tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44026857644676287312024-03-15T14:09:32.572-04:00Miracles of the SaintsThis website is devoted to the extraordinary miracles of God in the lives of the Saints including examples of Stigmata, Prophecy, Remarkable Cures, Bilocation, Heavenly voices from the afterlife, Levitation, Prolonged Fasts, Mystical Knowledge, Scourging and the Crown of Thorns, Speaking in Tongues, Incorrupt Bodies, and Miracles over nature along with many others. The author endeavors always to be faithful to the Catholic Church and its teachings.Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-68902900602624743172099-01-01T01:00:00.000-05:002015-01-08T11:20:31.028-05:00Saint Miracles<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRk2Lv9Z7ucE_trdZLb64zn9CKHDz9A6l8mMNeDT5AmrnKKaWrtoofRE6zZiwy48JsjkE0hwxRWkVcuEpeKn5uHFnLkipbKVeP9yXC0gxARW9kl1FUkgo7jNVVe1j5izAgJG8ZwOONFw/s1600/St_Padre_Pio_of_Pietrelcina.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRk2Lv9Z7ucE_trdZLb64zn9CKHDz9A6l8mMNeDT5AmrnKKaWrtoofRE6zZiwy48JsjkE0hwxRWkVcuEpeKn5uHFnLkipbKVeP9yXC0gxARW9kl1FUkgo7jNVVe1j5izAgJG8ZwOONFw/s400/St_Padre_Pio_of_Pietrelcina.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520312642770119314" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 288px;" /></a><br />
<div align="left">
<span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Miracles of the Saints</strong></span><br />
<br />
Welcome to the <em><strong>Miracles of the Saints </strong></em>website where we will explore all the extraordinary graces that God has wrought in the lives of the Saints, His beloved servants. While God reveals Himself in all the marvels of creation, His has chosen to manifest Himself and His love for humanity in very special manner in the lives of His Saints. For in the Gospel of John, Jesus said to His disciples: <em><span style="color: red;">"Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. <strong>Truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these</strong>, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son"</span></em><br />
<br />
So given Jesus' promise, it is not at all surprising then that the servants of God have wrought the most remarkable miracles in the name of Jesus, such as <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/saints-who-raised-dead-people-brought.html">Saints who raised the dead</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/miraculous-cures-in-lives-of-saints.html">miraculous cures and healings</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/prophecies-in-lives-of-saints.html">prophecy</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/bilocation-of-st-padre-pio.html">bilocation</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/stigmata.html">stigmata</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/crown-of-thorns-in-lives-of-saints.html">the crown of thorns</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/mystical-knowledge-in-saints-reading.html">mystical knowledge</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/levitation-and-ecstatic-flights-in.html">levitation and ecstatic flights</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/voice-from-heaven-miraculous-voice-of.html">miraculous voices from heaven</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/gift-of-understanding-foreign-and.html">gift of understanding </a>and also <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/speaking-in-tongues-supernatural-gift.html">speaking foriegn and ancient biblical languages</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/miracles-with-dogs-birds-other-animals.html">miracles with animals </a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/incorruptibles-saints-bodies-that-are.html">Saints whose bodies remain incorrupt after death</a>, <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/sag-st-anthony-guide-miraculous-letter.html">miraculous mail deliveries</a>, and <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/miracle-of-eucharist-total-fast-from.html">complete fasting from food for years</a>, to name just a few. The purpose then of this website is to reveal some of these marvelous works of God in the lives of His Saints, that those who visit here may love Him all the more. <em>-All for the greater glory of God</em>!</div>
<div align="left">
</div>
<div align="left">
<br />
<em><strong><span style="color: red;">"I will show wonders in the heavens above, and signs on the earth below"</span></strong></em> -Acts 2:19 </div>
_______________________________<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 180%;">Some of the Miracles in the lives of the Saints:</span></strong><br />
-A more complete list is on the menu bar to the right====><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">Stigmata:</span></strong><br />
<em>"...My Mom [Blessed Virgin Mary] said to me:<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"> </span><span style="color: #cc6600;">'Jesus, my Son, loves you very much, and wishes to give you a grace. Would you know how to become worthy of it?'</span></strong></em><span style="color: #996633;"> </span><br />
<em>In my misery I knew not what to answer. Then She continued</em>: <em><strong><span style="color: #996633;"><span style="color: #cc6600;">'I will be a Mother to you; will you show yourself a true daughter?'</span> </span></strong>And after saying this She opened her mantle and covered me with it. <strong>At that instant Jesus appeared with all His wounds open</strong>; but blood no longer issued from those wounds, but flames of fire. In an instant those flames came and touched my hands, feet and heart. I felt I was dying and should have fallen had not my Mom held me up, I remaining all the while covered with her mantle, and thus I remained for several hours. Afterwards my Mom kissed me on the forehead, then everything vanished and I found myself kneeling on the ground, but still feeling intense pain in my hands, feet and heart. I got up to go to bed and saw blood flowing from those places where I felt the pain. I covered them up as best I could and then, with the help of my guardian angel, got into bed."</em><br />
<strong>-Click here for more of <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/stigmata.html">the holy Stigmata in the lives of the Saints</a></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">Bilocation</span></strong><br />
"Signora Concetta Bellarmini of S. Vito Lanciano declares that she was suddenly stricken with a blood infection followed by bronchial pneumonia with a very high fever. She was reduced to such a state that the doctors despaired of ever saving her. The flesh had become yellow from the infection which had spread throughout her body.<br />
<br />
"A relative urged her to direct her prayers to Padre Pio. She prayed to him whom she has never seen, when suddenly in full daylight a stigmatized monk appeared to her and smiling blessed her without touching her as he stood in the middle of the room. The woman asked him if his appearance signified the grace for the conversion of her children, or else the grace for her physical cure. Then Padre answered,<em><strong> </strong><span style="color: red;">"On Sunday morning you will be cured,"</span></em> then he vanished from the room, leaving an odor of perfume which the servant girl also smelled. After this visit her flesh turned normal color, the fever ceased and on Sunday morning her health was completely restored. She went with her brother to San Giovanni Rotondo to see if Padre Pio was the one who appeared to her. When she arrived at the Monastery and saw Padre Pio in the church she turned to her brother and said, <strong><em>"There he is, he is the one!"</em></strong> <strong><br />-Click here for more of <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/bilocation-of-st-padre-pio.html">Bilocation of St Padre Pio</a></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">Mystical Knowledge- The gift of reading into hearts</span></strong><br />
About the year 1840 a certain man named Rochette took his son, who was sick, to the wonder-worker of Ars. His wife accompanied him; she went to confession and received Holy Communion.<br />
As for Rochette, he had but one concern: namely, to obtain the cure of his boy. He paid, indeed, a few visits to the church, but he kept in the neighbourhood of the holy water font. There he was when the saint, coming from behind the altar where he was hearing the confessions of priests, began to call him. He refused to budge. At that moment his wife and his son were close to the altar rails. <em><span style="color: red;">"Is he really that much an unbeliever?"</span></em> Father Vianney asked the wife. At last, at the third summons, the man decided to walk up the nave. <strong><em>"After all,"</em></strong> he thought, <strong><em>"the Cure d' Ars will not eat me!" </em></strong>He went with Father Vianney behind the altar. There was no time to lose. <em><span style="color: red;">"This is for both of us, Rochette,"</span></em> said the Cure, and, pointing to the confessional: <em><span style="color: red;">"Go into there,"</span> </em>he said.<br />
<strong><em>"Oh!"</em></strong> Rochette replied, <strong><em>"I don't feel like it."</em></strong> <em><span style="color: red;">"Well, we shall begin here then."</span></em> replied Father Vianney.<br />
Incapable of offering resistance to so sudden an attack, Rochette had fallen on his knees.<br />
<em><strong>"My father,"</strong></em> he stammered, <strong><em>"..it is some time…ten years...."</em></strong><br />
<em><span style="color: red;">"Make it a little more."</span></em> <em><strong>"Twelve years then. . . ."</strong></em> <em><span style="color: red;">"Still yet a little more."</span></em> replied the holy Cure.<br />
<strong><em>"Yes, since the great jubilee of 1826."</em></strong><br />
<em><span style="color: red;">"Ah! there we are! One finds it by a dint of seeking."</span></em><br />
Rochette then made his confession like a child. The following day saw him kneeling by the side of his wife at the altar rails. Their boy, the faithful chronicler adds, left the church of Ars without his two crutches, for which he had no further use. The father was cured of his spiritual illness, the son the physical. A double miracle! <strong><br />Click here for </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/mystical-knowledge-in-saints-reading.html"><strong>more of St John Vianney's gift of reading into hearts.</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">A Voice from beyond the grave- The miraculous voice of St Clelia Barbieri</span></strong><br />
St Clelia Barbieri died of tuberculosis on July 13, 1870 when she was only 23 years old. Her last words to her religious Sisters were prophetic: <em><span style="color: red;">"Be brave because I am going to Paradise; but I shall always remain with you, too; I shall never abandon you!"</span></em> This prophecy was realized as she soon proved her presence by the sounding of her voice. The miraculous phenomenon of her voice first took place during the evening of July 13, 1871, exactly one year after Clelia's death, while the sisters were at prayer in the chapel. The Sisters declared that:<br />
<br />
<em>“Suddenly there was the sound of a high-pitched, harmonious and heavenly voice that accompanied the singing in the choir; at times it sang solo, at other times it harmonized with the choir, moving across from right to left; sometimes it passed close by the ears of one or other of the sisters. The joy which it brought filled our hearts with a happiness impossible to put into words. This wasn't of this world. We lived that day in paradise. From time to time, one had to leave the room ... The emotion that we experienced was so strong that it left you breathless until one had to call out: "Enough, dear Lord, enough!"</em><br />
And remarkably, her voice is still heard today....<br />
<strong>-Click here for more of a <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/voice-from-heaven-miraculous-voice-of.html">Voice from the afterlife, St Clelia Barbieri</a></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">Prophecies in the lives of the Saints</span></strong><br />
At the convent in Besancon, France St. Colette foretold an event that would take place in the next century. A great fire, she foretold, would burn the convent building to the ground. The nuns were horrified and pressed the Saint to tell them if the fire could be stopped. Colette shook her head sadly and told the nuns: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"When the big cross out there in the cemetery falls down across the graves, they will know the fire is about to come. Let them be warned and run out of the house. But they will not be able to prevent the disaster."</span></em> The nuns who heard this prophecy from the Saint's lips wrote the warning in the convent's archives for their sisters of the next century.<br />
<br />
And so it was in 1510, that is 60 years later, the great cross fell over the graves. The nuns were terrified and began at once to take every precaution to prevent the fire that had been predicted. However, their precautionary endeavors were to no avail. The fire began and destroyed the convent the next day. It is said that perhaps God not only wanted to show that He was guiding His servant Colette and her Community throughout the ages, but also the indestructibility of the spiritual Community that Colette had built through the grace of God, since the convent was rebuilt soon afterwards, and remains even today.<br />
<strong>-Click here for </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/09/prophecies-in-lives-of-saints.html"><strong>more prophecies from the Saints...</strong></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Levitation and Ecstatic Flights:</strong></span><br />
St Gerard Majella was often enraptured into remarkable levitations, often being drawn away by God for some distances. It was sufficient for St Gerard Majella to think of the love of God, or to contemplate the mystery of Incarnation, to cast his eyes upon a crucifix or a picture of the Blessed Virgin, or to be in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.<br />
<br />
One of the many examples would be when St Gerard, intending to spend some days at Oliveto, received hospitality at the house of an archpriest named Don Salvadore. The miracle took place on the very morning of his arrival at Oliveto. Gerard had withdrawn to his room to pray. At the dinner hour, the archpriest went himself to invite him to dinner. But to his astonishment he found the brother ravished in ecstasy and raised about three feet from the ground. Filled with amazement, he withdrew, but returning shortly after, he found him in the same state. The whole household, all witnesses to the extraordinary event, unable to sit down to dinner, awaited the guest with tears of emotion. At last he appeared, his face all inflamed. <em>"Please do not wait for me," </em>he said to the archpriest. <em>"I do not wish to inconvenience you." </em>To preserve the memory of this rapture, the archpriest marked on the wall of the room the height to which he had seen the Saint elevated.<br />
<strong>-Click here for </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/levitation-and-ecstatic-flights-in.html"><strong>more stories of levitation in the lives of the Saints</strong></a><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">Miracles of the Saints over Nature:</span></strong><br />
<em>Father Paul and the miraculous messenger birds</em><br />
Whenever Father Paul of Moll visited Antwerp he would call upon a certain invalid lady and her servant, Theresa. In the year 1887, he told the servant Theresa that she would know beforehand of his approaching visits. At his next visit he asked, <em><strong>"Well, have the little birds announced my coming?"</strong></em><br />
<br />
As a matter of fact, on the eve of Father Paul's visits to the lady, beautiful little birds, varying in number from two to twelve at a time, began to make their appearance in the garden, singing a joyful air which was always the same. They would also perch on the window-sill of the drawing room which looked out upon the garden, and tap upon the window panes. Although the tune of the mysterious songsters never varied, they had at each successive visit a different plumage.<br />
<br />
Not only did the servant, Theresa, see the birds, but also the invalid lady and her nurse. None of them could tell where the colorful birds came from any more than Theresa could. The nurse tried repeatedly to catch one of the birds, but in vain. She spoke of it to Fr. Paul and he replied, <em><strong>"Oh! they won't let themselves be caught!"</strong></em><br />
<br />
When asked about the beautiful little birds, Fr. Paul replied with a smile, <strong><em>"They are messengers."</em></strong> Fr. Paul then warned Theresa not to speak of the birds to anyone except to an intimate friend of hers. He then warned, <strong><em>"If during my lifetime you spread the news abroad, the birds will never come again."</em></strong><br />
<br />
On the eve of Fr. Paul's death, the birds appeared once more, but they were somewhat dejected and with drooping wings sang a melancholy song which the members of the household understood to be a presentiment of a tragic happening. Six months passed before the birds returned again, and this took place when a photograph of Fr. Paul was hung in the invalid's drawing room. At this time they sang beautiful melodies, but it is reported that afterwards their visits were infrequent.<br />
<br />
As mentioned earlier, the birds appeared each time in a different plumage. Theresa, however, was able to give us a description as the birds appeared on Wednesday, September 30, 1897, a year and seven months after Fr. Paul's death.<br />
<br />
<em>“Today, at ten minutes to eleven, two little birds of incomparable beauty arrived; their plumage was blue, green and purple, their breasts and heads white, the latter with stripes of deep purple in the form of a garland.”</em><br />
<strong>-Click here to read </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/miracles-with-dogs-birds-other-animals.html"><strong>more about the miracles of the Saints with animals</strong></a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The Crown of Thorns</strong></span><br />
“Once I asked Rose how the thorn stigmata were made- I wanted to know whether she found them already made after ecstasy or if she could feel them developing. When I asked her that question she already had seven of them. <strong><em>'During their development</em></strong>,' she said, <strong><em>'I feel them active. The impression is that of a hair being tightly pressed against the skin and boring a hole, as a gimlet would do.' </em></strong>[A gimlet is a small hand tool used for drilling or boring small holes -ed.]<br />
<br />
“The stigmata which Rose had in the back of her head, prevented it from resting on the pillow; so she was often seen with her arm under her neck; sometimes, it was replaced by small cushions. Frequently, she would use neither; her head then was bent forward, as though she had a kink in her neck. She was seen to remain for hours in that position. While it was depressing to see her that way, she never for a moment showed the least sign of discomfort. Even when the exterior signs of the other stigmata had disappeared, if she rested on her pillow, she felt the invisible thorns penetrating deeper.<br />
<strong>-Click here for more on the </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/crown-of-thorns-in-lives-of-saints.html"><strong>Crown of Thorns in the lives of the Saints</strong> </a><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">The Gift of Tongues</span></strong> <em>-Being heard and understood by those of other languages</em><br />
"St Anthony of Padua, one of the chosen disciples and companions of St Francis, whom the latter called his Vicar, was preaching one day before the Pope and the Cardinals in Consistory, there were therefore present at that moment men of different countries- Greeks and Latins, French and Germans, Slavs and English and men of many other different languages and dialects.<br />
<br />
"And being inflamed by the Holy Spirit and inspired with apostolic eloquence, he preached and explained the word of God so effectively, devoutly, subtly, clearly and understandably that all who were assembled at that Consistory, although they spoke different languages, clearly and distinctly heard and understood everyone of his words as if he had spoken in each of their languages. Therefore they were all astounded and filled with devotion, for it seemed to them that the former miracle of the Apostles at the time of Pentecost had been renewed, when by the power of the Holy Spirit they spoke in different languages.<br />
<br />
"And in amazement, just like in the Acts of the Apostles they said to one another: <em>"Is he not a Spaniard?' How then are we all hearing him in the language of the country where we were born -we Greeks and Latins, French and Germans, Slavs and English, Lombards and other foreigners?"</em><br />
<strong>-Click here for </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/speaking-in-tongues-supernatural-gift.html"><strong>more of the supernatural gift of speaking in Tongues</strong></a><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">The Eucharist alone -A complete abstinence from food for 13 years</span></strong><br />
"On March 27, 1942 in a blaze of agony and adoring love, Alexandrina cried out to Jesus in the tabernacle of the nearby church, <em>"Oh my Eucharistic Love, I cannot live without you! Oh Jesus, transform me into your Eucharist! Mother, my dearest Mother, I wish to be of Jesus, I wish to be entirely yours!"</em><br />
And deep within her soul she heard Jesus’ profound reply:<br />
<br />
<em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"You will not take food again on earth. Your food will be my Flesh; your blood will be my Divine Blood, your life will be my Life. You receive it from me when I unite my Heart to your heart. Do not fear, my daughter. You will not be crucified any more as in the past .... And now a new trial awaits you, which will be the most painful of all. But in the end I will carry you to Heaven and the Holy Mother will accompany you."</span></strong></em><br />
<br />
Thus on March 27, 1942 Blessed Alexandrina da Costa began an absolute fast which was to last more than thirteen years until her death, her sole nourishment being Holy Communion which she received with deep devotion every morning.<br />
<br />
<em>"For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." </em>(John 6:55-56)<br />
<strong>-Click here for more of </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/miracle-of-eucharist-total-fast-from.html"><strong>The Eucharist alone; A complete fast from food in the lives of the Saints</strong></a><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;">Miraculous Cures in the Lives of the Saints</span></strong><br />
Another of the many miracles attributed to the intercession of St Padre Pio was one that was reported during the summer of 1919, word of which reached the general public and the newspapers, despite the efforts of Padre Benedetto and Padre Paolino. This one, witnessed by Padre Paolino, concerned one of San Giovanni Rotondo's most unfortunate persons -a mentally and physically handicapped old man named Francesco Santarello. He was so pathetically clubfooted that he was unable to walk. Instead, he dragged himself about on his knees, supported by a pair of miniature crutches. The unfortunate little man labored up the hill to the friary Monastery each day to beg bread and soup, as he had done for years. Poor Santarello was a fixture in the community and everyone knew him. Some of the more uncharitable children of the town loved to tease the unhappy beggar, going so far at times as to knock the crutches from under his shoulders and then laugh uncontrollably as he tumbled onto the pavement.<br />
<br />
One day Santarello was positioned, as usual, near the door of the cloister, begging for alms. As usual, a large crowd had gathered, waiting for Padre Pio to emerge and enter the church. As Pio passed by, Santarello cried out, <strong><em>"Padre Pio, give me a blessing!"</em></strong><br />
<br />
Without stopping, Pio looked at him and said, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">''Throwaway your crutches!"</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
Stunned, Santarello did not move. This time Padre Pio stopped and shouted, <strong><em>"I said, <span style="color: #3333ff;">'Throwaway your crutches!'</span> </em></strong>" Then, without another word, Pio entered the church to say Mass.<br />
<br />
In front of dozens of people, Santarello threw his crutches away, and for the first time in his life, began to walk on his deformed feet to the utter astonishment of his fellow townspeople, who but a few minutes before had seen him lurching about, as always, on his knees........<br />
<strong>-Click here for <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/miraculous-cures-in-lives-of-saints.html">more miraculous healings in the lives of the Saints</a></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Bodies of the Saints that remain incorrupt after death</strong></span><br />
On December 16, 1898 while at the Elevation of the Host during Mass, St. Charbel he suffered an apoplectic stroke from which he never recovered. Eight days later, on Christmas Eve, at the age of 70, the saint died, having been a priest for 39 years. According to monastic tradition, the body was not embalmed, but was dressed in a simple cassock and was placed in the monastery chapel for 24 hours. The body was then conveyed to the monks' burial chamber in the presence of his confreres and village folk who had braved the snow and cold to witness the interment.<br />
