The Eucharist and the Dove

Some of you, particularly if you are more seasoned readers of this blog, or of the Facebook page, may already know about what I considered to be miracles on Christmas a few years ago. Last year I created a rather inadequate video that was loaded onto Youtube. I do wish to once again share this experience, and the photos, including one that has never been shown before of (one of) the Eucharist photos still clearly in the camera. It is my intent by showing these photos that people can see the dinky little camera that captured both events and that the photos that I printed were not doctored nor tampered with in any way. The photos are real and, I believe, meant to be shared at this time. With the state of the world, the economies and the religious wars unfolding I believe it is imperative that people return to the love of Jesus and prayer, veneration of the Blessed Sacrament and return to pious behavior while in church. If these photos help one person to open their eyes and hearts, I will feel fulfilled.

First I will load the photos and then the description of events on that day. God bless and have a beautiful week.

Mare

BTW, all photos are copyrighted as of 2012 my Marianne E. Hare
You may share them as long as you include the copright information and story of the photos. I actually encourage you to do so.

First Photo with Flash - Although the flash went off you can see the dark host behind it

Second photo with macro on (oops)

Enlargement of third photo on correct setting

Third photo on correct setting

Cloud Photo over Holy Child Church at 3:00 PM, Christmas Day

Cloud photo - still in the camera (reverse image)

Third picture of the Eucharist - still in the camera - note the darkened Eucharist
(Again, reverse image)

The story behind the photos as written down and provided to my Pastor, priests and the Cardinal of NYC:

"I normally have Adoration on Sundays from 12:00 to 2:00 pm.  On Christmas Day 2011, which fell on a Sunday, I had switched my hours from 12-2 to 1 to 3 instead so that the women that normally do those hours could celebrate the holiday with their family. I was also making dinner for my family, but we were not eating until later and they had to travel so there was no problem for me to move my hours back.

I bought my camera with me. It is a simple Polaroid digital, 5 mega pixel camera, with a memory disk. The reason why I bought the camera with me is because I wanted to take a photo of the Nativity in the church to put on my blog and on my website.

I arrived at the Adoration Chapel around 1:00 PM and the woman that I relieved left, so I was alone. While alone shortly after 1 it was as if someone whispered in my ear, take a picture of the monstrance and the Host. The feeling was overwhelming. So I took out the camera, stood up, and snapped the first shot. I noticed that the flash went off so I turned it off. I then snapped another without the flash and realized that the camera was on macro (for close up).  I then switched the camera to normal and took a third photo, only this time I was a little further away to try and get the flowers and angels in too. I then put the camera back into my pocketbook and was joined by another adorer shortly after that.  As it was Christmas there were a few people in and out of the Chapel after the mass and it was actually lovely. There was a lot of love in there that day, with many kisses and hugs and well wishes for a beautiful Christmas. After the 12:30 mass Angela L came in and wished me a Merry Christmas and we spoke briefly about babies and the blessings of the day. She talked about her granddaughter and I spoke about my great niece. I also told her about a couple I had been praying for that wanted to start a family. I told her I expected that she would be pregnant in the Spring. She asked me to pray for a couple in Holy Child that was trying to start a family. I agreed to do so. Before she left she said to me you watch – today you will be blessed with a Christmas Miracle.

Just after 3:00  pm I left the Chapel and took my pictures of the nativity. (They came out beautiful). When I left the church and was walking down the ramp I was met by THE MOST INCREDIBLE cloud display that I have ever seen. It seemed to span from one end of the sky to the other. When first looking at it - it looked like a dove to me. (I see a man in the photo though when not enlarged). I cannot begin to describe how HUGE this was and how beautiful! Unfortunately the pictures just do not do it justice. But, you can get an idea of how big it was by the buildings on the bottom of the screen. Of course I took pictures of that and thought WOW, Angela was right, that was amazing and my soul was so lifted that I practically skipped all the way home smiling.

