Saint of the Month - March 2019: Saint Rafqa Ar-Rayes

St. Rafqa Ar-Rayes

The Lily of Lebanon

Feast: March 23rd

For March 2019, I feature a Saint whose life is an enigma for many - she asked the Lord for suffering and he granted her prayer.  A lot of people may not be able to wrap their head around why she would do such a thing... but it's simple - St. Rafqa wanted to be as close to Christ as possible; comprehending and appreciating every aspect of his life on earth so as to deepen her mystical union with him... even if it also meant embracing and experiencing the mystery of the Cross in all its painful fullness.  In this sense, her life was quite courageous and her example teaches us that there is immense spiritual value in the acceptance and carrying of one's own cross. 

Born and named Boutrossieh (romanized as "Petra", which I will use in this blog) on June 29, 1832, she was the only child of a peasant couple from Himlaya, Lebanon, who were members of the Maronite branch of the Catholic Church. According to her biography, her parents were pious, especially the mother, named Rafqa, who passed on her deep love of God to Petra before her untimely passing when her little girl was just 7-years-old.

In a few years, the once-happy household was reduced to near-poverty and Petra's father was forced to send her to work as a domestic in the house of a well-to-do acquaintance in Damascus, Syria.  Four years later, the daughter returned home only to be surprised by a new stepmother who was somewhat overbearing. The woman began planning a marriage for Petra to her own brother (step-uncle), while a maternal aunt argued to have the maiden marry her son (Petra's first cousin).  The heated conflict over her personal future was too much for the young woman since, for some time now, she had growing aspirations to give herself completely to Jesus Christ.

One of the few surviving photos of St. Rafqa.
Her biographies describe her as attractive.

Before matters could progress any further, Petra abruptly left home to enter the recently founded congregation of the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, also known as the "Mariamettes", in Bikfaya. When her parents learned of her whereabouts, they went to the convent to fetch her, but Petra convinced her superiors to send her parents away without giving them the opportunity to speak with her; she never saw them again.  The time frame this all took place was between the end of 1852 and beginning of 1853.

For the next 19 years, Petra, now Sr. Annisa ("Agnes"), lived the life of an exemplary religious - devout, humble, obedient, and ever-joyful - while fulfilling several duties as kitchen worker, catechist and teaching nun in different convents of her congregation.  However, in 1871, the Mariamettes merged with another congregation and the sisters were given the choice to become members of the new congregation or to be released from their vows; Petra opted for the latter as she discerned the call to enter a contemplative institution.  She prayed and God answered...

Petra had a dream in which she was visited by three venerable men who later turned out to be St. Anthony the Abbot, St. George the Soldier-Martyr, and the last was assumed to be a Baladita monk-Saint because of the words spoken to her by St. Anthony: "Become a nun in the Baladita Order".  Petra left for the Baladita convent of St. Simon in Al-Qarn, where the nuns warmly welcomed her.  She took the religious name of Rafqa ("Rebecca") in honor of her dearly departed mother. 

For the next 14 years, Sr. Rafqa again impressed her peers with her evident piety and virtue, and lived in a relatively good state of health until 1885.  Sometime during that fateful year, while praying in a chapel on behalf of other sisters, she complained to the Lord with the following words: "Why, O my God, have you distanced yourself from me and have abandoned me? You have never visited me with sickness! Have you perhaps abandoned me?" That very night Rafqa was attacked by a mysterious and terrible pain in her head that slowly spread down to her eyes, which in due time became inflamed and discharged blood and pus. The right eye, in particular, began to swell until medical experts finally advised its removal, which was done by an American doctor without any anesthesia per Rafqa's request.   Her only response to the excruciating pain she endured was her habitual exclamation in times of extreme pain: "In communion with Christ's Passion." +++

Another rare photo of St. Rafqa showing

the Saint (laying down) at the peak of her

sufferings next to her Mother Superior.

Rafqa's health only continued to worsen in the coming years until she was eventually blind in her left eye and confined to bed as a permanent invalid; bleeding from her eyes and nose were frequent.  Furthermore, her hip bone became dislocated and her frame withered to practically skin and bones as she lay on her right side, immobile in a fetal position... and, as if things couldn't get any worse, she developed a wound on her shoulder that she referred to as the Lord's shoulder wound caused by the carrying of his cross.+++  The poor nun was able to move her hands so to keep herself useful, she spun wool and knitted... and, of course, she prayed constantly.  Despite the unfortunate predicament she was in, Rafqa was never heard to utter a word of complaint... rather, she manifested deep resignation to the will of God and an unearthly joy that edified all who came into contact with her.

