I think it is because the picture was seized in a raid and damaged- that was my understanding. As a convert is is all new to me
God has granted me many visions, dreams and messages since my becoming Catholic in 1993 which I will not post unless Our Lord prompts me to do so, but one thing you might ponder that He told me just after my coming into the Catholic Church, "It was My Mother who picked you up from the gutter and brought you to Me." Please consecrate your children and families to Our Blessed Mother if you have not done so! Blessings/
...recognizing Christ in others... Never even thought of that! Maybe coz I do it so little Another grace to pray for
Great advice lynnfiat...I personally have only a few small or little signs of the mystical to mention but not even close to a vision or apparition...but the greatest sign I have received is in the way in which my prayer is answered. I hate to say it but I feel as if I have a bit of the angle of death about me or better yet...the angle of vengeance. I know this sounds really weird or even evil...but whenever and without fail...I pray for chastisement...it happens. I do not pray it often...but if I see some evil about me..I pray that God chastise such and such...not for their destruction...but for their conversion...it happens. I suspect this method of prayer is really not "to out there"... for us Christians. You really must be careful not to due it out of vengeance or revenge or in anger...but with the spirit of love, justice and mercy. I am reminded that St Peter struck two people dead in the New Testament. What authority!
It may be that that person, on the precipice of a cliff who is teetering is spiritually waiting for one more prayer so that God can give them His "Come to Jesus" --moment. Hope that makes sense. You, being a prayer warrior see that as a battle of good and evil and are perfectly compelled to 'pray them over the edge.' LOL I'm seeing a picture right now...!
Thanks MS 7...I've always enjoyed your brevity given the situation at hand. God is so good...there are many prayer warriors here...so when bad things...just remember... He chastises the ones he loves...man He must really love us!
Although I have never expereinced a locutation or apparition, I know that there has been intervention in my life. My son broke his neck (C1 for the nurses out there) that would normally be a devistating accident. My son was fine... although broken in half there was no movement of the bone which kept the spinal column in tact- he was called a miracle and I concurr...... I wanted to mention that I believe that we are all witnessing something special from this site.... this site has brought together some very special individuals including visionaries such as Pelianto, Charlie Johnson and John Martinez... There is certainly some divine intervention here I believe for each of us! Mary is bringing us together for some reason.......
Kclark. I agree!! I can think back to my own reversion back to the church saved out of the new age path that I stumbled into for years away from the church of my birth. It was not the Catholic faith that brought me back to God but was a devout Baptist friend who challenged me with one question, "Do you know for certain where you are going when you die?" that did it for me. I could not answer this question with pure faith as she could and I just couldn't handle it. I was filled with so much certainty and pride and yet I could not answer this question deep down in my soul. I cried out to God for help and boy did he help. In my returning back to God I was seriously thinking that my Catholic upbringing was wrong and that I was going to be coming into the baptist church and be "saved". I loved the Catholic church and could never imagine leaving it when I came back but was real hung up on Mary and was believing all the Protestant poison as I call it. Thankfully even though I was giving up and challenging Mary, she did not give up on me! It took only a month of my reversion back and I was directed to this wonderful board and family and then my love for Our Mother began to grow and ultimately she is so much for me and two me in my love. Looking back on it I am quite amazed at the quick 180 turn in my thoughts on Mary. I was bothered by her position in the church and now I don't feel worthy enough or good enough to go to her son without going through her first. I take everything to Mary asking her to take it to the cross for me. Don't get me wrong, I don't worship her or feel she is more important than Jesus. It is only by Jesus that we are redeemed, I just don't feel worthy enough to not go through her first if that makes sense. I feel more like this when it comes to Jesus as St. Louis DeMontfort wrote in his wonderful prayer of consecration to Jesus through Mary: O most loving Jesus, deign to let me pour forth my gratitude before Thee, for the grace Thou hast bestowed upon me in giving me to Thy holy Mother through the devotion of Holy Bondage, that she may be my advocate in the presence of Thy majesty and my support in my extreme misery. Alas, O Lord! I am so wretched that without this dear Mother I should be certainly lost. Yes, Mary is necessary for me at Thy side and everywhere: that she may appease Thy just wrath, because I have so often offended Thee; that she may save me from the eternal punishment of Thy justice, which I deserve; that she may contemplate Thee, speak to Thee, pray to Thee, approach Thee and please Thee; that she may help me to save my soul and the souls of others; in short, Mary is necessary for me that I may always do Thy holy will and seek Thy greater glory in all things. Ah, would that I could proclaim throughout the whole world the mercy that Thou hast shown to me! Would that everyone might know I should be already damned, were it not for Mary! Would that I might offer worthy thanksgiving for so great a blessing! Mary is in me. Oh, what a treasure! Oh, what a consolation! And shall I not be entirely hers'? Oh, what ingratitude! My dear Saviour, send me death rather than such a calamity, for I would rather die than live without belonging entirely to Mary. With St. John the Evangelist at the foot of the Cross, I have taken her a thousand times for my own and as many times have given myself to her; but if I have not yet done it as Thou, dear Jesus, dost wish, I now renew this offering as Thou dost desire me to renew it. And if Thou seest in my soul or my body anything that does not belong to this august princess, I pray Thee to take it and cast it far from me, for whatever in me does not belong to Mary is unworthy of Thee. O Holy Spirit, grant me all these graces. Plant in my soul the Tree of true Life, which is Mary; cultivate it and tend it so that it may grow and blossom and bring forth the fruit of life in abundance. O Holy Spirit, give me great devotion to Mary, Thy faithful spouse; give me great confidence in her maternal heart and an abiding refuge in her mercy, so that by her Thou mayest truly form in me Jesus Christ, great and mighty, unto the fullness of His perfect age. Amen.
