"Truth exists. The Incarnation happened." - Dr. Warren Carroll "Miracles exist. The sun danced at Fatima." - Miss Marcel He asked her “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Teresa of Jesus. And who are you?” To which the child responded, “I am Jesus of Teresa." * * * Wouldn't you like to obtain today (or next week, or better yet last week) at least a hundred miracles? This past Sunday I had the joy of speaking to about 80 confirmation students, and I asked them if they would like to SEE a miracle - they all would! - and if any would like to have a miracle (for themselves or someone they loved) - and many would like that too. I feel just the same! How astounding that 107 years ago on October 13, 1917 there was a miracle in Fatima, Portugal that was seen and experienced by 70,000 people! How were there 70,000 witnesses? Well, Our Lady had foretold the miracle to the three little shepherds of Fatima, the children she had been appearing to and who had asked her for a sign to show the grown ups it was true. Then thanks to the faith - as well as the unbelief - of the Portuguese people, thousands upon thousands trekked to the spot in October on the appointed 13th day. I say thanks to their faith because that brought tens of thousands through terrible weather to the spot where Our Lady was appearing . . . and I say thanks to their unbelief, because some of that 70,000 lucky enough to witness the Miracle of the Sun had come to mock and deride . . . Yet even the most secular and atheistic newspapers of the time, whose journalists had indeed gone to mock the spectacle (which they fully expected to be lots of people and no miracle) witnessed the event - or experienced it, would be a better word - and then wrote about the indisputable Miracle of the Sun which not only spun in the sky and shot out glorious colors of bright lights but also plummeted toward the crowds, frightening even the most hardened atheists among them into a posture on their knees crying out to God for mercy. If any were determined or inclined or simply tempted to deny the miracle when the sun then returned to its normal place and appearance high overhead, they were confronted with the extra miracle that after hours of torrential rains, the mud, flooding, and puddles as well as the drenched clothing of the 70,000 observers were dry as the desert after the 10 minute spinning-sun event. What I love is that even our own mocking and deriding newspapers are sometimes forced into admitting the truth of history . . . On November 18, 1951, thirty-four years later, the New York Times had an article under this headline: PHOTOGRAPHS HELD PROOF OF MIRACLE; Vatican Newspaper Shows Pictures of Sun Dipping in Portugal in 1917 Vision of Virgin One would like to say the result was universal conversion, but we're a stiff necked people, we are! Nonetheless, what a beautiful gift and proof of the love of Our Lady, who wanted us to know we could believe she was, by God's designs, not only maternal but also powerful. Which is why we are delighted to begin the second half of our latest double novena with redoubled confidence and hope in Heaven's plan for us and the miracles ahead. Before I forget, which I'm apt to instantly do, let me mention one of the miracles we've recently been praying for and would like to share with you so that you can join us . . . Do you remember Leonardo DeFilippis? No, not the Renaissance inventor and painter, and no, not the Ninja Turtle, and no, not even the actor in Titanic. We're talking about the marvelous Catholic Leonardo who (from a bio we found online) "after years as a Shakespearean actor . . .embarked on a spiritual journey that led him to found a Catholic theater company, Saint Luke Productions, in 1980. Millions throughout the US, Canada, and Europe have seen his work as an actor, producer, and film director. Performance venues . . . have included churches, major theaters, civic centers, penitentiaries, schools, and cloistered convents. Leonardo also performed at World Youth Day in Denver and Rome. . . "One of his most ambitious projects was the direction, production, and distribution of the feature film Thérèse. This was the first motion picture distributed solely by an independent Catholic film company . . . He continues to tour with Vianney and Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz. His most recent drama, Tolton: From Slave to Priest, tells the remarkable story of America's first Black priest. "On August 6, 1983, the Feast of the Transfiguration, Leonardo married his beloved wife Patti. They have been blessed with seven children and reside in Washington State." HERE is a wonderful interview he did with Mother of Divine Grace (MODG) school. (Click on this bold "HERE" to read it.) And now that you know who our Leonardo is, let me tell you about the miracle he's asking us to join him in