And there, as a "sign," we see crisis.

This present time.

Anyway, doing so would be oppressing.

Yet, it is the truth that sets us free. Yet, these too are signs.

So is the Blessed Mother, whose manifestations continue to proliferate, even as many treat them as blasé.

We don't know yet how the Church will discern Medjugorje -- one of the places where the Virgin Mother is cited (apparitions to one seer were cancelled at two New England churches, ostensibly after communications from higher Church authorities, at the same time the Vatican sent an invitation "to the Shrine of Medjugorje" for participation in Marian Day two weeks ago) -- but it was at Medjugorje that the Virgin Mary said "darkness covers the whole world" and that this is the time of crucial battle.

The same is indicated by her elsewhere. Statue miracles continue to be reported, including in connection with that recent quake in the Philippines.

Could it be, truly -- as reported -- that a statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the Philippines was found turned around on its pedestal -- back to the people, with a darkened robe -- after that disaster (as one newspaper reported).

Notes a blog: "The most profound sign came from the most visited Marian Shrine in the Philippines on the island of Cebu, called Mama Mary shrine. There is a large, miraculous statue of Mary in this shrine, that has cried and cured many pilgrims. In the same church there is another statue of Mary, that appears to be Our Lady of Fatima. It has a base with the word 'Portugal' on it. This base is continuous with the statue. They are one piece. The base cannot be detached from the body. Otherwise the statue would be broken into two pieces. Here is the great miracle, which seems to be a message, a warning from Our Lady of Fatima. Right after the earthquake, pilgrims noticed and cried out in alarm that this statue had changed. Mary was now facing the wall, with her back to the people. But, the base itself, molded to the body of the statue, was still facing forward with the 'Portugal' inscription!"

Many have been the places where -- as another sign -- Mary has healed (through her Son).

In Corpus Christi is a revolving sixty-two-foot Cross and a replica of Jesus' Tomb of the Resurrection where according to a daily newspaper the Blessed Mother once appeared in a flowing green cloak in 2007. The Cross towers from a cross-shaped fountain once blessed with Holy Water from the Jordan River.

These too are "signs."

They cannot all be products of the imagination.

It's not up to God to prove Himself to us. It's up to us to prove ourselves to Him.

"I was speechless," said Juan Carlos Martinez of the apparition. "It was a beautiful experience, and I feel such peace here working through the evenings that I don't want to leave this place."

His brother says he experienced a miracle at the fountain of water. It's located on a 50-acre property on County Road 37 near Saratoga Boulevard. The land was owned and the shrine built by a local attorney who has since died.

Reported the Corpus Christi Caller: "Victor Martinez, who is helping shape and place the more than 700 cantera stones quarried in Mexico that make up the tomb, was wearing a brace on his swollen knee and dragged his leg while working. Victor cried at night from the pain, his brother said. Before beginning on the tomb the brothers were laying slate tiles around the fountain, and Victor pulled up his pant leg, reached into the water and patted his knee with it. Soon the swelling diminished, and he began moving vigorously without pain, he said." A priest connected to the attorney, Albert Huerta, tells us that "there were several reported miracles at the site. It used to be a rock concert place turned into a religious center, with 'prayer warriors." 

"Many miracles were reported through the healing water," says Alfredo Zapata, who is the diocesan coordinator for the charismatic movement. "The fountain isn't working right now. There's no water in it, and it's closed to the public for now. But there were many, many miracles."

There in Corpus Christi, years before, had been a statue in a home that supposedly was an agent of healing (as well as "messages").

This south Texas community is one of America's foremost "hotspots" of Marian devotion; for that reason, we plan a retreat there, God willing, in February.

Jesus said that healing and casting out demons would be a "sign." Hopefully, the closure of holy places and restrictions on the miraculous isn't another.

"Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us," says Romans 8:18-25. "For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God..."

10/29/13

[resources: Fear of Fire and Michael Brown retreat in Charlotte, North Carolina: afterlife, spiritual; warfare, family healing]

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