St. Clare Monastery, Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur

This October 13 is the Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, the sign that Mama Mary promised at Cova da Iria, Fatima so "all should believe." Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
The Fatima events involving three shepherd children had been a great concern that even atheists and communists had taken interest, in order to mock it. They even come in droves by October 13, 1917, to witness themselves the purportedly "miracle" from Our Lady who is appearing to the three children. Mama Mary had never let everyone down, just after her last message to the children, Lucia asked if a sign will be given. Our Lady nod and raised her hands to the heavens. At that very moment, the sun swirled in the sky and was emitting different colors. The sun seemed to plunge to the people that caused them to panic, but it did not happen. Rather, the sun showed the faces of Jesus Christ, Mama Mary and Saint Joseph, blessing the whole world.

HAPPY FEAST DAY!
MARY, OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
October 7, 2023

“YOU SHALL OBTAIN ALL YOU ASK OF ME BY THE RECITATION OF THE ROSARY.”
~Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

NOVENA PRAYER

MY DEAREST MOTHER MARY, Our Lady of the Rosary, behold me, Your child, in prayer at Your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which I offer You in accordance with Your Requests at Fatima, as a proof of my tender love for You, for the intentions of the SACRED HEART OF JESUS, in atonement for the offenses committed against Your IMMACULATE HEART, and for this special favor which I earnestly request in my Rosary Novena: especially...

I beg you to present my petition to Your Divine SON. If You will pray for me, I cannot be refused. I know, dearest Mother, that You want me to seek GOD’s holy Will concerning my request. If what I ask for should not be granted, pray that I may receive that which will be of greater benefit to my soul.

I offer You this spiritual “Bouquet of Roses” because I LOVE YOU. I put all my confidence in You, since Your prayers before GOD are most powerful. For the greater glory of GOD and for the sake of JESUS, Your loving Son, hear and grant my prayer.

QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY, pray for us!
SWEET HEART OF MARY,
be our salvation!

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, pray for us!
October 5

October 7 is the Feast of
MARY, OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new Efficacy to the Recitation of the ROSARY to such an extent that ‘THERE IS NO PROBLEM, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT IT IS, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families… THAT CANNOT BE SOLVED BY THE ROSARY.”
—Saint Lucia of Fatima

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA, PRAY FOR US!
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY,
PRAY FOR US!

This month of October, let us continue our devotion to the Holy Rosary of Mary!

St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us!
October 1

https://www.dominusest.ph/post/st-therese-of-lisieux-god-s-little-flower?

“‘HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE, THE LORD IS WITH THEE!’ No creature has ever said anything that was more pleasing to me, nor will anyone ever be able to find or say to me anything that pleases me more.”
—Our Lady to Saint Mechtilde

“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. “LOVE THE MADONNA AND PRAY THE ROSARY”, for her Rosary is the Weapon against the evils of the world today. All Graces given by GOD pass through the Blessed Mother.”
—Saint Padre Pio

September 18 | Saint of the Day

➕ SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO

Also known as
• Giuseppe da Copertino
• Joseph Desa
• Joseph of Copertino
• the Flying Friar
• the Gaper (derogatory term from his childhood)

Profile
Joseph's father, Felice Desa was a poor carpenter who died before the boy was born. Creditors drove his mother, Francesca Panara, from her home, and Joseph was born in a stable. Starting at age eight, he received ecstatic visions that left him gaping and staring into space. He had a hot temper, which his strict mother worked to overcome.

Apprenticed to a shoemaker. At age 17 Joseph applied for admittance to the Friars Minor Conventuals, but was refused due to his lack of education. He applied to the Capuchins, was accepted as a lay-brother in 1620, but his ecstasies made him unsuitable for work, and he was dismissed. Abused by his family, he continued his prayers, and was accepted as an oblate at the Franciscan convent near Cupertino, Italy. His virtues were such that he became a cleric at 22, a priest at 25. Joseph still had little education, could barely read or write, but received such a gift of spiritual knowledge and discernment that he could solve intricate questions.