When I got home I started dinner and then (since I had time) put the memory disk into the computer and downloaded the photos. It is about this time that I almost fell off my chair. In the 2^nd and 3^rd photos of the Host I see two distinctly different faces. The descriptions of what I see are on the backs of the photos I have given you here. In the 2^nd I can clearly see the face of Jesus and in the 3^rd I see a person looking left.  The 1^st I took where the flash went off blurs out the face, but I can see it behind the flash. I have not included it here as you mostly just see the flash in the center.

I am humbled, and feel incredibly blessed to have had this experience. I believe it was a gift from God meant just for me. The Host and monstrance did not look any different to me on Christmas Day then it did any other day, but I will add that my hours there were unlike any I have ever experienced there before and I have been doing hours of Adoration regularly since 2008 and sporadically for years before. When people were not there and I was saying my prayers I felt almost as if I was in a trance and I do remember that at one point when I was finishing the rosary that it took me over an hour and a half to say it, when it normally takes about 20 minutes.  It was as if every word was measured and meditated upon. I cannot explain it any better than that. I remember speaking to Angela, I remember David coming in, (shortly after I took the photos) but I do not remember anything else about those hours.

When I saw the photos on the computer screen I showed them to those living with me. Every one of us see something in the Host, even the Agnostic and the Atheist!

Although I have shared the pictures with people on Facebook and the blog, I have not shared the experience with anyone. I wish I could YELL FROM THE ROOFTOPS the good news but instead I share them with just a few that will appreciate the goodness of God and his many gifts. Feel free to share these photos and the story with others in your life as well.

God Bless You for being a part of the Holy Child Family!

Love,

Marianne Hare

P.S. –

 The couple that I told Angela about did get pregnant in the Spring of 2012. Their boys were born prematurely in the Summer and celebrated their 3rd birthday this year. Even though I agreed to pray for the couple that she asked prayers for, I know that God has other plans for them."

**Some of the description relates to specifics provided to the clergy with their photos.

The Story of the Christmas Miracle Photos

Just a short post to let you know that you can now find out the story behind the miracle photos and see the pictures on YouTube. It is accompanied by a lovely Canon in D Major, by Pachelbel and is just under 6 minutes in length, but well  worth watching. The link to the video is www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqorS3cCP7Q.  

Enjoy and God bless.

Mare

    This photo was taken on Easter Sunday, 2012. I was hoping to recapture what happened on that prior Christmas, but let*s face it, man proposes, God disposes as my Grandma used to say. The picture is used, though, as the cover of the video, as it shows the Eucharist as it appears in the normal state. That is how it appeared to my naked eye on that blessed Christmas day, as well.

Me Oh My!

What a lovely time we had at the St. Joseph/St. Thomas Christmas Fair on Sunday. I do have to admit that I was a little dismayed as a few vendors did come over to us and said that people were looking for us on Saturday. We are sorry we missed you, but we do keep this blog and our locations current so if you want us - reach out to us - do it here, at 718-984-6312 or contact me at mare@gloryglorygifts.com. We are sorry we missed you!

Of course I HAD to leave with a cannoli. I took the cannoli and left the gun (just kidding). That is not the only thing we left with either. Of course we were in the same spot as last year which was great, but we were right next to Auntie Viv*s Kitchen which was filled with baked goods. The temptation was great but I held out until about 3:30 when I saw she had pumpkin bread. At this point she was having a two/for sale so Tom got one pumpkin and one banana bread. Of course he then proceeded to eat 1/4 of the pumpkin (they were smaller) so we ended up purchasing another. On the other side of us was the pampered chef. No problem there; I have not cooked a sit-down meal since Thanksgiving. Christmas will be the next time I cook. Unless that is I have Auntie Viv do my cooking.

Many thanks go out to Simone and the hard workers that always put this event together so well. We look forward to next year and might even do Saturday and Sunday (weather cooperating that is.) We do hope to get to St. Roch*s, Holy Family and Moore next year as well as others.

We hope that the winner of our basket enjoys it!! I must admit I am getting better at basket making as the years progress. By next year I should be very good at it.

