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The Origin (continued)
Finally, when my son presented me with his lovely drawing of Jesus within the womb of His Mother, I thought, "Our Lord wants to be recognized within the womb." In contemplating the "Word Made Flesh," I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this young, Jewish girl's "Yes" in the name of humanity. To honor Mary's role in God's plan for the redemption of mankind, I named the image, Vessel of the Preborn Jesus. At this point, I actually thought that the portrait was complete. However, after hearing the noon bells on that day in July and visualizing baby Jesus wrapped in the rosary, I asked my son to make one more adjustment: to replace the umbilical cord with the rosary. The sketch was now complete.
Christmas in July
Allow me to share with you a miracle from the hand of God that I believe confirmed His desire to be honored within the womb as Preborn Jesus.
Intending to use the portrait as a poster in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., I researched the cost of enlarging it onto foam board and found the estimate to be $50.00. That evening, I went to church and prayed, "Lord, if You want this done, I know You will open a window." The very next morning, I routinely went to my job as a dental hygienist. The first patient of the day on this July morning complimented me on my work and placed money in my hand. When I tried to refuse this unconventional tip, he insistently curled my fingers around the money and made a quick exit while calling out, "Merry Christmas!"
Considering how God was writing this script at nearly every turn, I solemnly opened my fingers and spied a $50 bill nestling there.
Of course, I immediately had the image of Vessel of the Preborn Jesus enlarged and, since then, the same enlargement or copies have traveled to the Pro-Life March, pregnancy centers, abortion clinics, churches across the United States, and even various locations abroad.
The idea for this ministry occurred in the spring of 2009, just after I had completed the St. Louis de Montfort consecration, "to Jesus through Mary." At this time, a relative shared with me that a young girl was considering an abortion. I promised to pray a rosary for her and, upon seeing her baby via ultrasound, this young mother chose life for her child.
This incident led me to discern about creating a ministry where a cord rosaries (representing the umbilical cord) could be made for mothers experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Presently, as each variegated pink and blue cord rosary is made with a medal of Baby Jesus attached, the "Joyful Mysteries" of the rosary are prayed. This beautiful rosary and the image of Vessel of the Preborn Jesus are then given as tokens of love to the expectant mother and child.