Encounter with heaven

MANILA, Philippines - An encounter with heaven will take place when the documentary “Emma” by June Keithley is shown on June 27, Saturday, 7 p.m., on Channel 4.

In “Emma”, Keithley reports about mystic and visionary Emma de Guzman, a humble overseas Filipino worker who has received messages from the Virgin Mary for more than 15 years.

In this two-hour in-depth documentary, Emma is introduced as a simple widow with three children from Cabanatuan City. To provide for her children, she worked as domestic helper in Singapore. When her contract expired, she became a nanny in Canada.

Her working in Canada, Emma tells in the interview, is already a miracle. She says she didn’t know where to go after her contract in Singapore expired. While seated on a bench in the Lion City, a strong wind blew. In its wake, a small piece of paper landed at Emma’s feet. When Emma read the paper, it bore the name of the agency and the contact number of a job opportunity in Canada. She went home to the Philippines to fix her documents. A friend helped her with the logistics and Emma flew to Canada to become a nanny.

Soon after, the Lord would appear to her, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was chosen, she tells Keithley, “because I didn’t know anything.” In fact, she says, it was the Blessed Mother who taught her how to pray the Holy Rosary.

The documentary shows Emma sweating with gold dusts. She says that phenomenon is Mama Mary’s way of manifesting herself to the people who do not see her while Emma is in communion with the Blessed Mother. The sweat looks like glitter but when acclaimed scientists in the States tested them, they found out that the gold dusts were not made of the same material contained in the ordinary industrial glitter.

Emma also experiences stigmata or bleeding in the forehead, feet and hands every time she has holy encounters and before or after she heals people.

A video clip also showed her pulling out from her chest five roses without thorns. “Those five roses symbolize for the five wounds of Jesus,” Emma, who could hardly speak foreign language before, explained in English. Not only that, the documentary also shows Emma writing the messages of God or Mama Mary in Aramaic, ancient Greek and other languages when she is in a trance.

It is also a wonder how diamond-like gemstones would appear in her head when an apparition is about to take place.

Emma now lives in Marian Manor in New Jersey and returns only to the Philippines for the September and December apparitions. The place of apparition in the country is called Mount of Salvation, which is behind the Don Bosco Retreat House in the vicinity of Calaruega in Batulao, Batangas.

Though the documentary did not show her other gifts, it is also said that Emma’s multiple supernatural gifts, which have been manifested to thousands of people in the US, Canada, Poland, France, West Indies, Portugal and the Philippines, include bilocation, levitation and reading of hearts and souls.

Emma is also said to be able to have communion without deglutition (the process of using the throat muscles to swallow. There are also reported cases of the appearance of bleeding hosts on her tongue.

She is also given the gift of prophecy and the odor of sanctity. On many occasions, witnesses—both believers and skeptics—have seen fragrant oil appear on her face, hands, feet and even ooze from her eyes.

Emma is a beautiful tale of faith. Keithley tells Emma’s story with utmost sincerity—from Emma’s own experiences and from the perspective of ordinary men and women and people from the church. In fact, the documentary is so sincere its spiritual messages pierce through the soul without being didactic, without resorting to hardcore evangelization.

(Emma is showing on June 27, Saturday, 7 p.m. on Channel 4.)