I had an interesting conversation with the vendor across from us. She lives in a development here on Staten Island in the mid-section. She told me that she had tried the last couple of years to put up a nativity and that her neighbor finds it offensive and HE took it down and had desecrated it in the past. Now if HE can put up his menorah, why then, can*t she put up a nativity? Last time I checked religious freedom was a constitutional right in this country. We both came to the conclusion that he is mentally unstable, so this year she is not going to put up her nativity.  I think that is such a shame. I told her to get one for her window. What her neighbor is doing is a hate crime and against the law. Maybe he is not aware of that. There are many unfortunate souls in this world. Unfortunately she lives near one.

Ironically, my Jewish neighbors do not have a menorah in their window but have the front decorated with a Santa for Christmas. Their little guy is in pre-K and they do not want him to feel left out. HELLO??!! It is a Holy Day for Christians. Grrrr (did I actually growl?)  True, he can display whatever he wants at any time of year but once again that is  making Christmas a secular holiday. So they will, along with my other friends, families and neighbors, be getting a Christmas card from yours truly. If they want to celebrate Christmas along with the Christians well I will gladly celebrate Jesus* birth right along with them. (Just so you know I am not just some old cranky person, I do send Hanukkah cards out at this time of year to my Jewish friends.)  Christians, PLEASE put Christ back into Christmas.

Actually the last few days reminded me of when we first moved in. Every year my neighbor a few doors down used to yell Happy Hanukkah to me when he would see me around this time. Even though I had a 7.5 foot Christmas tree in the window and the house adorned in lights, he did it for probably the first 5 years we were here. Of course, I thought he might be Jewish, thus the greeting, so I would yell back thanks Ron! Same to you! Finally one day I asked him if  it was him or his wife that was Jewish as he had Christmas lights in front of his house too. Not only did I find out that he too was a Catholic, we also were members of the same parish. After our discussion I found out that he always thought that we were Jewish because when Tom turned 13 I had a huge birthday party for him. He thought it was a Bar Mitzvah as we had a band and a blowout of a party. I had put a notice in all of my neighbor*s mailboxes so that they knew that the noise would end by 8:00 pm that night; that is how they knew about the party. Actually it was for Tom*s first birthday in our new house. (I too had a big party earlier that year  sans the band.) Ron and I had a good laugh over it for a few years afterward.

One final note, the Big Nativity is back into the center court of the Staten Island Mall after a long, 6-year banishment. I am thrilled that the Christ is Christmas movement accomplished this and I am very proud to have been a part of that group (though I cannot take any credit whatsoever).  It looks magnificent! They also once again have the menorah displayed so kudos to our Jewish community.

So there you have my weekend in a nutshell. I have to get our nativity into the window and put up our decorations but front and center will be my new nativity, which I purchased from Sweetbrook Nurseries. Have a peaceful Advent and a great week,

Mare

Inspirations

Inspirations, large and small are all around us. I did not start the week off well, I started it with a fever, sigh, but that did not stop me from having a fabulously inspiring week.

You know how life is. You make plans to do something and then something else comes along and you look to the sky or just shake your head in disbelief and say are you freaking kidding me? This has to happen now? Now those of you that have what is considered a normal temp of 98.6 might not think 100.1 is a big deal, but those of us that consider 96.00 normal well then that is a catastrophe. Once the aches and pains have invaded the body along with the crankies and you are bundled up like Nanook of the North with a steaming hot cup of tea in hand your prior plans fall by the wayside. I know, I am a big baby.

Well once the crankies arrived that was the end of the plans to tweak the website, so that you can find the items you are looking for with more ease rather than hunting them down (of course you can always look at the Quick Reference page. Instead, I sat on the couch, bundled in my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle blanket (a relic from Tom*s youth) and said the rosary. While contemplating that and saying some other prayers I grabbed my Bible. I said Lord, give me some direction today, after which I just closed my eyes opened the Bible, willy nilly, and let my finger drift down the page. Once stopped I opened my eyes and found my finger had landed on The Book of Wisdom, Chapter 1, halfway through verse 6 - 12.

