In the documentary “Emma,” June Keithley reports how the widow with three children found herself working as a domestic helper in Canada. Emma de Guzman was in Singapore, her contract was ending, and she’d heard about work opportunities for maids in Canada. Her experience in Singapore hadn’t been that good, so she was having second thoughts about going farther away. Still, she needed money for her family, and she asked for a sign. And what a sign she got.
She narrates in the documentary that she was seated on a bench, thinking about her life, when a small whirlwind blew a small piece of paper at her feet. The piece of paper said something like “Work in Canada” with the name of an agency hiring domestic helpers. Prompted by this event, she called the number, and found out the recruiter was a Filipino. A friend helped her with the money, and soon, she was working for a nice family.
Soon after, the Lord would appear to her, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and they would tell her she was chosen precisely because she didn’t know anything, she didn’t even know how to pray, and she would be taught what she needed to know and given what she needed to spread the Lord’s message.
Normally, stories and articles would suffice, but what is awe-inspiring about the DVD is that in this day when everything can be documented easily, the report actually shows videos and pictures of Emma as she is experiencing holy visitations.
Whenever Mama Mary would speak to her, especially when there are other people around, she would “sweat gold dust” which look a lot like glitter, but, as laboratory tests have found, is not made of the same material. It is a way for Mama Mary to make her presence felt to those who cannot see her, Emma has relayed. There is also a clip of the time perfect little pink rosebuds came out of her chest, and a testimonial of the time something like a rough diamond came out of her forehead.
The Keithley report could be more comprehensive. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go in detail into the other experiences of Emma that are similar to what saints experienced, such as fragrant oil appearing on her face, bilocation, and levitation. It also doesn’t go into her life in the Philippines, before she left for Singapore, which would give us a good idea of how she grew up into a very humble, unassuming woman, who would be so blessed.
What is interesting about the DVD, however, is the many interviews with Catholic priests, particularly the priests of Don Bosco in Batangas, where Emma and her followers prayed and experienced the presence of the Blessed Virgin in a place now called the Mountain of Salvation.
Emma is still being investigated by the Catholic Church, which, as we all know, doesn’t really rush into conclusions when it comes to cases like this. The priests, however, are able to express their thoughts without speaking for the Church. One priest says in the report that while he cannot sanction anything everyone is welcome to pray and honor God and the Blessed Virgin.
All these seem secondary to my personal experience with Emma. There weren’t many of us in the church—less than two hundred, I would suppose—and yet, because Emma took her time in praying with everyone who came for healing, the session lasted from 7pm up to almost midnight. Sherwil, Emily and I were one of the last few, as most of those who went ahead were old, ill, even in wheelchairs.
Now, I always say I have a personal relationship with God. I speak to him almost every time, and I feel his presence around me all the time ever since I stopped using my brain to know him and started recognizing him and love to be one and the same.
But, in the days leading to my meeting Emma, I’d been feeling a form of spiritual drought triggered by various old and new heartbreaks. I’d been praying for healing, and when I found myself standing in front of the mystic, I immediately recognized it as an answered prayer.
What are you praying for? she asked me.
I’m praying for general physical healing. I said. Then I added, also for heart… break.
Emma put her hand on my heart and prayed.
It is said that she is also blessed with the power to read hearts and minds. God the Father, she prayed, bless your daughter and guide her in her spiritual journey. Heal her heart. Give her the inspiration to do what she has to do.
Amen.