When It Doesn't Leave You Alone...

This past weekend, I attended the NEA (New Evangelization of America) Conference in Dallas. The first night of the conference, we were treated to a screening of Bella, the winner of the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

Bella is a movie you don’t want to miss. The story is about an international soccer star and an attractive waitress who experience an unforgettable day in New York City that changes their lives forever. Bella is a beautiful story about love, life, and relationships in the face of the unexpected. I find myself thinking about the story as I’m doing dishes or in the shower. To me that is a sign of a great movie. It doesn’t leave you alone.

That same night the producer and starring actor of Bella , Eduardo Verastegui, visited with us about “unusual” stories of miracles that happened during the filming. No doubt this movies was meant to be. Watch for it and don’t miss it.

Blessings,
Cheri

Changing the World...One Bead at a Time

We have a very active rosary ministry in our parish. In 2006, these ladies made and gave away close to 10,000 rosaries (yes that is correct—the number has four zeroes). One of their members makes rosaries for the babies baptized at the church, another serves our military with the rosaries she makes, many others make rosaries for the sick (they are constructed completely of plastic beads and cord so they don’t show up during medical procedures such as CT scans). As their coordinator, Annie-Alex Nathenson says, “with our hands, we are changing the world, one rosary at a time.”

In addition to coordinating the rosary ministry, Annie-Alex makes some of the most exquisite rosaries for purchase that I have ever seen. Many of them are made to commemorate special occasions, such as a wedding, first communion, or the birth of a child. She also makes friendship rosaries, angel rosaries, and theme rosaries. Each and every one of her rosaries is enclosed in a lovely lace or net bag drawn up with a drawstring. When you see one, you feel the urge to pick it up, and having done so, you feel drawn to prayer. Annie-Alex has a special gift for making rosaries. She attributes it to Our Blessed Mother. She dedicates herself to Mary’s work and consistently reminds others to give thanks for the special gifts they have received through her intercession. (If you want to see some samples of Annie-Alex’s work, you can check out her Web site at: http://beadstoblessings.com/.)

Recently, I gave Annie-Alex a box of my grandmother’s costume jewelry. I figured she might find some use for it with all of the rosaries she makes. She called me a short time later to tell me she had left something for me at the office up at the church. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that, from my grandmother’s jewelry, Annie had made me a rosary. It brings me such comfort when I pray on that rosary, and I think my grandmother would have enjoyed knowing that her pretty things have been transformed into something that moves others to prayer. If you have any leftover jewelry, you may wish to consider putting it to good use like Annie-Alex does. Better yet, send it to her. When you belong to a group that makes 10,000 rosaries in a year, you may need something with which to work!

Submitted by Sheila Setter

Our Lady of Lourdes

February 11^th is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It commemorates the date in 1858 when our Blessed Mother made the first of 18 appearances to a poor little French girl, Bernadette Soubiroux. In each of these apparitions, Mary, as described by Bernadette, was "more beautiful than ever…she wore a white dress, an equally white veil, a blue belt, and a yellow rose on each foot."^[1]

During one of her appearances, Our Lady told Bernadette to drink from a spring within the grotto where she was kneeling. Where no water had previously flowed, a spring bubbled forth after Bernadette scratched away the dirt. To this day, water still flows. Over the years, thousands of sick and infirm have sought healing from the waters of the grotto at Massabielle, Lourdes. Many who have visited the site have received medically certified cures. Of those, 67^[2] have been declared miraculous healings. The last declared miracle occurred in 1987. Even today, Our Blessed Mother brings those in need of God’s healing love closer to Him and her Son.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II designated February 11^th as "World Day of the Sick." Like Bernadette, who struggled her whole life with the effects of chronic asthma, Pope John Paul II knew about pain. He endured great personal suffering following the 1981 attempt on his life, the effects of which dogged him the remainder of his years. Both Bernadette and Pope John Paul II were denied the physical relief that many sufferers have received from the healing waters of Lourdes; yet both Bernadette and Pope John Paul II understood the "perfect expression of redemption"^[3] that is accomplished through suffering. As our Blessed Mother told Bernadette, "I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the other."^[4]

For those who suffer and do not find relief from their physical or mental pain, Pope John Paul II offered this comfort: "May the Blessed Virgin enable you to sense her presence and give comfort to your hearts! (As Jesus said,) 'When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also' (Jn 14: 3)….Mary is the pledge of the fulfillment of Christ's promise…a sign of sure hope and consolation….(She) confirms this by her whole life, for she is a living witness of the victory of Christ, our Passover."^[5]

For those of us who do not suffer or who care for the suffering, Mary offers us a perfect example of love. By her actions, she challenges us to help other who are in need and to bring comfort to those in pain. As Pope John Paul II stated,

"'In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country…' (Lk 1:39). The words of the Gospel story have once more brought before the eyes of our hearts the young maiden of Nazareth as she makes her way to...her kinswoman Elizabeth…, in order to be of help to her. What strikes us about Mary is, above all, her loving concern for her elderly relative. Hers is a practical love, one that is not limited to words of understanding but is deeply and personally involved in giving help. The Blessed Virgin does not merely give her cousin something of herself; she gives her whole self, asking nothing in return. Mary understood perfectly that the gift she received from God is more than a privilege; it is a duty, which obliges her to serve others with the selflessness proper to love."^[6]

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, let us be mindful of Pope John Paul II’s words and our Blessed Mother’s example.

^[1] Lourdes-france.org (official site of the sanctuary Our Lady of Lourdes)—http://www.lourdes-france.org/
^[2] Currently another event is under review and may soon be declared a miraculous cure. See http://www.lourdes-france.org/
^[3] Homily delivered at the Grotto of Massabielle, Lourdes, France by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 2004.
^[4] Lourdes-france.org (official site of the sanctuary Our Lady of Lourdes)—http://www.lourdes-france.org/
^[5] Homily delivered at the Grotto of Massabielle, Lourdes, France by Pope John Paul II on August 15, 2004.
^[6] ibid.

Submitted by Sheila Setter