It was the year 2000 when Mike and I renewed our wedding vows in Rome. I was traveling with our ministry to the Holy Land and Mike caught up with us in Turin, Italy. We were in Turin to visit the Shroud located in the  Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. From Turin there we traveled by tour bus through Genoa, Florence, Assisi, and then reached Rome.

Father Pat

Father Pat Hussey, a Jesuit priest from Ohio, served as our chaplain for the trip. It was a special blessing to have Father Pat because we celebrated Mass at all the holy sites in Israel, as well as different basilicas in Italy. We have known Father Pat for several years because he always took his vacation in California, visiting family, and was affiliated the St. Pius V in Buena Park, California. Father Pat was part of our family as well, officiating Sonja and Russ’ wedding (daughter and son-in-law).  He has since gone home to be with the Lord.

Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Saint  Paul Outside the Walls is a grand cathedral that once served as the original Vatican and now is one of the four major Basilicas in Rome. St. Paul’s remains are housed in this cathedral. The St. Benedict chapel is located on the right side of the basilica; a marble sculpture of St. Benedict towers over the altar. It was here that Mike and I  were surprised by our team, with Joanne (ministry leader) making arrangements ahead of time for us to renew our wedding vows. Since this was a surprise, both Mike and I dressed casually for the event, but what we experienced next was an added blessing.

The Spaniard

During the ceremony,  stranger walked into the chapel, and quietly interrupted the service, saying that he had to give me something. Father Pat kindly reminded the gentleman that we were in the middle of the service. The man did not leave, but rather stood in the back of the chapel. I had never met this man and did not understand what his visit was about. Father Pat continued with the service.  Mike and I were so gratified and humbled in renewing our wedding vows, believing that our marriage would now have the blessing of the Church.  Again, the man came to the front, and said  in Spanish, “I must give her something.” With that, Father Pat paused and allowed the man to present me with the gift.

The Rosary

It was the most unusual rosary that I had ever set my eyes on. Ornate and bigger that the normal-size rosaries, he explained that he made the rosary with his own hands and that God told him to give it to me. The man was short is stature, and when introducing himself, he did not give his name but only stated that he was from Spain. He asked me if I knew anything about Garabandal. Having just read about the apparitions that had occurred in this region of Spain, I was somewhat  surprised and answered “yes.” As he handed me the rosary, the gentleman explained that the rosary contained a piece of  a page of the visionary Concita Gonzales’s personal prayer book that was kissed by the blessed Mother. With that said, the team wanted to know if the Spanish gentleman had more rosaries. The man said no, just this one.

With all the excitement we took a few pictures of the Spaniard, and then we turned our attention to the beauty of the rosary. By the time we were done admiring the work of the gifted craftsman, the man disappeared. I wanted to thank him again but he was gone. We finished the ceremony with great adulation and Mike was still wondering what the heck just happened. Mike kept asking if I knew the Spaniard or if the team was part of this surprise too. “No, I had never met him,” I told Mike. This happened way before the iPhone, so I could not wait to get home to have the pictures developed.  I was sure the man was an angel; typically angelic beings do not show up in pictures. We developed the pictures and sure it enough my hypothesis was proven wrong; there was the Spaniard, clear as day. After a careful examination of the rosary I discovered that the back inscription read “Besado por la Stanta Virgin Garabealal,” translated  “Kissed by the Blessed Virgin Mother Garabandal.”

Joanne said this was a gift from God because of my service to the homeless. I have no understanding of this event other than it was indeed holy and I love that Mike was there to witness it first hand.

Next week will mark another milestone in our lives. Mike and I will celebrate 45 years of marriage, and he has surprised me with a trip to Rome.

On Thanksgiving Day 2016 Elizabeth was engaged to Evan, her boyfriend of 4 years. In December, shortly after Christmas, Elizabeth and her mother Jane set aside a day for wedding dress shopping. This event was to take place in October of this year, 2017. On Tuesday, January 10th Elizabeth reminded her mother to be sure to put money down on the venue for the nuptials. It was not to be, for on January 12, at 11:40 PM after a grueling battle with cancer, the Lord called Elizabeth  home.

Elizabeth was a beautiful 25- year- old woman whose  biggest worry was paying off her student loans from the University of Denver. She was planning her life, entering new chapters with her dreams coming true, and looking forward to marrying her Evan. Evan is in medical school and everything was great until the cancer came to destroy  the plans. Her surgery last Friday, to remove the cluster of tumor from her brain, was successful, but it was the other tumors throughout her body that she could not battle successfully that finally took her down.

