Did the sun really ‘dance’ in Bataan?
A snapshot of the “dancing sun” during the closing Mass of the 4th World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Bagac, Bataan, Jan. 20, 2017. (Photo: Dr. Jyn Aragon)
BAGAC, Bataan, Jan. 30, 2017 – Delegates from the recently concluded 4th World Apostolic Congress On Mercy (WACOM 4) took to social media claiming they saw a “dancing sun” above the shores of Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar during the culminating Mass of the international event, on Jan. 20.
“Day 5 of our WACOM4 PH Pilgrimage. A miracle happened and what an experienced at Las Casas de Acuzar in […] Bataan,” said Emelinda Sussex in her FB post. “During…communion, in an open area… we saw the sun really dancing. People…crying… commotion everywhere… it lasted for a while. What a day today to see the presence of God.”
According to witnesses, the crowd of delegates covering the grounds beside Hotel De Oriente started crying, waving, and shouting praises of thanksgiving as all of them looked at the sky in amazement at what they believed to be a “miracle” of the “dancing sun” while the choir sang orchestric versions of the “Alleluia.”
Mobile gadgets also floated atop the sea of hands as some hurriedly tried to capture the moment for posting online.
Heavenly experience?
“Shouts of joy… tears of joy… with only three words [repeated again and again:] ‘O My God!’ Colors of red, yellow, pink emanate around the dancing sun,” said Primrose Marcos, a WACOM4 delegate describing her video posted in Facebook. The video got shared more than 300 times.
Cathy Querubin Masangkay commented on her video post, “Unexplained emotions and feelings… witnessed for the first time the Dancing Sun during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist for the final day of WACOM 4…tears falling [from] my eyes…I really felt deep in my heart that God, Jesus, the Divine Mercy, was present during the celebration… be it a phenomenon or a miracle…Jesus, I Trust in You. Amen…Thank You God for this amazing experience.”
“Truly… God is really present in the Holy Eucharist…1st time to witness dancing sun while Holy Mass [was] going on…near the seashore of El Caseres, Bataan,” posted Masangkay’s sister, Remedios Querubin Vergara, who included photos taken during the event.
Interviewed about her post, Vergara said in Filipino, “We were seated in the front seat then every one behind us were suddenly raising their hands as they faced the sea. There I saw the sun turning and changing colors like the rainbow so I took a video of it.”
“Yes, it was really touching. It makes me cry until now as I remember and reflect on it,” shared Ma Theresa Aspre in Filipino, of her experience on that day. Masangkay, Vergara, and Aspre were all delegates from the Diocese of Novaliches to WACOM4.
“I can 101% say, as a doctor, that I was not having hysteria at that time,” stressed Dr. Jyn Aragon, a medical doctor who was a volunteer writer for the Diocese of Novaliches’ Social Communications and Media Ministry (SocComm Nova) for the event.
“I really saw the sun dancing!,” she added.
Similar to Fatima
There were also those who claimed seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary and other images in the sky like Edna De Chavez who posted, “Last day of WACOM4 BALANGA, BATAAN (During the consecration we see the Dancing Sun and the image of the BVM)”.
Not everyone present that day, however, was able to witness the phenomenon such as the priests giving the communion and other members of the media covering the event.
“The dancing sun, I heard some of them saying it and they were really moving towards the sunset. But I didn’t get to really see it because I can’t get close enough. Although, I did notice the sun glared a lot,” said Lulu Nario, another writer volunteer of SocComm Nova, in Taglish. “Seeing the people’s reactions actually touched me because whether the dancing sun was legit or brought about by their intense feeling at the moment what matters is they felt the presence of God.”
Reviewing the phenomenon, Diocese of Novaliches exorcist Fr. Ambrosio Nonato Legaspi commented, “The appearance of a ‘dancing sun’ is reminiscent of a similar phenomenon at Fatima in 1916, then witnessed by thousands, including both skeptics and unbelievers. For that phenomenon and subsequent repetitions of the famed ‘whirling sun’–as the one allegedly recurring during Divine Mercy celebrations–most recent of which was last January 20, 2017, there are no known explanations either in physics nor psychology to account for the observed solar activity.”
“But given that the most recent phenomena associated with the Divine Mercy celebrations are considered ‘stand alone’ phenomena, i.e., they are just observed independent from any claim of private revelations received by seers, we have all the more reasons to be careful in labelling these as ‘miracles.’ Discernment is essential for those who claim they have just witnessed a ‘miracle,'” cautioned the priest.
Warnings from the saints
He said the “Church is no stranger to these occurrences, which are almost always concomitant with the reception of private revelations” and “are properly called paranormal phenomena”.
He added that careful discernment is necessary when dealing with paranormal phenomena, following the warnings of saints like St. Teresa of Avila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
WACOM4 came to Asia for the first time this year as Philippines hosted the largest mercy on congress this year, after being held in Bogota, Colombia in 2014. (Minnie Agdeppa / CBCPNews)