His life became a series of visions and ecstasies, which could be triggered any time or place by the sound of a church bell, church music, the mention of the name of God or of the Blessed Virgin or of a saint, any event in the life of Christ, the sacred Passion, a holy picture, the thought of the glory in heaven, etc. Yelling, beating, pinching, burning, piercing with needles - none of this would bring him from his trances, but he would return to the world on hearing the voice of his superior in the order. He would often levitate and float (which led to his patronage of people involved in air travel), and could hear heavenly music.

Even in the 17th century, there was interest in the unusual, and Joseph's ecstasies in public caused both admiration and disturbance in the community. For 35 years he was not allowed to attend choir, go to the common refectory, walk in procession, or say Mass in church. To prevent making a spectacle, he was ordered to remain in his room with a private chapel. He was brought before the Inquisition, and sent from one Capuchin or Franciscan house to another. But Joseph retained his joyous spirit, submitting to Divine Providence, keeping seven Lents of 40 days each year, never letting his faith be shaken.

Born
17 June 1603 at Cupertino, diocese of Nardo, near Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples, Italy as Joseph Desa

Died
• 18 September 1663 at Ossimo, Italy of a rapidly developed but severe fever
• buried in the Crypt of the Sanctuary, Church of Saint Francis, Ossimo

Canonized
16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII

St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us!
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Source | Laudate

FEAST OF THE STIGMATA OF OUR HOLY FATHER ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
September 17, 2023

Almighty God,
you renewed the marks of the sufferings of your Son in the body of our holy Father Francis in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of your love. Through his prayers may we be made conformable to the death of your So and thus share also in his resurrection.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

St. Francis of Assisi, Pray for us!

***
Reflections on the Stigmata of St. Francis
The Greek word stigma means “a scar left by a hot iron: brand,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition). Stigmata—the plural form of the same Greek word—can also mean “bodily marks resembling the wounds of the crucified Christ.” This provides a basic background for understanding the mysterious phenomenon of the stigmata in Christian history.

I begin my reflections on the mystery of the stigmata by confessing that the first person I think of as having such bodily marks, apart from Jesus, is St. Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226. As the founder of the Franciscan Order, St. Francis is certainly a primary shaper of Franciscan spirituality. St. Francis, therefore, is a preeminent focal point in helping us contemplate the meaning of the wounds of Christ and of his own wounds and thus to come to a Franciscan understanding of suffering.

The Crucified Christ Appears to Francis
On two separate, dramatic occasions, Francis had a vision of Jesus, wounded in hands, feet and side, suffering on a cross. If we look carefully at the two visions we will see them as closely interrelated. Both visions are described in St. Bonaventure’s Life of St. Francis. It’s helpful to remember that Bonaventure, as a Franciscan theologian and spiritual writer, often described God as a God of overflowing goodness and love.

The first vision happened to Francis shortly after his conversion from a rather worldly life. After that experience, Bonaventure tells us: “One day, while Francis was praying in a secluded spot and became totally absorbed in God through his extreme fervor, Jesus Christ appeared to him fastened to the cross. Francis’ soul melted at the sight, and the memory of Christ’s passion was so impressed on the innermost recesses of his heart that from that hour, whenever Christ’s crucifixion came to mind, he could scarcely contain his tears and sighs.”

Bonaventure points out that from that time on Francis began “rendering humble service to lepers with human concern and devoted kindness….He visited their houses frequently, and generously distributed alms to them and with great compassion kissed their hands and their mouths.”

Francis’ Vision on Mount La Verna
About two years before his death, St. Francis had a second vision of Christ fastened to the cross. Here is how St. Bonaventure sets the scene in his Life of St. Francis: “On a certain morning about the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross [September 14], while Francis was praying on the mountainside, he saw a Seraph with six fiery and shining wings descend from the height of heaven. And when in swift flight the Seraph had reached a spot in the air near the man of God, there appeared between the wings the figure of the a man crucified, with his hands and feet extended in the form of a cross and fastened to a cross. Two of the wings were lifted above his head, two were extended for flight and two covered his whole body.