Because God is the witness of his in-most self and the sure observer of his heart and the listener to his tongue. For the spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says. Therefore no one who utters wicked things can go unnoticed, nor will chastising condemnation pass him by. For the devices of the wicked man shall be scrutinized and the sound of his words shall reach the Lord, for the chastisement of his transgressions. Because a jealous ear hearkens to every thing and discordant grumblings are no secret. Therefore guard against profitless grumbling and from calumny* withhold your tongues. For a stealthy utterance does not go unpunished and a lying mouth slays the soul. Court not death by your erring way of life. 

It was at that point I shut my mouth, shut my Bible and went back to bed. Truly, an inspirational passage to read on a Monday.

People never cease to inspire me. Wednesday I found out that there is currently a crusade called Christ IS Christmas. You will be hearing more about that toward the end of this week. I am actually attending a meeting Thursday night regarding just this very topic and the boycott of stores that have made it a secular occasion vs a Religious Holiday. Nothing inspires me more than my Jesus! Forget about Baby! Nobody puts Jesus in a corner!

Friday afternoon I attended the blessing of an original work by a local artist, Ron Gatto of my parish, Holy Child Church in Staten Island. Ron painted the most incredibly gorgeous, inspirational work, of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior as seen by St. Faustina, (a Roman Catholic saint) that now hangs in our Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Our Blessed Lord appeared to St. Faustina (Friday was actually her feast day) and instructed her to write down all of his divine words to her, and to institute the first Sunday following Easter as the Feast Day of the Divine Mercy. He then showed her a vision of an image that he wanted her to have made to remind people of his forgiveness. The rays emanating from his chest are blood and water, as they flowed from him when he was pierced by the sword following his crucifixion. This painting is just so beautiful that I just could not take my eyes from it today while doing my adoration hours. Ron has generously allowed me to share this work of art with you on this blog, but please if you are in the New York area, particularly Staten Island, come and visit the painting and the chapel yourself. It is open 24/7 so stop in any time. Just ring the bell to the right of the door of the church (the door on the right).

Original work of art by Ron Gatto, copyright 2012, included here with permission by the artist
CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE!

 So how did this inspirational week end? On a high note of course! While eating my breakfast I watched that wonderful show Sunday Morning on CBS. They had the ladies of baseball from the 40*s and 50*s. I watched in wonder and awe as those spry octogenarians were honored at Cooperstown and then had a baseball game!! You had to see these women whacking the ball and running the bases and some are in their 90*! As Phil Rizzuto would say HOLY COW! I then watched Pete Townsend (for you youngins out there he is from a band called The WHO) still rocking and writing songs at 67. Just goes to show you that your dreams and aspirations should never, ever die.

That was my week that was. I hope that you have a great week ahead and that you find your inspirational moments.  

Peace!

Mare

*Calumny is slander

Prayers and Miracles

I have been thinking about prayer and doing a whole bunch of it lately too. When I woke up on Thursday morning I found an email from one of our Glory Glory Gifts family members that she wrote at 4:13 am while in the hospital. Her message was short but filled with anxiety and she had one simple request, Mare can you please pray for me. Of course I was reading it a little later in the morning but my response to her was of course, I will head over to the chapel immediately.

Now you know that normally I go to the perpetual adoration chapel in Holy Child Church on Staten Island, but that day I went to the one on Victory Boulevard by the Society of St. Paul. The magnificent picture shown here is right by the door to the chapel and I thought it was just so beautiful that I took a photo of it before heading into the chapel. Inside I said my prayers for her and when I was done I asked God for a sign that he had heard my prayers for this special woman, nothing fancy like a clap of thunder or the sun spinning, just a simple butterfly would do. When I stepped out of the chapel, sure enough, there was my butterfly fluttering around the photo. The next day I knew that God had definitely heard my prayers when she gave birth to two healthy little boys. My cup runneth over with happiness for her and her husband and her beautiful little bundles of joy. Praise God!

