Rosa Mystica Speaking Presentation: Finan Residence, 2/22/2015

Early yesterday afternoon, I conducted my fifth speaking presentation on the Rosa Mystica (Mystical Rose) devotion.  The talk was, again, for a Basic Christian Community (BCC) cell group; a group of about a dozen people who meet every Sunday in the Finan Residence, in the town of Hawaii Kai.

Like previous Rosa Mystica Presentations, this one was well-received.  My audience showed genuine interest and openness, in regards to what I shared about the messages Our Lady delivered, via a series of apparitions in the picturesque Italian city of Montichiari-Fontanelle (read a little about it here).

Cell group members gathered around

my large Rosa Mystica pilgrim statue in

preparation for the Rosary Prayer.

After the presentation ended, a few people shared their feedback on the message and about their own personal devotion to the Blessed Virgin.  One gentleman, in particular - a Mr. Sia, who is a convert to Catholicism from Protestantism - touched me deeply with a story he shared.  He admitted that after coming into the Church, he put devotion to Mary on the "back burner" due to the strong influence of his prior beliefs... and it stayed that way for a long while until he went on a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Lourdes, France.  There, while praying in adoration before our Eucharistic Lord, he had a very special experience - Jesus spoke to him audibly and said, "... your love for me is not complete if you do not love my mother."  Wow - powerful words!  It was a moment that changed the man's life forever... and I couldn't agree more with the message he received.  We all then prayed the Rosary together and spent some time in fellowship over some refreshments before I packed up and headed out.

All through the presentation, I didn't sense anything out-of-the-ordinary, as I sometimes do... but later in the evening, after I got home, I learned that something usual did happen after all; it had to do with a photo I took earlier in the day.  I snapped two photos while in the Finan home to use for this blog - the first was of my Rosa Mystica statue on display in the living room... and the second photo was of some of the BCC group members right before the Rosary Prayer started (included above). When I reviewed the photos on my camera, the second photo turned out just fine, but the first photo did not turn out as expected.  Instead of seeing my pilgrim statue, the photo showed numerous globes of white light - very large "orbs" - as one can see to the right.  I was puzzled and I still don't know what to make of it (although the balls of light do kind of remind me of glowing rosary beads).

Anyhow, despite my nagging curiosity over the mystery photo... still, it was a beautiful and productive Hawaiian day for me.  The presentation was a success and I met new friends, and for these blessings I give thanks and praises to our Lord and our dear Blessed Mother.

* * *  UPDATE: 3/8/2015  * * *

I returned to the Finan Residence on the afternoon of March 8th to conduct one of my Saints and Holy Relics speaking presentations.  While setting up for the talk, and before everyone else arrived, me and a married couple present, were pulled aside by our host, Ines, who told us that she had something wonderful to share with us.

She took me to her living room and pointed to a low table that was in the vicinity of a large, framed print of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  On the table were small shimmering flakes scattered around a few picture frames and doilies; I recognized escarchas.  Lots of them!

My host then proceeded to tell us about how they had appeared the same night I conducted the presentation on the Rosa Mystica Devotion described above, but only later in the evening after I had already left.  I was deeply impressed and moved by this latest testimonial on the spiritual power of Our Lady.

Below is a short video I filmed of the escarchas in the Finan Home.  The flakes were a mix of silver, green, and red.

Look for the small round sparkles on

the table, which are the escarchas that

manifested in the Finan Home.

First Saturday Parish Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 2/7/2015

New Divine Mercy statue
(click to view larger)

I did something a little different at this month's First Saturday Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church; I didn't bring my Rosa Mystica statue, or any other of my Marian statues. Instead, I brought a statue of our Lord - a large Divine Mercy image - which I recently acquired.  It needed to be blessed by a priest so I thought I'd use it as the devotional focal point for our prayer service since I was bringing it to the church anyway... and it actually worked-out very well. 

With Lent coming up within a couple of weeks, the Divine Mercy Message (as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska) was an ideal reflection in preparation for this solemn time of spiritual cleansing and atonement in the Church.  I emphasized to the parishioners present that Lent is an especially powerful time each year to reflect on the Lord's immeasurable gift of Mercy to the world; to seek His Mercy for our transgressions; and to practice Mercy towards others in our day-to-day lives.