<br />
The villagers who lived in houses facing the monastery saw a great light over the tomb the night following the burial, a phenomenon that recurred for 45 nights. This apparition of light, together with the enthusiasm of the Faithful, encouraged the ecclesiastical authorities to open the tomb and transfer the remains to a grave more accessible to the villagers who wished to pray beside it.<br />
<br />
The tomb was subsequently opened on April 15, 1899 in the presence of the community and 10 witnesses who had been present at the burial four months earlier. They were unanimous in testifying that the water had undermined the burial ground, turning the tomb into a quagmire, and that the monk's body was actually floating on the mud.<br />
<br />
When the body was cleaned it was found perfectly incorrupt, the muscles supple, with the hair of his head and beard intact. At this time it was also noticed that a serum mixed with blood seeped from the pores. They placed the body in a wooden coffin that was glassed on top, and carried it into a small monastic oratory. From then on, because of the great amount of blood seeping from the body, the clothing of the saint was changed twice weekly. News of the phenomenon prompted ever increasing numbers of visitors who for 27 years were permitted to view and touch the body.<br />
<br />
The phenomenon is more astounding when one considers that in 1918, following a simple autopsy, the body was exposed on the terrace during the heat of summer for three months without initiating decomposition nor drying the source of the fluid.<br />
<br />
When the authorities of the order petitioned Rome for the beatification, a solemn reburial was conducted. After being dressed in sacerdotal vestments and the monastic hood the body was placed in a new coffin of wood covered with zinc. Various documents were composed by physicians, a notary and superiors of the order, and were placed in a zinc tube which was placed beside the body before the coffin was sealed with the Episcopal crest. Burial was in a new tomb specially prepared in the wall of an oratory.<br />
<br />
During February of the Holy Year 1950, pilgrims in the chapel noticed that a watery fluid streamed from a corner of the tomb and coursed its way onto the floor of the chapel. The fluid was traced to a corner of the casket where the liquid was seen dripping through a small crack. Twenty-three years after being placed in this tomb, the body was again examined in the presence of numerous authorities and was found completely free of any trace of corruption and was perfectly flexible and lifelike.<br />
<br />
For 67 years the remains of the saint remained perfectly preserved and was repeatedly examined by physicians with modern training, and the conclusion of modern medicine was that the preservation was inexplicable by scientific principles, and that such preservation was contrary to the natural laws, leaving even the most skeptical to conclude that the holy remains of St. Charbel were thus supernaturally sustained and preserved from any corruption.<br />
<br />
<strong>-Click here </strong><a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/incorruptibles-saints-bodies-that-are.html"><strong>for more info on the incorrupt bodies of the Saints</strong></a>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-62297794547961327052021-03-12T22:30:00.011-05:002021-07-01T20:44:42.166-04:00Extraordinary miracles of Saint Vincent Ferrer<p><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rBKCk7Bwq8MJb6JSKLtnSPDMBb9ook-GvUWUWmEs2UyRe42egU2IJZ_9VVqxHjE07COjDz-OsC6N4k8SxVvuk3UofJ-b5ixssh5Hst_DYDRBwOyK4l8sD9JtAEwyKIr579veZKrYG2U/s1017/St+Vincent+Ferrer.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="573" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rBKCk7Bwq8MJb6JSKLtnSPDMBb9ook-GvUWUWmEs2UyRe42egU2IJZ_9VVqxHjE07COjDz-OsC6N4k8SxVvuk3UofJ-b5ixssh5Hst_DYDRBwOyK4l8sD9JtAEwyKIr579veZKrYG2U/w360-h640/St+Vincent+Ferrer.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: x-large;">The Miracles of St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) – Angel of the Apocalypse</span></b><p></p><p>Taken from <i>“St. Vincent Ferrer, of the Order of Preachers”</i> by Fr. Pradel, 1875, <i>“Saint Vincent Ferrer”</i> by Fr. Hogan, 1911 and <i>“Angel of the Judgement”</i> by S.M.C. 1954</p><p>(The host of this website would like to gratefully thank Jeff Apodaca for his work in compiling this inspiring article. May God reward him for his efforts)</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Forgotten Apostle</span></b></p><p>There is a Saint who was one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church, yet who’s existence has been mostly forgotten. Even when spoken of, the descriptions used for him are so watered down, so vague, that they are shameful and an insult to his true glory. This forgotten Saint performed more miracles in a single day then all of the miracles performed by other saints over their entire life. Add to this is that the nature of his miracles were often of an extraordinary nature. Many saints are hailed at having cured a cripple or healed someone blind, but such miracles were so common for our Saint that most weren’t even recorded. The saint being spoken of here is St. Vincent Ferrer.</p><p>It would require thousands of pages to properly cover the works of this most favored Saint. So, in the following we will limit ourselves to a brief discussion of his life, concentrating mostly on some of his more amazing miracles. The purpose here is to excite your awe, admiration and love so that you may include this Saint in your prayers, asking for his intercession. For the miracles which he performed were of such a number and uniqueness in character, that after hearing, you will wonder how such a great saint could not be raised high by the Church so as to be venerated by all. After reading of his life and miracles, you will come to know that this was one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church. A saint equal to the original 12 apostles and could be considered a 13th apostle.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Greatest Miracle Worker since the days of the 12 Apostles</span></b></p><p>St. Louis Bertrand testified: “God sanctioned the teaching of Vincent Ferrer by so many miracles, that there never was a saint since the days of the Apostles to our own times, who wrought more”. The Church officially recognized 892 of his miracles as part of his canonization, but the total number is estimated to be in hundreds of thousands. For if he had performed only 8 miracles a day during the 20 years of his apostolate, the number would have exceeded fifty-eight thousand. Yet this amazing number is considered woefully low by those who were contemporaries. The Bishop of Telesia said: “It is quite impossible for me to enumerate all the miracles that I have seen him work, and volumes would not contain them”. One witness who followed the Saint for fifteen months testified under oath that “after Mass and the Sermon, and again after Vespers, the sick were brought to Master Vincent to be healed. Master Vincent laid his hands upon them, blessed them, and the sick were healed, and went away rejoicing.”</p><p>We commonly celebrate many great saints who worked miracles such as instantly curing those near death, giving cripples the ability to walk, perhaps giving sight to a blind person, or even maybe raising a recently dead person back to life. These are truly wonderous events worthy of veneration, but such miracles were common place for St Vincent Ferrer. For example, St. Antoninus affirmed that twenty-eight persons were raised from death by St Vincent, but that this number did not represent the total number, which was much greater. Near the town of Conflans during August 1415, he fed 4,000 men, not counting women and children, with seven loaves and a few fishes. Near Palma of Majorca St. Vincent Ferrer stilled a storm in order to preach from a wharf. At Beziers he stopped a flood. He could cast out demons with a word or a touch. People heard him in their own local language though he spoke his native Spanish dialect. Yet, the aforementioned does not cover all of the extraordinary gifts he was given. </p><p>His power was so supreme that he would communicate it to others. Frequently when people came to ask these sorts of favours of him, he would turn to one of his companions and say: “I have wrought sufficient miracles today and am tired. Do yourself what is asked of me. The Lord Who works through me will also work through you.” Then these priests would go off to perform miracles. To one Prior of his Order, he imparted this power of working miracles throughout the prior’s entire life. St Vincent even communicated the power of miracles to inanimate objects. On one occasion he gave one of his articles of clothing to a poor but pious woman. The placing of this relic on the heads of the sick cured them, and the alms she received enabled her to live in comfort. At the town of Grans, Spain, he left them a crucifix which became the instrument of many miracles. People were healed by the simple touch of his hands or even his religious habit, which would cut pieces from. On one occasion in early 1418 as he entered the city of Vannes, just outside its gate there were gathered on each side of the road the sick, the blind, the dumb, and the lame. St Vincent blessed them and they were all immediately healed. The air was filled with hymns of thanksgiving as they called down God’s benediction on His servant who had healed them. At times people with corrupted hearts received the love of virtue by merely the glance of St Vincent’s eyes. And these amazing miracles did not cease with his death. Many incredible miracles were performed after his death by invoking his intercession. St Vincent Ferrer was truly the greatest miracle worker since the days of the twelve apostles and could be considered the thirteenth apostle.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles performed before his birth</span></b></p><p>St. Vincent Ferrer was born on January 23, 1350 to William and Constance Ferrer, a very pious couple living in Valencia, Spain. Vincent was the fourth of eight children. The miracles started with this child even before his birth. To start, the mother felt none of the usual pains which always accompanied her pregnancies. During her pregnancy, Constance went to give her monthly alms to a blind woman. After asking the blind women to pray for a safe child birth, the blind women bent her head over onto the mother’s bosom and said “May God bestow that favor on you!”. At that instant the blind women could see. The baby Vincent in his mother’s womb started to jump, as John the Baptist did. In the time just before his birth, Constance heard the child give utterances to cries like that of a little barking dog – resembling what the mother of St. Dominic encountered. In the weeks before his birth, his father had a dream where he entered the church of the Dominicans at Valencia. The preacher at the pulpit turned to him and said “I felicitate you, William; in a few days you will have a son who will become a prodigy of learning and sanctity; ….the world will resound with the fame of his wondrous deeds; … he will put on the habit which I wear, and will be received in the Church with universal joy, as one of its first Apostles.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles performed during his Childhood</span></b></p><p>Needless to say, this was a very famous baby before his birth. His baptism was a city event which drew many of the important of Valencia. After much debate among those present as to the name to be given to this child, it was the priest who divinely inspired, named him Vincent after the patron saint of the city, Vincent Martyr. Little baby Vincent gave his mother little trouble. He seldom cried and would remain tranquil. Vincent was still in cradle and just starting to lisp, when Valencia was hit by a drought. Though public prayers were offered to obtain relief, not a cloud appeared in the sky. Then one of these days, as his mother was speaking of this, she clearly heard her son say “If you wish for rain, carry me in procession, and you shall be favorably heard”. Hearing these miraculous words, the mother rushed to the city magistrate, who immediately decreed that a precession should take place. The baby Vincent was carried triumphantly; shortly after the precession was completed, the sky suddenly became overcast and copious rain fell for several hours. When Vincent was six years old, he was taken to a child of the same age who had a dangerous pustule on the neck. He was asked to touch the affected part, but instead, Vincent kissed it. The moment his lips touched the flesh, it was instantly cured; the wound had disappeared. When Vincent was nine years old, he went to the home of one of his classmates to fetch him for school. Hearing the mother weeping, he hastily ascended the stairs of the house and found the mother, who cried out, sobbing: “My son is dead!”. Vincent smiled and said to the mother: “Let us go, my friend is not dead, he is sleeping; let us go to see him.” Vincent approached the bed, and taking the cold and rigid corpse by the hand exclaimed: ”Get up, it is time to go to school!” The nine year old boy opened his eyes as if he had been in a deep sleep. The boy dressed himself and they both headed off to school as if nothing had occurred.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Dominican Order of Preachers</span></b></p><p>On the evening before February 2, 1367, the Prior of the convent of St Dominic had a vision of St Dominic. In this vision St Dominic showed him a young man and told him “Receive him; he shall be your brother and my son”. That day, Vincent Ferrer arrived at the convent. The Prior recognized Vincent from his vision and welcomed him into the Order. Vincent resolved to make his life a close imitation of that of St Dominic. He was constant in his prayers and mortifications, never omitting any of them. Vincent had been gifted great intelligence which was recognized when he was only five years old. In his studies at the abbey he learned Hebrew and could quote scripture in it. He studied the Talmud and could refute the absurd doctrines and lying stories which the book abounds in. He devoted a considerable portion of the night to prayer in the church. One night as he prayed to Jesus regarding His passion, the crucifix turned its head to Vincent saying “Yes, Vincent, I have borne all these sufferings, and even more.” The new position of the crucifix was preserved for all to witness. In the years 1372 to 1375 brother Vincent was in Barcelona, Spain where his preaching drew so many that he needed to preach in the public squares. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Ships of Grain</span></b></p><p>In the spring of 1375, the city of Barcelona was in the midst of a terrible famine. The inhabitants made public prayers and precessions to obtain God’s intercession. At the end of one of these precessions which ended in a public square, Brother Vincent exhorted everyone to repentance for the famine was God’s punishment for their forgetfulness of the Divine Law. He then suddenly exclaimed that this night two vessels would arrive at port laden with grain. But the crowd dismissed what he said due to the terrible seas which were present, and which would prevent any ship from reaching port. His fellow religious subsequently admonished Vincent about making such type of statements, and he was ordered by his Prior not to do anything which would draw attention to himself. Vincent accepted this admonishment and spent the rest of the day in prayer. Towards that evening, two vessels laden with grain arrived and over the next few days twenty others also arrived. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Falling Worker</span></b></p><p>One day some block masons, working high on a wall on a prison roof, spotted Friar Vincent walking down the street. Just as he was passing by, one of the masons lost his footing and started to fall crying out: “Friar Vincent! Friar Vincent!” Looking up, Friar Vincent yelled out “Stay right were you are until I come back.” Immediately, the man stopped falling and hung in midair high above the street. Running back to his Prior, Vincent said: “A man who is falling off a roof has asked me to help him, so he is waiting till I have your permission.” “Waiting?” “Yes, he is waiting.” The Prior answered:” Well, go back and finish it off, undoubtedly there is a crowd”. Friar Vincent went back, and by this time there was a large crowd of astonished people gapping up at the man suspended this whole time in midair. “The Prior says you may come down” said Vincent. The man floated gently down to the earth. This miracle is the reason he is the patron saint of builders and construction workers. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Apostolate of Repentance</span></b> </p><p>In the year 1396, after over twenty years of having played key roles in many activities within the Church, including confessor to Pope Benedict XIII, Father Vincent became grievously ill and for twelve days laid at deaths door. On October 3, 1396, in Avignon on the eve of the Feast of St. Francis, the saint’s room was flooded with celestial light. Our Lord, St Francis and St Dominic all appeared to him. Jesus instructed him regarding his mission, which was to go out to preach the Gospel and repentance; that this would be a merciful occasion of repentance and conversion from God. Jesus touched Vincent on the face which instantly cured him, then the vision disappeared. </p><p>St Vincent commenced his new apostolate on November 25, 1398 at the age of 48. Pope Benedict XIII granted him “Legatus a Latere Christi”; the fullest powers to preach in any church. His authority for such was second only to the Pope himself. Over the next twenty years St Vincent would travel through Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and England preaching conversion, offering mass, hearing confessions, and working miracles to confirm his message. He walked on foot everywhere, wore a rough hair shirt, fasted, disciplined himself every night, slept on the hard ground, and allowed himself only five hours of sleep. There were thousands of the faithful who traveled with him from town to town. At times the number would swell to ten thousand. Those followers, who had been public sinners, were required to perform the most rigorous public penances. The followers of St. Vincent became examples of Christian piety exhibiting perfect peace and charity. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gift of a Preacher – The Miracles of his Preaching</span></b></p><p>There were many miraculous gifts associated with St. Vincent’s preaching. He always preached in his native Spanish Valencian dialect yet everyone clearly understood him no matter which language they spoke. Whether they spoke French, Italian, English, Greek or German, they not only heard their own native tongue but also their native idiom. In 1418 our Saint was in Caen where King Henry held his Court, which was composed of people from many lands. They were all astonished and the King testified that they heard Vincent “preaching, as it were in the language of each one present.” He would speak to huge crowds in large plazas without modern amplification, yet he was clearly heard by all, even if the distance was over miles away. His voice carried with it such of the Holy Spirit that people were moved to repentance and conversion at hearing his words. People wept when they heard him say Mass. Lukewarm souls would be given the grace of compunction and openly weep at his preaching for repentance. The enthusiasm of the people was unparalleled. People would leave their work, shops would close, Law-Courts and universities closed, and people would travel from miles around to attend his talks. The Cathedrals could not hold the enormous crowds so he would preach in the public squares, which not only filled the squares but also the adjacent houses and roof tops. His sermons would commonly be three or even six hours long, yet the crowd never fatigued. On Good Friday an estimated 30,000 were present in Valencia to hear him. The Rector of the Cathedral, Jean Regis, testified that when the Saint cried out in his sermon on the Last Judgement ‘Arise ye dead and come to judgement’, his voice rang out with such terrifying power that the people flung themselves to the ground crying for mercy and pardon. Over the twelve days he preached in Nantes, Brittany, the inhabitants declared that they had never before witnessed so many conversions and miracles. The morals of its people became holy and pure. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles of his Travels</span></b></p><p>Brother Vincent traveled everywhere by foot until the last years of life when it became necessary for him to ride a mule. There were thousands who followed him, similar to how thousands followed Jesus as he went from town to town. It was told that he had the miracle of being able to cross the difficult roads of the Alps in an incredibly short space of time. On one occasion when he and his companions entered his home town of Valencia, all of the church bells began to ring by themselves. This ringing continued until he reached the Dominican convent. On another occasion he and his large company were crossing the river between Ebro and Tortosa. The boats were dangerously overloaded and eventually started to take on water to the point of sinking. Cries of distress were heard on every side imploring Master Vincent to save them. He made the sign of the Cross on the river, instantly the boats ceased to take on water, and they safely reached their destination. During the last days of his life, his companions were anxious to have him return to Spain so that he may die in his native land, though it had been revealed to Vincent that he would die there. One night they left the city of Vannes, and after traveling all night, at daybreak were astonished to find themselves back at the gates of Vannes. St Vincent said: “My brethren, let us not speak of returning into Spain; you clearly see that it is God’s Will that I should end my days here.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle Conversion of Jews and Muslims</span></b></p><p>In the year 1414 there was a Jewish conference in Tortosa. St Vincent composed his classic treatise “The Treaty against the Jews” which refutes the many lies in the Talmud. After sixty-nine meetings, fourteen of the sixteen Rabbis became Catholic. This was followed by the general conversion of the Jews in the districts around Tortosa. In the years around 1415, it is recorded that Friar Vincent converted twenty thousand Jews in Castile, eight thousand in the kingdom of Aragon, seven thousand in Catalonia, and over thirty thousand through out the rest of Spain. Jewish scholars at that time record that in the year 1412, a Friar named Brother Vincent had converted more than two hundred thousand. Whole synagogues were converted and the places turned into Catholic churches. Once a Muslim promised to embrace the faith if the pyre he had lighted in the main square was extinguished at Vincent’s prayer; Vincent prayed, the flame went out. Having been invited by the Muslim king of Grenada, there Vincent converted eighteen thousand Muslims after three sermons.</p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Dying Sinner in Despair</span></b></p><p>There was a dying man who was a known sinner. His priest exhorted this sinner to make use of the sacrament of Confession but the man in despair rebuked the pleas saying that his sins were too great. Brother Vincent was in the neighborhood, and being appraised of the situation, hastened to him. Vincent spoke tenderly to him about Jesus and his mercy but this only incited the man to greater despair. Vincent finally turned to the dying man and said: “I will save thee in spite of thyself.” He then invited those present to invoke the Holy Virgin and to recite the Rosary. Before the Rosary was completed, the room was flooded with an immense light and the Mother of God appeared with the Divine Child. The dying man’s witness of this, changed his heart, and full of compunction, he asked pardon of God. Having received the Sacraments of the Church, the man shortly after expired.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Distant Paralytic</span></b></p><p>One day while preaching in Lerida to the King of Aragon and an immense multitude, Vincent stopped in the middle of his discourse and exclaimed that there was a paralytic man a couple of miles away who was struggling to reach the city. The King dispatched two of his servants to fetch the man. Carrying the paralytic in their arms, they approached St Vincent, who raising his hand, made the sign of the cross over the cripple. The cripple was instantly cured and ran to St Vincent to thank him.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Unjust Husband</span></b></p><p>There was a woman whose husband falsely accused her of infidelity and that their new born child was not his son. The women went to Brother Vincent to seek his counsel. The Saint told her: “Come to my next sermon, bid your husband mix with the audience, and omit not to bring your baby with you.” The women obeyed the instructions. When Vincent had begun his talk to the huge crowd, he addressed himself to the baby: “Leave thy mother’s arms and go in search of thy father in the midst of this great crowd of people.” The little baby was given miraculous use of its feet to everyone’s astonishment. It threaded its way through the crowd unassisted, then seizing its father’s hand cried out “This is my father; I am really his child”. The father sobbed aloud, asked pardon of his wife, and made full reparation for having calumniated her.