The Cenacle, My Wheelchair and I

By Irma Coronel 

In 1997, I began to experience excruciating pains in my back which slowly encircled my rib cage. The pain was akin to having a wire circle your body and pulled 24 hours a day. The pain was dismissed as recurring muscle pain but as the months passed, I knew it was much worse.

When my legs started weakening and the pain became intense, I learned what was wrong. There was a tumor lodged in my spinal cord; there was no cure. The tumor could gradually increase in size, not change, or decrease, but the end would be the same: it would rupture and I would end up paralyzed.

In the year 2000, as I was going down the stairs after attending mass, I felt a sudden twist in my left leg. In the wee hours of the morning, I felt terrible, terrible pain in my back. I had no way of asking for help for my husband was out of town, our bedroom door was closed, and the phone in my room would not work. What the doctors had warned me about was happening: my arterial malformation was rupturing. I couldn’t do anything but pray, close my eyes and sleep.

In the morning I could hardly feel anything from my waist down. What followed was a 6-hour operation to remove the blood clot in my spinal cord. I became paralyzed. What was to become of the rest of my life?

At home, I was left alone practically the whole day. My husband and daughter had to earn a living. My only companions were caregivers and helpers. I was dependent on them for practically everything. I cried often, and in those days my will to live reached its lowest point. If there was a God, why did I turn out this way?

But while still in the hospital, three of my neighbors – Ed and Lydia Rosal, and Pinky Santiago – visited me. I didn’t even really know them in a very neighborly way. Ed Rosal offered to give me Holy Communion everyday and though I was never a daily churchgoer, I said yes. Then Lydia (his wife) and Pinky introduced me to the Cenacle. What was that?

They gave me a book and asked if the Cenacle could be held in my house every First Friday. I hesitantly agreed. I found it difficult to believe that the Blessed Mother would make herself present in our midst during the Cenacle. There were times when everyone would be deep in thought over the message, whereas I couldn’t understand what the message was all about. Words such as “consecration,” “abandonment,” “interior and exterior docility” were strange terms to me. By God’s grace and Mama Mary’s help and guidance, these words slowly became alive and relevant in my life.

I began to look forward to our Friday Cenacles and as the years passed, I felt transformed little by little. I began to understand God’s plan in my life and the importance of consecrating oneself to Our Lady. I gradually learned to accept my wheelchair, my disability. I realized that one’s life is not one’s own, that it must be spent in the service of others and for God.

I learned to live in the present moment, with trust in God’s providence and Mama Mary’s protection. I realized the importance of praying for the sanctification of priests.

Contrary to what I initially thought, the past seven years proved very fulfilling. The Cenacle and my wheelchair have made a profound difference in my life. In letting Mama Mary take charge, my life was never the same again. 

The Second Coming of Christ will take place in your lifetime. According to this book which contains a series of incredible messages and prophecies to an Irish seer, our present generation will witness the Second Coming of Christ. Click here to read a book review that summarises the key messages of the book.

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