Sandwich tastes so sacrilegious

Echoes Within

Renato Gandia

The controversial grilled cheese sandwich, which allegedly bears the image of the Virgin Mary, is 10 years old, according to owner Diana Duyser.

The sandwich went up for sale three weeks ago drawing bids as much as US$22,000, before eBay, an Internet auction site, decided to pull it off their list.

The company e-mailed Duyser telling her it is against the policy their to list items intended as a joke. Duyser responded she was seriously selling the item and that the item was real and not a hoax. The company then re-instated the item on its list and by Nov. 17, people bid up to US$69,000.

Mocking Duyser's sandwich, other people put up items on the auction site, such as Virgin Mary grilled cheese maker, a picture of a grilled cheese with an image of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. In the world that we live in today, it is not surprising people would pull such mockery. And it is apparent Duyser invited it.

Ten years ago, as Duyser recalled, after one bite off the sandwich she saw a lady looking back at her. The non-religious Baptist woman said at first she got scared so she kept the sandwich and did not finish eating it. She encased it in a plastic box, nestled it among cotton balls and kept it on a shelf. Over the years, she claimed, the sandwich miraculously did not decay.

But why sell the sandwich now?

According to her, she wanted to share this with the world. "I think she was meant to be seen. It's time to pass her along," she told reporters.

The fact that she wants to share the sandwich with others seems to be admirable. But when you really think about it, why would she sell it on an auction site if her intentions were pure? Why not put it in a special case and allow others to see it? Why go to the business world in trying to share this "special sandwich" with others?

It was reported Duyser has no plans for any profit she may realize from the sandwich. But she also insinuated a possibility of another visitation when she said, "Maybe she'll come to me in something else."

It is not doubtful that the Virgin Mary appears. Her appearances are recorded in history. And whenever she authentically appears, it is a life altering experience for the visionaries.

To begin with, there is a huge change in their lives. They become holy persons sought by people who want to strengthen their faith in God. And often miraculous healings of infirm people are connected to the Virgin Mary's apparition.

Was it really an image of the Virgin Mary that is imprinted on Duyser's sandwich?

It might be ludicrous that I spent my time writing this piece on this controversy. But I checked out on the Internet the history of bids on the cheese sandwich, I was astounded not only by the fact that someone has put this on for sale but more so by the fact that many people seriously considered buying it.

If indeed that was the image of the Virgin Mary, and if indeed Duyser believed she was protected by it - as she claimed she was - it is totally illogical to let go of something so precious and so sacred.

And if it is not, it is sacrilegious to make money out of so blessed a woman like the Mother of God.

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