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Sinners turned to Marble</span></b> </p><p>While preaching in Pampeluna, Master Vincent suddenly stopped and informed his audience that God commanded him to put a stop to a grievous offense being committed in the city. He descended the pulpit and a group followed him to the entrance of a large palace, who’s doors were closed. Vincent touched one of the doors which then opened by itself. Entering and traversing the halls and chambers, he exclaimed the impure vice which was occurring. Those who had followed Vincent could not see anyone but could distinctly hear the people in their sinful passions. St. Vincent implored them to stop, threatening them with terrible chastisements, but they derided him. They were all then changed into statues of marble. But being touched with compassion, he approached the statues and breathed into their mouths, restoring them to life. These sinners, moved from hearts of stone, all made their confessions one after the other. As each received their sacramental absolution, they expired at the feet of our Saint.</p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFFIlUMPwS9R4aPv7MwGPHhdUAZOP3DIBH7y17SsbIdKoEF85uXEyrIVp6DefvfPmGCHj3itCKiWnxznwJ-Y0avnEVQQBxwptDD9GmoB6bji5jcOEe2F8Sbd1QN4LP_ICCa7vzU2QzFM/s1200/Saint+Vincent+Ferrer.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="913" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFFIlUMPwS9R4aPv7MwGPHhdUAZOP3DIBH7y17SsbIdKoEF85uXEyrIVp6DefvfPmGCHj3itCKiWnxznwJ-Y0avnEVQQBxwptDD9GmoB6bji5jcOEe2F8Sbd1QN4LP_ICCa7vzU2QzFM/w486-h640/Saint+Vincent+Ferrer.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Vincent Ferrer</td></tr></tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Dying Sinner and his Petition</span></b><p></p><p>One time while in Spain, St. Vincent was asked to help a dying man who was resolved to die without confession, in despair of forgiveness. Even after hearing from our Saint how his sins would be forgiven, the man refused confession. Then Vincent said to him: “I assure you that God has pardoned you. I have prayed for you, and have obtained mercy; nay, more, whatever merits I may have, these I have entirely made over to you.” In hearing this the dying man was somewhat reassured and told Vincent that he would make his confession if the Saint would put this in writing. Writing all of this onto a piece of paper, the sinner then made his confession. Vincent placed the paper in the man’s hands. The man drew his last breath and the paper disappeared. Later when St. Vincent was preaching in a public square to more than thirty thousand, the sheet of paper which had been given to the man, descended from heaven and landed in Vincent’s hands.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Violent Storm</span></b></p><p>While in the city of Barbastro, in Catalonia, Vincent had completed Mass and was unvesting, when a terrible storm suddenly unleashed itself. It was so violent that the people felt in fear of destruction. The Saint walked out of the church, made the sign of the Cross with holy-water, the storm immediately stopped and the sky became serene. Ascending the pulpit, he exhorted the people to give thanks to the holy Apostles because it was by their intercession that this storm was stopped. Adding that if it had not been abated, no leaves would have been left on the trees, nor green herbs in the fields. He also told them that unless they beseech God to preserve their goods and make holy use of them, the following year would bring a similar tempest which would devastate the land. Eleven months later a storm did exactly as he had warned about.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Healing Miracle of Guillaume de Villiers</span></b></p><p>There was a ten-year-old boy named Guillaume de Villiers who was stricken by a mysterious malady in which he was stricken dumb, refused all nourishment, and had become totally paralyzed. He heard and understood what was spoken to him, as evidenced by his expression, but was incapable of making any sort of response. His brother testified that even when struck by a rod hard enough to draw blood, the youth showed no movement. While Friar Vincent was in Saint-Lo in 1418, the parents brought the boy to him and petitioned for his cure. Vincent told them: “Bring the child to Caen.” So, the parents joined the precession following our friar, wheeling the child in a little hand-cart. On reaching Caen the preacher was conducted to a great open space where King Henry and his officials were seated, with a huge multitude in the surrounding space. As soon as the sermon was ended, the parents of the sick boy, fearing that he would be forgotten, pushed their way with the cart to the front near Vincent. They begged piteously for their son that he obtain either a speedy cure or speedy death. The master turned to the King and multitude instructing all to pray. While they were in prayer, St. Vincent made the Sign of the Cross over the child saying: “May the Blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost descend on thee and remain forever.” Next, he spoke to the boy: “My child, what do you want of God?” “Father,” answered the cured boy, “I desire the good pleasure of God which is being accomplished at this moment.” This child gave witness of this event himself when he was a man of forty-six years saying that it was his opinion that he had been possessed by an evil spirit who left at St. Vincent’s order.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miraculous Cure of the Doubting Man</span></b></p><p>In Barcelona, Spain, there was a man named Louis Cataldo who had been suffering from severe head pains which no doctor nor treatment could help. This man didn’t believe in the miracles St. Vincent was performing, but in desperation he went to church where Vincent was preaching. As Vincent descended from the pulpit the man said: “Father, I have suffered frightful pains in the head for two years; I implore you to cure me.” The Saint replied: “I am neither God, nor a doctor, to cure you.” In hearing this response to his plea, the man realized the Saint knew he had doubts about the miracles. But aided by God’s grace, he said to him once more “And yet I firmly hope you will grant me this favour.” Vincent replied: “But do you really believe it?” “Certainly, my Father” the man answered. Then Vincent placed his hand on Louis’s head saying “Thou art already cured; thank God and believe that they who serve Him are invested with great power.” The man was instantly cured and for the remaining forty years of his life, he never experienced the slightest pain in his head.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Holy Name of Jesus and the Blacksmith</span></b></p><p>Once when preaching about the holy name of Jesus while at Berga in Catalonia, a violent rain began to fall. Some in the audience found shelter in a blacksmith shop owned by a Muslim man. While they were waiting for the storm to subside, a woman said to the smith: “Why do you not come, as we do, to hear the sermons of the holy Father?”. The Muslim man became furious saying: “Cursed be your holy Father!” At that moment sparks from his forge set fire to the dried wood piles placed around his workshop. “We shall now see what use you make of those sermons” he added. The fire rapidly spread to various other materials around the shop and the people suddenly found themselves surrounded by flames. In their danger they invoked the Holy Name of Jesus. They said: “O sweet Jesus, your preacher, Master Vincent, told us that your Name is the help of Christians, deliver us from this pressing danger!” In an instant the flames went out by themselves and there wasn’t even smoke from the burned wood. This miracle so astonished the Muslim blacksmith that he converted, and three days later was baptized by St Vincent.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Merchant who Lost his Sight</span></b></p><p>There was a merchant named Seuchier who had lost his sight. In hearing that St. Vincent was at the Benedictine Abbey at Montolieu, the merchant went there to seek healing. The Saint met the man, who cast himself on the ground before him saying: “Master, since you are, as I believe, a true disciple of Jesus Christ, I pray you restore to me my sight which I have lost for the space of three years.” St Vincent made the sign of the Cross on the man’s eyes and the merchant immediately recovered his sight.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Princess and the Heavy Stone</span></b></p><p>In Valencia, the Princess Jane Prades was known for her vanity, immodest clothing, and vain towering head dress. While Vincent was preaching in the timber market, a large heavy stone which had an unknown origin, crashed down through the shade awning and violently struck the Princess on the head. Everyone thought she was dead and all were greatly saddened at what they had witnessed. But the holy preacher told the crowd not to be alarmed because the stone did not fall to kill the Princess, only to knock down the extravagant ornament of her hair. Then Vincent said: “Princess Jane, rise up.” She immediately rose up sound and well. After this, she clothed herself in modest garb.</p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Dismembered Child</span></b></p><p>In the town of Morella not far from Valencia, Vincent had been invited to a home for dinner after his preaching. The husband who arrived shortly before Vincent, found that his wife had killed and dismembered their little child. As the husband wild with grief looked upon the bloody remains, St Vincent arrived. Consoling the husband, he gathered the parts of the child with his own hands. Kneeling down, making the sign of the cross, he prayed: “May Jesus Christ the Son of Mary, the Lord and Saviour of the world, Who drew the soul of this child from nothingness, restore it once again to its body, to the praise and glory of His great majesty”. To the witness of the parents and the neighbors who had come to the house in hearing the cries of the husband, the parts of the child rejoin together and the child was completely restored to life, with no indications of this great tragedy. This event is depicted in a painting by Francesco del Cossa in the New Picture Gallery in the Vatican.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Assassins turned to Statues</span></b></p><p>In Spain while traveling from Lerida to Balguer, a group of assassins waited in ambush to kill Brother Vincent. These men were angry because the Saint’s preaching had caused the women of bad morals to repent of their trade, thus depriving these men of their income. Being aware of the assassins plans, the Saint told his companions: “They who come before us are the panders of the women of abandoned life who are converted, and they are coming to me with a firm resolution of killing me.” The companions offered to defend him; but he said to them “I have no need of you; go on before, and leave me alone with these men.” No sooner was Vincent separated from his companions than the assassins surrounded him with their swords drawn preparing to slay him. St Vincent turned towards them, making the sign of the Cross said “By the sign of the Cross, deliver me from our enemies, O Lord.” The assassins immediately became like statues, unable to move. Then the Saint began to preach penitence to them. When he knew they were all repentant, he gave them permission to depart. At these words they were restored. They cast down their swords, fell at his feet, asked pardon of him, asked permission to join his company and to perform public penance. They joined the group and gave great example to all.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Donkey Shoes</span></b></p><p>One day, at Montblanch, Brother Vincent brought his donkey to a farrier begging him in charity to be so good as to shoe his beast, which had lost a shoe. When the job reshoeing all four was completed, the farrier asked to be paid. Vincent told him “I have nothing to give you, but God will recompense you for your charity”. The workman answered “Oh Father, I cannot work merely out of charity … pay me or I will not restore to you your donkey”. The Saint again asked him for this charity, but the workman said “I cannot afford it, and you shall neither have the beast nor the shoes until you have paid me.” Then St Vincent turned to his donkey and said: “This man will not give the shoes which he has put on you, because I cannot pay him, restore them to him, and let us go.” At this the animal shook its feet one after the other, miraculously casting off the shoes. At the sight of this miracle, the workman, stupefied, fell on his knees before the Saint, besought pardon for his obstinate avarice, then reshoed the donkey. </p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Woman made Beautiful</span></b></p><p>St Vincent was one day passing through a certain street in his home town of Valencia, when he heard arguing, cries of rage, blasphemies and horrible imprecations coming from a house. Entering the house, as the husband was leaving, he found the wife continuing to curse her husband. He asked her why she was so furious and for what reason she uttered such shameful blasphemies. The sobbing women answered: “Father, it is not only today, but every day and every hour of the day, that this wretched man, my husband, persecutes me, and always ends by cruelly beating me and bruising me with blows; this is not life, my Father, it is a constant death, damnation of the soul, and a hell worse than that of the devils.” Vincent sweetly answered “No my daughter, you must not speak thus; this anger will profit you nothing, except to offend God still more grievously … tell me why your husband persecutes and maltreats you in this manner.” “It is because I am ugly” the women replied. The Saint then said “And is it for that, that he offends God so exceedingly?” Then raising his right hand over the woman’s face, he added: “Go, my daughter, now you will no longer be ugly; but remember to serve God, and become holy.” At that moment she was transformed into the most beautiful woman in Valencia. This miracle was so celebrated in Spain, that for centuries there was the common expression when encountering a less than attractive women: “This woman has great need of the hand of St. Vincent.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Palace from Heaven</span></b></p><p>One day, as St Vincent traveled through a vast plain with the multitude which followed him, the Saint perceived that all were fatigued with the journey and suffering greatly from hunger and thirst. He recommended them to God in a short prayer, and full of confidence in Divine Providence, he turned to his companions saying: “Not far hence is a hillock," and at the same time pointed to it with his finger "but a little further on we shall find a lodging where we shall be kindly received, and where we shall be able to recruit our strength." Indeed, they had scarce passed the hillock, when they discovered a sumptuous palace on the plain. They all entered and were received by a number of young, beautiful, people. The wines, bread, and food seemed to them the food of Paradise. Having regained their strength, and thanked God, the travelers offered a thousand thanks to their hosts, and set out again. When Vincent had gone about three miles, knowing there was a man in the group who had little faith in the miracles, called the man to him saying: "I have left my kerchief at the inn from which we have come; go and fetch it. I left it on the table." The incredulous disciple obeyed, and went to the place where they had been; but did not find the house. He sought in vain on every side but could not discover the place which they had been or any trace of a house. It was a bleak plain. In the midst of this plain was a huge stone, and on the top of it lay the Saint's kerchief. Astonished, the disciple realized that this palace where they had been received could only be a habitation miraculously prepared by angels; and reasoning thus, he approached the Saint. He immediately sunk on his knees, and asked pardon of him for his incredulity. The Saint readily accorded it to him, but forbade him to make known the miracle. The disciple, however, unable to contain himself, proclaimed to all, saying that the angels, wishing to honour St. Vincent, had descended from heaven, and miraculously prepared a habitation to receive him and his companions, and that they had been served by the hands of angels.</p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Sermon and the Distant Monastery</span></b></p><p>While Vincent was preaching in Valencia, there was a religious, who in hearing one of our Saint’s sermons, asked his Abbot if he could join Vincent’s company of followers. His request was denied so the religious returned to his Monastery which was twenty-five miles away. One morning, knowing the time of St. Vincent’s sermon, this religious went to the top of a nearby hill, and restraining his breath, strove to hear the sermon. He obtained the grace to hear so clearly, that even at this great distance, he could write down the whole sermon without omitting a syllable. The Saint, knowing what had occurred, concluded this sermon saying: “My children, I exhort you who have been present at my sermon not to forget my words, for there are many who would wish to be present and cannot. Among them is a religious of a monastery many miles hence, and whose ears all my words have reached.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Dead Woman’s Testimony</span></b></p><p>When preaching to an immense crowd in the open square of the Dominican Convent of St. Stephen, St. Vincent solemnly declared that he was the Angel of the Judgement spoken of by St John in his writings on the Apocalypse. This caused murmurings amongst the crowd which included many religious and theologians. St Vincent, knowing of these murmurings said: "Some of you go near St. Paul's Gate, and you will find a dead person borne on men's shoulders on the way to the grave. Bring the corpse hither, and you shall hear the proof of what I tell you." Several men went as instructed as the multitude waited. Soon the bier was brought with a dead woman upon it. They raised the litter and set it up so all could see. St. Vincent bade her return to life, and the dead woman sat up. "Who am I?" Vincent asked her. She answered: "You, Father Vincent, are the Angel of the Apocalypse, as you have already told this vast assembly." She then once more laid down in death. A cross was placed on the spot of this occurrence.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Jews and the Crosses</span></b></p><p>St Vincent was one day introduced into a synagogue at Salamanca by a Jew whom the Saint had befriended for this purpose. He entered with a crucifix in his hand, which caused dismay amoung the assembly. But he calmed them by saying he had come to speak to them on a matter of utmost importance. The Jews imagined that he was to speak about a matter of public interest, and so they listened to him with great attention. He then, in soft and gentle words, began to speak to them of the Christian faith. While preaching, there appeared a shower of snow-white crucifixes which settled on the clothing of everyone assembled. The crosses appeared outside the garments but then penetrated invisibly to their hearts. Moved by Divine grace, they all became Christians and were baptized by Vincent. The synagogue was consecrated by St Vincent into a church and named the True Cross.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles of the Corpse</span></b></p><p>The Venerable Father Micon reported, and the Fathers of the convent at Calabria gave guarantees of the following. A number of witnesses were gathered at Lerida before the Church of St. Jean. They saw Master Vincent encounter a corpse there. With the Sign of the Cross Vincent returned the corpse alive to its feet. </p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Jew brought back to Life</span></b></p><p>On Palm Sunday, 1407, there was a rich and important Jew of Andalusia, named Abraham, who had gone to Master Vincent’s sermon partly from curiosity and partly in defiance. After uttering a stream of sarcasms, he began to leave in anger while Vincent was preaching. As some people at the door opposed his passing, St. Vincent cried out: "Let him go! Come away all of you at once, and leave the passage free!" The people did as ordered, and at the instant the Jew left, part of the porch structure fell on him and crushed him to death. Then the saint rose from his chair and went to the ghastly crushed body. He knelt there in prayer. Abraham came to life fully restored, and his first words were: "The religion of the Jews is not the true faith. The True Faith is that of the Christians." </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Note from Heaven</span></b></p><p>While in Pampeluna, some of the people there besought Master Vincent to come to the spiritual aid of a woman of notoriously bad character. He found her completely hardened, obstinate, and so despairing of her salvation that she exclaimed “It is impossible for me to be saved; God cannot pardon either the multitude or the enormity of my sins.” He continued to beseech her and to offer ample reasons for her to not despair, but to no avail. Finally, he raised up his heart to God, made a short prayer, then promised the woman that if her absolution should come in writing from heaven, if she would promise to make her confession. She immediately began to ridicule but eventually said: “If it be so, I am very willing to confess.” Then St Vincent took a pen and paper, and wrote these words: “Brother Vincent Ferrer beseeches the most Holy Trinity to grant the sinner here present the absolution of her sins.” He then folded the paper and tossed it into the air. The document flew out of the house. After some minutes the paper came flying back into the house, folded and landed into St Vincent’s hand. He unfolded the paper and found the following written in gold: “We, the most Holy Trinity, at the request of our Vincent, grant the sinner of whom he speaks, the pardon of her faults; We dispense her from all the punishment which she ought to undergo; and if she confesses, she shall be carried to heaven in half an hour, where she shall reign eternally with us . . From heaven . . We, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” Without delay, the happy woman made her confession; in half an hour afterwards, she left this earthly life for heaven.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of Two Men going to their Execution</span></b></p><p>In Zamora in the year 1412, there were two men being led to execution. The penalty was death by burning. Master Vincent requested the officers of justice to bring the two condemned before him. This was done, and the criminals were placed on the pulpit-steps, hidden from the eyes of the people. St. Vincent began to speak of the punishment which sin met with in the other life and then, in vivid terms, depicted the sin of which the two condemned had been guilty and the penalty it deserved. His sermon lasted three hours, but when the authorities went to remove the condemned, it was discovered that remorse had done its work in a striking and effective manner, for they were burnt by some mysterious fire to the very bones. The bodies of the criminals were buried near the pulpit from which the Saint had preached. The event was mentioned by saintly Cornelius a Lapide, in his “Commentary on Jeremias”, affirming that “the exhortations of St. Vincent were productive of such grief in the hearts of the two criminals as to cause their death as if by fire. Repentance and love were their executioners; rather should we say repentance and love gave them new life.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Bell</span></b></p><p>While passing through the city of Zamora, Vincent visited a convent. As he was leaving, the religious there asked him to leave them some token of remembrance. “Most willingly; I will leave you our bell, take care of it, and treat it with respect, for it will serve a great, noble, and agreeable purpose” he said. They did not comprehend then what this noble and agreeable purpose meant. The religious treated the bell as a precious relic of a saint, placing it apart, and treating it with honor. It was not long before they learned what Vincent had meant; for the bell sounded of itself some days prior to the death of any one among them. This continued for over a hundred years until the year 1550, sounding the last time at the death of Father John of St. Dominic. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Watered-Down Wine</span></b></p><p>While on the Isle of Majorca preaching, a tavern-keeper asked St Vincent to preach on the obligation of the payment of debts. The tavern-keeper explained how he had given credit for several measures of wine but was unable to recover payment. The Saint answered him: “Very well, I shall say how guilty those are who keep what belongs to another; but first of all, I should like to know what the wine is like which you sell.” The man retrieved a bottle of wine to show him and said: “Taste it Father; you will see that it is of excellent quality.” St Vincent then said: “Pour it on my scapular.” “But I shall spoil your holy habit” replied the tavern-keeper. “That concerns me; do what I tell you” said Vincent. As the man poured, the contents of the bottle separated into two parts, that which was wine ran upon the ground not staining the habit, while the other which was fraudulently added water, remained on the scapular. “My brother,” exclaimed Vincent, “you desire that others should pay you what is due; but have not you injured many persons by selling them an adulterated article? and ought not you to repair that injury?” The tavern-owner being greatly confused, confessed his faults, made restitution to each whom he overcharged, renounced his trade, and joined the company which followed St Vincent.