A True Story
By Bernie Lopez
(This is a revival of an old anecdote from the healing ministry’s vast archives.)
Sister Raquel Reodica
Catherine Li, born of a Filipino mother and Chinese father, was the star ballerina of the Ballet Theater Philippines in 1991. She began dancing the ballet when she was grade four. At the age of 18, when the ballet troupe performed in Moscow, she fell in love with a famous Russian ballet dancer. Instantly, romance blossomed into marriage.
Catherine had an accident during a performance. She was descending a staircase and her partner failed to catch her while on a split position. She broke her hip. Local orthopedic experts said she could not do the ballet any more, or do the split for that matter, for the rest of her life. Suddenly, she lost a career, the only thing she lived for. Undaunted, she went abroad for more opinions. They all had the same conclusion, no more dancing for the rest of her life.
When she heard that a certain Catholic nun, Sister Raquel Reodica, RVM, was healing terminal illnesses, such as cancer, she sought her out desperately. She arrived at 8:30 in the evening at the remote retreat house in Novaliches. Sister Raquel was tired. She told Catherine to come back another day. There were days allotted to healing sessions. Sister Raquel could not possibly be on call 24/7 everyday. (When this story was being related to me by Sister Raquel over the phone, she said she could smell the strong scent of dama de noche. But there was no such plant in her residence.)
When Sister Raquel saw the tears in Catherine’s eyes, she decided to give her 30 minutes. That was all that was needed. That evening, they prayed together and never did Catherine shed so much tears. There is a strange thing about healing. It is between Jesus and Catherine. Sister Raquel was a mere fence sitter. Catherine was healed instantly. Her faith was as copious as her tears, and Jesus granted her the gift of healing. That very evening, Catherine tried to dance, and she did before Sister Raquel without music.
Sister Raquel suddenly understood why the Lord brought Catherine to her. Sister Raquel had a scheduled healing session at the Araneta Coliseum on September 8, 1991, the birthday of Mama Mary. For the first time, Sister Raquel will have the biggest audience ever at the dome. She was nervous. Without a moment’s hesitation, she asked Catherine if she could dance a ballet number for Mama Mary at the Coliseum. How could Catherine refuse Mama Mary who gave her back her career instantly? The next day, Catherine’s parents were shocked to see her practising.
Catherine recounts to Sister Raquel that, in the middle of her despair, someone told her “You shall dance again.” She dismissed the thought for she knew every expert in the world told her her dancing days were over. But it was those very words that urged Catherine to see Sister Raquel. That was the flicker of hope in her deep despair. The Lord works in mysterious ways. He wanted Catherine to grace the biggest healing session He ever had through Sister Raquel.
The Healer and the Actor
In August 1991, Sister Raquel and her small staff were busy with arrangements for the big event. There was a big snag. On that day, the coliseum was reserved for another show, produced by television personality German Moreno, popularly known as Kuya Germs. For many days, Sister Raquel searched for the telephone number of Moreno in vain, to make an appeal to him to move his show. But he was hard to find.
She went to the coliseum management to ask for help. But they could not help her. She just had to find Kuya Germs herself somehow. She was getting nervous because September 8 was just around the corner. Tired, hungry, and losing hope, she and a companion, wandered into a small unknown eatery to take a snack after the meeting. They ordered halo-halo.
While waiting for their order, Sister Raquel bowed in prayer, “Lord, what are you doing to us? Why is it so hard to find this guy? This show is for You, isn’t it? This is not for us. It is for Your Mother’s birthday. You better help us find this person. Please, Lord, there must be a way.” (That was the way Sister prayed, talking casually to her ‘father’.)
Sister saw someone at the corner of her eye. At a table opposite theirs, lo and behold, Kuya Germs in this humble eatery. She could not believe it. She asked her companion if what she was seeing was real. There he was, Kuya Germs himself, in a city of millions, a needle in a mountain of hay. It could not be an accident. The hand of God was at work. Kuya Germs was with his production staff.
Sister hesitated, but managed to muster enough courage to approach him. With a big smile, she spoke casually. (The dialogue below was reconstructed from the story as told by Sr. Raquel.)
SR RAQUEL
Aren’t you Mr. German Moreno?
KUYA GERMS
(Cordially) Yes, sister, what can I do for you.
SR RAQUEL
You know, Mr. Moreno, I am going straight to the point.
KUYA GERMS
Please do, sister. Go ahead, I am all ears.
SR RAQUEL
Well you see, we’re planning a grand healing concert on the birthday of our Blessed Virgin, but there is a problem.
KUYA GERMS
Yes?
SR RAQUEL
(Casually) Well, we cannot do it because you have a show on that day at the Araneta Coliseum. Can I ask you to move your show for Our Lady?
Kuya Germs was taken aback by the quick, short and very frank request spoken so nonchalantly, and with a child-like smile, on such an accidental meeting. He was completely shocked.
KUYA GERMS
You are kidding, I suppose, sister.
SR RAQUEL
Nope. Very serious.
KUYA GERMS
Well, you could have it later.
SR RAQUEL
No, Mr. Moreno. It has to be on her birthday. This is not for me. It is for Our Lady. It is our birthday gift to her. Please consider.
Kuya Germs looked at Sister Raquel in silence for a moment. Then he and his entire staff could not help but laugh. It was not to ridicule Sister. They simply could not help seeing the humor of it all, a complete stranger coming out of nowhere while he is taking a snack in a restaurant, and asking him to move an entire show he has planned for so many months. There was silence as Sister waited for a reply with a smile, unmoved by the laughter. The face of Kuya Germs turned serious, contorting with pain.
KUYA GERMS
How did you find me anyway?
SR RAQUEL
I don’t know. You just popped out of nowhere. I think the Lord brought me to you. It could not be an accident.
KUYA GERMS
What is all this? What is happening to me? Am I being punished?
SR RAQUEL
I think you are being blessed.
KUYA GERMS
Sister, do you think there is anyone who is willing to defy Mama Mary? What can I do? Tell me, sister, can I go against our Blessed Lady?
SR RAQUEL
I suppose not.
KUYA GERMS
(After a long silent pause.) You win, sister. I will move my show. But I will do it not for you.
SR RAQUEL
I know, for Mama Mary, right?
In that short five minute encounter, we see the hand of God move a mountain not even a top rate impresario or an influential television director could do, which was to ask Kuya Germs to give up the play date for his show. But it was done by an unknown sister working for the Lord.
The coliseum was jam-packed. About 17,000 people came even though there were only 15,000 tickets. And so, the Ballerina danced way for the Madonna. The crowd gave her a violent applause, and she was back in the only thing she lived for. It was the greatest gift of the Ballerina to the Madonna, and vice versa.
Sister Raquel performed group healing on the massive crowd. They all went home happy. The next day, Sister Raquel received hundreds of calls. They were thanking her that they have been healed, many of them with terminal diseases such as cancer. On that fateful birthday of the Virgin, the Lord gave His Mother the perfect gift, thousands healed instantly.
If He can move mountains, what more a mere show. The Lord works in mysterious ways beyond our imagination. Thank you, Kuya Germs, that you cannot ignore the Madonna’s plea, she has must have paid you back a hundred fold, right?
There are two RVM healing nuns, Sister Raquel and Sister Gloria. To get healing schedules, directions, and guidelines, go to www.sisterraquel.com.
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