There have been recent talks and miracles attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Mother of God.
In the Greek Melkite Catholic parish of St. Symeon the Stylite in Windsor - Canada, an icon of the Virgin Mary called "The inexhaustible Chalice Icon" has continuously exuded oil since August 6, 2019. The church has been since visited by many of the faithful from different cities in Ontario, Canada. The event was triggered when the saintly pastor of the church Abouna Gerard Abi Saab was requested to open the church and pray for a sick person. Greek Melkite Catholic Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, known for his pastoral care, investigated it through priests sent from Montreal and found it authentic. I reported the event on my page in Facebook and received many favorable comments of the veneration due to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Bulletin of Sunday August 18 at the Greek Melkite Catholic community in Toronto, a plan was announced that the faithful are invited to visit the church on Wednesday August 28, 2019 to pray for heavenly blessings.
In a yet related event, Myrna Al-Akhras spoke at the Byzantine Cathedral of the Transfiguration to a throng of faithful who attended the Divine Liturgy on the eve of the Solemnity of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary the Theotokos; called also the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. After the Mass, she spoke of the need to continue to be committed to Church and to love one another as God loved us through his Son. Parents are encouraged to pray with their children and be an example for them in order that the young generation too may participate in the Church celebrations. In today's society, she indicated, everyone is preoccupied with his/her work. With computer networks, students and workers may be inclined to pray from time to time, if ever, but lack the commitment to the community of the People of God where the sacraments of the Church are received through the grace of Christ.
I could not attend the event, and sent Myrna an email indicating my heart health issues. This woman, who in Soufanieh, Damascus, received the Stigmata (or the wounds of Christ) in her body and had visions of the Virgin Mary, replied to me with utter humility in Arabic:
In a yet related event, Myrna Al-Akhras spoke at the Byzantine Cathedral of the Transfiguration to a throng of faithful who attended the Divine Liturgy on the eve of the Solemnity of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary the Theotokos; called also the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. After the Mass, she spoke of the need to continue to be committed to Church and to love one another as God loved us through his Son. Parents are encouraged to pray with their children and be an example for them in order that the young generation too may participate in the Church celebrations. In today's society, she indicated, everyone is preoccupied with his/her work. With computer networks, students and workers may be inclined to pray from time to time, if ever, but lack the commitment to the community of the People of God where the sacraments of the Church are received through the grace of Christ.
I could not attend the event, and sent Myrna an email indicating my heart health issues. This woman, who in Soufanieh, Damascus, received the Stigmata (or the wounds of Christ) in her body and had visions of the Virgin Mary, replied to me with utter humility in Arabic:
سلامة قلبك اخي جورج انا رجعت إلى مونتريال للأسف إقامتي كانت في تورنتو يوم واحد لاني كنت ملتزمة أن أعود... لكن اعدك ان اذكرك في صلاتي طالبة من الرب ان يستجيب ويمنحك نعمة الشفاء
Related to her story is the "Icon of Kazan", particularly that the Marian Pope Saint John Paul II prayed before the icon frequently before sending it to where it belongs in the Russian Orthodox Church. It appears that Myrna's husband Nicolas Nazzour who is Greek Orthodox received a copy when he visited one of the Orthodox churches in Europe...
The related information may be obtained from this link:
On the 25th anniversary of the Phenomenon of Soufanieh, I wrote a post in June 2008 titled "The Phenomenon of Soufanieh" which the readers are encouraged to read below:
https://todayquestions.
Based on the Fathers of the Church, in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Second Vatican Council, declared the Blessed Virgin Mary "Mother" of the Church (see # 53 here). She is the Archetype of the Body of Christ and stands in heaven above all creatures, the closest to God...On January 1, 1968, Pope Saint Paul VI dedicated the first day of the year to world peace (see the message here). In Cairo, one of the Greek Catholic parishes is named after "Our Lady of Peace". It is the parish from which hails Fr. Rafic Greiche the current and highly active pastor of St. Cyril's parish in Heliopolis, Cairo. His picture is shown here...
In 2009 during the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, His Eminence Thomas Collins spoke of the Virgin Mary in the Book of Revelation:
The post contains excerpts* from the homily of Archbishop Thomas Collins** in the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption which took place at St. Michael's Cathedral - It was also the ordination Mass of our friend Mounir El-Rassi to the priesthood.
[God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God....Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”] (Revelation 11: 19a; 12: 1-6a; 10 ab). This reading from Apocalypse is a reference to the sign of the woman whose son was destined to rule the nations. She, like any other human, had to escape into the desert in order to deliver her son. She has to suffer like the Israelites suffered in the desert before the glory of her Son should shine. This is Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, crowned with twelve stars referring to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of her Son and God. She is clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet. That is how the Second Eve brought us salvation after the First Eve brought us the curse. The dragon, that is Satan, lured the First Eve into disobedience, and wanted to lead the Second Eve into disobedience too. But Mary, reminds us Luke, said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary, like her Son, was assumed to heaven because she surrendered all her life to the will of God. It is because she was willing to give her life to God that he was born of her. This is our mission too: To surrender ourselves, as Mary did, to God. Today, when we are faced with challenges to our faith, let us follow Mary in her path; for we want to hear the angel in our midst “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”
* The excerpts are my own paraphrasing of parts of the homily.