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Farmers Field</span></b></p><p>At Montecalieri there was a farmer who gave Vincent hospitality. The man asked “Master, what can I do to be delivered from the storms which, year after year, devastate the countryside?” “For this year,” replied the Saint, “I will see to it.” Some time later a terrible storm came on the area with devasting hail. The fields of crops were devasted everywhere except for the cornfield of this farmer. His land was an island of green among a sea of devastation. There were other similar miracles by St Vincent where he would bless a field and there would be a miraculously abundant harvest, far above what could be considered possible.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Bridge</span></b></p><p>On Good Friday, the year 1410, Master Vincent was in Tortosa praying in the church prior to commencing his preaching. The crowds were immense and had filled the Ebro river bridge which was constructed of boats. The bridge collapsed under the strain and broke in two. A terrible cry, which rose as the masses of people were tossed into the river, reached our Saint in the church. Rising and with unhurried steps, he came to the church porch, then making one Sign of the Cross, repaired the damaged bridge. The people struggling in the water suddenly found themselves back on the shore. The miracle-worker calmly returned to prayer.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Cross Carved into Marble</span></b></p><p>The people of Cati had made great preparations before the arrival of St Vincent and his followers, who were coming there from Morella. The people mended the roads he would be traveling on. The neighboring cities sent in large provisions of fish, fowl, eggs and other food which a celebrated cook named Macerot was given charge to prepare. Hundreds went out to great Vincent. In return for their hospitality, when Vincent was leaving the town, he made the Sign of the Cross on the surface of a marble pedestal, which took the imprint of the Sign as if his fingers had been carving very soft wax. “My children,” he said, “I have preached penance to you, now go back to your homes. And to show you that this time I expect my admonitions to be obeyed, I have given you a sign that you cannot erase.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Innocent Man heading to Execution</span></b></p><p>At Pampeluna an innocent man had just been condemned to death. St. Vincent knew of his innocence and pleaded for him, but in vain. As the grim procession led the poor man to the scaffold, they met another procession, that of a man already dead. The corpse was being borne on a stretcher to the burial place. Vincent seemed to have a sudden inspiration. He stopped suddenly and addressed the corpse: "You no longer have anything to gain by lying. Is this man guilty? Answer me!" The dead man sat up, then spoke the words: "He is not!" As the man began to settle down again on his stretcher, Vincent offered to reward him for his service. He gave him the opportunity of remaining alive on earth. But the man responded, "No, Father, for I am assured of salvation." With that he died again as if going to sleep, and they carried his body off to the cemetery.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Poor Village Inn</span></b></p><p>Travelers crossing the mountains between Vicq and Granollers found few villages in which to find food, being the villages along this road were small and very poor. St Vincent, with about three thousand followers, were traveling through these mountains when they came to the small village of Locana. They stopped at the door of a poor village inn. The landlord was aghast at seeing the crowd. “Father” he said, “you are bringing an army with you, how can you imagine that we have provisions for so many? I have just five loaves and a flagon of wine, and not the best wine at that.” St Vincent told him “Give what you have, nevertheless, and keep on giving.” The inn-keeper did as he was instructed and found he had ample for the whole company, and that the wine he was serving was of the best. The man was amazed and terrified, but he kept his head, and when the meal was over, he asked Vincent to bless his house. At the blessing, the corn-bin and wine-cellar were miraculously filled anew. There were many such miracles of provisions multiplied. For example, during a journey through Aragon, almost daily the food and drink were miraculously multiplied to serve the needs of those who followed Vincent. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Blind Man before the Crucifix</span></b></p><p>While at Compostello, a young man who was strong and healthy but thoroughly blind, was brought to Master Vincent. Kneeling at the Saint’s feet, the young man implored him to cure him. “Go,” said Vincent, “to the cathedral at Orviedo and there, kneeling before the crucifix, tell Our Lord that I have sent you, ask for your cure and you will be heard.” The blind man did not hesitate, making this long journey as quickly as he could. He went straight to the cathedral, kneeled before the crucifix saying “O Lord, Brother Vincent has sent me to you to be cured.” He then immediately received his sight.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Shepherd’s Circle</span></b></p><p>Once while preaching in San Sebastian, there was a shepherd in the mountainside who was anxious to hear St Vincent. So, trusting in the goodness of his purpose, he drew a circle on the ground around his sheep, forbidding them to go outside it until his return. He made his way down into town and joined the crowd of listeners. At the end of Vincent’s sermon, he heard the preacher concluding his comparison with “. . . just like the Shepherd over there, who has left his flock to take care of themselves after making a circle round them, and forbidding them to leave it . . . ”. The shepherd returned; the flock in the circle.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Blessings of Protection for Teulada</span></b></p><p>As Friar Vincent traveled south of Valencia he came to the town of Teulada, not far from Cape Martin. The inhabitants there had for many years suffered the double scourge, a yearly visitation of the plague, and incursions of Muslim pirates. After being beseeched for help, Vincent took a boat out to a rock in mid-sea just outside the harbor. On it he made the Sign of the Cross, saying “Rest assured that pirates will never pass this rock.” On his return to shore, he made his way to a spot outside the village where four crossroads met; from there he blessed the countryside and set up a wayside Cross beyond which he said the plague would never come again. The town was thereafter protected.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of Speech which was Taken Back</span></b>.</p><p>There were occasions when our Saint would undo a miracle he had wroth. For example, one day a beggar girl, dumb at birth, was brought to St. Vincent. He asked her: “What do you want, my child?” “My daily bread, and the gift of speech” she answered. The miracle already given. However, Vincent then said “You shall have your daily bread, but as for the gift of speech, you know perfectly well by the bitterness of your thoughts that you would make bad use of it. Go and thank God for what He has done for you, and put out of your mind any idea of asking Him for something which would be bad for you.” The girl bowed her head and went away, and though she continued life dumb, she lived seven more years as a model of patience and piety. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles which Occurred at St Vincent’s death</span></b></p><p>St Vincent Ferrer died the evening of April 5, 1419, the Wednesday of Passion-week. At his dying moments, the windows of the room opened by themselves and a large flock of pure white, beautiful tiny birds, no larger than a butterfly, filled the room and the house. As soon as he breathed his last, they all disappeared leaving a delicious scent. The saint’s body, which reflected the years of fasts and long travels, suddenly became fair and luminous, as though it were living. Another prodigy was that someone who had candles used at the Saint’s Mass, but which had disappeared from a locked box, were discovered back in their box and miraculously lighted at that same time. The Saint’s dead body gave off a piercingly sweet fragrance. The Duchess of Brittany who washed the body, perceived the same sweet odor from the water she had used. This water was carefully preserved and many miracles occurred through its use; while the fragrance remained until the water itself had evaporated.</p><p> </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles which Occurred immediately following St Vincent’s death</span></b></p><p>The Saint’s body, clothed in the religious habit, was carried in solemn procession to the Cathedral of Nannes where it was exposed for public veneration. The people witnessed the suppleness of the limbs, the fresh color of the face, and the exquisite perfume which it exhaled. Two dead persons who were placed beside the dead Saint were restored to life, to bear witness to the sanctity of Vincent. The remains of this Saint were placed in a marble vault in the Cathedral of Vannes, France. That evening, a leper was instantly cured after prostrating himself on the slab of the Saint’s tomb. On hearing this, multitudes of invalids followed his example and were also cured. The sculptor who carved the Saint’s tomb, moved by the many healing stories, and who had a leg wound which no remedy could heal, was moved to have recourse to our Saint. He said: “Friend of God, good Father Vincent, pray to God for me!” At that moment his leg pain was gone and in a few days the leg was perfectly healed. Four hundred people recovered their health by merely lying on the bed in which the Saint had died. After he was placed into his tomb there continued to be daily miracles at his tomb. Each Sunday there was a reading of the list of miracles which had occurred the prior week. The bells of the Cathedral would be rung when an extraordinary miracle occurred. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A few Noteworthy Miracles Associated with St Vincent after his death</span></b></p><p>After the Saint was canonized on October 1, 1458, his body was transferred from its original vault to a new more expensive tomb. In doing so, they found his body to be incorrupt, unchanged from when it was placed there almost forty years earlier. His body was again exposed for public veneration. During the Mass, two dead persons were covered with the cloak in which St Vincent had been buried, and were restored to life in the presence of the vast congregation. Also, during this Mass, a relative of the Duke of Brittany was cured of leprosy, and a man born blind received his sight.</p><p>A cypress tree trunk taken from Vincent’s childhood home, was to be used to carve a wooden statue of the Saint even though it was not quite large enough. It miraculously increased in width and height to the size of a man as it was transported to the carver’s shop. In 1525 some of the bones of this Saint were given to the Dominicans at Valencia. The day they arrived, a young girl blind from birth and very sick, was instantly cured of her sickness and blindness. In 1600 a rib bone of St Vincent was given to the Cathedral of Valencia. On this occasion a crippled woman, who asked for our Saint’s intercession, was suddenly cured, as was a person who was born dumb. In 1836 Naples was suffering a terrible scourge of cholera. The people turned to St. Vincent Ferrer in prayer and penance, and the cholera ceased. Naples decreed that the Saint should be the city patron and had a silver statue made.</p><p>A woman of Toulouse, who had for many years been a victim to excruciating pains in her head was cured instantly by the placing the Saint’s hat on her head. A woman, the mother of Theobald Lasset, had her sight restored immediately on making a vow to visit the Saint’s tomb. Four hundred sick persons were cured by merely resting on the couch on which the Saint had lain.</p><p>Fifty years after Vincent's death, the twelve year old child of Duchess Leonor de Pimentel, died. The Duchess' confessor, Jean Lopez de Salamanque, counseled the noble lady to invoke his fellow Dominican, the recently canonized St Vincent Ferrer. The mother made a vow to build a church and convent in St. Vincent's honor if her son was restored. As soon as she had formulated her vow, her boy came back to life. The Duchess became very devoted to Vincent and fervently desired that his life, virtues, and miracles be written about. When a grand ceremony was held at the newly finished cathedral, the Duke and Duchess presented their son. It was only then that the raised boy learned of his miraculous resuscitation. This boy grew up to become the Archbishop of Seville, and a Cardinal.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracle of the Murdered Boy and his Father’s Faith</span></b></p><p>There was a fourteen month old child named Vincent Pistoia who was killed by his mother. His body had been dismembered by the mother. The father, who had a great devotion to St Vincent, in his grief rushed to the tomb of St Vincent and poured his request in tears and prayers. When the hour for closing the church came, the poor man was afraid to go home; but when he did, it was to find his child alive and well in his cradle, yet with the marks of the knife plainly visible, marks which never effaced. This child would grow up and join the Dominican order on April 15, 1481, spread devotion of St Vincent to Sicily, and lived to the age of 105 years. A living testimony to the miracle.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Saint’s Appearance to Corn Merchants</span></b></p><p>In the year 1651, the city of Valencia was in the midst of a famine and in great need of provisions. At that same time there were corn merchants at Cagliari in Sardinia, who had three vessels laden with corn, which they were debating among themselves which port to sail to. They arrived at the convent of St. Dominic where they encountered a strange religious of gentle and dignified bearing, who told them that he was a native of Valencia and that they were in great need due to a famine. The merchants promised to follow his advice. On the morning before setting sail, they went to the convent to pay their respects to the religious and to obtain his blessing. However, when they spoke to the brother porter, they were told that there was no religious from Valencia there. As they were walking away, they noticed a statue of St Vincent and that the statue resembled the man they had met. They arrived at Valencia on January 17th and told the townspeople what had happened. All recognized that St Vincent had appeared to them.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Saint’s Appearance to a Dying Boy in Valencia</span></b></p><p>In the year 1701, Valencia was in a severe drought. During this time, an eight year old boy named Vincent Villarasa was suffering from fever and was near the point of death. His father, who had a great devotion to our Saint, and mother were not able to witness their son’s passing. They left the room and had the boy’s aunt there at his bedside. At the moment when the aunt thought the child had breathed its last, the boy was suddenly revived and cried out: “Aunt, the Saint!” “Aunt, the Saint!” The parents and other relatives in the adjacent room, in hearing this, rushed into the room. Seeing the boy well, they inquired who the saint was who appeared to him. He answered: “It is a saint clothed in black and white; he holds his hands pointing towards heaven, and bears on his head a bright flame.” “He told me that I am already cured and that it will rain tomorrow.” The next morning the parents went to the Church of St Dominic to offer thanksgiving to St. Vincent for their son’s miraculous healing. That morning a heavy rain started which lasted for three days.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Some of the Saint’s other Appearances</span></b></p><p>For a period, St. Vincent would frequently appear to the religious of the Dominican Convent at Valencia. Blessed Dominic Anadon said of that time “during the greater part of the night we have St Vincent in the dormitory, on the side of his old cell.” St. Vincent appeared to Blessed Columba of Rieti to assure her to enter the Third Order of St. Dominic. He appeared to Blessed Magdalen of Panatieri to let her know of her approaching death. He appeared to St. Catherine of Ricci to strengthen her for her approaching agony and death. St. Louis Bertrand had been given many favors by St. Vincent; the final was his appearance to St Louis as he was nearing death. Vincent also appeared to the Blessed John Ribera, the Archbishop of Valencia and a contemporary of St. Bertrand, who spent some time conversing with him, though it was only later that he learned it was St. Vincent. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Miracles of the St Vincent’s Physical Appearance</span></b></p><p>There were many reports and countless witnesses to the various miraculous appearances which St Vincent Ferrer took on. For instance, very frequently when at the pulpit, people would see angels forming a crown around Vincent’s head. While staying at the Benedictine priory at Josselin in Brittany, the monks at night would frequently peer through the chinks in the door of the cell in which St Vincent was staying. There they saw our Saint sleeping on the floor, his face illuminated with a light which lit up the entire room, and his body raised from the ground. These monks let the Count de Rohan also witness this, which resulted in the Count becoming a sincerely pious man.</p><p>It is well-attested in documents that multitudes of people witnessed Vincent, while in the middle of his preaching, would suddenly assume wings and fly off. He would then return in the same manner to continue his preaching. This is the reason why there are church sanctioned paintings of him with wings.</p><p>On one occasion Queen Violante, who had placed herself under Vincent’s direction, went with her court to visit Brother Vincent in his cell at the convent where he was staying, even though the Queen had been expressly forbidden to do so by Vincent. She was hoping to witness the heavenly light which others had seen of our Saint when he was in prayer. On entering Vincent’s room, she saw no one though those accompanying her could see him. She called out to Master Vincent and could hear his reply but could not see him. He ordered her to leave the convent, and he followed her as she obeyed. Our Saint then made himself visible to her as she was departing.</p><p>On a later occasion Queen Violante again went to witness what she had been told. This time she contented herself to look at Vincent through the chink in the door. There she beheld the Saint absorbed in deep prayer, his face shone with rays of light which illuminated the room. The Queen turning to her ladies said: ”Let us go, let us go, this man is far more holy than we think.”</p><p>An Archbishop testified that during the last part of his life, the Saint was an old man worn by his penances and labors. However, once he began to preach, his appearance took on that of a young man full of vigor with a powerful and ringing voice.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Various Appearances of Jesus, Mary, and St Dominic to St Vincent</span></b></p><p>After the appearance of Jesus, St. Francis and St Dominic to Vincent in 1396, there are many other appearances which we are aware of. For instance, St Dominic appeared to Vincent while he was sleeping in the convent at Cerveva, Spain to provide encouragement for his continued work. The rays of light surrounding St Dominic were so bright that they awoke Vincent and penetrated the cracks of his cell’s door. Their conversation was loud enough that the monks in the adjacent rooms heard the sound of voices during this time of silence. One of the monks on investigating the sound witnessed the light and the voices coming from Vincent’s room. The next morning our Saint could not conceal the event, but then instructed his fellow monks to keep this secret until after his death. Then in 1415 while in Perpignan, Vincent became very ill and refused medical help, placing his confidence in our Lord. At that time Jesus again appeared to him, cured him and gave Vincent additional instructions. There was also a sacred image of Mary at the convent at Valencia which spoke to Vincent. St Louis Bertrand confirmed this by stating that “It spoke not merely twice or three times, but continually, for Mary dealt with Vincent as the tenderest of mothers”.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gift of Prophecy</span></b></p><p>There were countless prophecies by this great Saint. He foretold of various types of events, from deaths, saints to be, wars which would end, and other events. This gift made him sought after by Popes, Kings, and others. As an example, Vincent once said to a novice, Alphonso Borgia, "You will become Pope and will canonize me." And years later that novice, then Pope Callixtus III, did exactly that. Vincent also told St. Bernardino of Siena, when only a youth, that he (Bernardino) would be canonized before himself--and so it happened.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gift to Cast out Demons</span></b></p><p>Another class of miracles of St. Vincent Ferrer both during his life and after his death, was the expulsion of demons, that of either the possessed or obsessed. He had such power over devils that it was often enough for him to touch a possessed person for him to be freed. The Bollandists state that seventy possessed persons were freed by our Saint. There was the testimony given during the process of inquiry that “when the possessed persons were brought into the Saint’s presence, the demon fled before the usual Exorcism prescribed by the Church was recited.” At times, a possessed person would be freed from the devil merely upon going to the same place as where Vincent was or even simply when Vincent's name was pronounced. After the Saint’s death, it was customary to bring persons so afflicted to the tomb of the Saint, where they were set free.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Gift of Reading Hearts</span></b></p><p>St Vincent was given the grace to be able to read people’s souls. For example, when hearing confessions, he would recall the sins which the penitents had forgotten. During his sermons, he would sometimes fix his eyes on individuals who he had never before seen, and then begin to talk about specific sins which these individuals had often committed. It was common for those attending his sermons to say: “This man is truly a saint, for he knows the most hidden secrets of our hearts.” There was a person named Gaja who in asking to be admitted to the Saint’s band of followers, was instructed to sell everything and to give it to the poor. The man did sell everything but gave only half to the poor; secretly retaining the balance for himself. When the man came to Vincent to be admitted, the Saint admonished him for having only given half his money away. Gaja fell to Vincent’s feet, asked for forgiveness, gave away the half he had kept, and joined the company of the Saint. Then there was a pilgrim who had been following with Vincent’s group but who doubted the miracles and conversions he witnessed. He watched carefully so that he might be able to disprove the miraculous events. One day Vincent went to this man and exposed to him all of the secret thoughts in his heart. The man confused and repentant, threw himself on his knees seeking Vincent’s pardon. Lastly, there was a man named Don Ferdinand who outwardly appeared to all to be very pious but who interiorly was not. St Vincent took this man aside and said: “Really, if I did not know that you would one day undertake great hardships for my honour, I would chase you from my company, for you are wicked.” Thereafter, Don Ferdinand embraced the most virtuous life and later became the chaplain to the bishop of Telesia.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St. Vincent Taught the Power of the Sign of the Cross</span></b></p><p>St Vincent’s miracles typically incorporated the Sign of the Cross. He would make the Sign of the Cross on the foreheads of many seeking healing, make the Sign of the Cross over the sick, or make the Sign towards a violent sky. Once when preaching in the court of the Carmelite convent, it began to rain. He said to the impatient crowd “Come my good people! It is only water, not stones; and in any case, God will provide.” Then Vincent made the Sign of the Cross towards the sky and the clouds parted in two, just as one might make a tear in a piece of cloth. </p><p>Vincent always instructed his listeners to make The Sign frequently; always before and after meals, or when seeking God’s assistance. He instructed “if you should receive any wound or hurt you should sign it devoutly with the Sign of the Cross”, and to make The Sign clearly and not in a circular motion.</p><p>He would always begin his preaching by making this Sign towards the crowds. When asked why, he explained: “I will answer a question which has been put to me: Why, before I begin Mass, do I make a Sign of the Cross in the direction of those who listen to me who are standing on any raised platforms? For thirteen years I have preached in the open and these things have happened to me. In Savoy on Christmas Day, I was preaching in the castle where the count and countess were staying. Right above the great hall were windows and doors, in the middle of the sermon one of the doors fell on my auditors and did no more harm than if it had been a match. In another town, there was a very high balcony which could only be reached by a mere catwalk; the balcony fell harmlessly on the crowd. At Reus near Tarragona a balcony fell without hurting anyone. At Chinchilla we were delivered from a still greater peril. That is why you must not be astonished when you see me make the Sign of the Cross. No danger can lead to harm if that sign is made.” It should be noted here that there are at least a dozen other accounts of platforms collapsing, or balconies falling which resulted in no harm. All those involved in these incidents knew these were miracles of their own.