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The Presentation of Jesus (rendered in ink and pencil)

Another drawing for my parish's special Rosary DVD project. It represents the old Biblical priest Simeon, lifting the infant Jesus to the heavens during the Holy Child's ritual presentation in the Temple. I purposely drew only Simeon's arms as I would like this picture to somewhat recall to people's minds, the image of their own priests consecrating the Host during Mass.

IMPORTANT: My artwork is copywrited - please do not use without my written permission.

"By His stripes..." (rendered in ink and pencil)

My parish urgently needed a few illustrations for a special project that we're working on... this drawing of Jesus, scourged and wounded at the pillar, resulted after 5 minutes of sketching and inking. It's not a piece that I would consider one of my best because I know that I really rushed in trying to produce a drawing... but each time I look at it, it has the profound effect of really making me reflect on the sins I committed, which contributed to the "stripes" suffered by Our Lord... plus, the fact that the Lord's face is not visible in the drawing, leaves room for one to ponder as to what may be going on in Jesus' mind when the scourgers were doing their dirty work.

IMPORTANT: My artwork is copywrited - please do not use without my written permission.

What a wonderful evening of prayer and blessings this night turned out to be! The First Saturday Rosary was wonderful, as usual... prior to beginning the prayer, I shared about the life of St. Andre Bessette of Montreal, whose Feast Day it was yesterday, and also shared a 1st Class Relic of the Saint in my custody with the people who attended. So as we again prayed for Peace in this world, we also invoked the intercession of St. Andre for our personal health issues and also for the physical well-being of the people we carry in our hearts.

After the Rosary, the Mass prayed in the main church was also quite meaningful, as we celebrated the vigil of the Feast of the Epiphany. After the Mass, our parochial vicar - Fr. Exsequel Tuyor - blessed all the parish calendars for general distribution, plus our watches and other timepieces, which I later learned was customary on this feast day.

The priest invoked the Lord's blessings for the 2012 year and for the precious time, which we are all granted during our lives. I left the church feeling blessed in so many different ways - thanks and praises be to God! The next Parish Rosary for Peace will be offered on Saturday, February 4th, at 4:30pm. All are invited to participate.

Additional photos from this event may be viewed at my Guadalupe House Blogsite.

Today, after attending Saturday morning Mass at a neighboring parish, I was approached by an acquaintance of mine - a lady named Letty Query, who had attended one of my speaking presentations about the Saints & Holy Relics. Letty is a life-long devotee of St. Therese the Little Flower, and she informed me that her husband was very sick and staying in a nearby hospital. Knowing that I had a 1st Class Relic of her Patron Saint under my care, she asked me if I would be willing to bring the relic of St. Therese to the hospital to comfort her husband.

Sensing the heaviness in her heart, I willingly agreed and later went to meet her at the hospital with the blessed relic. The couple's two daughters were also present during the visit and it was a very moving experience to watch as the family placed the reliquary into their father’s weak hands, and fervently implored St. Therese to intercede for his recovery; the atmosphere seemed much lighter after the blessing was prayed.

Incidentally, the other male patient in the hospital room and his wife were also both Catholics who were very familiar with St. Therese, and they also asked to be blessed with the relic, which we gladly did. Together, all of us in the room then prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the two sick men before I took leave of the families. It was the first-ever, official pilgrim visit to a hospital for my personal ministry... and definitely a great way to close-out 2011.

"Behold the Man" (rendered in ink)

I was casually doodling on a napkin during a short break and this is what resulted. I kinda liked it... so I took a photo of the original sketch with my cellphone, and using the "antique" photo-editing effect from the phone's photo gallery, I came out with this kinda raw, striking image. It strongly reminds me of Veronica's veil so it's definitely a keeper. Enjoy.

IMPORTANT: My artwork is copywrited - please do not use without my written permission.