obtaining. From a letter he wrote to a mutual friend: "I want to ask for your fervent prayers. An MRI has revealed that our granddaughter Ava has an inoperable tumor in the back of her brain. It will only get worse that we know so far, and there is no cure for it . . . So we ask for your prayers that God will use Venerable Father Augustus Tolton to bring about a miracle. Little Ava is only 4 years old. Thanks for your prayers." Here is the prayer to Father Tolton: Father in Heaven, Father Tolton’s suffering service sheds light upon our sorrows; we see them through the prism of your Son’s passion and death. If it be your Will, O God, glorify your servant, Father Tolton, by granting the favor I now request through his intercession (Ava’s healing) so that all may know the goodness of this priest whose memory looms large in the Church he loved. Complete what you have begun in us that we might work for the fulfillment of your kingdom. Not to us the glory, but glory to you O God, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are our God, living and reigning forever and ever. Amen And if you don't print it out, I'm sure some days you might just say, "Fr. Tolton, intercede to heal Ava please!" and that works too! Our plan was to start the second half of our double novena yesterday, and we may be a day late and a dollar short, but we're ready! Actually, this post did go up yesterday, and I was only a minute late (not a day), pressing "publish" at 12:01. It turns out that, by golly, the system we have set up works! If I publish by noon, the day's work goes out to subscribers a few minutes later. But alas, if I publish at 12:01, those who subscribe (that is, sign up to automatically get Miss Marcel's Musings by using the Subscribe button on the bottom of the page on a phone or on the right sidebar on a computer) will not receive the email until the next day. The good news is we officially started the second half of our double novena yesterday. The better news is that this morning we have been able to add in the exciting news that it is at last THE FEAST OF OUR HOLY MOTHER, ST. TERESA OF JESUS OF AVILA!!!! For Carmelites, this is even a solemnity, and I figure that at Miss Marcel's Musings we are all at least honorary Carmelites because of Marcel's great desire to be one (a Carmelite), not to mention that his dearest sister and ours, St. Therese of the Child Jesus of Lisieux (we have to mention all these names to try to prevent confusion) aka The Little Flower, is a Carmelite. So happy solemnity, and may our holy mother join our littlest sister and brother in showering you with roses galore! That means miracles too! In our latest double novena, the first 9 days extended from October 5, feast of St. Faustina and Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos to October 13, this past Sunday on the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, Now the second half of this double novena started yesterday on the feast of Pope Saint Callistus, also the Vigil of our Holy Mother St. Teresa of Jesus of Avila, and goes to that day of days, October 22, feast of our beloved Papa, St. John Paul II. Don't worry if you missed yesterday due to circumstances beyond your control. In fact, part of our official policy is to repeat as often as possible the words of Our Lord, Our Lady, Our Holy Mother Teresa, and my husband (sometimes known as The Wizard because he's REALLY smart, so you can trust him too, I promise) - Don't worry about anything!!! If you want exact quotes, I refer you to the gospel of John, Chapter 14; the words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St Juanito Diego and to us; the words of St. Teresa's bookmark, the book of Conversations (with Jesus, Mary, and St. Therese) by Marcel Van, and . . . well, it's hard to give you a reference for my husband's repetition of these words, but let's just say if you were a fly on the wall of our homes for the past 36 years, you would have heard "Don't worry about anything" on a nearly daily basis! Praise God for His infinite kindness as expressed through the words I need to hear endlessly! So yes, please don't worry if you are late to the party, which in fact is renewed each day. And if you are late to the novena, no worries there either, we've got your back. I've decided it would be wonderful to simply pray for all 70,000 of our very specific intentions, in honor of the spectators of the Miracle of the Sun! But rather than name them all (I am generously including yours in the 70,000 but without your explicit permission, I'd rather not name them in case you feel they're too personal to share . . .), let's order them as follows: 1. For Ava, for a complete miraculous healing of her brain tumor, and for an awesome long life of sanctity to follow, all through the intercession of Venerable Fr. Augustus Tolton. 