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St. Vincent taught the use Holy Water</span></b></p><p>In Vincent’s miracles we also see the power of Holy Water. We see how he stopped storms using Holy Water while making the Sign of the Cross. Master Vincent would frequently instruct his listeners to make liberal use of this sacramental while also invoking the name of Jesus. He would instruct farmers to sprinkle Holy Water on their crops to protect against pestilence or unfavorable weather. “You do not realize what potent means the Church puts at your disposal; use holy water with faith and your land will be safe.” Vincent would say.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St. Vincent Taught to Trust in God</span></b></p><p>In reading about the miracles of Master Vincent, we can be strengthened in both our faith and in our trust in God. We see that all things are possible whether that is restoring dismembered bodies, providing food, or stopping violent storms. Truly, anything is possible for those who believe. We also see the need to make acts of faith, whether that is prayer, using Holy Water, making the Sign of the Cross, or traveling to a church. St. Vincent spoke these words in one of his sermons regarding trust in God: “The next morsel is confidence in God. When the Apostles were in despair because they could not provide food for the multitude, Christ wished to provide it in an unusual way so that we may realize that, however desperate the situation may appear, we must never despair of God’s help but have great confidence, not following the farmers who say: ‘If it does not rain we shall have no grain this year.’ For such have no confidence in God nor a right intention, for God can give not only wheat in the fields, but even in the granaries. The same holds good with regard to wine or anything else. That He does not give it is due to our lack of confidence. . . . Confide therefore in God as your Father, and seek His honor and justice, that is by sorrow for sins and confidence in Him.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Sacrament of Confession essential for salvation</span></b></p><p>We can see how the Sacrament of Confession is necessary for salvation, and not the sacrament of Last Rites. St. Vincent worked miracles to give people a chance to make a worthy confession; knowing that if they did so, they would be saved. Vincent constantly told people that the troubles they were encountering were due to their not obeying the Divine Law. That mankind must turn away from sin and do penance; this was the holy mission Jesus had given him. Thus by making a worthy confession and obeying the Commandments, we are saved.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St Vincent taught that we must not Mock God</span></b></p><p>We learn from St Vincent Ferrer that one must never mock the gifts God has given to His servants. As has happened in similar cases, on one occasion a boy pretended to be dead, while his friends snickered. The friends called our Saint to help them as that their friend was dead. St. Vincent leaned over and shook what was now a corpse! Vincent said: "He pretended to be dead to amuse you, but evil has come upon him; he is dead!" A cross was erected in that spot to commemorate that event. Such events should instill in all a reverence for our priests who, like Vincent, have been given special powers.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Faith and The Threat of the Galloping Horses</span></b></p><p>At Murcia, where Vincent preached on Easter Eve, a strange event happened. He was preaching in the great square and there were about ten thousand persons listening. Suddenly, everyone heard the approaching gallop of horses accompanied by wild neighing. Soon the people saw a cloud of dust, and in the midst of the cloud they could distinctly see approaching three horses, covered in foam, with fiery eyes, flying manes, and distended nostrils. Forward these animals thundered until they were not more than twenty paces away from the dense mass of people. There was a moment of almost unendurable terror. “Make the Sign of the Cross!,” cried our Saint, and ten thousand hands were raised at once. The preacher himself blessed the crowd in the direction of the danger. At this the three horses stopped dead, and then turning quickly, made off in another direction; and for a long time the thunder of their hoofs could be distinctly heard. “Those horses,” Vincent told the petrified crowd, “are not animals but supernatural beings, the evil spirits who for too long a time have been masters of this town, thanks to the three chief vices which reign here. They were so furious to see your souls escaping them that they have made one last attempt to injure, or at least to terrify you. But, as you have just seen, an act of faith is stronger than all the powers of hell.” </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St. Vincent – A View of an Apostle’s life </span></b></p><p>In hearing of the many miraculous gifts God bestowed on St. Vincent, we can gain a better understanding of what it would have been like to encounter St. Paul or one of the other Apostles. In the Acts of the Apostles and other writings we are provided just hints of their wonderous powers. Thanks to the careful records of the life of St Vincent, we can gain a better sense of what the Twelve were like. We could imagine The Twelve working miracles every day as testimony of the truth of their word. How their preaching would have been understood by all, no matter what language they spoke. How their words would have been a channel of grace providing for the conversion of thousands. We should give thanks to God for having given His Church one more apostle, that of St Vincent Ferrer.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Some Saints who had devotion to St. Vincent Ferrer</span></b></p><p>Lastly, it is helpful to tell of some noteworthy saints who had devotion to Vincent Ferrer. The patron saint of St Vincent de Paul was St. Vincent Ferrer. St Leonard of Port Maurice, who was also an extraordinary preacher, placed all of his work under the protection of St. Vincent Ferrer. St Louis Bertrand had a deep devotion to our Saint. Blessed Nicholas Factor told all who asked for his advice, to pray to St Vincent Ferrer and that our Saint would assist them. So, let us also take heed of such advice and include St. Vincent Ferrer in our prayers and requests for intercessions.</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Miracles and the Certitude of Catholic Faith (from a sermon by St Vincent Ferrer)</span></b></p><p>“He who wishes to prove any law ought to examine two things, first if it has been approved by divine authority, secondly, if it has been observed by human sanctity. In regard to the first, it is certain that God is not a lying witness. . . . the Truths of Faith are signed by miracles which can be worked by none but God. . . . such as giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, raising the dead to life.”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">From the sermon on the Last Judgement: Those who Live by the Flesh</span></b></p><p>“Those who live according to reason are men; those who follow their senses are beasts; the proud are lions; the avaricious foxes; the sensual pigs; the envious dogs; the greedy are wolves; the angry snakes or vipers; the lazy donkeys. Therefore the house of this world is corrupt, unclean and infected. . . . Therefore it must be cleansed and purified. . . . We do not notice the foulness of this world because we have been born and bred in this ill-savored place . . .”</p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St Vincent Ferrer – The Angel of the Apocalypse</span></b></p><p>While preaching at Salamanca to several thousands, St Vincent said: “I am the Angel announced by St. John in the Apocalypse, that Angel who shall preach to all peoples, to all nations, in every tongue, and say to them: ‘Fear the Lord, and give Him honour, because the hour of His judgment is come.’ ” This was the task given to him when Jesus, St Francis and St Dominic appeared on October 3, 1396, in Avignon. The world had become so corrupted that St. Ferrer said “No, I do not believe that there ever existed in the world so much pomp and vanity, so much impurity, as at the present day; to find in the world’s history an epoch so criminal, we must go back to the days of Noah and the universal flood.” </p><p>He was instructed to preach repentance and conversion; that this would be a merciful occasion from God before the coming of the Antichrist. Our Saint thought that the end of this age, the General Judgement and the return of Jesus was not long in coming. So, why didn’t the end come back in the 1400’s? Was our Saint wrong? Hard to answer this. One thought is that due to the great conversion away from sin which occurred, God held back his wrath; allowing more opportunity for souls to find heaven. Or perhaps it is our earthly concept of time which makes us feel that events foretold in prophecy need to occur in a few years, instead of hundreds of years. One thing which is certain, that St Vincent was the Angel of the Apocalypse spoken of by St John in his writings. I doubt God will send another since we have so thoroughly ignored the one He already sent.</p><p>_______________________________________________________________________________</p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswg5o0eUH1ZYbpoqKbLw0DpwF0Uiz-Ob-RwnIPbAL6dlO8N4W3ir9E9s8Md3fd_iCePFFHVPL9E_uwPgGqUmhHzoXdmvJ3Xr22k15apgaG22-U3ZfyJs8shuNgKBPC1MFzDgeYPWFbE0/s640/Saint+Therese+Little+Flower+relic+locket+1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="546" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswg5o0eUH1ZYbpoqKbLw0DpwF0Uiz-Ob-RwnIPbAL6dlO8N4W3ir9E9s8Md3fd_iCePFFHVPL9E_uwPgGqUmhHzoXdmvJ3Xr22k15apgaG22-U3ZfyJs8shuNgKBPC1MFzDgeYPWFbE0/w274-h320/Saint+Therese+Little+Flower+relic+locket+1.JPG" width="274" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Support this website. Please check out the rosaries and relic lockets available in our <a href="https://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/p/mystics-of-church-gift-store.html" target="_blank">Gift Store here.</a> Thank you!</span></b><p></p>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-91974987662303084032010-12-28T21:32:00.004-05:002010-12-28T21:37:07.339-05:00Some other excellent Catholic websites<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYmdWWeV7Qt9Thyphenhyphenrpqt9AL7gt19-kQzPHFiPAw4LQWhzPjiC_V97aCBtOtAj6ah8sqLxw8Wja3aGz_SUUIgkicm18N0Ah69Cvj3vA5pKr376b7uPFiGTUTEtky7JwASz_vy1nOqBeDi8/s1600/Suffering-souls-in-Purgatory.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 288px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555927634965979266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYmdWWeV7Qt9Thyphenhyphenrpqt9AL7gt19-kQzPHFiPAw4LQWhzPjiC_V97aCBtOtAj6ah8sqLxw8Wja3aGz_SUUIgkicm18N0Ah69Cvj3vA5pKr376b7uPFiGTUTEtky7JwASz_vy1nOqBeDi8/s400/Suffering-souls-in-Purgatory.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.knocknovena.com/">-Friends of Suffering Souls (F.O.S.S)</a> -An apostolate dedicated to the suffering souls in Purgatory.</div>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-72758895798175504012010-10-26T01:52:00.008-04:002010-11-09T14:18:28.372-05:00The incorruptibles -Saints bodies that are incorrupt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizt6DIQ94OWlyqHy9b1e2KnEYnxsDDuBRdDeOHeN9vbKhpAHFFcdwnD72f4hutgua7swXb-YajON2a3UKnSE8AZFLCz0KbLJ4FEdFcgyFH0aGTyxwUYQErYGi89wIl8Aq-F33bkhFBNmI/s1600/St-John-Vianney-Cure-of-Ars-incorruptible.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532233861019051890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizt6DIQ94OWlyqHy9b1e2KnEYnxsDDuBRdDeOHeN9vbKhpAHFFcdwnD72f4hutgua7swXb-YajON2a3UKnSE8AZFLCz0KbLJ4FEdFcgyFH0aGTyxwUYQErYGi89wIl8Aq-F33bkhFBNmI/s400/St-John-Vianney-Cure-of-Ars-incorruptible.jpg" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">The incorruptible bodies of the Saints</span></strong><br /><br />The incorruptibility of the Saints is a miraculous phenomenon whereby the human body is not subjected to the natural process of decomposition after death, and is suspended from decay either temporarily or permanently through the Divine Will of God. This condition is not dependent upon the manner of burial, the temperature and place of burial or entombment, or any other external influence including <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">embalmment</span> or other preservation methods. There are currently several hundred documented cases of incorruptible persons in the Catholic church, many of which (but certainly not all) are canonized Saints or <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Blesseds</span>.<br /><br />A recent case of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">incorruption</span> in a modern day Saint is perhaps the best example for the reader of these lines, as the circumstances surrounding it were documented using modern methods and tests.<br /><br />St. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Charbel</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Makhlouf</span> (sometimes spelled <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sharbel</span>) was born in 1828 in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Biqa</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kafra</span> in the high <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">moun</span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">tains</span> of Northern Lebanon and was given the name of Joseph by his humble farming parents, and was the youngest of five children. From his early childhood he displayed from a strong attraction to prayer and solitude. Despite the displeasure of his family he left home at the age of 23 to join the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Leb</span>¬<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">anese</span> Catholic Maronite Order. He was sent to the Monastery of St. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Maroun</span> where he pronounced his Vows in 1853 after two years of novitiate. The name he was given, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Charbel</span>, was that of a martyr of the Christian faith who died in AD.121.<br /><br />Having received a thorough theological education in a seminary of the order, he was ordained a priest on July 23, 1859 and was reassigned to the Monastery of St. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Maroun</span>, Lebanon, where he spent the next 16 years as a monk in the practice of monastic virtues. In 1875 he received permission from his superiors to live a solitary life a short distance from the monastery in a hermitage named after <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ss</span>. Peter and Paul, which was used by priests during days of quiet personal retreat. In this secluded sanctuary he spent the remaining 23 years of his life in sacrifice and bodily <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">mortifications</span>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EvhPcKPgVBEpFteDCf50O2D9hJUpYjvPJoUYcrzhzcWmXhu4tpoj1C6TDLoCt0Q_Dwd4QTGKmZ8eypZE6zyIl9PILed6VPedu25_wMh9Uct3EV3AIKMolpepleDWIV0hDw-2RoAE49s/s1600/St_Charbel_Makhlouf_5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532232880752168530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EvhPcKPgVBEpFteDCf50O2D9hJUpYjvPJoUYcrzhzcWmXhu4tpoj1C6TDLoCt0Q_Dwd4QTGKmZ8eypZE6zyIl9PILed6VPedu25_wMh9Uct3EV3AIKMolpepleDWIV0hDw-2RoAE49s/s400/St_Charbel_Makhlouf_5.jpg" /></a>The hermitage cabin was very basic shelter, and his existence there was full of hardships. Additionally, it is recorded by his companions that he wore both a hair shirt and a chain belt. His bed was composed of oak leaves covered with a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">palliasse</span>; his pillow was merely a piece of wood rolled up in the end of a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">soutane</span>. His <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">prie</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">dieu</span> was a cluster of sticks covered in the same way by a piece of a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">soutane</span>.<br />St. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">Charbel</span> was most noted for his extraordinary devotion to the Holy Eucharist.<br /><br />His daily Mass was celebrated at about 11:00 each morning so that the morning hours could be spent in preparation for the Mass and the rest of the day was spent in thanksgiving. He is known to have performed several miracles during his life. He once saved his brothers from a poisonous snake by ordering it to vanish; he recited his Divine Office by the light of a lamp which a brother purposely filled with water instead of oil; he cured a madman by reciting a prayer while imposing his hands upon him; and once, on the orders of his superiors, he saved their farming lands from a scourge of grasshoppers by sprinkling the fields with holy water.<br /><br />In 1898, on December 16, while at the Elevation of the Host during Mass, he suffered an apoplectic stroke from which he never recovered. Eight days later, on Christmas Eve, at the age of 70, the saint died, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">hav</span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">ing</span> been a priest for 39 years. According to monastic tradition, the body was not embalmed, but was dressed in a simple cassock and was placed in the monastery chapel for 24 hours. The body was then conveyed to the monks' burial chamber in the presence of his confreres and village folk who had braved the snow and cold to witness the interment.<br /><br />The burial chamber consisted of a large subterranean room located partially beneath the high altar of the chapel and extending eastward to an area beneath the monastery garden. Those who descended into this chamber found the ground covered with rainwater that converted the floor into a veritable swamp. In view of this situation the body was not laid on the ground as was customary, but was placed on two planks which did not prevent the water and mud from encroaching upon and subsequently submerging it. The entrance to the vault was closed with a great stone.<br /><br />The villagers who lived in houses facing the monastery saw a great light over the tomb the night following the burial, a phenomenon that recurred for 45 nights. This apparition of light, together with the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">enthu</span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">siasm</span> of the Faithful, encouraged the ecclesiastical authorities to open the tomb and transfer the remains to a grave more accessible to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">vil</span>lagers who wished to pray beside it.<br /><br />The tomb was subsequently opened on April 15, 1899 in the presence of the community and 10 witnesses who had been present at the burial four months earlier. They were unanimous in testifying that the water had undermined the burial ground, turning the tomb into a quagmire, and that the monk's body was actually floating on the mud.<br /><br />When the body was cleaned it was found perfectly <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">incorrupt</span>, the muscles supple, with the hair of his head and beard intact. At this time it was also noticed that a serum mixed with blood seeped from the pores. They placed the body in a wooden coffin that was glassed on top, and carried it into a small monastic oratory. From then on, because of the great amount of blood seeping from the body, the clothing of the saint was changed twice weekly. News of the phenomenon prompted ever in-creasing numbers of visitors who for 27 years were permitted to view and touch the body.<br />Among the men of medicine who examined the body was Dr. Elias <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">Elonaissi</span> who declared on November 16, 1921:<br /><br /><em><strong>"I observed that the pores emitted a matter like sweat; a strange and inexplicable thing according to the laws of nature, for this body that has been dead for so many years. I have renewed the same examination many times, at different periods; the phenomenon has always been the same."</strong></em><br /><br />Another physician, Dr. George <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">Choukrallah</span>, examined the body a total of 24 times during 17 years and declared:<br /><br /><em><strong>"I have always been astonished at its state of preservation and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">espe</span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">cially</span> this reddish liquid exuded by it. .. My personal opinion based on study and experience, is that this body is preserved by a supernatural power." </strong></em><br /><br />The phenomenon is more astounding when one considers that in 1918, following a simple autopsy, the body was exposed on the terrace during the heat of summer for three months without initiating decomposition nor drying the source of the fluid.<br /><br />When the authorities of the order petitioned Rome for the beatification, a solemn reburial was conducted. After being dressed in sacerdotal vestments and the monastic hood the body was placed in a new coffin of wood covered with zinc. Various documents were composed by <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">physi</span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">cians</span>, a notary and superiors of the order, and were placed in a zinc tube which was placed beside the body before the coffin was sealed with the Episcopal crest. Burial was in a new tomb specially prepared in the wall of an oratory.<br /><br />During February of the Holy Year 1950, pilgrims in the chapel noticed that a watery fluid streamed from a corner of the tomb and coursed its way onto the floor of the chapel. The fluid was traced to a corner of the casket where the liquid was seen dripping through a small crack. Twenty-three years after being placed in this tomb, the body was again examined in the presence of numerous authorities and was found completely free of any trace of corruption and was perfectly flexible and lifelike.<br /><br />The sweat of liquid and blood continued to exude from the body, and the garments were found stained with blood, the white content of the fluid having collected on the body in an almost solidified condition. Part of the chasuble had rotted and the zinc tube containing the official documents was covered with corrosion. The remains were later en-tombed in the same location.<br /><br />The holy monk was beatified December 6, 1965 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 9,1977, a day on which several miraculous cures took place at the new saint's shrine. Since the 1950 examination and especially since the beatification and canonization the number of pilgrims to the shrine has been so great as to be inestimable.<br /><br />For 67 years the remains of the saint remained perfectly preserved and exuded a blood fluid described by all accounts as being supernaturally sustained and preserved of any corruption, but the body was found at the time of the beatification in 1965 to have complied with the laws of nature. Only bones were found and these of an inexplicable reddish color and during this time the flow of the fluid had ceased.<br /><br />Still in existence is the poor stone house of the saint's birth, his hermit's cell which has been turned into a shrine, the altar on which he offered his last Mass, and many small articles such as his chalice, crucifix, crude table utensils and bowls.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxhPaBhG-QSFXiDx4Q4l13wthyuSB0PrfxwTL9J9iKu_mrnyab6t4pxhkxWIdpxwqAO-8BqqcGsIxe0bT0-Dc16VtV7WhFQZmte7na8Ch1oTXClxsGox-2Sq5eGVrbBkSrAXbPdi0XuM/s1600/St_Charbel_Makhlouf_3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 282px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532233565375964530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHxhPaBhG-QSFXiDx4Q4l13wthyuSB0PrfxwTL9J9iKu_mrnyab6t4pxhkxWIdpxwqAO-8BqqcGsIxe0bT0-Dc16VtV7WhFQZmte7na8Ch1oTXClxsGox-2Sq5eGVrbBkSrAXbPdi0XuM/s400/St_Charbel_Makhlouf_3.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Miracles through the intercession of Saint <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">Charbel</span></strong><br />Many well-authenticated miracles have been performed at the shrine. After the exhumation of 1950, the monastery began keeping records of the miracles and with in a two-year period had collected over twelve hundred reports.<br /><br />Two of the cures acknowledged as being miraculous and accepted by Pope Paul VI as the required miracles for the beatification <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">oc</span>curred during 1950. The first involved Sr. Maria Abel <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kawary</span>, S.S.C.C., who suffered for fourteen years from a gastric ulcer which neither surgery nor medication could cure or relieve. Unable to eat and compelled to stay in bed, she was in such grave condition that she was given the Last Rites of the Church three different times. After fervent prayers at the tomb of St. