When I left the Catholic Church for a season, I abandoned Mary and the Rosary as well. Converting to the Protestant faith, it was all Jesus or you were still considered sitting on the fence. I had no idea that I was in training for the apologetics of my Catholic roots.

As we walked through the Prado Museum and the glorious splendor of thousands of artist capturing “The Pieta” or “The Passion of Christ, Mary is always in the paintings.  The agony depicted by so many like “The Descent From The Cross” by Van  der Weyden, cannot deny her powerful presence, for she is always in her humble state, gentle Mary would never draw the attention away of her Son Jesus.

We leave beautiful Madrid for a short flight to Toulouse, France and drive two hours to Lourdes.

Last night’s procession in Lourdes brought me closer to Mary. The night skies were lit with an full moon shyly covered with a thin sheet of clouds, as the small village dims it’s lights at nine o’clock for the powerful phenomenon. Before the procession we made our way to the side of my favorite basilica where Bernadette Soubirous had her first encounter with “The Lady With The Rosary.”  From the first spring of water that St. Bernadette dug, my prayers came like a rushing wind of revelation. One person’s face led to another and another, I had images of persons that normally are not on my radar and prayed for their needs.

My heart was filled with joy experiencing the thousands of pilgrims who carried their candles through the village main square. The church’s pipe organ filled the crisp fall air with songs to our Lady of Lourdes. A tall statue of our Lady led the worshippers along the small town square, and just as she does today, Mary leads us to her only begotten Son Jesus. The Rosary was prayed in so many languages, and a French version of the song  Immaculate Mary elevated me to another spiritual realm. I prayed for those that have lost their way, and asked that through the intercession of Mary that they would be guided back. My heart was overwhelmed with the dark blemish of sin brought on by culpable priests, and I asked that all sin be exposed and that God’s heavy hand of judgement come down upon them. I prayed for all the victims to be healed of their mental afflictions.

How holy are you Lord to bring us to you through the love of your Mother. We need you more than ever.

If you follow my Blog, I have written about the two healings that both Mike and I have experienced in Lourdes. Mike’s knee was completely restored and after my diagnosis of Parkinson’s,  I too received a total healing during a pilgrimage with my lay ministry.

As Helen and I waited patiently for our turn in the baths. A French volunteer informed us that they would be closing the grotto at 11 and that it would not be  reopened until 2. It was 10:15 a.m. when we formed the line, so at the mercy of God we waited.

Just Like the lines in any the men’s restroom, both Mike and Larry were in and out of the baths in no time.  Helen and I had time to get our prayers in order before being dipped into the holy waters.

If we are Facebook friends, I prayed for you. With 3 hours of waiting, I pressed through with the intercession. For Silvia, a beautiful 24 year-old fighting for her life with cancer, for  Glenda, Carol, Guity, women from my ministry,  I prayed for your miracle healing. For Rose and Betty, our prayers went before the Lord for their restoration of health. For my family and extended family, I prayed for your special needs as well as those of my friends.

When it was time for our holy experience we were escorted into a space separated by blue and white striped canvas drapes. No time is wasted, as French volunteers help disrobe you. We are then quickly shrouded  into a navy blue cloak. Lastly, we are led into another section where three women help prepare you for the bath. As I made my way through another set of drapes , I felt the natural stone flooring cold water on my feet. As the drapes opened, I noticed two of the volunteers ringing a white sheet and then they quickly and tightly wrapped my freezing cold body into it. I took two steps into the frigid water and sat in it for a few seconds and said my prayers. The two ladies helped me out of the water, while the third volunteer wrapped me back into the original cloak. No towels for drying off, but a quick rush to getting me dressed. While I slipped on my turtleneck, my shoes and socks were put on by the same kind volunteer that helped disrobe me. By the time I waited the few minutes for Helen, my soaking body was completely dry.

