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Home » Writer's Blogs » BobandPennyLord Bob and Penny's Blog Bob Lord (1,122) Bob Lord Journeys of Faith The Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe Posted Saturday, November 21, 2009 (14 hours 46 minutes ago.) Viewed 1 times. She asked him to climb up the hill to the place where they had met previously. "There you will see many flowers; gather them carefully and place them together in your tilma; then bring them down and show them to me." Juan Diego mumbled under his breath as he climbed the hill. Simple he might be, but not stupid. Flowers never grew up in that place, much less at this time of the year. There was frost covering the ground. How could anything grow up there now? But he was wise enough not to question the beautiful Lady, so he followed her instructions. His eyes grew wide as he reached the appointed place. In an area where previously there had only been thistles, thorny plants, cactus and mesquite, he saw the most beautiful Castillian roses of assorted varieties and colors. They were out of season for the most fertile ground, much less for this barren soil. He gathered them carefully, and placed them in his tilma (poncho), being sure not to crush any of them. Then he retraced his steps to the other side of the hill, where She was waiting for him. The world's greatest decorator took the flowers from him, and rearranged them in his tilma. How must Juan Diego have felt having this exquisite child/woman standing so close to him, actually touching him? There was a fragrance about her, so much richer than that of the beautiful roses. It filled his nostrils. He became heady from it. After she had arranged the flowers to her satisfaction, she instructed him to close his tilma, so that they could not be seen. "My little son, these various roses are the sign and proof that you must take to the bishop. Tell him in my name that they will make him understand my wish, and he must carry it out. You are my ambassador. You are most worthy of my confidence. Now, most important, do not unfold your outer garment or reveal the contents to ANYONE until you are in the bishop's presence. Tell him everything I've said to you. You can do it, Juan. I will be with you." Juan held the flowers close to his chest, being careful not to bruise them, as he walked towards the city and the bishop's palace. He repeated the Lady's message over and over as he neared his destination. He wanted to be sure he didn't forget one word she had said, even her slightest inflection. He was confident now. He had the sign. The bishop had to realize that nowhere in the country could he find roses like these at this time of the year. There was no place they could have come from, other than Heaven. He would believe that Our Lady was speaking to him, and everything would be fine. What he didn't take into consideration was that there would be two forces working at the bishop's palace that day. Our Lady would be there, but the evil one would also be in attendance. Satan had been in control of Mexico for the last ten years. He had good reason for not wanting this sign to come to the attention of the bishop. He knew what would happen. So he put all his forces to work around the residence of the bishop. When Juan arrived at the palace, the guard refused to let him pass. The servants who had lost him the other day, came out and began berating him. He just stood there, his head drooping, not knowing what to do. A long time passed. The servants realized that Juan was carrying something inside his tilma. Their curiosity got the best of them. They asked what he had there. He did not answer them. They crowded around him, demanding to see what he had inside the cloak. He knew what his instructions were, but he also knew that this crowd would not be satisfied until they saw something. So he opened his tilma slightly to show the roses inside. They marvelled at what they saw. They knew how impossible it was to have Castillian roses at this time of the year. They wanted them. They began to grab at the roses. But as they grabbed a rose, it disappeared, and turned into a painting on the tilma. This shocked the servants. They ran to the bishop to tell him what was happening, that Juan Diego was here with the sign from the Lady. The bishop, believing that this was important, allowed Juan into his office. The Indian knelt as before, and repeated the entire story over again. He told him about the Castillian roses on the hill, and how Our Lady had arranged them, admonishing Juan that no one should see them before the bishop. Juan ended his report with the words "RECEIVE THEM". With that, he opened his tilma, whereupon all the roses cascaded to the floor. Juan looked for an expression of surprise and joy from the bishop as the roses came into his sight. Juan's eyes followed the roses to the floor, and then looked up at the bishop. He was surprised to see that the bishop was not looking at the precious roses at all. Neither was the interpreter, who was standing next to the bishop. They were both staring intently at Juan Diego's chest. He watched incredulously as their expressions changed from surprise to fearsome awe, to exalted reverence. Both men fell to their knees; tears of joy streamed down their cheeks. Juan looked at the tilma, to see what the reason was for their bliss. Before their eyes, the three men saw the image we call Our Lady of Guadalupe take form. It was not there as the roses first fell out of the tilma. It was only beginning. In a short period of