I just love the story of Joey Lomangino and his apostolate in promoting Garabandal. Our Blessed Mother is all kindness and has promised him 'new eyes'. Some months after the accident (June 27, 1947) that blinded him, Joey was asleep at home in Brooklyn. He shared a bedroom with his three brothers. Joey’s bed was farthest from the door. He woke to a voice which seemed to be coming from the hallway: Joey do you want to see again? Yes. Then you pray. Say 17 Hail Mary’s, seven Acts of Contrition, five Our Father’s three times a day. When will you be back? Soon. Concerning this voice, Joey is emphatic: “I never had any visions, locutions or any of those things. I’m just ordinary. But God knows what it takes to move me. This thing that happened to me was real and I know it, and I will never believe I dreamed or imagined it.” Many years passed and, as Joey puts it, “Nothing happened.” But the reality of it never diminished. He continued to say the requested prayers faithfully three times a day. Joey visited Padre Pio and he received many graces including the return of his sense of smell after St Pio touched him. He also visited Garabandal and was friendly with Conchita. St. Joseph’s Day - letter from Conchita Gonzalez 1964 My Dear Joseph, Just two lines to tell you the message which the Blessed Virgin gave me for you today at the pines…she told me that the voice you heard was hers and that you shall see on the very day of the Miracle. She also told me that the House of Charity you will establish in New York will bring great glory to God. Conchita has further explained that her understanding of the Virgin’s term, “new eyes,” is eyes as we know them – not necessarily spiritual vision – and that Joey’s new eyes “are to be used for the glory of God.” Joey is close to 78 years old and patiently waiting. The Warning and Miracle promised at Garabandal are approaching soon. Have faith, persevere, rejoice for we will see the salvatiion and healing of the Lord for he is all mercy and kindness. In the words of a U2 song, 'LOVE IS COMING TO TOWN'!!
Me, being the natural cynic, I can imagine if Joey is still blind when he dies people will say, "Oh, we misunderstood. Mary only meant he'll get new eyes in heaven." Then they'll go on to continue to believe in the prophecies of Garabandal.
I also like the old phrase, 'Step out in faith'. Joey has stepped out in faith, God will honour him for it. I always think miracles often have two sides to them. Thre is the God who heals yes. But THERE IS ALSO THE PEOPLE WHO GO TO GOD TO ASK FOR A MIRACLE. If we didn't have the one, we wouldn't have the other. For instance all the folks who went to see Padre Pio hoping for miracles some of them travelling right across the world. That's faith.
House of Charity Did Joey build the House of Charity in New York? Does he have a web site? It would be interesting to read what he has to say. I see that the countdown has started in the other forum for next year. One day it may happen and all will say - I told you so. Cecil
Cecil, Joey's website is at the following URL http://www.garabandal.us/ There are some great articles on the site:
You goons! We are not going to be dead! WE are going to see God's Glory pouring out on us all. TRUST and BELIEVE!.... of course prayers will help too! :wink:
Lee give me the sacraments and prayers now, something I can identify with. What on this green earth could be better then receiving our Lord's precious Body and Blood? Cecil
Joey receiving new eyes will be a miracle but we should expect miracles. Faith and prayer are powerful tools. The two go together. One of the reasons some prayers aren't answered is that we lack faith in the power of God to answer the prayer. We are confined and blinkered. Yet look all around at nature at the mountains, lakes and rivers. Whose hands shaped these? The Divine artist and creator of all can do all things, he is omnipotent and all-powerful God yet we put limits on Him. Joey Lomangino has prayed faithfully for over 60 years. I will also pray that he gets new eyes and I believe he will through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. We should also pray for the Illumination to come, for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we should be storming heaven for the conversion of sinners, many who have no one to pray for them. And when we pray with faith things will happen and for God is merciful and listens to the requests of his children.
Here is a video about a lady who can see even though she has no pupils - through the intercession of Padre Pio. Reminds me of Joey Lomangino
In his honor I got to watch yesterday Padre Pio, Miracle Man. If you haven't had an opportunity to see it, please do. It', by far, my favorite DVD.
I have been praying today for Joey Lomangino. He will soon be 79 and has not been in the greatest health. I sense that when he gets his sight back God may call him home not too long after his amazing healing.
I've never been sure if the visions at Garabandal or truly haven sent or not. Even if they are heaven sent, I'm still cynical about Joey getting new eyes in a literal way. I know, being skeptical is a fault of mine at times. I kind of expect him to die without getting his sight back. I imagine the believers in Garabandal will say, Ohhhh, now we get it! The visionary's interpretation of "new eyes" being physical eyes was wrong and Mary really meant spiritual eyes. Seems there's always a way out when these kind of things don't come to pass. And the permanent sign will be a plaque or something :roll: . Bah, nevermind me, I'm a curmudgeon before time. I hope to eat my words. The world (myself included) could use a miracle about now.
Padre Pio was, maybe the greatest saint, mystic and miracle worker of modern times. I have the deepest devotion and love for him and travelled out to San Giovanni where I stayed with a family who worked in the monastery and was shown round the hospital by a heart surgeon who worked in Padre Pio's hospital. However in the case of the miracle of Gemma Di Giorgia, the blind lady whose sight was healed.... Well I read a report many years ago by a very well known Italian eye Consultant who was called into investigate this case. What happened in Gemma case were that her eyes from birth had a one in a billion malformation. Most of us have a pupil at the centre of the eye {the part with which we see, were the lens is to let in the light. Surrounding this is the coloured part, the iris. Now in Gemma's case, the doctor observed she has no iris just one great black pupil. So that it is,as it were a big black pair of pools...that she has no eyes. But this is not the case; in fact her eyes, in a manner of speaking are just so big well you think they are not there. The Consultant speculates that this led to the usual processing of images by the brain , she was just getting so much info from her huge pupils, too much light,so to speak.......and so she was 'blind' because she could see too much!! So when she saw Padre Pio it can of jolted her into seeing ..her brain into processing the information it was getting.A case of a traumatic or hysterical jolt. I think then that this 'miracle' will never be accepted by Church authorities. The pathology just isn't there to be confirmed. However to an extent it was a miracle in that the lady could see but now does, but not a full blown tip top one. If you look at the link in the video , the lady is still wearing dark glasses, this to me confirms what the Consultant says and she is getting too much light from her huge pupils.. One thing I think about Italy and Italians. I really love the people and I love the country and their spirituality...but , they can kinda go over the top, they are a very hot , volatile people, especially in the south of the country. So I think I am inclined sometimes to take things from there with a pinch of salt. They are maybe not just quite so objective in terms of examining phenomena as they might be. They maybe believe in stuff a little too freely. By the way I mentioned my understanding of this to an old priest one time and he became very angry and accused me of being an atheist!! But a pinch of salt, I think does no harm.
RAIN , DONT DOUBT NO MORE , JOEY LOMANGINO , WILL GET NEW EYES AT GARABANDAL, A FEW MONTHS AGO , I SENT AN EMAIL TO HIM IN AMERICA, TELLING HIM , THAT I WAS GIVEN A VISION OF HIM AT THE TIME THE MIRACLE TOOK PLACE, AND THAT I SAW HIM WITH NEW EYES , A FEW WEEKS LATER JOEY SENT ME A SCAPULAR .GOD BLESS YOU RAIN.
