Marian Moments

When friends come to me for prayers regarding danger of an unintended abortion, I advise them to consecrate their wombs to the Immaculate Heart of Mother Mary. When my daughter suffered from threatened abortion, we invoked the same prayer. My granddaughter is now six years old. No abortions. When a relative invited me to join a wonderful prayer group for worship, I asked him to be my daily prayer partner with one “Hail Mary” for each other. He is still a Roman Catholic till now.

But Mother Mary comes in more powerful ways.

Our family prayed if we are to really adopt a girl from DSWD. I was the last one to agree because I knew the difficulties of being a mother again at my mid forties. Plus the practical fact that I already had three kids.

We attended a healing of the family tree seminar in Intramuros. Our speakers were an American priest and nun. The last activity was for each participant to look for a partner who was a total stranger, with whom we will share our present pain/concern.

Ruby L. T. and I were at a far corner of the big hall, far from the others. Ruby still wearing black, was mourning the recent death of her teenage daughter. The gardener who had a grudge against the grandmother expected the grandmother to go to her room to sleep. It was her daughter who was sleeping over at grandma’s who went to the room and was stabbed by the gardener several times. Her daughter must have parried the blows with her hands. Her daughter’s thumb wasn’t found, and had to be buried without her thumb. This was Ruby’s pain.

I shared about my hesitance about the adoption. We both rejoined our families/companion.

In the culminating mass, the American priest said that he would forego his homily because there were three nagging visions/thoughts that were on his mind and heart. The priest said he saw a thumb in a glass of water, and would anyone who knew anything about it to please stand. Surprised, Ruby looked at me from her seat and I motioned for her to share. We were both crying. Ruby related her pain, and why in a glass of water? Must be because her daughter was a champion swimmer in school, Ruby said.

Then a second participant shared her story.

“For the third one,” the priest said, “this is a message to a mother here. Mother Mary says She will walk with you every step of the way.” It was now Ruby who motioned for me to stand. I shared that I asked Ruby to pray with me for Mother Mary “to walk with me every step of the way” if ever our family will adopt the baby girl.

That baby girl is now a supervisor working abroad.

Both widowed, my ma-in-law, her caregiver, my eldest son, our driver, often traveled to Manila overland, to be with my other children during summer and Christmas vacations.

One Christmas, we regretted not being able to complete the Misa de Gallo as we were leaving 3am. As the navigator, I had the least sleep. Ma-in-law could not sleep too, so we prayed the rosary almost non- stop.

Before Agusan, we chanced upon a 4am mass, so we attended. Our driver needed to cat nap somewhere in Samar. Our rest was interrupted by people talking in Waray. When I asked, they were on their way to mass. So we joined the Waray mass just humming the familiar sounding songs! Once in Naga, we were stopped by a lady who asked which way we were going, and requested to be dropped off at the Church which was on the way. Not only did we have our mass, but the good religious sisters invited us for breakfast in their convent, and blessed us as we left! Las Piñas still so far, it was impossible to be able to hear dawn mass. But with GOD, nothing is impossible. At Bacoor, there was a 3rd Misa de Gallo mass to accommodate the many parishioners in their small Church. We completed all the masses!

Another such travel, we experienced heavy rains unable to see the roads… I raised my rosary to the front and to where lightning was coming from, imploring GOD for our safety. The rains stopped the times I did this. It was only when we arrived in my Las Piñas house that text messages of concern for our safety came. We never knew there was a super typhoon that destroyed parts of Samar and Naga.

Stories like these will continue to fill my life. Though taken for granted and maligned by some, ever faithful, ever loving, ever my/our Mother Mary, She will be a Mother for all time.

With Her we declare “TO GOD BE ALL GLORY!” (Bella Sarenas)