them because my Son gave them to you to feed you with His body and to teach you love.  Therefore, also you are to love them.  But, my children, remember, love means to endure and to give, and never, ever to judge.  Thank you."

Monday, July 13, 2015

Rosa Mystica Speaking Presentation: Cobb-Adams Residence, 7/13/2015


 
Photos in the Cobb-Adam's Home with my host
and my Rosa Mystica statue on display.

Today, July 13th, is the unofficial Feast of Mary, the "Mystical Rose" (a.k.a. the "Rosa Mystica").  So I was very happy to have been able to share about the Rosa Mystica apparitions/devotion on this particular day that she - our dear Blessed Mother - had requested through the visionary, Pierina Gilli (d. 1991), to be the special day designated to honor this most beautiful of her many titles; the location of the presentation was in the Cobb-Adams Home in Kailua, windward Oahu.

The Cobb-Adams and their close relatives hold monthly Rosary Prayer Meetings between May thru October of each year, on the 13th day of each month (patterned after the Fatima apparitions)... and my presentation was worked into the July meeting schedule.  We started with the speaking presentation; followed it with the Holy Rosary, which we especially dedicated to the Rosa Mystica; then closed with a fellowship dinner.

From the start of the program, I had a strong sense there was a genuine interest and sincere devotion to Our Lady in my audience members; that the divine message delivered by the Blessed Mother in Montichiari (Italy) would find receptive, fertile soil tonight in the hearts of the people.  This was confirmed during the Rosary Prayer when fine silver flakes of escarchas began manifesting on the wooden floor boards, and then on some of the prayer participants.  It was apparent that we were being granted a special sign of Our Lady's presence, as there was nothing around us that had any type of man-made glitter on it.


At first only a few sparkles were seen, here and there, in a certain area on the floor... but then at one point, the escarchas appeared to multiply all over the floor and some people even used scotch tape to collect them!  It was simply amazing... and I knew it was the Blessed Virgin's way of putting emphasis on the Rosa Mystica message that was just relayed to the people... and to also let us all know that she was highly pleased that we had prayed and honored her tonight under her Mystical Rose title.

Escarchas on my finger tip that I picked-up off
the floor where I saw them suddenly appear.

And so the night ended with lots of joy and excitement amongst us because of the wonderful sign we were privileged to witness, via the appearance of the escarchas; Our Lady, I'm sure, gained several new advocates for her Montichiari-Fontanelle messages... and I left the Cobb-Adams Home content and with deep gratitude towards the family (and the Lord) for the delicious meal, and for the warm Christian Fellowship we shared.  Again, God is good!


* *  Testimony from M. Cobb-Adams  * *

"Thank you again, Peter.  A lot of comments saying they loved your presentation and it inspires them to want to pray more for priests and religious, and know more about our Blessed Mother.  God bless you, Peter!"

Saturday, July 4, 2015

First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 7/7/2015


Happy 4th of July!  Our monthly Rosary Meetings focus on interceding for PEACE in this life in a widening range: Peace within ourselves; within our families; within our neighborhoods; within our country; and finally, Peace for the entire world... but this month - being that today commemorates the birth of the USA - I couldn't help but be preoccupied with the spiritual well-being of my country, which urgently stands in need of prayer.

All one has to do is turn on the television news and every other month it almost seems that there's a mass-shooting occurring somewhere in the USA; sometimes followed by rioting... and we all know what the Supreme Court recently did on June 26th, 2015: same-sex marriage was legalized... and now guess what? There's a man with two wives (the practice of bigamy) somewhere in the country who just launched a court battle to have his second marriage legalized.  I don't even want to speculate what will follow next.  All I can foresee is my poor country slipping more and more into moral degradation... and eventual self-destruction.  God help us.  

So it was good we prayed this evening, America's 239th birthday... and surprisingly, despite the popular 4th of July celebrations that were planned throughout the island, we actually had a decent turnout.  About 16 people attended when I was only expecting to see less than half of that number in our Day Chapel tonight.

A rare relic of Bl. Peter: leather
from a belt he wore when he died.
Our Saint of the Month - Bl. Peter To Rot - was also appropriate in lieu of current events.  He died in July 1945 and his annual Memorial will fall on this Tuesday, July 7th.  Bl. Peter was a lay-catechist of Papua New Guinea who was martyred by Japanese soldiers (Japan occupied the small island nation during WWII) because of his staunch defense of Church Teachings, which the foreign invaders outlawed.

