Holy Relic Visitation: Our Lady of Fatima Prayer Group, 1/30/2016

Carrying my Godson
after prayer time.

Tonight's prayer group meeting - our first for 2016 - was a night of answered prayers and signal graces; a testimony to the power of prayer, especially the Holy Rosary.  On this very day a mother and daughter were reconciled after several months of estrangement; a married couple received a much-needed financial windfall from an unexpected source; a non-Catholic friend going through personal turmoil finally consented to join us after years of unanswered invitations; and, finally, our host's little baby boy (my Godson, right photo) was apparently blessed by Heaven in special way when we found his face and head sprinkled with golden escarchas after our prayer finished.  God is good!

In addition, our group found inspiration in the life and relic of the Blessed who I shared about at the start of our meeting.  It was Bl. Marguerite Bays (d. 1879), the Swiss lay-mystic and stigmatist, whose immense faith in God led her to trust that the illness (cancer) that she endured would draw her into a deeper union with Christ and save sinners, too.

Gold escarchas on the tip of my finger
that came from my Godson's head.

The simple truth is... no one living on this planet is exempt from trials and suffering - the people in our prayer group know this very well - but the attitude we choose to adopt in the face of them goes a long way towards how much impact they make on us.  In Bl. Marguerite's case, her sufferings, prayerfully accepted with faith, gave her life meaningful purpose... and even transformed her occasions of pain into JOY.  We, too, could be happy and at peace in the midst of our own trials.  The key is to TRUST in God, as Bl. Marguerite Bays exemplified through her holy life.

After prayers ended, the night continued with a soup dinner and conversation about various lighthearted topics.  As usual, there was a lot of laughter and fun, as our souls were unburdened during the prayer time.  There was also a sense of deep gratitude as we sat in the dining area, listening to testimonies... or just looking at the people present around the table and recognizing in each person's circumstances, the signal graces God had granted him or her today; graces received through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and her Rosary.  Thank you, Jesus and Blessed Mother - we trust in you!