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">Charbel</span>, she was completely and spontaneously cured. The doctor who examined the nun after the miraculous cure recorded it as <em><strong>"a supernatural happening which is beyond man's power to explain."</strong></em><br /><br />The second miracle accepted by the Sacred Congregation occurred to Mr. Alessandro <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">Obeid</span>, who was blinded when the retina of his eye was torn when it was struck by the branch of a tree. His sight was miraculously restored at the tomb, and he was privileged to see his heavenly benefactor in a vision. The physician who had treated Mr. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">Obeid</span> during his blindness and who examined the effects of the miracle attributed the cure to an <em><strong>"Almighty Will which operated only by divine grace. There is no other explanation and it is certain that we have seriously sought an explanation without finding one."</strong></em><br /><br />Probably the most startling and frequently mentioned miracle involved a fifty-year-old seamstress, Miss <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">Mountaha</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">Daher</span> of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bekassin</span>, Lebanon. Since childhood she had been the object of ridicule because of a disfiguring hunchback, which several doctors could not reduce. Her cure was obtained after a visit to the tomb, during which she prayed not for herself, but for certain needy relatives. Her physician testified that he had examined her many times before the cure and declared that besides the deformity of the huge hump she had other deformities, including a "chicken-breast" and misshapen shoulders. The figure of the woman after the cure was of normal proportions.<br /><br /><strong>Sources:</strong><br />“<em><strong>A Miraculous Star in the East, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">Charbel</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">Makhlouf</span></strong></em>”, Paul <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">Daher</span>, Lebanese Maronite Monastery of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">Annaya</span>-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_48" class="blsp-spelling-error">Djebeil</span>, Lebanon, 1952.<br />-“<em><strong>The Incorruptibles</strong></em>” by Joan Carroll Cruz, 1977, Tan books and publishers.Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-48103389117913000912010-10-21T23:11:00.014-04:002010-10-22T00:47:07.764-04:00Saints who raised the dead -People brought back to life through the Saints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2bT3GkD8KBxOTqzL8IvodoJPYFrBmts2_Nxlhl6hCnRYpX10EPLg6f9tllPB6MSxR177UXCsNbYDxSBBQxasS27dbbqWVMS4eFSQ1N8uIush9vN_wIzfC_2Hx5JfgR7v1dVn5CmSJWo/s1600/Saints_who_raised_the_dead.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 265px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530707429941381986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2bT3GkD8KBxOTqzL8IvodoJPYFrBmts2_Nxlhl6hCnRYpX10EPLg6f9tllPB6MSxR177UXCsNbYDxSBBQxasS27dbbqWVMS4eFSQ1N8uIush9vN_wIzfC_2Hx5JfgR7v1dVn5CmSJWo/s400/Saints_who_raised_the_dead.jpg" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">Raised From The Dead -Miracle stories of those brought back to life</span></strong><br /><br />In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus commands His apostles: <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.”</span></em></strong> (Matt 10:8). Therefore, given Jesus’ command, it is really no wonder then that many of the Saints were given the grace by God to perform extraordinary miracles, even raising the dead back to life. This article will focus on the raising of the dead. Beginning with the Apostles then we read in Acts 9:40 how Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Tabitha is Dorcas in Greek), and in Acts 20:12 we read how St Paul raised Eutychus from the dead.<br /><br />After the Apostles, the Saints continued to follow Jesus’ command to <em>“heal the sick and raise the dead.”</em> The excellent book <strong><em>“Saints Who Raised The Dead”</em></strong> (Tan Books, Father Alfred J. Hebert S.M., 2004) documents over 400 true stories of resurrection miracles in the lives of the Saints. Some of the many Saints listed in this book are: St. Francis of Paola, Venerable John Baptist Tholomei, St. Bernardine of Siena, St. John Capistrano, St. Francis of Paola, St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Dominic, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Paul of the Cross, St. John Bosco, Blessed James Salomoni, St. Agnes of Montepulciano, Blessed Constantius of Fabrino, Blessed Sadoc and Companions, Blessed Mark of Modena, Blessed Ceslas, Blessed Augustine of Bugela, Colomb a of Rieti, St. Rose of Lima, St. Martin de Porres, St. Francis Solanus, Marianne de Jesus of Quito, Blessed Sebastian of Apparizio, St. Bernard of Abbeville, St. Stanislaus of Cracow, St. James of Tarentaise, St. Cyril of Constantinople, St. Peregrine, St. Philip Benizi, Bl. Peter Armengol, Blessed Eustachio, St. Gerard Majella, St. Charbel Makhlouf, St. Padre Pio, St. Margaret of Cortona, St. Felix of Cantalice, St. Rose of Viterbo, St. Pacific of San Severino, St. Hyacinth, St. Louis Bertrand, St. Francis Xavier, St. John Francis Regis, St. Andrew Bobola; St. Francis Jerome, Brother Antony Pereyra, and St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, to name just a few. But here we shall focus on just one of the many Saints who raised people from the dead- St Vincent Ferrer.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJfg4gAAVWRwJVVOiQSKLUzkO-e0CJaA-UFGBvYPLhAZxQWWYBmh3J7OGm7UlyqqxEd3bHnfoRq5C-Vf_d8m5XawFVjPU1ul8Kedh96osi89RCt9lX9wvHmkVRJsIIe__qM1FtIWNDq8/s1600/St-Vincent-Ferrer-1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530707007913117058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJfg4gAAVWRwJVVOiQSKLUzkO-e0CJaA-UFGBvYPLhAZxQWWYBmh3J7OGm7UlyqqxEd3bHnfoRq5C-Vf_d8m5XawFVjPU1ul8Kedh96osi89RCt9lX9wvHmkVRJsIIe__qM1FtIWNDq8/s400/St-Vincent-Ferrer-1.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">St Vincent Ferrer and the stories of those he raised from the dead</span></strong><br />One of greatest miracle workers-thaumaturges in the history of the Catholic church was the Dominican priest St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419). He moved in the limelight before both ordinary people and the great of the world. He once converted 10,000 Jews at one time by marching right into their synagogue and preaching to them; the Jews turned their synagogue into a Catholic Church.<br /><br />So great a missionary was St. Vincent Ferrer that he can only be compared to the 12 Apostles. His accomplishments were incredible and rare in the whole history of the Church; his life story contains one amazing story after another, many of these are documented in the book <strong><em>“St Vincent Ferrer –The Angel of the Judgment”</em></strong> by Father Andrew Pradel, O.P.<br /><br />When St. Vincent Ferrer was 46 years old, suffering from a grievous illness, Our Lord appeared to him, accompanied by St. Francis and St. Dominic; Our Lord said to Vincent, among other things, <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Arise, then, and go to preach against vice; for this have I specially chosen thee. Exhort sinners to repentance, for My judgment is at hand."</span></em></strong> Our Lord told St. Vincent that his preaching before the coming of Antichrist would be for mankind a merciful occasion of repentance and conversion.<br />During this vision St. Vincent was immediately cured.<br /><br />Two years later, in 1398, he was given permission to begin his apostolate of preaching. St. Vincent travelled all over western Europe preaching penance, attracting enormous crowds, and followed by thousands of disciples. He converted St. Bernardine of Siena and Blessed Margaret of Savoy. Vincent had the gift of languages; preaching in his Valencion idiom he was understood wherever he went; and in conversation he spoke French, Italian, German or English as fluently as his native tongue.<br /><br />St. Vincent Ferrer identified himself as <em>"The Angel of the Judgment"</em> and preached as if the end of the world were near. Some would say that since it did not end, Vincent, at least in that respect, failed as a prophet. It would seem there is a simple answer: All such prophecies or predictions by individuals are contingent upon reform and penance. Through Vincent's thunderous words and the results of his preaching, the end of the world was simply delayed again. Many who are informed in the ways of God, of prophecy and reparation, believe this has probably happened more than once in the history of the world. To cite two examples from Holy Scripture: Jerusalem was spared again and again before its final destruction by the Romans and also the city of Ninevah was spared through the conversion of the people due to the preaching of Jonah the prophet.<br /><br />Some would consider it a conservative estimate that St. Vincent Ferrer converted 25,000 Jews and 8,000 Moors; his total number of conversions was around 200,000 souls- among them Moors, Jews, heretics, and apostate Catholics. At Toulouse he spoke on the Passion for six hours without a break before a crowd of 30,000 at the packed Place St. Etienne. When he cried out, <em><strong>"Arise you dead, and come to Judgment!" </strong></em>the whole crowd fell on their faces begging for mercy.<br /><br />Learning about the many other wonders of St. Vincent makes it easier to accept the accounts of his death-to-life miracles. The Acta Sanctorum records 873 miracles performed by the saint, but there were actually many more. In 1412 Vincent himself told a crowd, <em>"God has wrought in His mercy, through me a miserable sinner, three thousand miracles."</em> After that Vincent lived seven more years, which was a period of even greater miracles.<br /><br />The Bollandist hagiographers tell of 70 persons who were delivered from diabolical possession by St. Vincent Ferrer. He had such power over devils that it was often enough for him to touch a possessed person for him to be freed; at other times, a possessed person would be freed from the devil merely upon going to the same place as where Vincent was or even simply when Vincent's name was pronounced.<br /><br />St. Antonius (Antoninus), Archbishop of Florence, another learned Dominican about 30 years old when Vincent died, stated that St. Vincent had raised 28 persons from the dead. But others claimed that St. Antonius' estimate fell far short of the actual number raised. Perhaps there is some confusion in distinguishing those Vincent personally raised during his life and those raised through his intercession after his death. The author Fr. Andrew Pradel states that St. Vincent Ferrer <em><strong>"resuscitated more than 30 persons during his lifetime."</strong></em><br /><br />Near Palma of Majorca St. Vincent Ferrer stilled a storm in order to preach from a wharf. At Beziers he stopped a flood. At the gates of Vannes he cured a great number of the sick. At Guerande he delivered a man possessed by the devil and more dead than alive. In France he had the British victors at Caen praying together with the defeated French for a sick man, who was then cured--and all of them, enemies or not, shouted for joy. At Leride he cured a cripple in the presence of the king.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvAVUcLUpjVUyw56QHkWP09zmkDf3pT9rQabE9InePiyYGhzvm9378LvB2bYiO9H4tYcZsdtEnPjRI4IH3i4yn6EZJ6oo7jgOeIU4w6USlxxIc2oNSS976tflcZ4z1rSHorCbyaadmbs/s1600/St-Vincent-Ferrer.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 239px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530707243767487426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvAVUcLUpjVUyw56QHkWP09zmkDf3pT9rQabE9InePiyYGhzvm9378LvB2bYiO9H4tYcZsdtEnPjRI4IH3i4yn6EZJ6oo7jgOeIU4w6USlxxIc2oNSS976tflcZ4z1rSHorCbyaadmbs/s400/St-Vincent-Ferrer.jpg" /></a>St. Vincent Ferrer is often pictured with wings. Multitudes of people have witnessed him, in the middle of preaching, suddenly assume wings and fly off to help some suffering person; he would return in the same manner and continue preaching. On some occasions, when St. Vincent was exhausted, he would commission somebody else to go perform miracles instead; the helper would then do so.<br /><br />Vincent once said to a novice, Alphonso Borgia, <em>"You will become pope and will canonize me."</em> And years later that novice, then Pope Callixtus III, did exactly that. Vincent also told St. Bernardine of Siena that he (Bernardine) would be canonized before himself--and so it happened. Once a mute woman signed to him, and then she spoke, asking for speech and bread. He promised her bread, but took back her speech, saying that she would make ill use of it. He made beautiful an ugly woman who had been beaten by her husband for her looks.<br /><br />We learn from St Vincent Ferrer that one must never mock the gifts God has given to His saints. As has happened in similar cases, on one occasion a boy pretended to be dead, while his friends snickered. St. Vincent leaned over and shook-a corpse! Vincent said: <em>"He pretended to be dead to amuse you, but evil has come upon him; he is dead!"</em> A cross was erected to commemorate the event. Happenings like that can save many souls by instilling in them a healthy fear of the Lord.<br /><br />At Pampeluna an innocent man had just been condemned to death. St. Vincent knew of his innocence and pleaded for him, but in vain. As the grim procession led the poor man to the scaffold, they met another procession, that of a man already dead. The corpse was being borne on a stretcher to the burial place. Vincent seemed to have a sudden inspiration. He stopped suddenly and addressed the corpse:<br /><br />"You no longer have anything to gain by lying. Is this man guilty? Answer me!"<br /><br />The dead man sat up, then spoke the words: <em>"He is not!" </em><br />As the man began to settle down again on his stretcher, Vincent offered to reward him for his service. He gave him the opportunity of remaining alive on earth. But the man re-sponded, <em>"No, Father, for I am assured of salvation." </em>With that he died again as if going to sleep, and they carried his body off to the cemetery.<br /><br />In another miracle credited to Vincent, the Venerable Father Micon is reported as claiming that a number of witnesses, gathered at Lerida before the Church of St. Jean, saw Vincent encounter a corpse there. With the Sign of the Cross Vincent returned the corpse alive to its feet. The Fathers of the convent at Calabria gave guarantees of this miracle.<br /><br />In another report a priest judged a child to be dead. The child's whole body was mangled and broken. A vow was made, and the child was restored to life. It is not known for certain whether this is the same child as that in the following miracle.<br />Fifty years after Vincent's death, young Jean de Zuniga, son of Don Alvar de Zuniga, Duke of Placensia and Arevola, and of his Duchess, Leonor de Pimentel, died at the age of 12. The Duchess' confessor, Jean Lopez de Salamanque, O.P., counseled the noble lady to invoke his fellow Dominican, the newly canonized Vincent Ferrer.<br /><br />The mother made a vow to build a church and convent in St. Vincent's honor. As soon as she had formulated her vow, the boy came back to life. This boy became the Grand Master of Alcantara, the Archbishop of Seville, and a Cardinal. The Duchess became very devoted to Vincent and fervently desired that his life, virtues, and miracles be written about. When a grand ceremony was held at the newly finished cathedral, the Duke and Duchess presented their son, and the raised boy then understood all about his resuscitation.<br /><br />On the feast day of St. Vincent Ferrer at that same cathedral, the scheduled preacher became ill and did not appear. But a wonderful, charming, unknown preacher ap¬peared from nowhere-and mysteriously disappeared after giving his sermon. Many believed it was Vincent repaying the honors given him.<br /><br />There are two different accounts of either the same or very similar miracles. In one account Vincent summoned a dead man on the way to burial to attest that Vincent was the "Angel of the Judgment." In another account, it was a woman who was summoned. (Since Vincent performed a great number of miracles of many kinds, it is possible, even if unlikely, that he performed this action on more than one occasion.)<br />On an occasion when St. Vincent was preaching to thousands at Salamanca, he suddenly stopped and said: <em>"I am the Angel of the Apocalypse and am preaching Judgment!"</em> Then he directed: <strong><em>"Some of you go near St. Paul's Gate, and you will find a dead person borne on men's shoulders on the way to the grave. Bring the corpse hither, and you shall hear the proof of what I tell you."</em></strong><br /><br />The men went on their errand, the multitude waited, and soon the bier was brought with a dead woman upon it. They raised the litter and set it up so all could see. St. Vincent bade her return to life, and the dead woman sat up.<br /><strong><em>"Who am I?"</em></strong> Vincent asked her.<br />She answered: <em>"You, Father Vincent, are the Angel of the Apocalypse, as you have already told this vast assembly."</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42rO3fW4O969zl1UVb1qCxwhsh8PDXzFodLfT8AfE12A3Vk3dW6QT3CwVUGinX6rHAmr07r_to0PB3_Y4C7_DLoXigODTtbFex94dX9xeIDfoJa9ifLBcrGwP6bAXPNouKuFLgfd-b24/s1600/St_Vincent_Ferrer_3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 229px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530706570414693042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42rO3fW4O969zl1UVb1qCxwhsh8PDXzFodLfT8AfE12A3Vk3dW6QT3CwVUGinX6rHAmr07r_to0PB3_Y4C7_DLoXigODTtbFex94dX9xeIDfoJa9ifLBcrGwP6bAXPNouKuFLgfd-b24/s400/St_Vincent_Ferrer_3.jpg" /></a>In the case of the woman, after her testimony she died again. In another almost identical account, this time it was a man, Vincent asked him which was his preference, to live or to die again. The man asked to live, and St. Vincent responded, <em>"Then be it so!" </em>The man is reported as having lived for many more years.<br /><br />Another miracle seems to involve either a Jew or Jewess. (Recall that Vincent converted 25-30,000 Jews. It is reported that at a church in Vera Cruz a host of little white crosses once fell upon the Jews in the congregation.)<br />There was a rich Jew of Andalusia, named Abraham, who began to leave a church in anger while Vincent was preach-ing. The Jew did not like what he was hearing. As some peo¬ple at the door opposed his passing through, St. Vincent cried out: <em><strong>"Let him go! Come away all of you at once, and leave the passage free!"</strong></em> The people did as he ordered, and at the instant the Jew left, part of the porch structure fell on him and crushed him to death. Then the saint rose from his chair and went to the body. He knelt there in prayer. Abraham came to life, and his first words were: <em>"The religion of the Jews is not the true faith. The True Faith is that of the Christians."</em><br /><br />In memory of this event the Jew was baptized Elias (in honor of the prophet who had raised the boy from the dead). The new convert established a pious foundation in the church of the "accident" and the miracle. Bishop Peter Ranzano's account was used for this version of the miracle.<br /><br />The father of a certain child had given Vincent lodging while he was on a missionary journey. His wife, a virtuous woman, suffered from bad attacks of nerves, and at times was close to madness. Upon his return from hearing one of Vincent's sermons, the father came upon a terrible tragedy. His wife had gone mad, cut their small son's throat, then chopped up the boy's body and roasted a portion of it, which she then attempted to serve her husband.<br /><br />When he realized what had happened, the man fled in horror and disgust to St. Vincent Ferrer. Vincent told him that-as in the case of the crushed Jew-the tragedy would be for the glory of God. St. Vincent went with the father back to the home and prayed as he gathered the bloody pieces together. He said to the father: <em><strong>"If you have faith, God, who created this little soul from nothing, can bring him back to life."</strong></em><br /><br />Vincent knelt and prayed. He made the Sign of the Cross over the reassembled body. The pieces became united together, the body came to life again, and Vincent handed over to the father a living child. This event is depicted in a painting by Francesco del Cossa in the New Picture Gallery in the Vatican.Bishop Ranzano claimed this as one of the miracles submitted in the canonization process for S1. Vincent Ferrer.<br /><br />Some may be surprised to know that he above miracle is not without some real, though lesser, counterparts. St. Francis of Paola restored a lamb from its mere bones and fleece, and in the palace of the King of Naples he revived an already-cooked fish; also, St. Philip Benizi restored a child partially devoured by a wolf. A similar wonder was worked for a young man who was with his parents in a group of pilgrims on their way to the famous shrine of Santiago (St. James) de Compostella in Spain. They stopped at La Calzada, where the young man was falsely accused and hanged. The poor bereaved parents continued their pilgrimage, and on their return journey were astonished to find their son still alive eight days later. Perhaps it was a reward for their tears and for faithfully continuing on to the shrine in hope, rather than succumbing to rebellion and grief.<br /><br />But the story goes beyond this wonder. When the lad's mother rushed to tell the magistrate (he was at dinner), the magistrate said, <em>"Woman, you must be mad! I would as soon believe these pullets which I am about to eat are alive as that a man who has been gibbeted for eight days is not dead."</em> At his words the pullets on the dish rose up alive. There was a great procession with the live birds to the shrine of St. James at Compostella. The Bollandists relate this miracle, as do many other authors. And there have been other miracles similar to it in the lives of the Saints.<br /><br />One should note that none of these miracles were performed for mere sensationalism, which the saints despise. They were worked for various good purposes, especially the conversion of sinners and the strengthening of faith. As St. Vincent told the bereaved father, miracles are worked for the glory of God. This was also stated by Christ at the grave of Lazarus, and to His Apostles. The saints' powers are of course limited by God, to whom all power belongs. Otherwise, with unrestricted powers, the saints could be "as gods."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqlDA651ec3J0UF7ZjojmfLwUt22OG80wn15FZr8TBJ7zYFmr6ZjvB_-gDuUmZtgvvuhXEdYOwuhAE-VpCNjBD0cHPRb89Q2Hf6ez0qqFNSb-Q6Zuzu8KI6i_0PzGsWrDtc_LfIqUTOA/s1600/St_Vincent_Ferrer_2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530706165241017410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqlDA651ec3J0UF7ZjojmfLwUt22OG80wn15FZr8TBJ7zYFmr6ZjvB_-gDuUmZtgvvuhXEdYOwuhAE-VpCNjBD0cHPRb89Q2Hf6ez0qqFNSb-Q6Zuzu8KI6i_0PzGsWrDtc_LfIqUTOA/s400/St_Vincent_Ferrer_2.jpg" /></a>The hagiographer Henri Gheon relates that Pere Fages, a patient researcher, found and visited the house of the last related miracle of Saint Vincent. He described the room, the placement of the oven, and the lower room, where a part of the child was served at table. The place had not changed since the fifteenth century. A chapel stands there now and two inscriptions, one inside and one out, attest to the truth of the miracle.<br /><br />St. Vincent Ferrer died at Vannes, Brittany, France in 1419, and the canonical process at Vannes brought to light an incredible number of wonders, including a surprising number of resurrections from the dead. In the French work- <em><strong>“Histoire de St. Vincent Ferrier”</strong></em> by Pere Fages, O.P., there are a number of accounts of the dead raised through St. Vincent. Additionally, St. Antonius, O.P., a contemporary of Vincent, said he raised 28 from the dead, however others claimed this count fell far short of the real number. Irregardless the fact remains that St Vincent Ferrer brought back to life at least two dozen people, all for the greater glory of God and the conversion of sinners.<br /><br /><em><strong>-St Vincent Ferrer, pray for us!</strong></em><br /><br /><strong>Primary Sources:</strong><br /><a href="http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com/Products/cfs_sawhoradesto.html"><em>-“Saints Who Raised The Dead”</em>, </a>by Father Alfred J. Hebert S.M., Tan Books, 2004- (Originally published by Tan Books in 1986 under the title “Raised From The Dead”)<br /><em>-“St Vincent Ferrer –The Angel of the Judgment”</em> by Father Andrew Pradel, O.P., Tan Books.Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com99tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-89887853170227409912010-10-13T22:25:00.010-04:002010-10-14T00:49:51.071-04:00S.A.G. St Anthony Guide -Miraculous letter deliveries<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zZKO3mXhRoW2-U9VuiJeNZMVNi4mHIgLFNTgH05ryW3JRgI27F4l6hMqf_udGr2BdOuviBpZqXMZHocY5UGjDefghViKSkPo9KgTj-YDC4KG-B94ahXvvtUi9zgar-to6FhqW4bRAZY/s1600/St_Anthony_of_Padua.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 277px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 356px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527756037328483138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zZKO3mXhRoW2-U9VuiJeNZMVNi4mHIgLFNTgH05ryW3JRgI27F4l6hMqf_udGr2BdOuviBpZqXMZHocY5UGjDefghViKSkPo9KgTj-YDC4KG-B94ahXvvtUi9zgar-to6FhqW4bRAZY/s400/St_Anthony_of_Padua.