In particular, our Martyr was found guilty of encouraging resistance to the revival of polygamy (multiple marriages), which the Japanese encouraged in an effort to undermine western influence in Papua New Guinea, including Christianity. Bl. Peter instructed his fellow Catholics to remain monogamous and not break their marriage vows; hence, the reason for his arrest and execution. One can see why his example and intercession is more relevant for today's society than it has ever been.  Let us ask Bl. Peter's prayers for the world, especially on his upcoming Memorial.

The next First Saturday Rosary for Peace will be offered on August 1st.  We invite all those seeking peace and special graces in their lives to come and pray with us.  The Rosary Prayer is powerful and the more people praying together, the louder our knocks at Heaven's door.  God bless America!

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Saint of the Month - July 2015: Saint Veronica Giuliani



St. Veronica Giuliani
A heart totally given to Christ
Feast: July 9th

In my personal opinion, the short biography that you're about to read below belongs to one of the greatest mystics in the history of the Church; she ranks among the few chosen souls who experienced a wide array of extraordinary manifestations of the Divine, while rising to the highest peaks of sanctity.  The words below, which she uttered on her deathbed, can be used to summarize her holy and prodigious life:

"I have found Love, Love has
let Himself be seen!"

Born in the Italian city of Mercatello on December 27, 1660, this Saint was originally named “Orsola (Ursula)” by her devout parents; she was the youngest of seven children in the upper middle-class Giuliani family. When she was only 7-years-old, Orsola’s mother, Benedetta, was struck with an illness that took her life. Before she died, Benedetta conceived the idea of commending her five daughters to one of the sacred wounds of Jesus Christ; Orsola was assigned the chest wound that reached deep into the Lord’s Sacred Heart.  It was a gesture that later proved to be prophetic.

As often narrated in the lives of great female mystics of the Church, Orsola was unusually pious from a very young age; she was reported to reserve a part of her daily meals as alms for the poor and was inclined to voluntary penitential practices.  She even received occasional visits from Our Lady and Christ, who came to her as a beautiful child of comparable age to her.  It goes without saying love blossomed in her little heart for her mysterious playmate. 

In the meantime, despite her budding spirituality, her father’s intent was to groom her for a suitable marriage.   Orsola resisted the idea and made known her desire to enter into consecrated life.  After repeatedly pleading her case, she convinced her father of her sincerity and firm resolve, and he relented after she fell seriously ill.  In so doing, Orsola entered the Franciscan Capuchin Monastery of Citta-di-Castello in 1677, when she was 17-years-old.  She took the name Veronica, after the enigmatic Saint who compassionately ministered to the Lord on his way to Calvary.

The Franciscan Capuchin Monastery
in Citta-di-Castello, where St. Veronica
spent her entire religious life.

In the beginning of her new life, Veronica was subjected to severe temptations of every sort, including the desire to quit the monastery.  She fought the devil’s influence by wholeheartedly embracing the Franciscan ideals of poverty and mortification, and by blindly surrendering to the guidance of her superiors.  In spite of her initial challenges, the young nun persevered and eventually thrived in her vocation, fulfilling various positions in the monastery ranging from a kitchen helper; infirmarian; doorkeeper; Novice Mistress (for 34 years); and eventually the role of Abbess (last 11 years of her life).

Extraordinary preternatural graces also began increasing in Veronica’s life: Ecstasies, Visions, Levitations, spiritual voyages into Hell and Purgatory, and profound private revelations.  This mystical escalation was preceded with haunting images of a chalice from which she was invited to drink.  It was, without a doubt, a foreshadowing of terrible trials to come.

"Many do not believe that hell exists,
and I tell you that you yourself, who have
been there, have understood nothing of
what hell is."

~ Words of Our Lady to St. Veronica,
after one of the Saint’s mystical voyages
to the abode of the damned.

In 1694, the Crown of Thorns was imprinted around Veronica’s brow… and on Good Friday, 1697, the stigmatic marks in the hands, feet, and side also appeared on her body.  The wounds opened and bled intermittently, and when they did so, a delightful fragrance emanated from them, which was enough to alert the other nuns as to when the stigmata were active.

            
Illustrated scenes from the mystical life
of St. Veronica, which included visions
of Our Lady and of Christ Crucified that
left her stigmatized.