“When Francis saw this, he was overwhelmed and his whole body was flooded with a mixture of joy and sorrow. He rejoiced because of gracious way Christ looked upon him under the appearance of the Seraph, but the fact that he was fastened to a cross pierced his soul with a sword of compassionate sorrow.”

This is a good place to say a word about the Seraph. Seraphs are those angels closest to God, burning with love as they bow before the Most High God, shouting “Holy, holy, holy!” (see Isaiah 6:2-3.) Their fiery wings, as depicted here, suggest the flaming intensity of God’s love that Christ communicated to Francis, which in turn, set Francis’ heart afire. The word seraphic is often used to describe Francis’ passionate style of relating to God and is often applied to the whole Franciscan Order, which is sometimes called the Seraphic Order.

The Meaning of the Stigmata
As suggested earlier, St. Francis is an important key for us in unlocking the meaning of Christ’s Stigmata. September is a good month to contemplate the meaning of the Stigmata for any of us who consider ourselves followers of St. Francis. As many of us know, Franciscans celebrate the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi each year on September 17, which is an estimated date of his receiving the wounds of Christ at Mount La Verna in 1224, two years before his death.

When St. Francis saw in his vision of the Crucified Christ the incredible outpouring of God’s love upon him, he was inspired to respond with the same kind of overflowing love. We too contemplate that vision and try to respond in the same spirit.

source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/a-friar-reflects-on-the-stigmata-of-st-francis/
image: https://anastpaul.tumblr.com/image/130745003345

September 14 | FEAST OF THE DAY

🔸THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS

Today we honor the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Jesus’ triumph upon it. In today’s feast, we are reminded of God’s plan of Salvation and His work to raise up humankind through the saving power of Jesus Christ. In Christ on the Cross, sin is overcome and we are offered a new life, with Christ at the center. According to a traditional account, the relics of the holy cross were discovered by St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, in 326 when she was on a pilgrimage in Jerusalem. The relics were captured by Persians but later returned in 628 and now reside at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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Source | Divineoffice.org


Happy Feast Day! 🙏❤️😇🥰

Today, we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.

Early in the fourth century, Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior’s tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on.”

To this day, the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica’s dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

Source: Franciscan Media

The FEAST Of The NATIVITY Of The
MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
September 8, 2023

“This Woman of Faith, MARY of Nazareth, the Mother of GOD, has been given to us as a Model in our pilgrimage of Faith. FROM MARY we learn to Surrender to GOD’s Will in all things. FROM MARY, we learn to Trust even when all hope seems gone. FROM MARY, we learn to Love CHRIST, her Son and the SON of GOD. For Mary is not only the Mother of God, she is Mother of the Church as well.”
—Pope St. John Paul II

IMMACULATE VIRGIN MARY, in honor of Thy Sacred NATIVITY, to Thee do I Dedicate my body and soul, all my prayers and deeds, my joys and sufferings, all that I am and all that I have. With a joyful heart I Surrender myself to Thy love. To Thee will I Devote my services of my own free will for the salvation of mankind, and for the help of the Holy Church whose MOTHER Thou art.

O HOLY MARY, I beg Thee, by that Grace through which the LORD is with Thee and Thou wilt to be with Him, let Thy mercy be with me. Let love for Thee always be with me, and the care for me be always with Thine. Let the cry of my need, as long as it persists, be with Thee, and the care of Thy goodness, as long as I need it, be with me. Let joy in Thy blessedness be always with me, and compassion for my wretchedness, where I need it, be with thee. O most loving Mother, for the love of JESUS CHRIST, I love Thee in this life and forevermore!

HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE,
THE LORD IS WITH THEE...

