Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Miracle Story

One of the most glorious blessings about having this blog and the Esty shop have been the people Our Lady has put me in touch with from all over the world. So many of them have never met me in person, yet I feel as though I have known them intimately, for years. I like to think that these two platforms are “Mary’s Network”. I despise Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (and do not waste my time having accounts with them) for a number of reasons: big tech (snob) giants and simply being a witness to a society that does not have God as their center, but instead, those very three social media platforms.

My confessor from Carmel once said that he wants to give a conference in the future on Teresa of Jesus’ Interior Castle with how, the center holding that crystal diamond she spoke of, is no longer found in the middle of the castle (the soul). What is found you may ask, as the replacement? Namely: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. How many people, Father expressed, get caught up in how many likes they receive, or followers and get obsessed with it all (which is why I hide my own like button, comments and other statistics on WordPress). It is exceedingly dangerous! At the same time, I also recall Saint Maximilian Kolbe once saying that if Saint Francis of Assisi were to come back in Kolbe’s modern time and see all the printing presses, he would roll up his sleeves and help the “fool of the Immaculata” because this new and improved equipment is for the glory of Mary- the current way of winning souls. “The poorest of the poor for the friars, but the richest and most advanced equipment for Our Lady” he would say. However, the key word is discipline. What do I mean by that? Well, we need to limit our uses with technology and not get “sucked in” to staying on platforms for hours, and hours and hours. At that point, you are not winning souls, you are losing your own. How many, even holy Catholics, drown out the silence of God by falling asleep listening to a sermon, though holy, instead of shutting down the technology and falling asleep in the Lord in quiet? A sermon, though holy, is now found at the center of the soul rather than Our Lord. I believe this is only one, among a number, of problems that come with the advancement of technology. That same confessor said, “when the Immaculate Heart of Mary triumphs, I hope She rids the world of technology along with it”.

That being said, instead of letting technology be the master of you, dictate you and control YOU, it must be the opposite. It must be the soul, if they are to embrace the discipline I spoke of, who must have the power over technology if it is going to be used for the glory of God. The scene that comes to mind is Frodo from the Lord of the Rings. He is carrying a ring of sin and immense evil, but all the while must use all his strength to resist its temptations. The ring is a lot more powerful than just a mere hobbit, and he knows this, yet he resisted. He did not let the ring become master of him, he was master of the ring; it is the same with technology! The good that I have experienced through Mary’s Secretary Blog and ArtForTheSorrowfulHeart Etsy Shop have been nothing short of a grace. There are countless stories I could share, that one day I would like to fit into a post to show my gratitude, to express how these two resources have connected me with souls who have been nothing short of supportive in my different travels on the religious journey. The one I want to share today is about a couple from Italy; I received a message through my contact page, a few days ago, expressing how they found my Seven Sorrows Novena method. They were about to begin their nine-day prayer and simply wanted to thank me for the resource, ask for prayers AND support me in the anchorite call. One of the many perks with living in Italy is there are dozens of beautiful, ANCIENT Catholic Cathedrals, and you will never believe which one he saw RIGHT in the middle of his novena:

It is just as much a blessing for me to hear these stories and receive these messages; I have never met this holy couple in person, and yet, I sense as though I am completing the novena right along side of them! David and Rima also took it one step further:

I do not deserve to meet such holy, generous and supportive Catholics from all over the globe. Words will never be able to express my gratitude. David and Rima, you will always have my poor prayers; may your novena to Our Lady and Her Sorrows be as fruitful as our being connected.

AVE MARIA ET LAUDETUR CHRISTUS JESUS!

I met Stephanie through my Etsy shop last year. She is a lovely woman, who became Catholic and just entered the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony with none other than the Latin Mass, this past September 4th. She reached out, after purchasing some holy cards, and sent a photo of their wedding with the news that they are expecting their first baby on June 1st. Please do me a small favor and check out her Etsy shop. She makes lotion, soap and candles; I know from experience they are made with love and are some of the best products I have used. Her latest endeavor was making candles for the altar for the Holy Sacrifice of the Latin Mass at her local parish!