It should be noted that for all the suffering Sr. Rafqa experienced, the Lord consoled her with divine favors.  Two instances stand out - in the first, she regained sight in her remaining eye for an hour.  The grace was received in direct response to a wish she made to look upon the face of her mother superior, who had shown her so much maternal kindness in her sufferings.  Shortly after, the second incident occurred, which was a visit to Heaven where she was mystically transported for a couple of hours during an ecstasy, and participated in a joyous feast with the Saints.  Upon awakening from the experience, she was offered food by her superior but declined saying that she had just partaken of a most delicious meal of lamb at the heavenly banquet.

Rafqa died peacefully on March 23, 1914 - she was 81-years-old.  After she was buried a brilliant light emanated over her tomb for three consecutive evenings, attracting many to the site.  Remarkable cures were soon reported through the intercession of the humble Maronite nun, escalating Rafqa's fame of sanctity among the locals then beyond.  The Church declared her a Saint on June 10, 2001.

May St. Rafqa intercede in Heaven for peace in war-torn regions of the Middle East... and may she watch over our persecuted Christian brethren there, protecting them and instilling in them hope in God's Divine Love.

"I am not afraid of death which I

have waited for for a long time.  God

will let me live through my death.”

- Words of St. Rafqa

A 1st Class Relic from the bones of St. Rafqa,

displayed for veneration at the First Saturday

Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Church,

Kailua, on March 2, 2019.

A PRAYER TO ST. RAFQA

We ask you, Saint Rafqa, to spread true joy in our world, which is suffering; to comfort sad people and make them happy and caring; to teach us to pray with faith in Jesus Christ and to live our life peacefully.

Medicine was incapable of curing you, so you cured sick people by enduring pain and sharing with Jesus Christ the Mystery of Redemption. 

We ask you to wipe away tears; to cure sick people; to fill people’s hearts with joy and love; to help us follow your steps and virtues in order to glorify, with you, the Virgin Mary, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit forever.  Amen.

*** NOTE:  This author personally speculates that, based on the circumstances and nature of St. Rafqa's sufferings, she may actually have suffered the invisible stigmata of the crown of thorns although her biographies do not specifically mention this.  In addition, the wound on the shoulder seems to me to have been another form of stigmatization.

Monthly Messages from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: February 2019

Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Our Lady's Monthly Message to the World on February 25th:

   "Dear children! Today, I am calling you to a new life. It is not important how old you are, open your heart to Jesus who will transform you in this time of grace and, like nature, you will be born into a new life in God’s love, and you will open your heart to Heaven and the things of Heaven. I am still with you, because God permitted me out of love for you.  Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady's Special Message to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo on February 2nd:

   "Dear children, the love and goodness of the Heavenly Father give revelations which make faith grow, for it to be interpreted, that it may bring peace, certainty and hope. In this way, I, too, my children—through the merciful love of the Heavenly Father—always, anew, am showing you the way to my Son, to eternal salvation. But, unfortunately, many of my children do not want to hear me; many of my children are of two minds. And I—I always, in time and beyond time, magnified the Lord for all that He has done in me and through me. My Son gives Himself to you and breaks the bread with you. He speaks the words of eternal life to you so that you may carry them to everyone. And you, my children, apostles of my love, what are you afraid of when my Son is with you? Offer your souls to Him so that He can be in them and that He can make you instruments of faith, instruments of love. My children, live the Gospel, live merciful love for your neighbors, and, above all, live love for the Heavenly Father. My children, you are not united by chance. The Heavenly Father does not unite anyone by chance. My Son speaks to your souls. I speak to your heart. As a mother I am saying to you: set out with me, love one another, give witness. Do not be afraid, with your example, to defend the truth—the Word of God which is eternal and never changes. My children, whoever acts in the light of merciful love and truth is always helped by Heaven and is not alone. Apostles of my love, may you always be recognized among all others by your hiddenness, love and radiance.  I am with you.  Thank you."

Saint of the Month - February 2019: Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin

St. Gabriel [Possenti]

of the Sorrowful Virgin

Mary's Faithful Servant

Feast: February 27th

A painting of St. Gabriel that's said

to represent his true features.