FIRST FRIDAY DEVOTION

“I PROMISE YOU that My Heart shall expand Itself to shed in abundance the influence of Its Divine Love upon those who shall thus honor It, and cause It to be honored ...
As to persons living in the world, they shall find in this DEVOTION all the Aids necessary in their state of life: ‘Peace‘ in their homes, ‘Consolation’ in their work, the ‘Blessing of Heaven’ upon all their enterprises, ‘Comfort’ in their sorrows, a secure ‘Refuge’ during life and especially at the hours of death. It is plainly evident that there is NO ONE in the world who will not Receive all kinds of Heavenly Blessings if they have a True Love of JESUS CHRIST manifested by a Devotion to HIS MOST SACRED HEART.”
— St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

O MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, Fountain of every blessing, I ADORE YOU, I LOVE YOU and with a lively sorrow for my sins. I offer You this poor heart of mine. Make me Humble, Patient, Pure, and wholly Obedient to Your will. Grant, Good JESUS, that I may LIVE in You and for You. Protect me in the midst of danger; Comfort me in my afflictions; give me Health of body, Assistance in my temporal needs, Your Blessings on all that I do, and the Grace of a holy death. Within Your SACRED HEART I place my every care. In every need let me come to You with humble TRUST saying, “HEART OF JESUS, HELP ME.”
Amen!

MOST HOLY IMMACULATE VIRGIN MARY, my Mother, I - the most miserable of all sinners - have recourse to you today, the Mother of my LORD JESUS CHRIST. I venerate you, O great QUEEN, and Thank You for all the graces you have obtained for me, especially for having delivered me from hell, which I have so often deserved. I LOVE YOU, O my very kind Sovereign, and for your Love, I commit myself to Serve you forever, and tend all my efforts to make you Loved by others too. Next to your most Divine SON, I place all my Hopes and all my Salvation in you.

Accept me as your humble servant, and Receive me under your Protection, O Mother of Mercies. And since you are so Powerful with GOD, Deliver me from all temptations or obtain for me the Strength to conquer them until death.

O MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP, by the Love that you have for GOD, I pray that you will always Assist me, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Do not abandon me until you see me safe in heaven, occupied to Bless you and to Sing your mercies for all eternity. THIS IS MY HOPE.

HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE...

Today, we celebrate Mary, as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Pope Pius XII in the Papal Encyclical Ad Coeli Reginam proposed the traditional doctrine on the Queenship of Mary and established this feast for the Universal Church.

Pope Pius IX said of Mary's queenship: "Turning her maternal Heart toward us and dealing with the affair of our salvation, she is concerned with the whole human race. Constituted by the Lord Queen of Heaven and earth, and exalted above all choirs of Angels and the ranks of Saints in Heaven, standing at the right hand of Her only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, she petitions most powerfully with Her maternal prayers, and she obtains what she seeks."

Sources:
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/.../queenship-of-mary-343
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm...

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
August 15, 2023

Prayer to Our Lady of the Assumption
(by Pope St. Pius X)

O immaculate virgin, mother of God and mother of humanity, we believe with all the fervour of our faith in your triumphal assumption both in body and in soul into heaven where you are acclaimed as queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love.

We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, in heaven is filled with the vision of that humanity glorified and with the vision of uncreated wisdom, and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable trinity causes your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness; and we, poor sinners whose body weights down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts so that, while we remain below, we may learn to see God and God alone in the beauties of his creatures.

We trust that your merciful eyes may deign to gaze down upon our miseries and anguish, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as he once said to you of his beloved disciple:

"Behold you son," and we who call upon you as our mother, we, like John, take you as the guide, strength and consolation of our mortal life.

We are inspired by the certainty that your eyes, which wept over the earth crimsoned by the blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world racked by wars and persecutions, the oppression of the just and the weak. From the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your heavenly assistance, tender mercy, comfort for our aching hearts, and help in the trials of Church and country.