Not surprisingly, the increasing physical signs of Veronica’s discrete mystical life soon came to the attention of her Bishop; given their highly visible nature, it simply became impossible for the nun to conceal the phenomena.  A commission was formed to examine them but, more so, to test Veronica’s spirit.

At the time of the inquiry, the Saint was Novice Mistress and was relieved of the position, after which severe moral challenges followed for her: Sr. Veronica was isolated in a remote cell and prevented from having close contact with the other nuns; she was deprived of Holy Communion and only permitted to attend Mass on Sundays and Feast Days (while standing from the chapel door); she was grilled about her spiritual life and writings; and the stigmatic wounds were rigorously examined by doctors and ecclesiastical authorities.  What was particularly unusual was the finding that her deep chest wound closed and reopened at her Bishop's command within a brief span of time!

If the above trials were not enough, the poor nun also had to contend with physical harassment from the devil, who came to her as a hideous, malshapen humanoid.  Veronica bravely stood firm against these attacks, which failed to hinder her vocation in any way.

Through every ordeal she faced - temporal and spiritual - Sr. Veronica complied with all the restrictions imposed on her and, after the period of inquiry ended, she impressed the Bishop and her superiors with her evident humility, obedience, and the inexplicable nature of the phenomena surrounding her; convincing all of the divine origin of the graces manifested in her life.  The Novice Mistress was reinstated and allowed to return to the daily routine of her community.

It’s important to note that not all of Veronica’s mystical experiences were associated with suffering; there were also many heavenly consolations that left her uplifted with sheer joy, among which was her “Mystical Marriage” to Christ.  During this vision, Jesus gifted her with a gold ring that only she could see but on occasion was seen by others.  A nun who repeatedly saw it described the ring in the following manner: “This ring encircled her ring finger as ordinary rings do.  On it there appeared to be a raised stone as large as a pea and of a red color.”

When Veronica was elected Abbess in 1716, her governance was marked with prudence and practicality.  She was an ideal example of virtue and self-sacrifice for her spiritual-daughters to emulate, but also skillfully negotiated renovations to the monastery to improve their living conditions (e.g. had plumbing installed to pipe in water).  Her rich mystical life in no way interfered with her administrative duties as Superior.

A wax image of St. Veronica in her convent
 that encloses her skull and bones.

The holy Abbess passed away on July 7, 1727, after lingering from complications due to a stroke.  She was 67-years-old and had spent 50 years of consecrated life intimately united to Christ.  It was with him, and through him, she generously ministered to the spiritual needs of the Church through prayer and sacrifice; her heart truly given over to her beloved spouse, Jesus.

"We cannot go preaching around the
world to convert souls, but we are obliged
to pray continually for all those souls who
are offending God... particularly with our
sufferings, that is with a principle of
crucified life."

~ Exhortation of St. Veronica
to her nuns

And speaking of the Saint's heart - interestingly, Veronica had often remarked to her confessor that her heart was physically imprinted with emblems of the Passion – the Cross, Nails, Crown of Thorns, etc. – so, at her confessor’s request, she had a sketch done of her heart showing the symbols that she claimed were on it... and when others were added by Christ (e.g. the Flagrum, Spear, Sponge, etc.), an updated diagram was created. 

Given the multitude of visible signs already witnessed, the Saint’s descriptions of her heart were deemed compelling.  It was decided soon after her passing that Veronica’s heart would be examined to confirm the veracity of her claims.   To the surprise and awe of those present at the autopsy, her heart was discovered to be indeed clearly "branded" with the religious images she described while alive!  Hence, the reason why this Saint is popularly depicted in her iconography as holding a heart in one hand.

Relics of St. Veronica preserved in her
monastery: framed sketches of her heart
marked with emblems of the Passion,
and a wax death mask that preserves
her actual facial features.

St. Veronica Giuliani was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839.  Her body, which was initially exhumed incorrupt, was reduced to bones by a devastating flood that inundated Citta-di-Castello, including her monastery.  The skull and bones that survived the water damage were later enclosed in a wax figure with a mask modeled after the Saint’s actual features.  These hallowed relics are now enshrined and venerated in the chapel of her Capuchin Monastery.

May St. Veronica pray for our personal needs and the needs of the universal Church.

A Reflection
God reveals Himself to those who sincerely love and seek Him.

A Short Prayer
Lord, fill our hearts with a deep love for you as you did the heart of St. Veronica Giuliani.  Amen.