2. For each and every one of our personal intentions, for ourselves, our loved ones, those who have asked our prayers, those for whom we've promised to pray, and those who need our prayers - that many miracles will flow from the largesse of our awesome God through the intercession of our brother Marcel Van, our sister St. Therese, our brother Venerable Tolton, and through the kind intercession also of the saints whose feasts began yesterday and go to October 22nd - and they owe me one, because it was precisely my desire to include all these names of our brothers and sisters that made my post publishing a literal minute too late! - St. Callistus, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Hedwig, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Luke and Dr. Conrad Baars, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Jean de Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues, St. John de Lalande, St. Charles Garnier, St. Rene Guipil, St. Anthony Daniel, St. Gabriel Lalemant, and St. Noel Chabanel (North American martyrs), St. Maria Bertille Boscardin, Blessed Daudi Okello and Blessed Jildo Irwa (Ugandan martyrs), St. Paul of the Cross, Blessed Karl of Austria, St Celine (mother of St. Remigius), St. Mary Salome (one of the three Marys at the foot of the Cross), and St. Pope John Paul II, pray and intercede for us with our adorable little Jesus, our infinitely merciful Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit of Love! 3. Our final intention is that through these same Saints, and especially through the intercession of our Holy Father John Paul II, with the added intercession and assistance of Padre Pio and Don Dolindo, we might love the Rosary (and our Blessed Mother) as much as they did, and in fact we ask "a double portion of their spirit" from the Saints who have loved the Rosary and Our Lady the most! We have the prayer above to Fr. Tolton for Ava (as well as any intentions you'd like to commend to him), and now in honor of our Holy Mother Teresa, here is another possible prayer for the novena. It's more of a bit of advice and a meditation, an expansion of that wisdom above, "Don't worry about anything," but I think it works well as a way to lead us to expect miracles and become saints. Here is her bookmark: Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices. Nada te turbe; nada te espente; todo se pasa; Dios no se muda. La paciencia Todo lo alcanxa. Quien a Dios tiene, nada le falta. Solo dios basta. And finally, I've been enjoying the simple prayer that St. Faustina taught us (that Jesus taught her): Jesus, I trust in You! and the prayer Jesus taught Marcel: Little Jesus, I love You a lot! We are very big here on liberty of the spirit in prayer, or as our Holy Mother said regarding prayer and union with God: "One must walk this road in freedom." Feel free then, please, to take any one of these or another prayer for your daily novena prayer, and take them all if you like, but only if it brings peace. Draw me, we will run! P.S. If you want to keep up with Ava's miracle, you will find the latest updates on these two sites: Caring Bridge site for Ava GoFundMe site for Ava P.P.S. We happen to have an extra copy of Marcel's Conversations at our house. (This is besides my original, my second copy, my husband's copy, and the copy I "crafted" into several smaller volumes for easy purse-fit and transport.) That means a feast day prize for someone who would like a copy of the book that perhaps repeats "Don't worry about anything" just a little less than the Bible does but more than any other book I know! If you would like to win this book, contact me (at the "contact" button on this page) and it is yours! I only have one extra copy, but if there is more than one reader here who contacts me for it, I'll see what I can do about getting more. I hate to think any of you are deprived of the greatest book on earth (after the Holy Scriptures and the Summa!) . . . and it's a feast, so we need gifts! If you can't find the "contact" button or are shy or already have your own 3 copies of Conversations, might I suggest a cupcake, a hot mug of tea, a latte, or a glass of wine? There's no accounting for tastes, but the point is to rejoice and feast because you now have another mom in Heaven! St. Teresa of Jesus, our holy mother and beloved friend of Jesus, teach us to speak to Him always, and give Him a big, loud, smacking kiss for us today! Comments are closed.
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Miss MarcelI've written books and articles and even a novel. Now it's time to try a blog! For more about me personally, go to the home page and you'll get the whole scoop! If you want to send me an email, feel free to click "Contact Me" below. To receive new posts, enter your email and click "Subscribe" below. More MarcelArchives
September 2024
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