"I have opened my Heart as a living

fountain of mercy.  Let all souls draw

life from it.  Let them approach this sea

of mercy with great trust."

~  Words of Jesus to

St. Faustina Kowalska

Bl. Maria Domenica
Mantovani

Our February Saint of the Month who I introduced to the people was Bl. Maria Domenica Mantovani (d. 1934).  She was the co-founder (along with Bl. Giuseppe Nascimbeni) of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family that ministered to the sick and the elderly, as part of its mission.  As with many other Saints and Blesseds in the Church, this holy woman's life-work was a perfect exemplification and compliment to our current theme of Mercy, despite the fact that she died before the Divine Mercy Message was popularly widespread.  A bodily relic of Bl. Maria Domenica, as well as my ministry's relic of the True Cross, were also present in the Day Chapel to encourage and inspire greater devotion.

"Be ye therefore merciful, as your

Father also is merciful."

~ Luke 6:36

So we prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary and it was particularly meaningful in the presence of the Divine Mercy statue and the relics on the display altar.  Again, it felt as though we were in a "bubble" for the 25 minutes, or so, that we were engaged in the Rosary; caught up in the tangible presence of "something" definitely holy and temporarily disconnected from the outside world.  When we finished, several people went up to the front of the chapel to pay their respects to the relics and to pray for their personal intentions before going to the Mass.  A combination of Faith, Hope, Consolation, and Wonder were reflected on their faces.

Parishioners gather around the statue

and relics in prayer and veneration after

the completion of the Holy Rosary.

The next First Saturday Rosary for Peace at St. Anthony of Padua Church will be prayed on Saturday, March 7th, beginning at 4:25pm.  Come and be blessed - all are welcomed!

“Let souls who are striving for perfection

particularly adore My mercy, because

the abundance of graces which I grant

them flows from My mercy.”

~ Words of Jesus to

St. Faustina Kowalska

Saint of the Month - February 2015: Saint Apollonia

St. Apollonia, Virgin & Martyr

Patroness of Dentistry

Feast: February 9th

When it comes to picking Saints for my “Saint of the Month” posts, I try to pick certain ones whose Holy Relics are in my custody, or Saints/Blesseds who are also little-known or generally “under-appreciated”.  This particular Saint, I feel, is somewhat both… with her being the patroness of dentists and dental problems, and me being someone who had a lot of dental work done in recent years, I thought it would be personally relevant for me to do St. Apollonia honor by featuring her bio this month; by writing a post about her that people can sink their teeth into (haha!)...

According to a mix of historical facts and Sacred Tradition, St. Apollonia was a deaconess who lived in Alexandria (Egypt) during the reign of the Emperor Philip.  No concrete details are known about her early life, but an account of her passion and martyrdom was documented by St. Dionysius in the year 249, via a letter to the Bishop of Antioch... and it's enough to testify to the heroism and sanctity of this early Christian.

What we do know about this Saint is that she was denounced as a Christian during a time of intense persecution of the Faith, and brought before local authorities for interrogation and torture.  Apollonia was given two choices: she could either renounce her faith in Jesus Christ and offer sacrifice to the false gods of Rome, or submit to torture and execution.  Our Saint, of course, bravely chose the latter... upon which her guards then proceeded to first beat her before extracting some of her teeth with iron pincers, as an additional form of torture.  Despite her horrendous pain, Apollonia refused to submit!

When the Romans realized that they had failed miserably in breaking her spirit, a large bonfire was lit and the deaconess was threatened with a fiery death if she persisted in keeping the Faith.  Determined not to betray our Lord, and sensing that her martyrdom was inevitable, St. Apollonia valiantly threw herself into the raging flames before her executioners had the opportunity to do it themselves.  Thus, did she earn the glorious Martyr’s Crown and the amusing designation of “Patron Saint of Dentistry”.

A Reflection

Regardless of how we leave this earth, death is but a momentary passing into Eternal Life.

A Short Prayer

Lord, may we always be faithful to you even unto death, that we may merit the everlasting joy of seeing your Divine Countenance.  Amen.