History of the Luminous Cross of Grace

Part 1

THE INSPIRATIONS FROM THE BLESSED MOTHER

The LUMINOUS CROSS OF GRACE is a devotion which the Blessed Virgin Mary seemed to have inspired in Susan Maria D'Souza Khambatta, an Indian mother of three children whose family has lived in the Philippines for the past five years and who regularly spends hours of prayer in the Blessed Sacrament. In several instances while at prayer, Susan would get inspirations from Our Lady who would direct her on what to do. 

One day, Susan shared with her prayer partners that "when I received these divine inspirations from Our Lady, it was very clear. The Blessed Mother wanted a painting, not only one but three, done only for one reason: to hasten the proclamation of the Fifth Dogma."

Susan continued her habit of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. On February 11, 2002, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, as she was praying for the proclamation of the Fifth Dogma, and for world peace and unity, she received an inspiration from the Blessed Mother that she was to go on a Marian Pilgrimage to further the cause of the Fifth Dogma. Coincidentally, Fatima Louise Maria Nebrida, a Mariologist, had received a similar inspiration on the very same day while at prayer in the adoration chapel in Cebu. In obedience to the inspiration, Susan joined a prayer rally organized by Nebrida for the proclamation of the Fifth Dogma held at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy on August 22, 2002, Feast of the Queenship of Mary. 

The next inspiration Susan received in April 2002 was that our Lady asked her to "put Me on the Cross covering the five wounds of our Lord to signify the five dogmas. In the center should be the Queen of the Divine Will and I will take care of IT!" Susan was aghast. She didn't even know what the other four dogmas were. She questioned the Blessed Mother, "Who is the Queen of the Divine Will?" She was told to, "Call Reza". And to her surprise, after she got home from the Adoration chapel she got a call from Reza, who is a foreign national of Middle Eastern descent and with whom Susan was not in the habit of calling. Remembering our Lady's instruction, Susan asked him, "Do you know who the Queen of the Divine Will is?" Reza replied, "Yes, it is Our Lady of Guadalupe". Then he proceeded to tell Susan the story, of how Our Lady came to be honored and named as such.
 

In spite of these events which seemed to confirm the inspirations she was receiving from the Blessed Mother, Susan wanted to keep all these to herself. However, in May 2002, Susan got the message, "Tell, tell, tell" and she knew that our Lady wanted her to share these messages with her Cenacle group of Ayala Alabang. At about this same time, Reza, also deeply spiritual, came back to her and said, "I prayed about it and yes, the messages you are getting are true." A bit later, Susan spoke with another deeply spiritual Marian devotee, Guadalupe Yabes, who also affirmed that, the inspirations Susan was receiving was true. 

In Dec.2002, Susan (Middle next to President) received the inspiration that the Luminous Cross painting be brought to Malacañang. It was presented to Pres.Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on March 25, 2003 who consecrated herself and the nation to our Lady of Guadalupe. It was during this time that the world was suffering from SARS and the Philippines was protected from it.