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;"><strong>Miraculous mail deliveries in the lives of the Saints</strong></span><br /><br /><strong>S.A.G. (St. Anthony Guide) -The miracle letter deliveries of St Anthony of Padua </strong><br /><br />It has become a popular practice for people to write "S.A.G." on their envelopes prior to posting them in the mail. The letters stand for "St Anthony Guide" because of the miraculous story below.<br /><br />During his lifetime, God was pleased to work countless miracles in the life of the Franciscan Priest <strong>St. Anthony of Padua </strong>(1195-1231) and his reputation for sanctity was universally acclaimed. So in a sense it is not surprising then that immediately after the death of St. Anthony the miracles worked at his tomb were so prodigious that the Bishop of Padua petitioned the Vatican for his canonization. A judicial inquiry was instituted without delay, and by an exception regarded as unparalleled in history, on May 30, 1232 Pope Gregory IX, solemnly pronounced the decree of canonization, <em><strong>only eleven months after Anthony's death</strong></em>. His mother and two sisters who survived him had the extraordinary and extremely rare privilege of witnessing the canonization ceremony and joining in the festivities that followed the announcement. Those familiar with the canonisation process know that such a speedy canonization is unheard of in the Catholic Church, as the normal process requires much study into the life of the proposed Saint, and as such they are normally canonised decades and quite often centuries after their deaths. Such was the remarkable holiness of St Anthony.<br /><br />The origin of the initials "S.A.G." and why they are often marked on envelopes is this:<br /><br />A Spanish merchant named Antonio Dante left Spain for South America in 1729 to establish a business in Lima, Peru. His wife, who remained in Spain, wrote a number of letters to him without receiving a reply. After many months full of worry and with the utmost faith and simplicity, she brought a letter with her to the Church of St. Francis at Oviedo. [St Francis and St Anthony were close friends and companions during their lifetime.]<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDNZOCogRVeR7tYj1RqARVFn2imfjuHgrozcdPm5diN2DL7PmfZJhGbMVUZkL0pNC1mlHM02Ads4a_DswGvO117YUQhyt4k1x1fNsTNdU-BaJsIrgzB35DJasKojC2RVJGRVzR1_UEi4/s1600/St_Anthony_of_Padua_1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527755805151488274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDNZOCogRVeR7tYj1RqARVFn2imfjuHgrozcdPm5diN2DL7PmfZJhGbMVUZkL0pNC1mlHM02Ads4a_DswGvO117YUQhyt4k1x1fNsTNdU-BaJsIrgzB35DJasKojC2RVJGRVzR1_UEi4/s400/St_Anthony_of_Padua_1.jpg" /></a>In the church there was a large statue of St. Anthony, and she placed a letter to her husband into his outstretched hand and prayed the following prayer with confidence, asking for his heavenly intercession:<br /><em><strong>"St. Anthony, I pray to thee; let this letter reach him and obtain for me a speedy reply."</strong></em><br /><br />The next day she returned to the church and saw that her letter was still there. Weeping in frustration that her letter had not been delivered, she attracted the attention of the Brother sacristan who listened to her story. Afterward, he told her that he had tried to remove the letter but could not, and he asked the lady if she would try to remove it. She tried, and she did so with ease.<br /><br />The letter she retieved from the hand of the statue of St Anthony was not the one that she placed there the day before; it was a letter from her husband. As she removed the letter from his hand, three hundred golden coins fell from the sleeve of the statue.<br /><br />Astonished, a number of the friars were called and ran to the scene and waited while the miraculous letter was opened. The letter was dated July 23, 1729 and read:<br /><br /><em><strong>"My dearest wife. For some time I have been expecting a letter from you, and I have been greatly troubled and concerned at not hearing from you. But at last your letter has come, and given me joy. It was a Father of the Order of St. Francis who brought it to me. You complain that I have left your letters unanswered. I assure you that when I did not receive any from you I believed you must be dead, and so you may imagine my happiness at the arrival of your letter. I answer you now by the same religious Father, and send you three hundred golden crowns [coins], which should suffice for your support until my approaching return.<br /><br />In the hope of soon being with you, I pray God for you, and I commend myself to my dear patron St. Anthony, and ardently desire that you may continue to send me tidings of yourself.<br />Your most affectionate,<br />Antonio Dante" </strong></em><br /><br />The original letter, written in Spanish, is affectionately kept and preserved at the Franciscan Monastery in Oviedo. In memory of this event, the practice of writing S.A.G. (St. Anthony Guide) on letters has became popular, thereby placing the letters under the protection of St Anthony whom they trust will get the letter safely to its proper destination.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9o-v7zDmQFEFQUM8OImLKamFyT3nl1Y2OSdZ0_lXkWKB3ZSXAlhQevDdZHjpizOkUzy1xtHCWqNmE0Oyb9EKArAzV9kNLSbgg_6hIcaDMovuxE41YYmjrSjlLJgFRIIzpNbMFpxLspQ/s1600/St_Gemma_Galgani.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527744459671651794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9o-v7zDmQFEFQUM8OImLKamFyT3nl1Y2OSdZ0_lXkWKB3ZSXAlhQevDdZHjpizOkUzy1xtHCWqNmE0Oyb9EKArAzV9kNLSbgg_6hIcaDMovuxE41YYmjrSjlLJgFRIIzpNbMFpxLspQ/s400/St_Gemma_Galgani.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">The Angelic Letter Deliveries in the Life of St. Gemma Galgani</span> </strong><br />Another more recent case of miraculous mail deliveries occured in the extraordinary life of the 20th century stigmatic and mystic Saint Gemma Galgani (1878-1903).<br /><br />In the <a href="http://crossplace.com/store/product44.html"><em><strong>"Life of St Gemma Galgani"</strong></em></a> written by her spiritual director, Venerable Father Germanus Ruoppolo, a few years after her death we read how the extraordinary mystic was on such familiar terms with her Guardian Angel that she sometimes entrusted her letters to him for safe delivery:<br /><br /><strong><em>"One day, with the most charming simplicity, she prayed to her spiritual director's angel to take the letter she had written to him. Being familiar with the angel, she had no doubt as to the result. Already living dependent on the charity of the Giannini family [whom she was living with], she did not like to make additional requests in asking for stamps. She did not always proceed in this extraordinary manner, thus her recourse to the angel was not continual, yet not a single one of all the letters that she thus committed to him was lost."</em></strong><br /><br />In light of these extraordinary Angelic deliveries, her director, Ven Father Germanus C.P., wanted to conduct a "test" and so he instructed Gemma to give the letters she wanted to send him by the Angel to Cecilia Giannini, who was told to lock them in a place unknown to Gemma. Gemma lived in Lucca, Italy while her spiritual director lived several hundred miles away in Rome.<br /><br />And so on June 11, 1901 Gemma wrote a letter to her spiritual director seeking guidance on some spiritual matters, as she often did. She then gave a letter to Cecilia, (as previously requested by her spiritual director), who in turn gave it to Father Lorenzo Agrimonti, who was a priest living at that time with the Giannini family. Father Lorenzo immediately locked it in a chest in his own room and put the key in his pocket.<br /><br />During the afternoon of the next day, Gemma saw in a vision the Angel passing by with her letter on his way to Rome to deliver it to Ven. Father Germanus, and so Cecilia immediately notified Father Lorenzo. They found that the letter had, in fact, disappeared from its secret location, and to their greater amazement they later discovered that the letter was received, as usual, by her spiritual director, unstamped of course.<br /><br />To prove the matter yet another time, the same experiment was undertaken--a letter of Gemma's to her director was once again handed over to Father Lorenzo. He secretly hid the envelope between two pictures, one of St. Gabriel Possenti and the other of St. Paul of the Cross. This took place on May 22, 1901. The next day Gemma announced that her Angel had taken away the letter and the delivery of which was once again confirmed by her spiritual director, to the utter amazement of everyone involved. It is no wonder then that Ven. Father Germanus in his book on the life of St Gemma calls them "angelic letters".<br /><br />And about Gemma and her guardian Angel, her spiritual director Ven. Father Gemanus writes- "Gemma, seeing the great charity her angel lavished upon her, loved her angel immensely, and his name was always on her tongue as well as in her heart.<br /><em><strong>‘Dear Angel’ </strong></em>she would say <em><strong>‘I love you so!’</strong></em><br /><strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">‘And why’</span></em></strong> the Angel asked. <br /><strong><em>‘Because you teach me how to be good, and to keep humble, and to please Jesus'."<br /></em></strong><br /><br />More details of the <a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2008/09/st-gemma-galgani-and-her-guardian-angel.html">Angelic letter deliveries in the life of St Gemma Galgani can be found here.</a>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com99tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-55242004423063158982010-10-10T22:03:00.015-04:002021-07-01T20:48:47.038-04:00Miraculous cures in the lives of the Saints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBd1yJ5VMqGOmGMxz-vnoZY-6QaQ9ougoMFlDXhk6D4GrS1i6VM9lTSR3DcyK0fipVVGDh4jGj8BNDDN22qX1lHchNSiUc64htG0uALpdaBUf9y0n_VgqSFDcTOsHOToQDZ2lTbBJZP1o/s1600/Padre_Pio_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526610815912055522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBd1yJ5VMqGOmGMxz-vnoZY-6QaQ9ougoMFlDXhk6D4GrS1i6VM9lTSR3DcyK0fipVVGDh4jGj8BNDDN22qX1lHchNSiUc64htG0uALpdaBUf9y0n_VgqSFDcTOsHOToQDZ2lTbBJZP1o/s400/Padre_Pio_2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 308px;" /></a>
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">Miraculous healings and cures in the lives of the Saints</span></strong>
The lives of the Saints are full of extraordinary cures—- because after all, in St John's Gospel our Lord promised <em><span style="color: red;">“Truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son"</span></em>
The task then for this website is to select a few of miraculous healings that are representative of the countless that have occurred in the lives of the Saints over the centuries. I have decided to select three miracles that occurred recently in modern times, the first one especially being well documented by the medical experts. I think these three miracles together give a good representation of the countless miraculous cures that God has wrought in the lives of the Saints.
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">The Miraculous Cure of Giovanni Savino</span></strong>
Giovanni Savino, a construction worker and a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, was a devoted spiritual son of Padre Pio. In February, 1949 the thirty-five-year-old construction worker was working on the construction of an addition to the friary where St Padre Pio lived. The workers were leveling the ground and were getting ready to blast a huge boulder that was impeding the construction. It was Savino's custom to attend Padre Pio's Mass each morning, then proceed to the sacristy to receive his blessing. On February 12, 1949, Giovanni was startled when, without any explanation, Pio, having blessed him, embraced him and said, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Courage, Giovanni, I'm praying to the Lord that you might not be killed. "</span></em></strong>
<em><strong>"Padre Pio, what's going to happen to me?"</strong></em> Savino asked. The priest was silent.
The next day Padre Pio said the same thing, without any further comment, as he did also on the third. When he repeated his disturbing remarks for the fourth time on February 15, Savino muttered to one of the friars, <em><strong>"I'm afraid something wrong is going to happen today,"</strong></em> and told other members of his crew, <em>"<strong>Let's not work today,"</strong></em> telling the other men about Padre Pio's remarks. The crew decided to proceed, undeterred, in blasting away from the garden in preparation for the friary addition..
At 2 P.M. Savino and another worker placed a charge of dynamite under a boulder. Savino set the charge and lit the fuse. It failed to detonate. After a few minutes, he went over to check the charge. Just as he bent over, the dynamite blew up in his face. Dr. Sanguinetti, along with Padre Raffaele and Father Dominic, were at the side of the injured man within minutes. They carried Savino to Sanguinetti's car, in which the physician drove him to the Ospedali Riuniti (Hospital) of Foggia, where he was admitted for surgery. <em>"Numerous foreign bodies"</em> were removed from the cornea of the left eye. The right eye, however, was found to be completely destroyed. Moreover, his face had been severely damaged by the blast.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhjOGyxdM9R1klDpJPC7bvwqyRN9K6QogFJJ6I0sv8MFjPCJysbGFg67kRiPCxAuZuod2yUJvUuJqNhyVcEF86URUJVxdavE5n3F_G-BQA7eNG58nPhGNElq-KyvNvHvF8F3NX25P7IQ/s1600/Stigmata_St_Padre_Pio_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526610544364558066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhjOGyxdM9R1klDpJPC7bvwqyRN9K6QogFJJ6I0sv8MFjPCJysbGFg67kRiPCxAuZuod2yUJvUuJqNhyVcEF86URUJVxdavE5n3F_G-BQA7eNG58nPhGNElq-KyvNvHvF8F3NX25P7IQ/s400/Stigmata_St_Padre_Pio_2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 306px;" /></a>Sanguinetti drove back to San Giovanni where he told Rosa, who was then heavily pregnant, <em><strong>"Your husband's eyes are both destroyed,"</strong></em> and warned her not to try to visit him. He then went to Padre Pio, who asked how Giovanni was,<strong><em> "He's been blinded. He's lost his eyesight."</em></strong>
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Don't you know that this isn't certain yet?"</span></em></strong> replied Padre Pio.
<em>"Well, if you say that and you and Our Lady of Grace assist him, anything is possible, but, as of now, Giovanni has lost his eyesight."</em>
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"It's not certain yet,"</span></em></strong> Pio repeated.
It was three days before Savino regained consciousness, with his entire head and face bandaged. He was told that it might be possible to save the left eye, but that the right eye was "completely gone."
In the meantime, Padre Pio was asking everyone he knew to pray for Giovanni for three days. He exposed the Blessed Sacrament in behalf of the blinded man. He was heard to pray, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Lord, I offer You one of my eyes for Giovanni, because he's the father of a family."
</span></em></strong>
At 12:30 or 1 in the morning of February 25, Giovanni Savino was awake, praying the Rosary, when he smelled the "aroma of paradise." To the heavy smoker, it smelled like tobacco. He felt three slaps on his forehead and understood that it was Padre Pio near him. He actually felt the tightness of the bedclothes caused by someone standing against the bed. <strong><em>"Give me my sight, Padre Pio, or let me die,"</em></strong> he said. <strong><em>"I cannot live like this.</em></strong>"
Later that morning the ophthalmologist came to examine Giovanni Savino's left eye. When the doctor took the bandages off Giovanni immediately said <strong><em>"I can see you!"</em></strong> <em>"Turn, so you can see me with your left eye,"</em> said the doctor. <strong><em>"No, I see you with my right eye</em></strong>. <strong><em>I don’t see anything out of my left eye." </em></strong>The doctor insisted that he was seeing out of the left eye, as the right one was totally destroyed.
After further examination, it was clear that Savino spoke the truth. He was blind in the eye from which the shrapnel had been removed, but he was seeing perfectly from the eye that had been shattered to a bloody jelly. Completely astounded, the ophthalmologist, who up to that time had been an atheist, exclaimed, <strong><em>"Now I too believe, because this has happened right before me."</em></strong>
In the meantime, Giovanni and his wife Rosa's was expecting a baby at any time. Rosa asked Padre Pio, who told her that the child would be a boy, if she had permission to name the child after him. <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"All right, name him Pio,"</span></em> he said.<em> "But we already have a girl named Pia. May we name him Francesco?" </em>"<em><span style="color: #3333ff;">All right, name him Francesco."</span></em> St Pio replied. [Francesco is Padre Pio’s first name]. Francesco later grew up to become a Capuchin priest, the same Religious Order as St Pio..
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGATZO9xim8YsZZ_9prvtg7rmEbkkgDGifdO0SdcYTSRGhZQ37goN9goHUzza3hYqFCkUcNYB2Km6RjYnXstOPhk5MnS5ToOlNYVkDSSRbGWxQWG2jaHuRrnmjzrJvp3WFx7IXwDC15Dw/s1600/Giovanni_Savino_and_son_Francesco.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526609991277931298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGATZO9xim8YsZZ_9prvtg7rmEbkkgDGifdO0SdcYTSRGhZQ37goN9goHUzza3hYqFCkUcNYB2Km6RjYnXstOPhk5MnS5ToOlNYVkDSSRbGWxQWG2jaHuRrnmjzrJvp3WFx7IXwDC15Dw/s400/Giovanni_Savino_and_son_Francesco.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 252px;" /></a>[Giovanni and his son Francesco are pictured to the left]Giovanni, who was still being treated for the extensive injuries to his face, was released from the hospital in early June. When he thanked Padre Pio, he was told, <strong><em>"If you only knew what this cost me!"
</em></strong>So, what exactly did it cost him? A clue may come from the recollections of Pietro Cugino, himself blind, who recalled that one day, in the garden, while talking to his confreres, Padre Pio suddenly exclaimed,<em> "I'm blind. I can't see a thing</em>." After twenty minutes, his eyesight returned. Cugino was unsure about the exact date of this occurrence, but some believe it certainly could have been that this brief and inexplicable episode of blindness came about as a result of the offering Padre Pio had made on behalf of Giovanni Savino. Either way, in this case, St Pio did not deny his intercession on behalf of Francesco as he did with other supposed cures or supernatural happenings that surrounded him.
As time went on Giovanni was sent to an eye specialist in Rome for treatments to the left eye, in spite of St Padre Pio's prediction that these visits would do no good. .<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;"> "No,"</span></em></strong> Padre Pio said, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"we have already obtained the grace which we have asked for. Even if you go to Rome you will not get any better than you are right now." </span></em></strong>And in fact, he remained always blind in the left eye, but until the day of his death at sixty in the spring of 1974, he could see perfectly well out of the right eye. His wife recalled, <em>"To look at his eye, it always looked a mess. Yet he could see perfectly out of it."</em>
The restoration of the sight of Giovanni Savino is well documented by the Medical experts for it has impressive attestation. Father Dominic described it in a circular letter in July 1949 month after Savino's return from his hospitalization in Foggia. The records of the “Ospedali Riuniti” record that Savino was admitted to surgery there and that the diagnosis was that one eye had "numerous foreign bodies in the cornea" and that the other eye was "blown out." The records do not mention the resolution of his injuries. The key words in the “Ospedali Riuniti” is “emoptalmo” which means completely evulsed or literally “completely torn out”. But then how in fact did he see out of this eye, when it was completely or almost completely “blown out”?
Additionally, the account that he gave is essentially the same as that given in official depositions made by Giovanni on July 17, 1971, and by his widow on July 1, 1989. It is clear that the eye through which Savino was able to see was the one which had been damaged most extensively.
All the reports are in agreement that the right eye (the one later cured) was destroyed and almost completely missing. In his circular letter of July 1949, Father Dominic quotes Padre Raffaele, who examined Savino immediately after the explosion, as saying, ''The right eye is gone entirely. The socket is simply empty." Savino himself said that he was told by the doctors that the eye was "completely gone."
Giovanni’s wife Rosa insisted that <em>"a small amount of bloody flesh"</em> remained in the socket when Savino was taken to the hospital. She denies that her husband received a "new" eye. "It was always with his own eye that he saw. It was a mess, but he could see out of it." Finally the official medical report from the Hospital states “emoptalmo”, that is, completely evulsed or “torn out” In the end, one can only conclude that rather than seeing with a new or regenerated eye, Giovanni Savino saw without eyes for 22 years, until his death in 1971.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Z4xkXbEhQ7_M4-Nja1HwzxzTaAhtQDHLlwfhTm9NzGZkaBe40PqmIc8_hU4ak8q-e_UpRJu64BaT0FsK24Ar1KV3pSNGOnNVn2b4ZpiJacTrMTTuyg7oJdf_uhS_9BZ5U6_Vn0CBXyY/s1600/St_Padre_Pio_22.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526609440476087266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Z4xkXbEhQ7_M4-Nja1HwzxzTaAhtQDHLlwfhTm9NzGZkaBe40PqmIc8_hU4ak8q-e_UpRJu64BaT0FsK24Ar1KV3pSNGOnNVn2b4ZpiJacTrMTTuyg7oJdf_uhS_9BZ5U6_Vn0CBXyY/s400/St_Padre_Pio_22.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 322px;" /></a><strong>The miraculous cure of a paraplegic named Francesco Santar</strong>ello
Another of the many miracles attributed to the intercession of St Pio was one that was reported during the summer of 1919, word of which reached the general public and the newspapers, despite the best efforts of Padre Benedetto and Padre Paolino who always sought to keep such matters hidden. One of them, witnessed by Padre Paolino, concerned one of San Giovanni Rotondo's most unfortunate persons, an old man named Francesco Santarello. He was so pathetically clubfooted that he was unable to walk. Instead, he dragged himself about on his knees, supported by a pair of miniature crutches. The unfortunate little man labored up the hill to the friary to beg bread and soup, as he had done for years. Poor Santarello was a fixture in the community and everyone knew him. Some of the more uncharitable children of the town loved to tease the unhappy beggar, going so far at times as to knock the crutches from under his shoulders and then laugh uncontrollably as he tumbled onto the pavement.
One day Santarello was positioned, as usual, near the door of the cloister, soliciting alms. A huge crowd had gathered, waiting for Padre Pio to emerge and enter the church. As Pio passed by, Santarello cried out, <strong><em>"Padre Pio, give me a blessing!"</em></strong>
Without stopping, Pio looked at him and said, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">''Throwaway your crutches!"</span></em></strong>
Stunned, Santarello did not move. This time Padre Pio stopped and shouted, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"I said, 'Throwaway your crutches!' </span></em></strong>" Then, without another word, Pio entered the church to say Mass.
<strong>In front of dozens of people, Santarello threw his crutches away</strong>, and for the first time in his life, began to walk on his deformed feet to the utter astonishment of his fellow townspeople, who but a few minutes before had seen him lurching about, as always, on his knees.
Santarello lived for some time after that. He never used his crutches again and was able to function quite well with the aid of a cane. Miscio and other city clergy contended that it was not truly a miracle because there was no substantial change in Santarello's physical condition. His feet remained just as badly clubbed as ever, with the toes pointed in the same direction as the heels, and there was no apparent remission of his mental retardation. Yet, for the little beggar and his acquaintances, that he could now walk rather than crawl was miracle enough.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdTscN54VIYm8Uw1Oy62DbZIo96_1ndqvbeotcM8ZeM6_RmYrAro775q_gxjuHc_RfcZYFNoJSzhXMYn5sYbszevDnQNRk2GOlJ4pmOL2mUYzjz0OkpniK8DxKG9YWPJkbIODe-GJ9J0/s1600/St-Padre-Pio-1234.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526609117815751938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdTscN54VIYm8Uw1Oy62DbZIo96_1ndqvbeotcM8ZeM6_RmYrAro775q_gxjuHc_RfcZYFNoJSzhXMYn5sYbszevDnQNRk2GOlJ4pmOL2mUYzjz0OkpniK8DxKG9YWPJkbIODe-GJ9J0/s400/St-Padre-Pio-1234.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 321px;" /></a><strong>A conversion and a cure</strong>
One day, also in 1919, a priest from Florence came to Our Lady of Grace with a Jewish friend named Lello Pegna. Padre Carlo Naldi explained that his friend, who had recently become totally blind, had come to ask Padre Pio to intercede with God for a cure.
Padre Paolino, who was an eyewitness, simply left a few notes about the incident. There was no doubt that Pegna was blind and was of the Jewish faith. Someone had even to help him eat, putting his plate in front of him, cutting his bread and meat, and placing the glass of wine in his hand.
