What Would Jesus See

An accidental electrical fire on Ash Wednesday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church – the oldest church in Colorado – caused an estimated $500,000 in damage. It also left smoke damage above a portrait of the Virgin Mary that many parishioners feel looks like a crown. Father Sergio Robles says many in the congregation believe it’s a miracle and have asked him to leave it as is.  So far he’s agreed to let it remain at least while the rest of the church is being repaired. Oddly, this isn’t the first time the 162-year-old church caught fire. It was on Ash Wednesday 90 years that an electrical fire caused enough damage that parishioners had to rebuild a large portion of the church. Cue the spooky organ music.

Victor Jose Alvarado was at the  Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta, Georgia, on December 12 for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe when, as he put it in a Facebook posting, “We started praying and singing songs to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, and immediately started feeling peace and the smell of roses!!! We just finished having lunch when someone noticed a very bright sun ray and in front of our eyes her image starting to appear in the window.” Father Fernando Molina-Restrepo of the church posted a photograph of the window on Facebook that shows the image of the Virgin Mary and said that while many people have their own interpretations of how the foggy figure formed – such as the pane’s coating reacting to outside elements –  many viewers believe it’s their faith that is the true cause.

Workers were cutting down a 39-year-old drought-stricken pine tree outside St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Modesto two weeks ago when one of them noticed what looked like a cross in one section of the log. They called church member Jim Bland who saved the section and put a protective shellack coating over it. It’s currently on display in the church foyer, though they may move it outside near a large church bell so anyone can see it anytime. While everyone agrees it looks like a cross, Bland’s grandson viewed it a little differently. “It’s not just a cross, Grandpa,” he said, “it’s Jesus on the cross.”  There’s no word on whether the workers used a rip saw or a cross cut when taking down the tree.

When an image of the Virgin Mary appeared on a Palo Blanco tree in their yard on October 29, the Rivas family of San Diego knew they wanted to share their miracle with others. Beginning this Saturday, December 12, the public is invited to visit the image between the hours of 2:30 pm and 4:30 pm. According to the Nueces County Record Star, the Rivas family lives on County Road 334 Buena Vista in San Diego, TX. Don’t be late. Or early.

The timing couldn’t have been any better. Less than  month before Pope Francis will be visiting the country, and right in the middle of the celebration of the Holy Rosary which occurs every October, people living in  Makueni County, Kenya have discovered an image of the Virgin Mary on a rock at Manooni Dam. She appeas to be holding Baby Jesus , has a dove by her shoulder, and a lamb resides nearby.

News of the sighting has traveled quickly, with reports saying thousands of people have come to visit the site from around the area. There are many who started to explore and brought in equipment like https://ckgscoop.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=66 to excavate more such images or artifacts.While the Pope’s 3-day visit to Kenya has been planned for a long time, hopefully he has some flexibility and a free day in which to go to Makueni.

Luis Alberto Montelongo Reyes of Saltillo, Mexico, just wanted a freshly painted orange wall in his living room, but once the paint dried he noticed what looked like a silhouette of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the wall. As word spread, people came by to take a look. Now many who live in the town believe it’s a miracle and a sign from God that things are going to improve in their poor neighborhood with the help of the house loan long term rates comparison . Believers have been flocking to the home to check it out, lighting candles and stroking the image in the hope of a blessing. Montelongo Reyes is maintaining an open door policy so anyone who wants to can come see the image, saying, “For me it’s a blessing from God.”