We believe finally that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with stars, you are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and the saints, and from this earth, over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to you our life, our sweetness, our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice, so that one day, after our exile, you may show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb.

O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.

AMEN.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi.

"Go forth without fear, Christian soul, for you have a good guide for your journey. Go forth without fear, for He that created you has sanctified you, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother." - Saint Clare, on her deathbed in 1253

Saint Clare was born in 1193 in Assisi to a noble family. Before her birth, her mother received a sign that her daughter would be a bright light of God in the world. As a child she was already very strongly drawn to the things of God, praying fervently, devoutly visiting the Blessed Sacrament, and manifesting a tender love towards the poor.

When she was 18, she heard St. Francis preaching in the town square during Lent and she knew at once that God wanted her to consecrate herself to Him. The next evening, Clare left her house at night, ran to meet St. Francis and his companions at the church they were staying in, and shared her desire to follow him in his way of life. He received her, gave her his tunic, cut off her golden locks, and sent her to a Benedictine convent, because she could not stay with the brothers. Her younger sister Agnes soon joined her and the two had to resist much pressure from their family to return home.

When Clare was 22, St. Francis placed her in a small house beside the convent and made her superior, a post she should serve for the next 42 years of her life until her death.

The ´Poor Clares' as they came to be known, lived an unusually austere life for women of the time, walking barefoot around the town begging for alms, wearing sackcloth, and living without any possessions, completely dependent for their food on what was given to them. But the emphasis of their lives was, and still is, contemplation.

Many young noble women left all they had to take on the poor habit of Clare and the order grew rapidly, with houses being founded all over Italy, all of whom took St. Clare as their model and inspiration.

Clare's reputation for holiness was such that the Pope himself came to her deathbed in 1253 to give her absolution, and wanted to canonize her immediately on her death, but was advised by his cardinals to wait.

Claire died in absolute tranquility, saying to one of the brothers at her side "Dear brother, ever since through His servant Francis I have known the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, I have never in my whole life found any pain or sickness that could trouble me."

She was canonized in 1255, two years after her death.

Source: Catholic News Agency

TRANSITUS OF OUR SERAPHIC MO. ST. CLARE OF ASSISI
(August 10, 2023)

The Transitus of St. Clare is celebrated on August 10, the eve of her feast day, to commemorate her death and entry into eternal life.

(Transitus refers to "the time of passage through death to life". It consecrates the passage of the dying to eternal life.)

As the sisters crying over the passing of their mother, St. Clare, she began to commend her soul by saying: “Go in Peace, because you will have a good es**rt. The One Who created you has already provided for you by being holy. The One Who created you has infused the Holy Spirit in you and then guarded you as a mother does her child.”

Tomorrow is St Clare’s feast day., HAPPY FIESTA!

***
St. Clare's Blessing
(Taken from Clare’s second letter to Agnes of Prague)

What you hold, may you always hold,
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step, unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
may you go forward, securely, joyfully and swiftly,
on the path to prudent happiness,
not believing anything, not agreeing with anything
that would dissuade you from this resolution
or that would place a stumbling block for you on the way,
so that you may offer your vows to the Most High
in the pursuit of that perfection
to which the Spirit of the Lord has called you.

St. Clare of Assisi, PRAY FOR US!

Photo: The Death of Saint Clare Yoga Mat by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