Do not expect Lourdes to cater to your needs. The town closes at 3 and wakes up again 6. The population of Lourdes is 15,000 but they receive over 5 million pilgrims a year. The food is fresh and the service outstanding but it lacks in flavor. The bread is always the best, and in Lourdes man can eat by bread alone.

My toe, that has been my cross for the last three years, joined forces with the smaller toe to add to the agony of  my every step. My complaints fell on deaf ears, as no wanted to hear it any longer. Lourdes is a village on the foothills on the Pyrenees Mountains, so we are either going uphill or downhill, needless to say the town is a paradox, bringing me to both great joy and pain.

May the Good Lord Bless You!

About this time last year I received a phone call from my cousin Leo. Leo was getting married to Susie on October 13, 2018. This would be Leo’s first marriage, linking him to his long-time companion of over 10 years. Leo is 70 years old.

I could never forget this date because this is one of the dates that the Blessed Mother appeared to the Children in Fatima, Portugal. October 13th is also the birthday of our grandson Lucas, who turned nine years old.

On the day of the wedding I tried on several different outfits and walked downstairs for Mike’s opinion. With one quick glance, Mike gave me a thumbs up. Note to self: Never ask a man for wardrobe advice while he’s watching football.

As we were driving to San Bernardino, Mike asked me to put the address into the navigation system of my car. I had no idea that the car was equipped with this device. I pressed every single button until a map of the 91 Freeway popped up. At that point a voice from hell led us to exit every single street off the freeway. In a panic, and with Mike raising his voice to “Shut the thing off!” I pushed all the buttons again, but to no avail. Mike finally exited the freeway to get gas in a scary part of town, and to silence the voice of the navigational device. Nothing worked;  even when we turned on the radio, the music was interrupted by an eerie cry telling us to exit. We were so preoccupied with the commotion that we arrived early to the wedding.

The Elks Club is located high on a hill in San Bernardino.  The city’s flickering light added to the romance of my cousin’s wedding. As we walked in we were warmly greeted by Delia, our oldest female cousin and sister to Leo. We selected an empty table dressed in an array of fall colors, near the dance floor. We waited for other cousins to join us. The San Diego clan arrived: Nellie G., Roxie and my 90-year-old Tia Esperanza, then my cousin Ricky, his wife Maria and my 94-year-old Tia Maria.  My Tia Maria is the last of the Lopez Family, and we make it a point to try to visit her often.

You are never too old to say,”I do” to the one you love. Leo and Susie looked very content, and we were all blessed to be part of the most important day of their lives.

We are a large extended family, as my mother comes from a family of 10, which produced 52 first cousins. To see many of my cousins in an environment of celebration was heartwarming. I have not danced like this in quite some time. Mike had several of my cousins dancing with us as well. We danced to Chubby Checker’s “The Twist,” we danced the Jerk, along with the “Wooly Bully,” and “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees.  My cousins Nellie P. and Elvia jitterbugged like they did when they were young girls. My adorable cousin Sandra got so overheated on the dance floor that she wore a menu around her waist and pulled it out, using it as a fan in order to cool herself off. My Tia Esperanza danced with her daughters and put us all to shame. I pray that when I am 90 years old I can still shake a leg the way she did.

With my hair soaked from all the dance moves, at 10:30 Mike announced that it was time to go home. I walked out of the hall dancing, saying my good-byes as we left.

As soon as we backed up the car, the navigation device started again; this weird voice was telling us to exit. This was driving me crazy, so I asked Mike to please make it stop, but nothing would shut the system down. I tried to drown out the voice by mentally singing different songs in my head, but this made me feel even crazier. As the 45-minute drive home was a torment, I finally gave in and surrendered the commotion  to God. I hated my new car and wanted to trade it in as soon as possible. I reminded  Mike that I had to teach a class of Catechumens Sunday morning, and that I was hoping this problem could be resolved by then. Mike fixed the annoyance, but never again will I use the navigation in the Prius.

