A Measure of Faith

By Cheri Lomonte

Dawn Jiosi is young, she's funny, she runs two businesses, raises two children with the help of her husband Andries and her laughter is like a melodic wind chime. She exercises, shops and enjoys her life. She has also experienced a miracle or, to be more exact, a series of miracles.

It was just shortly after Jiosi moved out of her parents' home when Mary, the Blessed Mother of God appeared to her. Jiosi basked in Her divine beauty and felt Her loving presence, but couldn't help but wonder, “Why me?”

But that was only the beginning of the story. Shortly thereafter, on her way home from a trip to Italy, she was approached by a stranger who had just visited Medjugorje and pressed upon her a picture of Mary. According to Jiosi, the woman's exact words were, “I feel strongly that I need to give you this picture.” She had chosen Jiosi to be the recipient out of five hundred passengers on the plane.

Rather than safely tucking the picture away, she uncharacteristically had the photo framed and kept it in her office at work. It had sat on her desk for years when one day a co-worker came in and shut the door. He had always been drawn to the picture, but now it told him that Jiosi might be a safe person to talk to. His wife was all excited having visited a home in Yonkers, New York where oil was supposedly emanating from a statue of Mary. He was truly afraid that his wife might be losing her mind and he didn't know where to turn. Divine direction? Perhaps. Jiosi said she would visit the home and check out the story.

Upon entering the house in Yonkers, Jiosi was assailed by the sweet fragrance of roses that got stronger as she moved toward a small room off the kitchen. And then she saw it. Mary's statue truly was seeping oil and one touch told Jiosi it truly was divine. However that didn't stop her from looking to make sure the statue wasn't connected to pumps or plugs that might account for the oil. After many visits to the woman's house, she was offered a bag of oil-soaked cotton and she gratefully accepted it and placed it on her dresser.

Four years ago she was called to use the oil from Mary's statue. The three-month-old baby of a distance acquaintance had meningitis and the prospects for survival were dim; recovering without brain damage almost impossible. The parents of the child had no knowledge that Jiosi had the oil, they just wanted her prayers. Jiosi went in where the baby was lying and was 'told' by a higher power to rub the oil at the base of the baby's spine, which she did. Two days later, the child was alert and nursing.

You may recognize Jiosi's name because her story is set to be featured on an episode of 'Lie Detector,' a PAX TV program designed to weed out the facts. This program, hosted by Rolonda Watts, covers three different stories each week - usually with a real-life 'accuser' and 'accused' - and determines who is telling the truth by way of a polygraph test on the participants. But Jiosi's story was different. The producer wanted to see if the story of a miracle could be proved or disproved with a polygraph test and Jiosi's was the one he chose.

The goal of 'Lie Detector' managers was to determine whether the events in Jiosi's story really happened. During an intense one-on-one interview by Watts, Jiosi told her story to the television audience. Shortly thereafter, she was hooked up to a highly sensitive polygraph, The test itself was administered by Dr. Ed Gelb, a leading polygraph expert. What the polygraph revealed will be shown when the episode airs.

Jiosi looks at her experience a different way. She was specifically asked about knowing whether the oil coming from the statue might have in some way been manipulated. “I felt myself think twice about this question because I had no real way of knowing the answer,” said Jiosi. “I did not play detective in the house although I looked enough, I believe, to see if there was any way the statue could have been connected to anything, but it was not. I truly believe if there had been a different question or one that was worded in a different way, it would not have been inconclusive. Because, really, how can I have had the absolute fact without a formal investigation?”

But perhaps there is a much more fundamental answer. How can one measure faith? How can one person judge what is true for another? How can the depth and strength of one's faith be tested by electrodes and wires - any system of man? Faith is deep and abiding and personal. Faith in God, Jesus and the Virgin Mother is something that can never be measured. It's something one must just take on faith.

Cheri Lomonte is the author of The Healing Touch of Mary, a book filled with real-life accounts of people who have experienced the transformational power of Mary, Mother of Jesus, in their lives. This collection has miraculous accounts, beautiful poems and stories of hope that offer encouragement and restore faith. All net proceeds from this project will be donated to La Confradia in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Boston Lourdes Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Check your local bookstore.