time, the entire image was complete, the only true picture we have of the Blessed Virgin, designed by the Master Designer, and painted with joy by the Angels. In this glorious moment in time, the destiny of Mexico was altered. Our Lady had come to the Americas, to change the course of history. -------- Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed "experts on the Saints." For more information about the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe go to http://www.bobandpennylord.com/yg46.htm Permalink         Comments (0) The Apparition at Knock Ireland - August 21, 1879 Posted Saturday, November 21, 2009 (18 hours 1 minute ago.) Viewed 1 times. August 21, 1879 was a rainy day in County Mayo, and particularly in the little village of Knock. The morning had given hope of a fair day; but as the afternoon progressed, the dark rainclouds gathered over the little hamlet. Winds from the east whipped up, darting back and forth, bristling through the meadows and fields. The rains began, and hammered down on the little area. We believe the preparations made in Heaven for this glorious day, 6 days after the Feast of the Assumption, were to give honor and recognition to the faithful children of Ireland. Mary must have looked down on this land from up above and decided that the poorest, most deprived area she could find was the windswept, rock-filled land of Knock. We have to think that the howling wind and black rain clouds were Satan's way of trying to prevent the visit from happening. By stirring up the weather, thus making it so miserable, no one would be able to go out to see Her. We can be sure he was having a fit, in anticipation of Our Lady's visit to earth. She has always been his greatest enemy. He goes into a rage at the mere mention of her name. She chose the side of a church, the village church in Knock. After the rains had started, one Margaret Beirne went over to lock up the church for the night. She noticed a bright light around the back of the church, and looked to see what was there. She saw what she thought were statues of Our Lady, St. Joseph, and a Bishop, standing alongside a new altar, on top of which was a statue of a Lamb with a Cross. Margaret didn't pay too much attention to it; she left the Church, and went home, not saying a word to anyone about it. Satan must have been whooping it up in Hell. If this girl didn't tell anyone, no one would know about Our Lady's visit, and consequently, no one would come. His plan might have worked. Even the priest's housekeeper, Mary McLoughlin, passed by and noticed the apparition, but also thought they were statues. She went to the Bierne's home for a visit. So far so good for Satan. But at 8 o'clock or thereabouts, when Mary McLoughlin decided to go home, the older Bierne girl, Mary, decided to walk with her in the rain. So here we have two Marys, walking in the rain past the church again. When they passed the apparition, Mary McLoughlin casually mentioned that the pastor must have bought some new statues in Dublin. But the other Mary, more inquisitive, decided to take a closer look. She jumped back with a start. "They're not statues. They're moving. It's the Blessed Virgin!"The two women didn't know what to do. Mary Bierne ran home to tell her mother and brother. Rain or no, the people flocked to the church. Fourteen people in all came to witness the gift of Our Lady's presence on that brutal night. Their combined description of what they saw is as follows: The entire back wall of the church was bathed in a brilliant light, which could be seen from quite a distance away. As they looked at the scene, everything was raised about two feet off the ground. There was an altar, on the top of which stood a Lamb with a Cross. The altar and the Lamb were surrounded by Angels, hovering above. To the left of the Altar were three figures. On the left was St. Joseph; in the middle was Our Lady; to the right, closest to the Altar was St. John the Evangelist, his right hand raised, a book in his left. Our Lady was life sized. The other two were smaller. Mary was lovely. She wore a white gown and sash. A veil flowed from the back of her head to her feet. On top of her head, above the veil, was a gold crown. Between the crown and the edge of the veil was a gold rose. She looked up towards heaven in prayer; her hands were raised to her shoulders, pointed inwards. She was almost iridescent. At first, no one dared go very close to the images. They stood or knelt at a distance in the rain, becoming soaked, but not caring. One of the visionaries, fourteen year old Patrick Hill, gathered up courage to venture near to the apparition. He was able to get close enough to give a good description of what he saw. He could make out Our Lady's eyes, the pupils as well as the iris. He could see the smooth texture of her milky skin. He mentioned that St. Joseph's beard was grey. His head was bent slightly. He also saw lines on the pages of the book that St. John held. He reported that the three figures were full bodied, three dimensional, rather than images projected on the wall. He testified that they were a few feet out from the wall of the Church; but as he got too close, the images moved back, away from him. All the witnesses verified that the three figures moved during the hour and a half that they knelt before them. Patrick Hill also mentioned that he saw the wings of the angels fluttering. -------- Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed "experts on the Saints." For more information about Knock Apparition go to