Mailbag: Is There A Face?

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Some of the most interesting items come through the mail. We like giving air to what folks have found as Grace.
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“My friend’s husband took this picture on my living room wall of an image that appeared in 2012 at Easter time,” says one viewer. “The image [below] is still there and visible in the dark. Many believe it’s Jesus. My cousin Karen wanted me to share it with the general public. My feelings told me otherwise. I only wanted to share it with people of faith and not subject it to a circus atmosphere.
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“So my cousin sent this photo to a charismatic priest believing he would want this shared by all, and his response was: ‘As to the photo, I did get it and wanted to pray and ponder before responding. I think that this is really God and authentic. That puts it in the category of gift. This is a grace, a surprise of the spirit, a gift of the Father.
“‘When these things happen there is an important question: Is this for one or the many? In other words, is this a personal gift or a prophetic one that needs to be shared with the larger community? My first impression is that this is more of a personal gift, a touch from God to assure people of his care and Presence. Someone needed to know that He is there and present and cares.
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“‘So He gave a sign that He is there. Should this be broadcast and publicized? The  answer in theology is that it is considered personal unless the Lord indicates otherwise. As far as I can see this is a personal gift, for whatever reason that God knows. So for those who experience it, they should be grateful. Those others who will share it (as you do now), it is up to God to draw them in and share it Himself, for His own purpose and reason.”
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And so there was a personal decision to share it. (And here we think too of the Scripture that a light should not be hidden under a bushel basket.)
The same discernment came up with alleged images from an Adoration room at Medjugorje, where the photo below was snapped a couple weeks ago. See in it what you will; take from it from you are led to take from it, in prayer.
We note that among many signs and wonders our old friend Mother Angelica spoke about was the photograph of a beam of light that appeared in the early days of her network in a photo of one of her satellite dishes. Confirmation? It certainly seemed so. Despite the current tendency of religious broadcasters to avoid such topics, she spoke of many such things.
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Other images?

We were informed of it by Gregory Hersey, who writes: “My best friend’s uncle named Father George Kerber (now deceased) was a ‘Marian priest’ for over thirty years, and back in 1983 (I believe) took a pilgrimage of parishioners to visit Medjugore.

“In those early days, the apparitions were located in a small room off to the side of the altar and could only hold a limited number of people. Father Kerber was fortunate enough to be allowed to be in the room with the six children during an actual apparition.

“He just knew that this was to be his reward (or a thank you) from the Blessed Mother for the thirty years of service to her Son Jesus, and was beyond excited to witness seeing the Blessed Mother with his own eyes.

“The apparition began, and Father Kerber kept looking up to the corner of the room where the children were focusing. He did not see nor hear anything during the entire apparition, and left the room dejected, angry, and extremely disappointed.

“Back in his room, he was reflecting on the event (while alone in his room) and he began to express this anger, by verbally yelling at the Blessed Mother and explaining how easily it would have been to show herself to him since he was literally only a few feet away from her. In essence, he chewed out the Blessed Mother for not honoring his request to see her, and ended his tantrum with the words ‘thanks for nothing.’

“The next morning, still upset, he was with some of the parishioners when one of the individuals took a picture of him (with his camera) sitting in a chair.

“Once he returned to Detroit, he took the roll of film to be developed. As he was reviewing the pictures, he noticed a strange picture that caused him to ‘lose his breath’ as he realized what he was looking at.

“The picture [we will post it when we receive it] shows Father Kerber sitting in the chair, but enveloping his entire being is the image of a beautiful young woman wearing a blue veil on her head, and he is inside of her image. The thought that came to Father Kerber is that the Blessed Mother seemed to be saying, ‘I appreciate everything you have ever done for my son, and here is a thank you and a visual reminder that I am ALWAYS with you.'”

Even when we are petulant, a gracious mom indeed.

Wrote Cheryl Kellet: “Much of what  I got was in the 1990s such as in Red Square when 940 of us went to Russia in 1992 in two 747’s and crowned Mary in Red Square. I recall it a rainy day and [Catholic evangelist] Dan Lynch had both images of our Lady of Guadalupe and King of all Nations, both large pictures that were open to the elements.

“Some of our group ended up on the wrong side of Red Square due to our bus letting us off there. We were therefore way at the other end near Lenin’s tomb and many others in our large group were as yet not permitted to go through the gate at the opposite end due to the guards, but finally they started crossing Red Square with Dan Lynch and a priest alongside leading the way with the large group of our people from many states behind them as well as from several countries.

“We were watching from our side as they started to cross and began singing.

“As I watched them heading toward us I suddenly did not hear them singing but an immense and beautiful singing that was far louder.  I started shaking from head to toe, for the voices were not earthly but like thousands of angels.

“That was at the beginning of the group crossing Red Square, but as they were about half way across and heading toward us, the angelic voices started to fade.

“The next strange thing as they headed toward us was my seeing someone else a few feet behind Dan Lynch where the woman with the picture had been. I no longer was seeing the woman in our group with the picture. I was seeing a short grey haired priest where she had been and he had a very long chain with the container carrying incense.

“He was all in white to his feet and I recall seeing his foot come forward as he walked. I again began shaking all over as I watched him slowly swing the incense, which almost touched the ground, from side to side, making very long sweeps as he did so. It was absolutely beautiful to watch.

“Finally they got to where we were behind the barricade on our side.  I snapped a picture. The short priest would have been just behind Dan Lynch — but the negative of him came out very fuzzy only in that area.

“As for the two large images that were each carried by two people, no harm came to them while it rained.

“When I got on my bus with the others I was so excited to ask the others if they had seen the short priest swinging the incense from side to side and they were baffled.  They had not seen it nor had they heard the angels sing.”

Some things are meant only for the person experiencing it.

[Pilgrimage, Medjugorje and The God of Miracles]