** Archbishop Thomas Collins is a well-known Biblical Scholar.
With the early Church in mind, let us reflect on the meaning of the "divinity" for Man. In his lecture on "Theosis" delivered at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Toronto in June 2015, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad recalled the importance of the Resurrection in the Fathers thought especially St. Athanasius; Doctor of the Church. It is a magnificent presentation which can be found on my blog here: https://todayquestions.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-resurrection-of-christ-for-todays.html
This morning at Holy Rosary parish in Toronto, the renowned Biblical scholar Msgr. Robert Nusca delivered a challenging homily on the words of Christ "I have come to set the earth on fire" (Luke 12:49) - The holy fire is the one that consumed the Virgin Mary; a young girl; in the love of God and brought the Word of God to dwell in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit - It is the fire that John the Baptist mentioned when he spoke about Christ's baptism "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11)- And St. Paul wrote For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble–each man’s work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Cor 3:11–15) . In the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is written "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:28-29).
In the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus wrote against Gnostics who denied the intrinsic value of Man. He wrote "The glory of God is man fully alive and the life of Man is the vision of God". (AH IV, 20, 7). The more we become human the more we become one with God. According to the Eastern Fathers of the Church, God became man so as to restore us to him. This love of God endures and continues to expand in the entire world thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian missions.
Indeed, whenever we recite the Lord's Prayer, the Eucharist is significantly present in the words "Give us this day our daily bread" - In receiving the Body of Christ in the state of grace, it brings the faithful to the communion of saints of whom the Virgin Mother of God is distinguished by her utter closeness to Christ our Saviour, God, and Lord. The reader is encouraged to read it here:
Based on the Fathers of the Church, in the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Second Vatican Council, declared the Blessed Virgin Mary "Mother" of the Church (see # 53 here). She is the Archetype of the Body of Christ and stands in heaven above all creatures, the closest to God...On January 1, 1968, Pope Saint Paul VI dedicated the first day of the year to world peace (see the message here). In Cairo, one of the Greek Catholic parishes is named after "Our Lady of Peace". It is the parish from which hails Fr. Rafic Greiche the current and highly active pastor of St. Cyril's parish in Heliopolis, Cairo. His picture is shown here...
In 2009 during the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, His Eminence Thomas Collins spoke of the Virgin Mary in the Book of Revelation:
The post contains excerpts* from the homily of Archbishop Thomas Collins** in the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption which took place at St. Michael's Cathedral - It was also the ordination Mass of our friend Mounir El-Rassi to the priesthood.
[God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne.The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God....Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”] (Revelation 11: 19a; 12: 1-6a; 10 ab). This reading from Apocalypse is a reference to the sign of the woman whose son was destined to rule the nations. She, like any other human, had to escape into the desert in order to deliver her son. She has to suffer like the Israelites suffered in the desert before the glory of her Son should shine. This is Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, crowned with twelve stars referring to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of her Son and God. She is clothed with the sun and the moon is under her feet. That is how the Second Eve brought us salvation after the First Eve brought us the curse. The dragon, that is Satan, lured the First Eve into disobedience, and wanted to lead the Second Eve into disobedience too. But Mary, reminds us Luke, said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary, like her Son, was assumed to heaven because she surrendered all her life to the will of God. It is because she was willing to give her life to God that he was born of her. This is our mission too: To surrender ourselves, as Mary did, to God. Today, when we are faced with challenges to our faith, let us follow Mary in her path; for we want to hear the angel in our midst “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”
* The excerpts are my own paraphrasing of parts of the homily.
** Archbishop Thomas Collins is a well-known Biblical Scholar.
With the early Church in mind, let us reflect on the meaning of the "divinity" for Man. In his lecture on "Theosis" delivered at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Toronto in June 2015, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad recalled the importance of the Resurrection in the Fathers thought especially St. Athanasius; Doctor of the Church. It is a magnificent presentation which can be found on my blog here: https://todayquestions.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-resurrection-of-christ-for-todays.html
With the early Church in mind, let us reflect on the meaning of the "divinity" for Man. In his lecture on "Theosis" delivered at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Toronto in June 2015, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad recalled the importance of the Resurrection in the Fathers thought especially St. Athanasius; Doctor of the Church. It is a magnificent presentation which can be found on my blog here: https://todayquestions.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-resurrection-of-christ-for-todays.html
In the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus wrote against Gnostics who denied the intrinsic value of Man. He wrote "The glory of God is man fully alive and the life of Man is the vision of God". (AH IV, 20, 7). The more we become human the more we become one with God. According to the Eastern Fathers of the Church, God became man so as to restore us to him. This love of God endures and continues to expand in the entire world thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian missions.
Indeed, whenever we recite the Lord's Prayer, the Eucharist is significantly present in the words "Give us this day our daily bread" - In receiving the Body of Christ in the state of grace, it brings the faithful to the communion of saints of whom the Virgin Mother of God is distinguished by her utter closeness to Christ our Saviour, God, and Lord. The reader is encouraged to read it here:
"Give us this day our daily bread" in The Lord's Prayer
In spite of challenges that we face, let us seek the intercession of the Virgin Mary with her Son for the full unity of Christians, ask her to intercede for our needs for the Lord said "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). It is our hope for God's mercy upon everyone of the living and the dead; for Christ loves humankind.
In spite of challenges that we face, let us seek the intercession of the Virgin Mary with her Son for the full unity of Christians, ask her to intercede for our needs for the Lord said "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). It is our hope for God's mercy upon everyone of the living and the dead; for Christ loves humankind.
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