http://www.bobandpennylord.com/yg51.htm Permalink         Comments (0) Saint John of the Cross and His Path of Self-Renunciation Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 (1 day 14 hours ago.) Viewed 1 times. Path of Self-renunciation Nothing that St. John of the Cross would write, in later years, was as uncompromising as the standards he set for himself and St. Teresa, of self-renunciation. He wrote, "Let us therefore put the love of Jesus above all things. He that clings to a creature shall fall with what is frail; but he that throws his arms around Jesus shall grow for ever stronger. He will never leave you. There is no surer road than that of the Holy Cross. Come unto Jesus and He will refresh you." They influenced each other's writings, Sts. Teresa and John. She, infused and taught by God Himself, used the everyday evidence of God's Presence among us, for example: God is among the pots and pans. He, the learned poet, wrote, influenced by much of his theological and philosophical wisdom. They inspired one another; each contributing insights to the other. Treachery and Scandal invade the Convent There is always a price to be paid. Jesus paid with His Body and Blood. Teresa would pay with accusation and rejection. As St. Teresa was writing her Interior Castle, sharing her gifts of contemplation, she knew her joy and exaltation would be short-lived. The way to Resurrection and Heaven has always been through the sharp ascent up that stony mountain called Calvary, with all its pain and persecution. Teresa saw in a vision, "a great storm of tribulation." The Papal Nuncio denounced her, calling her journeys founding new houses, "gadding about." Each house put yet another nail in her coffin. She was tired! At one of her houses, in Pastrana, a widowed Princess coerced a Carmelite into clothing her in the habit of a Carmelite. She then forced her way into the convent. Receiving as many men as she judged necessary to console her, in her widow's grief, she not only brought scandal to herself, but the Inquisition's suspicion upon St. Teresa. They accused her of being in accord with the Princess' wishes and behavior. And so, our two mystics, Teresa and John, her spiritual director, found themselves in hot water again! By the grace of God, the Princess was judged solely responsible. St. Teresa could now go about choosing a superior for her community at Pastrana. She chose Gracian, a young man of the Spanish Court who had renounced everything to become a priest and a Carmelite. That would surely put her mind at rest. Not really! There was a war declared between one set of good people and another. Sound familiar? The General of the Carmelite Order got his feathers ruffled when Gracian failed to inform him of his every move. He didn't have time for all these formalities. It seems, Gracian not only went about bringing much needed peace and sound balance in the convent, he concerned himself with the business of undoing some great harm, in the reform. The General of the Order, judging he was usurping some of his authority, wrote to Teresa, demanding an explanation. The letter, didn't reach her; he got no answer. Silence angered him! She was evading him! How dare she! Something was wrong! "Patience wins all!"...only words by St. Teresa or cries from the very depth of one's heart? With every petition to the Lord we know there is a trial, a test. What was behind St. Teresa's words and how did it affect St. John? Tostado, Vicar-General of the Carmelites for Portugal and Spain, and feared head honcho of the Inquisition, had been completely swayed by the General of the Order against her. This Tostado would do everything to prevent her from being re-elected as Prioress, even to the point of ex-communicating the fifty nuns who chose to support their mother, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, the eyes of her soul strictly on her Crucified Lord, St. Teresa was finishing her Interior Castle. Such was the state of the convent in Avila. Tostado was furious with the nuns who would not back down, even with his ex-communicating them. He needed someone to blame! Let's blame Friar John, their spiritual director. He enlisted the help of Maldonado, a Prior from Toledo. Failing to persuade the fragile director, they took St. John, arrested him and his companion, had them beaten, and locked them in different cells. St. John escaped the next morning, just long enough to destroy some papers, when he was recaptured. -------- Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed "experts on the Saints." For more information about Saint John of the Cross go to http://www.bobandpennylord.com/St_John_of_the_Cross.htm Permalink         Comments (0)

Archives: November 2009 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30           « Oct     Previous Posts: The Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe The Apparition at Knock Ireland - August 21, 1879 Saint John of the Cross and His Path of Self-Renunciation Pope John Paul II Movie Blessed Miguel Pro - Martyr of Mexico Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and false prophets Saint Charles Borromeo - instances of Miracles Friends in High Places All Posts by Bob Lord Related Posts: Did Jesus Christ Have Long Hair? Phoenix! Necessary Freedom Send God A Text! Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up! Three Dimensions of Life, As I Saw Them! This Morning My ‘mind’ Was Talking To Me, Saying: Why Do Some People Make Foolish Choices? (Part 4 of 4)

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