This month I feature another Saint who could easily be overlooked.  He wasn't a founder of an Order or a religious congregation; he never built a church or established a famous shrine; he wasn't martyred for the Faith; and he never worked miracles in his life.  Instead, during his brief spiritual career, he was inconspicuous to the world.  Yet today, he's a Saint.  So what was his secret to sanctity you might wonder?  Simple - he lived his personal motto, and lived it well:

Faithfulness in little things.

St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin was born Francis Possenti on March 1, 1838.  He was the 11th of 13 children born to an upper-middle class family in the Italian city of Assisi.  According to what I've read about him, Francis was pious as a child - a practicing Catholic but not fervent - and his spirituality was especially shaped by his parent's devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows.

At 13, Francis experienced a serious medical crisis that nearly cost him his life.  More out of fear than genuine devotion, the adolescent prayed for a cure and promised to dedicate his life to God if he recovered.  He, indeed, was cured but the vow he made was quickly forgotten.

Two years later, at age 15, Francis was again sick - this time with an infected ulcer in his throat.  He once more turned to prayer for relief and repeated the promise he made earlier.  He was again healed... was fervent for a while... but still failed to make good on his promise.  Rather, he allowed himself to get caught up in all sorts of innocent distractions: he enjoyed hanging with friends, showing off his excellent dance skills, and was an avid hunter (he was an expert marksman).  Furthermore, Francis possessed a gregarious personality and naturally gifted with charisma and leadership ability, which made him popular with his peers.  If that weren't fortunate enough for him - he was also tall, dark and handsome, which made him the object of affection among the girls in his wide social circle.  In fact, he was known at the time for putting a lot of effort into his appearance and had a succession of girlfriends, which was probably a big reason why his intent to enter consecrated life fell through twice.

Things drastically changed for Francis when, circa 1855, he attended a procession honoring a famous icon of the Blessed Virgin in Spoleto, where his family had relocated.  When the image passed in front of him, its eyes mysteriously pierced him to his very soul and he simultaneously heard an inner voice gently rebuke him for not following-through with his promise and to hasten in fulfilling it.  That was it - from that very moment he resolved to quit the world to follow God.  The young man announced his plan to his family and friends but no one took him seriously; they assumed it was a short phase that would speedily run its course.  It wasn't.

An encounter with Mary that changed the
course of the Saint's life.

Francis first applied with the Jesuits but was turned down for being too young... so he next went to the Passionist Congregation and was accepted.  His father made a last ditch effort to dissuade him but gave up when he was finally convinced of his son's sincerity.  Francis entered the Passionist novitiate in Morrovalle in September, 1856, and took the religious name of Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin.

The next few years of Gabriel's life would seem uneventful from a worldly point of view.  As mentioned earlier, externally, he never stood out for anything extraordinary.  But internally, within the young man's soul, spiritual growth was moving at rapid speed.  It almost seemed like he was making up for lost time and was rushing in his effort to become holy.  From the personal notes he left behind, it was clear he was intent on conquering his old self by perfectly observing the strict Passionist Rule... and, of course, there was his personal motto: faithfulness in little things.

Four to five years into his religious life, Gabriel was diagnosed with dreaded tuberculosis.  Back in his time, it was generally considered a death sentence, but the young man took his fate in stride.  He had already endeared himself to his superiors and brethren, who were impressed with his deep faith, courage, humility, and spirit of prayer and self-sacrifice.  Despite the increasing pain he suffered, he projected cheer and calm.  In life he personified Passionist spirituality and while dying, he did so, too - moments before his death on February 27, 1862, Gabriel suddenly gazed upwards to his left with a look of ecstatic joy.  He then raised his arms towards something unseen before expiring with a smile on his face.  It was surmised that Our Lady, to whom he maintained a strong devotion, had personally come to claim his soul.  He passed in the Passionist Monastery of Isola del Gran Sasso and was just a couple of days shy of his 24th birthday.

A scene of St. Gabriel Possenti's

holy and happy death.

The Passionists never forgot their saintly member and Gabriel's fame of holiness spread outside of the congregation and to the outside world, especially after a biography of him was published.  Many cures were then reported through his intercession, which eventually culminated in his Canonization on May 13, 1920.  St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin is designated as a Patron Saint of the Youth - may he bless and inspire today's young people to imitate him in living a life of faith and devotion.

A Prayer to

St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin

   O Lord, you taught Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin to contemplate the pains of your sweet Mother, and by means of her raised him to the highest peaks of sanctity, grant to us, through his intercession and example, to live so united to your Sorrowful Mother so as to enjoy always her maternal protection. You, who are God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.