I have had some experiences too. Jesus has spoken to me twice or so, His Mother once and angels have had some messages for me. I have had only 1 vision of a Saint. He/She didn't say anything, but he/she looked very heavenly and pure. Somehow I consider these things to be very natural for a Christian.
This isn't quite on theme but I still take it as a manifestation of my good God to me: I went early to morning Mass today, hoping to join in the pre-Mass rosary but it had already started when I entered the Church. Behind the altar is a large stained glass window depicting the Crucifixion. The sun had it illuminated more beautifully than I have ever noticed before, and the sunlight touched off some red flowers on the altar ( I know) and they glowed with an arresting blood red hue. I was so transfixed by the image of Mary in the window that I just stared and stared, and contemplated how she now lives her motherhood of us. By the end of the rosary that I only half said, my thoughts had gone to the other mothers I would meet in the coffee shop after Mass (kids first day back after the summer holidays), and I was wondering how to bring God to them. The thought came to me that God is love, but then I began to wonder where that expression came from, why do we say it? - is it scripture or is it just something we say, something that's been made up? I couldn't say for sure, and as the priest came out on to the altar I thought- oh I'll look it up after Mass. Mass starts and the internal dialogue is fresh in my mind as I sit for the readings. Next thing WHAM, first reading... GOD IS LOVE So this evening I decide to listen to a podcast of today's readings - no God is love???? I look up the readings on the 3 apps I have on my phone - no God is love???? I get out my daily missal, Feast of St. Augustine - GOD IS LOVE. He could have let me look it up after Mass, but this loving God decided to let me know there and then HE IS LOVE.
I love this. I can relate to this. No apparitions for me, but as I have tried to deepen my faith these last couple of years and learn more about my Catholic faith - I have been actively seeking Christ. So many times I have a question about why Catholics believe a certain thing and bam I hear the answer on the radio that day or at mass or come across a book on the topic. I had been praying in the rosary to Mary to lead me to her Son and for me to know him. One night I am falling asleep listening to a video on my computer where the speaker is telling a story about Psalm 23 -The Good Shepard. I am too tired to continue listening so I head to bed. When I get in bed I am suddenly not tired. So I start listening to a podcast on my phone from a different speaker. This speaker tells the identical story about someone reciting the Psalm 23 at a party. The point of the video and podcast was to get to know the Shepard. I truly felt Jesus was showing me that I should know him as the Good Shepard and not fear him. I am finding at every step along the way "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Someone recently asked me, as she has asked me many times, to pray for Jesus to tell her something; anything. I dutifully made the prayer, as I have many times over the years. But this time, I heard very clearly, "I talk to her all the time. Tell her to work on her listening skills." I believe He talks to all of us all the time - the stories on this thread being just a small sample. I think it's important to pray for improved spiritual hearing, and to exercise faith by embracing all the little incidences when we hear His message to us.
My mother lived with me for some years prior to her death in November 2012. She suffered from Alzheimer at the end of her life and was unable to go out to Mass so my parish priest visited every First Friday and brought Holy Communion to her. I have a close friend who had several visions of Jesus and Mary. One day I said to her I would give anything to see Jesus I would love if He would knock on my door. The following day was the Thursday before First Friday. There was a knock on my door and it was my Parish Priest. He said he was away on the Friday so he decided to call Thursday instead and he bought a 2nd host with him by mistake it seems. He turned to me and said would you like to receive Jesus now. I understood from this that I should recognize that Jesus was visiting my house every First Friday. The greatest miracle and the manifestation and presence of Jesus is available every day to all of us in our churches. Its so amazing and so accessible we take it all for granted. Mary
