|
 |
| Visitors to the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church, of
Sacramento, Calif., gather around a statue of the Virgin Mary that
has red stains running from the left eye, Tuesday, Nov. 22,
2005. |
Carrying rosary beads and cameras, the faithful have been coming in a
steady stream to a church on the outskirts of
Sacramento for a glimpse of what some are calling a miracle: A statue of
the Virgin Mary they say has begun crying a substance that looks like
blood.
It was first noticed more than a week ago, when a priest at the
Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church spotted a stain on the statue's face
and wiped it away. Before Mass on Nov. 20, people again noticed a reddish
substance near the eyes of the white concrete statue, said Ky Truong, 56,
a parishioner.
Since then, Truong said he has been at the church day and night, so
emotional he can't even work. He believes the tears are a sign.
"There's a big event in the future - earthquake, flood, a disease,"
Truong said. "We're very sad."
On Saturday, tables in front of the fenced-in statue were jammed with
potted plants, bouquets of roses and candles.
Some people prayed silently, while others sang hymns and hugged their
children. An elderly woman in a wheelchair wept near the front of the
crowd.
A red trail could be seen from the side of the statue's left eye to
about halfway down the robe of concrete.
"I think that it's incredible. It's a miracle. Why is she doing it? Is
it something bothering her?" asked Maria Vasquez, 35, who drove with her
parents and three children from Stockton, about 50 miles south of
Sacramento.
Thousands of such incidents are reported around the world each year,
though many turn out to be hoaxes or natural phenomena.
The Diocese of Sacramento has so far not commented on the statue, and
the two priests affiliated with the church did not return a telephone
message Saturday.
James Murphy, deacon of the diocese's mother church, the Cathedral of
the Blessed Sacrament, said church leaders are always skeptical at first.
"For people individually seeing things through the eyes of faith,
something like this can be meaningful. As for whether it is supernatural
or a miracle, normally these incidences are not. Miracles are possible, of
course," Murphy said. "The bishop is just waiting and seeing what happens.
"
(Agencies) |
位于美國加州首府薩克拉曼多市郊的一座教堂里出現了一個“奇跡”：圣母瑪利亞雕像“流淚”了！據說看上去像血一樣的東西從雕像的眼中流出。信徒們手拿玫瑰花環和照相機，紛至沓來，觀看這一所謂的“奇跡”。
一個多星期以前，越南天主教烈士教堂的一位牧師最早發現圣母瑪利亞雕像的臉上出現污點并將它抹去。據一位56歲的名叫Ky Truong
的教區居民介紹，在11月20日舉行彌撒之前，人們發現這座白色混凝土雕像的眼睛附近又出現了淡紅色的東西。
Truong說，從那時起，他就開始日夜守護在教堂里，他為此而難過，甚至不能正常工作。他覺得“眼淚”是一種征兆。
“這預示著將會發生諸如地震、洪水、疾病等災難。我們都很難過?！盩ruong說。
周六，被柵欄圍起的雕像前的桌子上擺滿了盆栽、玫瑰花束和蠟燭。有些人在默默地祈禱，有些人則唱起圣歌，擁抱自己的孩子。人群前面一位坐著輪椅的老年婦女甚至哭了起來。
從雕像的左眼至長袍前胸可以看到一道清晰的紅色印跡。
“太不可思議了！簡直是個奇跡！她為什么會流淚呢？難道是什么事情煩擾了她？”35歲的瑪麗亞·瓦斯奎茲深感不解，她帶著她的父母和三個孩子從薩克拉曼以南約50英里的斯多克頓開車趕來。
每年世界各地有成千上萬這樣的事情發生，很多事件最后的真相或是惡作劇，或是自然現象。
薩克拉曼多主教教區至今沒有對“雕像事件”發表任何評論，而且兩位和教堂有關的牧師周六也都沒有回電話。
主教教區的天主教大教堂執事詹姆斯·墨菲說，教堂的負責人一開始都對此持懷疑態度。
“對于有信仰的人們來說，這樣的事情一定是‘意味'著什么的。至于圣母瑪利亞流淚是超自然現象還是個奇跡，答案通常都是否定的。當然，奇跡還是有可能發生。大主教正拭目以待，”墨非說。
(中國日報網站編譯) |
Updated: 2005-11-29 09:48