Ecclesiastic 3:1-4

Everything Has Its Time

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

I have mentioned in past Blogs about my affiliation with a radical group and how I allowed my mind to be altered.  I wanted to make a difference in the world and I had all the right tools to accomplish this task. I was all of 18 years old, but in reality did not have a clue.

César Chavez was making his rounds at different colleges, and my Uncle Gilbert was one of his good friends who worked and traveled alongside him. I boycotted grapes for as long as I can remember because of the injustice to the farm workers. I liked César Chavez and believed in everything that he stood for. Something else I recalled about César Chavez:  he was a gentleman and a nonviolent civil rights leader. Instead of violent protests, he would go on hunger strikes. In a recent article, Delano Grape Strike and Boycott  written by Inga Kim, she stated that César Chavez went on a 25-day hunger strike. While César Chavez fasted, a Catholic Mass was said daily in Delano, near the windowless room of an adobe-walled gas station where César Chavez was staying. The first thing César Chavez ate to break his fast was communion.

I, on, the other hand, I thought that I needed to be heard. This era was the beginning of the feminist movement. Women were burning their bras in protest; I never did that, but I had a passion to truly change what was wrong in our society. Right when I was ready to sign on the dotted line, and buy into all this mindset, I met Mike.

The whole passion of my life took another turn and saved me from myself. We married, and the rest is a long history of my transition into the person that I am today. I am still passionate, but it is different and deeper that I had ever expected. My anger is righteous because I have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:16 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)    ¹⁶ “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

I’m angry about a lot things. I’m angry about the Catholic Church and all the sins it is steeped in. I will continue with my letter campaign and will not give up until every sex offender is removed from our Church. It may take a lifetime, but I will not back down. And I will remain a faithful Catholic. I pray for the holy priests to be protected from this abyss that they were led into because of negligence from the hierarchy.

I’m angry with what is happening in our public schools, and how parents are being forced to adhere to these “new” sex education laws without their full knowledge and consent; their children are not even able to opt out of these classes.  I believe that everyone should be respected, but please do not shove your distorted, ungodly beliefs into the minds of my grandchildren; they are too young to comprehend this propaganda. Parental rights are quietly being taken away, and we need to defend them.

I fill my mind with Scripture to continue my resolve to remain calm through the vicious storms over which one day we will have victory.

Now let’s talk about politics: this subject enrages me because our country is better than this. I am a Republican because I am Pro-Life; and that will never change. Do I like President Trump? I cringe every morning when I hear what he has tweeted, but he is Pro-Life, and for that I am grateful. I will not make excuses about my stance in politics, but you will never see me attack anyone in office on social media. I have respect for all human beings, even the ones that I do not agree with, and especially the unborn. I read hateful social media threads on both the left and right of the spectrum; these peoples’ opinions are so removed from the things of God.  We are never to put another human being down, we called to pray for them. If you are really serving the Lord, ask Him for peace and He will gladly oblige.

Job 38:4-5 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Here God is explaining to Job that He is God, and He will always be God! Sorry Hollywood, God did not die and put you in charge!

The “Me Too” movement has taken on twisted life of its own. I don’t want to hear about another famous person being victimized. Your stories deserve to be told, but for God’s sake stop with the public outcries. Go to your clergy (a holy one) or make an appointment with a God-fearing counselor, and stop blaming all men.

So yes, I’m mad as hell, but my anger is contained and controlled with prayer, a lot of prayer.

I’m eating grapes again, and I’ve stopped reading self-help books written by New Agers.  I am not advocating social, or political, rights for women equal to men. I could never work as hard as my husband, never! God made man the head of the household, not woman. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but the last time I checked the Word of God, clearly states that. Men are our protectors, NOT our enemies, as radical feminists would have you believe. Despite the fact that Mike cooks a good share of our meals, I proudly serve him because he is the head of our household and deserves this respect. If you want to be treated like a queen, treat your husband like a king.

Ephesians 5:22-25 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

²² Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴ As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…