Several months ago, Jane shared a story with me about Elizabeth and her father Jim. When Elizabeth was in high school Jim worked graveyard and many times, when he got home from work Elizabeth was up doing homework. They shared this special time together. It was Jim that God allowed to be in the room when she left this world, one last special time together. Elizabeth was a daddy’s girl and he was there to the very end.

We prayed and prayed for Elizabeth’s miracle, but it was not to be.  In Jane’s words, “I saw God in everything during this trial, witnessed His special graces but not in the cancer.” A mother always knows these things; Jane kept this in her heart.

In all this cloudy sadness God did manifest a miracle, several as a matter of fact. Elizabeth’s death will never be in vain. She brought many backslidden Christians to their knees. They will never forget how bravely beautiful Elizabeth struggled for her life, how she fought to her last breath, and how in the end gracefully surrendered. Rachael and Jacob will never forget how their older sister Elizabeth loved them and what a positive influence she was in their lives.

Please keep Jane, Jim, Rachael, Jacob and Evan in your prayers for their hearts are broken and in need of great repair.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Woman Who Has Mastered the Cross

There is a dear friend named Jane who has mastered the art of carrying her crosses. About four years ago, her husband of twenty-six years was diagnosed with stage two cancer. As if this were not a heavy enough cross, around the same time God permitted another — Jane suffered a mild stroke.

An Iron Cross

Both Jane and her husband were on the road to recovery when, in May, she received what can only be described as an iron cross to bear. Her beautiful twenty-five-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with stage four melanoma. Things have not gone well for this precious young woman, and the cancer has gained the upper hand in this battle.

A Field of Hidden Mines

From the beginning, Elizabeth’s plight has been a field of hidden mines and grenades coming from every direction. Her cancer is too far advanced for experimental drug therapy. She required immediate, radical treatment simply to slow the growth of the malignancy.

Grace Under Fire

Through it all, Jane has remained steadfast — a true picture of grace under fire. Yet the wear on her heart is visible, and her eyes carry the quiet anguish of a mother’s clandestine pleading with God. How she has maintained such composure is beyond human explanation. Jane is a living testament to what it looks like to carry a cross with grace.

A Mother’s Heart

Nothing is worse than watching your child suffer, and every parent knows the instinct to do whatever it takes to make it better. Jane holds fast to Scripture — anchoring herself to the truth that nothing is impossible with God. This is what keeps her focused, interceding without ceasing for Elizabeth.

The Call That Changed Everything

On January 2, 2017, Jane received a call that Elizabeth had been hospitalized again — complications from brain tumors affecting her speech, and additional tumors disrupting her cognitive function. With Elizabeth in Denver and Jane in California, the distance only compounds an already agonizing situation.

And yet — this is precisely where God meets Jane. He holds her through this grievous trial.

Believing for a Miracle

On January 6, 2017, Elizabeth is scheduled for surgery to remove the cluster of tumors at the center of this battle. The prayer is that Elizabeth will consent to the procedure and that this will be the road to her miracle. Jane will be at her daughter’s side — as she has always been — her rock, her advocate, her mother.

“For nothing will be impossible for God.” — Luke 1:37

Why Must We Suffer? — And a Prayer for Elizabeth

The Question Every Suffering Soul Asks

Why, Lord, must we suffer like this?

The answer, when sought in prayer, is always the same: so that we might understand our own vulnerability — and discover that when we allow God to take over our pain, it becomes His as well. He does not stand at a distance watching. He enters into it.

God: Our Modern-Day Simon of Cyrene

The Lord is our modern-day Simon of Cyrene — but unlike Simon, He does not carry the cross for only part of the journey. He carries it the entire way, to the very end.

The Emotional Weight of the Cross

We never give up, because we are faithful and trusting people. And yet — when a cross of this magnitude is placed upon us, emotions come with it. Anger. Blame. The relentless question: Why me?

These are not signs of weak faith. They are signs of a human heart in anguish. In the end, we return to what is most natural — what draws us back to the foot of the original cross — where we bow our heads and pray without ceasing.

A Note of Hope

Please join in prayer for Elizabeth. She is recently engaged and plans to be married in October of 2017. Her life is full of promise, and that promise is worth fighting for.

A Prayer for Elizabeth

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before You in urgency, on behalf of Your daughter Elizabeth. We stand in the gap for her, and in unity we plead her case before Your holy throne.

Lord, You know all things. We are asking — earnestly, desperately, and with faith — for a miracle. Reverse these cancer cells. Restore Elizabeth’s body. May this surgery be the turning point, the link to the miracle only You can provide.

It is within Your power to manifest a healing. From the very beginning of this trial, You have been there, holding Elizabeth close to Your heart. We believe that still.

We remain before Your throne, interceding for precious Elizabeth — trusting in Your goodness, Your mercy, and Your power.

Amen.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit He saves.” — Psalm 34:19