She and I met the first week of December last year at a Christmas Fair. Quite often when I meet people at our local venues we get into all types of discussions and that is exactly what happened that day. She told me of her wish to be a mother, her heartaches during her journey and the next step they were going to take. I told her that I would pray for her. That is how this all began, but what she may or may not know is that I take prayer very seriously. If you ask me to pray for something I will, diligently and daily, until there is a resolution. It might not be the answer that one wants from God, but he does hear all prayers. Now I am not saying that I am the only reason why she attained her miracle, there were quite a large number of people praying for her, but it is a humbling experience to see a prayer answered. I have witnessed a number of answers to prayers this year from someone having inoperable bone cancer now being in remission, to another childless couple holding their soon to be adopted baby in their arms and I give all the glory to God. There have been some deaths too, but the way that I look at it is that their job here is done and they have been called home. It is not the answer that their loved ones wanted, but it is a part of life and a part of our journey here, to live, to learn, to love and then return home.

Yesterday while at my regular adoration hours I was moved to read 1 Timothy and it just happened to include a chapter on prayer and conduct. It reads:

First of all, then I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also our one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for us. 1 Timothy, 2:1-6

Beautiful! Pray! Pray often and with a pure heart for others. Pray for the souls that have gone before us. Pray for your enemies. Pray for your loved ones. Pray for your neighbors, your places of worship and those you worship with, your freedoms, the destitute, the lame and even your leaders. Thank God for every good thing in your life and for all of your answered prayers, whether you like the outcome or not. Say prayers when you get up in the morning, at 3:00 pm (the hour of his mercy) and in the evening. Say prayers before you eat and thank him that you have something to put into your mouth; there are millions all around the world that do not. Thank him when you lay your head on the pillow at night under a safe roof. Millions more do not have that luxury and when you are done praying for everyone else then ask him to give you the strength to keep on praying and living a life of faith.  Pray in your living room, your bedroom, your car, the supermarket and just about any place you can think of. You do not have to be in a place of worship to talk to God. You might be just the one he is waiting to hear from. Teach your children to pray. Pray as a family. That seems to be sorely lacking in so many families today.

Thank you Father for hearing all of my prayers and for allowing me to see this miracle of two new lives.

My heart is filled with joy and I hope that you too experience the beauty and grace of a prayer that has been answered or said for you. Have a good and blessed week.

Mare

Yesterday, I Heard the Voice of an Angel

No kidding! Yesterday I was up very early, well for me anyway, and had my morning routine done by 9:00 am so I decided to go to mass earlier rather than later and attended the 9:30. Did you ever have one of those moments when something just elated you so much that you had to smile? Well I had one of those moments yesterday.

From where I was sitting I could not see the angel. I could not tell you if it was a boy or a girl, or their age. But what I can tell you is they might have been pint-sized in stature but certainly not in devotion. There was an adult choir singing at the mass, front and center of the church, but the angel had them beat  by a mile and sang every song as if it was being sung from the tip of his/her toes to the top of their head. The little angels somewhat squeaky voice  sang every single song and said every prayer clearly and crisply and with such innocence it was hard not to smile. I could just imagine the little finger pointing at each word as it was enunciated. It was just beautiful and uplifting and poignant.

Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he said -

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 18:3 King James Bible

When was the last time you attended service and sang the loudest (or even sang) and recited the prayers and thought of the meaning behind each word and understood or, at the very least, contemplated it?  I will admit I am not perfect either. On occasion I too have been known to mouth words to songs or not sing along as I did yesterday because I did not have them in front of me. We should all approach the church and the altar of God as brilliantly as that small child did yesterday. What an incredible service that would be.

