esperanzamail

We received quite a few e-mails about the passing of Maria Esperanza on August 7. As we have reported, her body is now back in Venezuela, and plans are for entombment at Betania, the site of apparitions. Esperanza is the famed holy woman associated with the Church-sanctioned site near Caracas

Was there special meaning in her death? Might there even be prophetic significance? Is it linked with the Pope?

One of the most poignant notes came from a nurse who tended to the mystic in her final hours.

"Dear Spirit Daily, your account of Maria Esperanza's spiritual beauty was most accurate," wrote Peg Solon from southern New Jersey. "I had the privilege of being her nurse during her last hospitalization. It was a gift I am still trying to accept. How blessed I was to care for her ailing physical body while witnessing the essence of her soul. Not for one moment was I anything but humbled to be at her side. I felt a mixture of awe, joy and profound peace when in her presence. Some people may say Maria was in a semi-vegetative state near her end. To me it was as if Maria drifted between two worlds. There were times her recognition and love of family members were evident. She knew who was there at her bedside. Then, as if in ecstasy, her spirit was transported beyond our physical world. I truly believe she saw the angels and saints who were tending to her at those times.

"Maria gifted me with the human version of our Blessed Mother's love," continues the registered nurse. "Her suffering honored our Lord's on the Cross. Her total submission was truly that of a victim soul. What a blessing to be embraced by the love of her beautiful, faithful family. They are truly the most gracious people I have ever met. There is so much more I would like to share about the short time Maria was with us here in Jersey. Her work has only begun. Lives have been changed beyond imagining. All this with not a word spoken from her lips. Praise God and the gift of his precious White Rose, beloved Maria Esperanza."

Indeed, many were those who were touched by her mere presence -- that is, the Presence of Christ through a chosen vessel. A police officer who helped transport Maria to the hospital was converted after the seer -- unable to speak -- handed him a pair of rosary beads. Family members described the odor of sanctity during her passing and said she responded a number of times in her last days to the nearness of relatives or to reception of the Precious Blood, which was brought to her lips. Some have penned prayers and even a novena based on Maria's prophecy that 2004 would see the beginning of "rivers of light." We do believe she is already a powerful intercessor and look forward to following the process of submitting her cause for canonization.

"The 'rivers of light may simply be the return of people and the public discourse to Faith," opines Alex Isidoro of Yardley, Pennsylvania. "The good people finally reacting against the immorality of media and public life. The return of women to their senses and to motherhood. We cannot go lower, so we will rise thanks to a few 'just men and women' that have maintained hope during these dark years -- and the Holy Spirit of course. Maria has maintained evil away from New York and New Jersey. She may still be doing that."

Others tied her passing with Church affairs, and said they had sensed her death. If nothing else, there certainly seems to have been motion in the spiritual dimension -- at least to hear some say it. "Thank you for your article covering Maria's holy death," wrote Ann Ibrahim. "We will all miss her. I simply wanted to relate two incidences involving Maria Esperanza on Friday and Saturday, August 6 and 7. On the morning of Friday, I heard my guardian angel speak to me that Maria is 'passing.' This continued throughout Friday but when I checked my e-mail for updates on Maria's condition, all I got was a July 6 e-mail for urgent prayer for her health. On Saturday morning, 6 a.m., I was 'called' to prayer for the rosary by my guardian angel and finished in a half state of dreaming. I don't remember the exact event of the dream except that I distinctly saw Maria Esperanza appearing and 'traveling' to speak to my husband, Ahmad, in the Middle East. At about 2:30 p.m., later, my angel told me that Maria Esperanza is happily in Heaven with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. I 'saw' St. Joseph meeting her. He was carrying a lily and holding her hand as he led her to Jesus and Mary awaiting them only a few paces away."

We submit it for your discernment.

"One of your articles on the death of Maria Esperanza mentioned the link between her suffering and the Pope's," said another writer, Jeff Hellweg of Parker, Colorado. "Mr. Brown asked the question : 'what now?' On Sunday [August 15] the Pope stated at Lourdes, before reciting the Rosary, 'I feel, with emotion, that I am at the end of my pilgrimage . . ' This almost seems as if the Pope has answered Michael's question!"

Thankfully, the Holy Father has regained his footing since his trip to France. But naturally the world closely watches his health. It's hard to imagine a world without him...

Many of the notes conveyed Maria's greatest gift: love for others. Her passing for many was the passing of a spiritual mother.

"The ‘river of light’ is Heavenly knowledge that since the time of Daniel’s prophecy has not been allowed to flow," asserts yet another viewer, Poe Egan. "God said that in the end times, knowledge and understanding that before had been forbidden, will be given to those who love Him. It is His way of preparing His loved ones for the times ahead. We will not be able to withstand the forces of evil without it. Our faith is too weak. With this grace comes a boldness to do God’s work, to speak without fear, and to love ALL people unconditionally."

That sounds like something Maria herself has said. Beyond question, surrounded by her husband, her seven children, their spouses, and all twenty grandchildren at the very moment of her death -- with one daughter singing to her -- love was her strongest and final message.

Aug 2004