Today is the ninth day of the Novena in honor of . Let us pray.
+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
⚫INVOCATION
O most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we praise your Holy Name and the wonders of grace you worked in your servant, Saint Clare. Through her powerful intercession grant us the favors we beg in this novena, above all the grace to live and die as she did in your most Holy Love. Amen.
Day 9 (August 10)
Gracious Saint Clare,
who fulfilled your womanhood by a life of love in prayer and penance, help us to fulfill our destiny that we may one day greet you in Heaven. You who were consoled at your death
by a vision of Christ and His Mother, obtain for us the grace that we may die under the special protection of God and enter into the life and bliss you now enjoy. Have pity on us who struggle, on us who mourn, and win for us the favors of God
so that after this life we may come home to Him who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
⚫CLOSING PRAYER
V. Pray for us, Saint Clare.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray:
We Pray You, Lord, Grant us Your servants who celebrate the festival of Blessed Clare your Virgin, by her intercession, to be partakers of the joys of heaven and coheirs with Your only-begotten Son, Who being God, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
You too can be a Franciscan. Click the link below:
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MIRACLE AT FÁTIMA? WORLD YOUTH DAY PILGRIM RECEIVES HER SIGHT AFTER COMMUNION AT MASS

“I opened my eyes and I could see perfectly,” said Jimena, a 16-year-old Spanish World Youth Day pilgrim who said she miraculously recovered her sight after receiving the Eucharist at Fátima, Portugal, during a Mass there.

This possible miracle has moved hearts and filled with hope all those who have been following the events at WYD, which brought together more than a million young people in the Portuguese capital last week.

Jimena traveled to Lisbon from Madrid with a group from Opus Dei. During the days prior, relatives and acquaintances of the young woman organized a novena to pray to Our Lady of the Snows, whose feast day is commemorated Aug. 5, the same day she recovered her sight.

For two and a half years, Jimena has suffered a loss of sight due to a myopia problem that left her with a 95% vision loss. On the morning of Aug. 5, when the Holy Father was also praying the rosary at the Fátima shrine, Jimena received what she herself describes as a “great gift” from the Virgin Mary.

Not long after having recovered her sight, Jimena told the Spanish radio station COPE that she woke up that morning “as I have been getting up for two and a half years, seeing super blurry, very badly.”

She explained that she had gone to Mass with her friends “because we are at WYD and after receiving Communion I began to cry a lot, because it was the last day of the novena and I wanted to be cured and I had very much asked God please [cure me].”

“When I opened my eyes, I could see perfectly,” the young woman continued, “it was overwhelming; very many thanks must be given for the miracle, because I saw the altar, the tabernacle, my girlfriends were there, and I could see them perfectly.”

In addition, she said that she was able to read the novena prayer that she was praying and that she still reads “quite well” — she hadn’t forgotten at all how to read.

The young woman said she is “super happy” and thanked all those who were part of the prayer group. “This has been a test of faith; the Virgin has given me a great gift that I will not forget,” she said.

In an Aug. 6 statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Cardinal Juan José Omella, the archbishop of Barcelona and president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, referred to the possible miracle as “a grace from God” during the press conference at the end of WYD held at Eduardo VII park in Lisbon.

The cardinal said he was able to speak with Jimena on a video call and that she explained what happened in a natural and unaffected manner. “The girl was very excited; she had been blind for a while and she had been learning the Braille method for two or three years,” he said.

The prelate also noted that Jimena “had to read the prayer of thanksgiving at Mass that day with the Madrid group” and that, after receiving Communion, she was able to read it without any problem.

The young woman also told the cardinal that they had been praying for “nine days asking the Virgin for her healing.”

Omella encouraged the faithful to “give thanks to God” and explained that “this doesn’t lead to the cause of beatification for anyone, because the Virgin is already a saint, but it is indeed a grace from God.”

He pointed out that “then the doctors will have to assess it, what it was like, if it existed, if it could be cured or not. But for now for the girl that has been a major event. Let’s say a miracle. She didn’t see and now she sees. Now the doctors will be able to say the rest, but she has gone home seeing. Well, she sees, blessed be God.”

Omella said he was “really struck” by other testimonies that took place during WYD from young people who “have also recovered their interior vision.”

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

Article: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255031/miracle-at-fatima-world-youth-day-pilgrim-receives-her-sight-after-communion-at-mass?fbclid=IwAR2xx3tZ6S7iDi4ornOVTD3toBtss3q0Gf3raM6gsPMHyFOI_sXonfzWgj8