If that beautiful little voice elated me to a new height I cannot even begin to fathom how it elated our blessed Lord Jesus, to whom he/she was singing and praying. All of us could learn from the little angel. Leave all the things of this world outside when you enter your church. Listen to the scriptures; do not just read them in the book. Close the book and listen to the words being read and those being preached. Sing the songs, even if you sometimes sound like a croaking toad as I often do. Approach the Eucharist with the reverence and grace that it deserves, regardless if you believe it is His actual body and blood or a reminder of His sacrifice. Keep the Sabbath holy. Attending mass on Sundays is a wonderful way for a family to spend a day. It is true - the family that prays together, stays together. I am not sure if services are mandatory for many of the Christian faiths, I suppose it is, however I do know it is for a Catholic. Nothing has changed in their doctrine since its inception. Sunday mass is mandatory and to not attend (sans illness or inability such as there are no churches in your area) is considered a MORTAL sin. That is a major no-no.

Let us all find time to be with our Lord here on earth and have the same passion for Him as the little angel.  He deserves nothing less than our undivided attention and our un-ending devotion. I have often said if you cannot find one hour a week to spend with Him, well then how do you expect to spend an eternity with Him? Let us all approach the altar of Our Lord with the same zeal, devotion and innocence as the little angel.  Have a blessed week.

Peace!
Mare

For Stephanie

Did you ever meet someone that had a profound affect on your life? My niece was one of those people. During her short time here she did exactly what Jesus would have done, she fed and clothed the poor, loved her neighbor and was an active and vibrant member of her community, her church and her school. I can still see her with an IV in her arm, her hair cropped short, selling trash and treasures with the youth group to raise funds for their trip to World Youth Day. Yes, she was one of a kind.

Tomorrow, morning, early tomorrow morning is Steph's anniversary. I remember going to see her in the hospital 7 years ago tonight. The room was dark and she looked so tiny and frail in her pajamas they seemed to be swimming around her little frame. Steph was never a big kid, she had a cute figure on her and long blonde hair. She didn't look the type of person you would expect to move mountains and transcend people but she did. I was so blessed to be able to sit there and hold her hand and see her that one last time. Her beautiful face just slightly illuminated by the hall light outside as she lie there sleeping; her chest barely moving. She was only 20 when she slipped away from us on that quiet morning after fighting tongue cancer for only a brief 7 months. We found out about it Mother's Day weekend and she left us on the Sunday following Thanksgiving (November 30, 2004).

I wrote something for her back then. I hope that you indulge me and allow me to share it with you. One reason why I am posting this is to bring her life and her legacy to your attention. The other is to implore you to question your doctors if something isn't right. Nobody knows your body like you do. Her dentist kept blowing her off and did so for months telling her the open sore was from her braces. It had started as a small spot the year before; it might have been caught in time then. Instead she relied on her dentist. She initiated a lawsuit against him when she found out she had cancer, but died before it went to court. He offered a settlement to her prior to that which was about 1/10th of what she owed in medical bills so she declined it at the advice of her attorney. As an adult, she was responsible for the bills which topped off at close to a million dollars. When the case finally went to court, this year (yes, SEVEN years later), her parents were not allowed to testify - it was hearsay. The doctor's notes were spotty and his memory spottier. Because of that the jury couldn't convict him of anything. Even the judge, who shared his thoughts with Steph's dad a few days later in a private meeting, was devastated but couldn't do anything.

It is because of this I implore you to seek medical help if something doesn't feel right. Question them. Get a second and a third opinion. You could be saving your loved one's life or even your own for that matter. It's with a heavy heart that I share the poem I wrote for Stephanie in 2004, but I thank God for the fact that I had her in my life for the time that I did. Stephanie left the world a better place because for a short time she was in it. Because of her people have witnessed miracles, returned to the church, started their own fundraising efforts, gone on to learn new vocations such as speech therapy and have chosen lives of sobriety and stability. Yes, she was a special kid and I hope that maybe my sharing her story with you will help to save someone else's life.

Have a peaceful and joyous day,

Mare


The angel pictured above is now housed in Holy Child Church, Staten Island, in memory of Stephanie. She was not only involved with the Youth Group, she was also involved with the Music Ministry - playing the flute, a member of the Adult Choir and the Bell Choir. She was also involved in the Right to Life Movement and was the founder of the Midnight Run group that provided food and blankets to the homeless people in New York City.

Click on the poem to read it.