Padre Pio welcomed Pegna but told him: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"The Lord will not grant you the grace of physical sight unless you first receive sight for your soul. After you are baptized, then the Lord will give you your sight."</span></em></strong>
Several months later Pegna returned, this time without his dark glasses. He then explained that he had, despite opposition from his family, become a Christian and had been baptized, as was requested by St Pio. At first he was discouraged when his blindness persisted. It was perhaps another test of faith. But gradually, over a period of months, his sight returned, and the doctor who had previously informed him that he was hopelessly blind now was astounded that his patient’s eyes were perfectly healed. Padre Paolino felt it was his duty to keep in touch with the man and he reported that nearly thirty years later, his vision was still perfect.
The above are but three of the many cures of one Saint of the Church, and because they are all of relatively recent history, they represent quite well the extraordinary graces that God has manifested in the lives of His devoted servants throughout the centuries.
Bibliography:
-<em><strong>"<a href="http://www.aquinasandmore.com/catholic-books/Padre-Pio/sku/2501">Padre Pio The True Story</a>"</strong></em> by C. Bernard Ruffin, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 1991.
-St. Padre Pio Devotions, <a href="http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/">www.padrepiodevotions.org</a>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-43338978113763558152010-10-09T15:08:00.019-04:002010-10-09T17:55:50.708-04:00Miracle of the Eucharist -Total fast from food in the lives of the Saints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZHFJ7AFLY6nbY2FuK-oO3s1if7wZNCVIpuE3JS-xGMkdkhV5KvgW1Gku2YVyazxWa9mAGR7YX3ZTZjZFowBJWWqBDm83GZJ2sh2vGWUCGU6MJww-IfNDAtQGYFois4Xrv-hQdDMXlBI/s1600/Alexandrina_Maria_da_Costa.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 316px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526130184716942642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZHFJ7AFLY6nbY2FuK-oO3s1if7wZNCVIpuE3JS-xGMkdkhV5KvgW1Gku2YVyazxWa9mAGR7YX3ZTZjZFowBJWWqBDm83GZJ2sh2vGWUCGU6MJww-IfNDAtQGYFois4Xrv-hQdDMXlBI/s400/Alexandrina_Maria_da_Costa.jpg" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">The Eucharist Alone –Complete fast from food in the lives of the Saints</span></strong><br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">"You are living by the Eucharist alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of my life in souls."</span></strong></em> -Jesus to Blessed Alexandrina<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Blessed Alexandrina da Costa and her complete abstinence from food --A living miracle of the Eucharist</span></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>"For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." </em>(John 6:55-56)</span><br />Bl. Alexandrina da Costa (1904-1955) was a mystic and victim soul who lived in Balasar, Portugal. On Holy Saturday of 1918, while Alexandrina, her sister Deolinda and a young apprentice were busily sewing, three men violently entered their home and attempted to sexually violate them. To preserve her purity, Alexandrina jumped from a window, falling four metres to the ground.<br /><br />Her injuries were numerous, and the doctors diagnosed her condition as "irreversible": it was predicted the partial paralysis that she suffered would only get worse.<br /><br />Until age nineteen Alexandrina was still able to "drag herself" to church where, hunched over, she would remain in prayer, to the great amazement and edification of her fellow parishioners. With her paralysis and pain worsening however, she was eventually forced to remain in bed, and from April 14, 1925 until her death – that is approximately 30 years - she would remain bedridden and completely paralyzed.<br /><br />While bedridden she began to receive extraordinary mystical graces, and she was eventually called to be a victim soul, that is, to suffer in union with Jesus for the conversion of sinners. Thus on Thursday nights into Friday afternoon, the Passion of Jesus was mystically re-lived each week in and through her, for the conversion of souls.<br /><br />On March 27, 1942 in a blaze of agony and adoring love, Alexandrina cried out to Jesus in the tabernacle of the nearby church, "Oh my Eucharistic Love, I cannot live without you! Oh Jesus, transform me into your Eucharist! Mother, my dearest Mother, I wish to be of Jesus, I wish to be entirely yours!"<br />And deep within her soul she heard Jesus’ profound reply:<br /><br /><em><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">"You will not take food again on earth. Your food will be my Flesh; your blood will be my Divine Blood, your life will be my Life. You receive it from me when I unite my Heart to your heart. Do not fear, my daughter. You will not be crucified any more as in the past .... And now a new trial awaits you, which will be the most painful of all. But in the end I will carry you to Heaven and the Holy Mother will accompany you."</span></strong></em><br /><br />Thus on March 27, 1942 Alexandrina began an absolute fast which was to last more than thirteen years until her death, her sole nourishment being Holy Communion which she received with deep devotion every morning. Initially she would vomit any food that she attempted to eat, and since she herself did not understand the grace at first, she like others thought her end was near, because obviously one cannot normally live without food for very long, and this cause her to cry out:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">“Oh Jesus, my love, do not abandon the one who loves you so much! Oh days which never end! Oh Heaven which never approaches!"</span></em> Turning to her relatives she groaned, <em><span style="color:#3333ff;">"When you hear the bells sound for my death, go down on your knees, pray and thank Jesus and Our Lady for coming to take me."</span></em><br /><br />Initially, her desire for food and drink was very strong On 24 May, feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, after almost two months of absolute fasting <em><span style="color:#3333ff;">"with a burning thirst and a longing for food",</span></em> Alexandrina cried out in anguish, <em><span style="color:#3333ff;">"I sigh, I die, I long to satisfy my soul with the food of Paradise!"<br /></span></em><br />As the months passed, news of Alexandrina's fast spread far and wide. Crowds of pilgrims began to visit her, asking for her prayers. Their endless visits wore her out and increased her suffering, but united with Jesus on her bed of pain she promised to remember everyone in her prayers. Of this period she wrote later:<br /><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">“Day by day, moment by moment, my life became more and more painful. On the one hand, obedience obliges me to live hidden and to receive people in such a way as to be soon forgotten. Oh my God, if I had my will that is how I would live. But what deceit! The more I want to be hidden, the more they make me known. Visitors arrive from everywhere - what torment for me!”<br /></span></em><br />One afternoon, a number of distinguished looking men entered her sickroom to investigate reports of Alexandrina's total fast. She relates the event as follows:<br />“At half past two in the afternoon, five men entered the room. At once I had a presentiment that one of them was a doctor. They began to question me. For some reason, I found my attention drawn to one of them and after they had gone, I knew instinctively that he was a doctor. I answered their questions calmly and firmly, for truth has only one reply. When they asked me incredulously if it was true that I ate and drank nothing, not knowing whether they were believers or not, I answered:<br /><strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">‘I receive Holy Communion every day.’</span></em></strong> They remained silent and non-committal for a while and shortly after¬wards they respectfully withdrew.”<br /><br />Not everyone, however, treated Alexandrina with the same courtesy. Doubts and suspicions about her fast circulated; some openly accused her sister Deolinda and her mother of perpetrating a monstrous fraud. These accusations, and the lack of charity by people who knew not the facts caused much sorrow for Alexandrina and her family. Finally, her friends appealed to the medical authorities to intervene and establish the authenticity of the prodigy once and for all.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Her complete fast is put to the test- The medical certification and confirmation</span></strong><br />Alexandrina vividly describes all that followed. She wrote on 27 May 1943: "In order to satisfy the desires and the will of the Archbishop, I subjected myself once more to a medical examination. When they told me about this, a new suffering took possession of my spirit, but seeing in everything the holy Will of God, I accepted, as always through obedience. When they told me the day on which the doctors would come, I prayed with great fervour to Our Lady to give me the necessary composure to bear every¬thing with courage and resignation for Jesus and for souls.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Alexandrina's own words -Excerpts from her diary</span></strong><br />"On the appointed day, the doctor in attendance came to our house with Dr Enrico Gomes di Araujo and Dr Carlo Lima. Fortunately I was calm and serene; God had heard my prayer. One of the doctors asked me if I suffered much and for whom I offered my sufferings. He also asked whether I suffered willingly and if I would be happy if God released me from my sorrows. I replied that, in truth, I suffered much and that I offered everything for the love of God and for the conversion of sinners.<br /><br />"Then they asked me what was my greatest aspiration and I answered, 'It is Heaven.'<br />They then enquired if I wanted to be a saint like St Teresa or St Clare and to arrive in Heaven leaving behind a name famous throughout the world. 'I am not in the least interested in that', I replied. They then asked, 'If it were necessary to lose your soul to save sinners, what would you do?' I answered, 'I trust that I would also be saved, but if I had to lose my soul I would say no, because God would never ask such a thing.'<br /><br />"'Why do you not eat?' they then asked. And I replied, 'I do not eat because I cannot. I feel full. I do not need it. However, I have a longing for food.'<br />"The doctors then began the examination which I bore with good disposition. At the end, seeing that I was in no condition to make a journey, they decided to call two nuns to verify the truth of my fast. After they left, I remained waiting for their decision. On June 4, my confessor came to give me Communion, accompanied by my doctor, who afterwards explained that I was being given the opportunity to enter a hospital in Oporto to have the fast medically certified. I would be isolated for a month and under constant observation. I immediately said 'No' - but at once I was sorry, thinking of the obedience lowed the Arch¬bishop and the difficult situation of my spiritual director, my doctor and my relatives and friends. So I accepted the proposal, subject to three conditions - I would be able to receive Holy Communion every day, I would be accompanied by my sister, and I would not be subjected to any more medical examinations because I was only entering the hospital for observation.<br /><br />"By June 10, all was ready for my journey to the hospital of Foce del Duro in Oporto. My grief was great, but I had such faith in Jesus that I felt he would, if necessary, send his angels to help me. When my doctor arrived, he hesitated for some while, as if loath to tell me I had to leave. Finally 1 managed to say, 'Let's go, doctor. He who does not leave does not return!'<br /><br />"I embraced my family and friends and only Jesus knew the sorrow it cost me to separate myself from them. I looked only into his Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and implored them to give me courage and strength to bear this new affliction. As they levered my stretcher downstairs I murmured to my weeping family, 'Courage! All for Jesus and for souls!' I was unable to say more. There was such a tightening of my heart that I felt it would be impossible to keep back the tears. Over a hundred people were surrounding the ambulance.<br />I saw tears in the eyes of almost all. The sorrow I felt then was indescribable. My heart was beating with such violence that it seemed about to burst my ribs. Inwardly I prayed, 'Accept these throbbings, my dear Jesus, for your love and for the salvation of souls.'<br /><br />"The journey was difficult; it seemed to me that my heart would not hold out [the road was very bumpy and difficult –ed] Every now and then, I looked at my sister and saw how desolate she was. By the grace of God, I was able to keep the smile on my lips. But the constant shaking of the ambulance was sheer torture and I prayed repeatedly, 'All for your love, my dear Jesus, and may the darkening of my spirit serve to give light to other spirits.'<br /><br />"When we arrived at Matozinhos, the doctor raised the curtains so that I could look at the sea. An enormous silence filled my spirit, and observing the continuous movement of the waves, I asked Jesus to let my love beat like them without interruption."<br /><br />"After a long while we reached the hospital, but before they withdrew me from the ambulance, my face was covered with a cloth so that no one would recognise me. Going up the stairs was a martyrdom as they carried me up head down. When they reached a small room, my face was uncovered and I found myself surrounded by doctors and nurses. I was dismayed to discover that Deolinda had been allocated an adjoining room, contrary to what I had asked for. I did not know how I could manage without her experienced help and constant words of encouragement. Dr Araujo then arrived and began to give instructions to the nurses and assistants.<br /><br />"After he had gone, my own doctor remained for some while and two nurses charged with watching all my movements took up their station by my bed. When Dr Azevedo finally left that evening, I could not restrain my tears any longer. For a long time I wept, offering my tears and grief to Jesus. On seeing me so desolate, the nurses permitted Deolinda to remain near me that night, together with another nurse who learned from her the correct way of turning me.<br /><br />"The following day, a Friday, I began my true Calvary in that place. I had an ecstasy in the morning (1 have one every Friday), and the doctors and nurses gathered round my bed. Dr Azevedo was there and after writing the words of the ecstasy he passed them round for the other doctors to read. Nothing escaped their watchful gaze, not even the most insignificant detail which was commented on at once ....Dr Araujo was very strict, even to the point of harshness. He sternly forbade any nurse to question me in the slightest way. When one of the nurses tried to comfort Deolinda, who was weeping because of my condition, Dr Araujo immediately dismissed her and forbade her to enter my room again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsehOzKQBovHKavZkRedbvnfRknRF1LixLNiJ3vLFuXPCwyP87LbGreGCPFhe2ODKDyIvuAxf2Yq9q2m32iIlnrUvs6AOitmySZ_kySX_0cb5HoPdqJ98scxaJBhBvSxx4t-k9l5RXHF0/s1600/Alexandrina_da_Costa_2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 266px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526129979780363154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsehOzKQBovHKavZkRedbvnfRknRF1LixLNiJ3vLFuXPCwyP87LbGreGCPFhe2ODKDyIvuAxf2Yq9q2m32iIlnrUvs6AOitmySZ_kySX_0cb5HoPdqJ98scxaJBhBvSxx4t-k9l5RXHF0/s400/Alexandrina_da_Costa_2.jpg" /></a>"During the night of Friday to Saturday, I had a great crisis of vomiting which made me suffer severely and which was made worse by the absence of my sister who knew how to sustain me. Dr Araujo arrived in the morning, but my prostration was such that I did not hear him knock at the door. I heard him whisper to one of the nurses by my bed, 'It is all over with her.'<br /><br />"At these words, I opened my eyes and said, 'Doctor, I have had these crises at home.' He replied curtly, 'Miss, don't think that you have come here to fast.' I understood what he meant and felt deeply wounded.<br /><br />"When he was informed of the ecstasy of the previous day, he asked for the notes of it and having read them, commented, 'It seems impossible that Dr Azevedo, so intelligent, lets himself be deceived by these things. It is necessary to make an end of this nonsense. From now on, take away all the clocks so that the sick woman will be ignorant of the time.' (As if the Lord had need of clocks')<br /><br />"Dr Araujo then tried to treat me with medication, but I would not consent. Several times the nurse came near me, convinced that I was dead. For five days I underwent a continuous agony, more in the spirit than in the body, because in those crises, they never permitted Deolinda to come near me, while at home two people were frequently necessary to sustain me. All were persuaded that the crises were due to a lack of nourishment and they kept me isolated, convinced that I would ultimately be compelled to ask for food, or else die of starvation. How they deceived themselves! They did Bot know that nourishment came to me from the Sacred Host which I received every day.<br /><br />"When Dr Azevedo returned and learnt of the attempts to make me take medicine and nourishment, he said to the hospital staff, 'This sick woman has only come so that the reality of her fast and the normality of her mental faculties can be ascertained - nothing more. I trust that Dr Araujo will abide by these terms. I do not permit anyone to give her injections or medication, unless she specifically requests them, or I consent to it. You will see that after each crisis she has, the dark rings under her eyes disappear, her colour returns and her pulse becomes normal.' He paused and then added, pointedly, 'I can assure you of one thing: without nourishment, you would die, I would die, but the sick woman here will not die.'<br /><br />"His kind words on my behalf did much to rally my flagging spirits. Five days later, the vomiting stopped com¬pletely, the colour reappeared on my face and my pulse became normal.<br /><br />"The strict surveillance by relays of doctors and nurses continued. Never for one moment was I left alone. The door of my room opened only to admit doctors and nurses. The improvement in my condition failed to convince any of them. They said it was impossible to live without nourishment and they tried to intimidate me, using soothing, persuasive tones to induce me to take food. But all their efforts were in vain. On one occasion I heard them affirm that my case could be one of hysteria, or a phenomenon still unknown to medical science.<br /><br />"Dr Araujo visited me several times each day, occasionally taking me by surprise at night, as if to discover some¬thing .... Even if I live until the end of the world, I will never forget the apprehension I felt whenever he opened the door, and my anxious suspense of waiting for his words. So many times I prayed, 'May this night serve to give light to him, to the people who surround me and to all the souls who find themselves in darkness.'<br /><br />"During his frequent interrogations of me, he tried in every possible way to persuade me to take food and end the fast. A nurse even tried, on many occasions, to take away my Faith. She used interminable arguments to discourage me and to convince me that what was happening to me was not the work of God. Once Dr Araujo said to me with a malicious expression, 'You convince yourself, Miss, that God does not want you to suffer. If you wish to save souls, he can save them himself if it is true that he has the power to do so.' At other times when he questioned me, I seemed to see in front of me a wolf in sheep's clothing. I had the impression of seeing Satan himself trying to destroy my Faith and convince me that my immolation for souls was all an illusion.<br /><br />"On one occasion I replied to him, 'The things of God are so great, so great, and we are so small, so small. At least, I am, doctor.' He stiffened and then said scornfully, 'You are right, but I am far greater than you - and by how much!' So saying, he took himself off.<br /><br />"How far Dr Araujo was from comprehending this law of love for souls! If he knew the value of a soul, he would realise that everything is too small to save it. My stay in the hospital was a constant rain of humiliation and sacrifice. Oh, if I had known how to suffer for Jesus! To this end, I tumed to little Jacinta of Fatima whose picture I keep at the foot of my bed, and said to her, 'Dear Jacinta, you who were so small have proved all this. You know how hard it is.' Only through prayer and the prayers of many good souls was I able to gain the strength to climb this sorrowful Calvary with such a heavy cross.<br /><br />"One day, Dr Araujo sat down by my bed and tried to convince me that I was a victim of delusion. He began with an involved discourse on medicine and spoke of one of his professors to whom he had presented a long work, pains-takingly put together during many days and nights of study. The professor read the work and asked him if he was certain that it was accurate. The doctor replied 'yes' and cited the arguments supporting his case. As the conversation lengthened, I looked at him, pretending that I did not understand, but thinking, 'You go so far to fall so near?' Meanwhile, the doctor continued, 'I was convinced that I had done a good job, but the professor let me finish and then, with a few deft strokes, briefly demolished my case. My breath was taken away. I felt humiliated over so many lost hours and the realisation that my long study had collapsed in a few seconds.' I had already guessed what was coming and replied, smiling, 'But my case does not fall, doctor. A very good and wise man follows me and has studied me for years. [Dr Azevedo.] If the work is of God, there is nothing that can make it collapse.' Dr Araujo seemed rather embarrassed and said, 'We will see,' and retired in a hurry.<br /><br />"On the 17th and then on the 30th day of my stay at the hospital, my mother came to see me. I had such a desire to see her! But she stayed only a very short time and always under the watchful eye of the nurses who were keeping me under continual surveillance. When my mother wept, I had to smile and joke to conceal my sorrow.<br /><br />"The difficult days passed with the endless changing of nurses under the directions of the doctor. With some, who went beyond the limits of their duties and their rights, I suffered more than with others. After some weeks, the doctor began to allow me a little freedom and permitted my sister to spend some time near me, though without giving her permission to touch me. On the 21st day, he allowed the nuns of the hospital to make a brief visit to me.<br /><br />"While Deolinda and I were beginning to think of letting the family know of our approaching return to Balasar, an unexpected obstacle arose. One of the nurses charged with my surveillance had spoken of my case to a physician named Dr Alvaro. Not knowing anything about me, he expressed his immediate disbelief and affirmed that the nurses who were watching me must have been deceived. He added that he would only believe in my fast if it were testified to him by a nurse of his faith.<br /><br />"Dr Araujo was indignant because it put the seriousness of his study in doubt. He invited Dr Alvaro to send a nurse of his own choice and the latter selected one of his sisters. I was therefore asked to remain in the hospital for an additional period of observation.<br /><br />"The new test lasted ten days - and with what suspicion! When my sister, with Dr Alvaro's permission, entered my room every evening to turn me, the new nurse lit the light and stood beside her. As soon as Deolinda left, the nurse made a rigorous check to ascertain if Deolinda had con¬cealed something under the sheets.<br /><br />"Nor did they lack subterfuges to induce me to eat something which the assistant nurse always had with her. When she showed me some tasty morsels, I smiled without saying anything and when she offered them to me, I thanked her and still smiling, pretended not to understand her. Frequently, all my linen was taken away to be inspected. The nurse who assisted me during those last ten days became convinced of the reality of my fast and afterwards visited my home where she greeted me like a dear friend.<br /><br />"On 19 July 1943, the eve of my discharge, all the children of the hospital passed around my bed and I prayed with them. Later more than 1,500 people came and the authorities had to call the police to maintain order. One policeman limited himself to standing by my bed and saying continually to the crowd who pressed around, 'Pass along, pass along.' The doctor had to literally implore the crowd that pressed round the entrance to the hospital and in my room to move back so that I would not be suffocated. I remained humiliated, exhausted and full of self-contempt for the tears of the visitors and for the many kisses I received which I did not merit and did not want.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FxCRUiBecvyS4ERgtwlc6uG63YsIhmACQnAvRrwhqAT53pPNN3mCPwGgRIU6xYJe45TXicQctIzzciA7Z43n6ihlRO0JycU3jJXWmP8jmIl7VYHRkdKZBMtQ3TnoTk7XvttD9hSPbpg/s1600/Alexandrina_da_Costa_1935.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 290px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526129805483636002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FxCRUiBecvyS4ERgtwlc6uG63YsIhmACQnAvRrwhqAT53pPNN3mCPwGgRIU6xYJe45TXicQctIzzciA7Z43n6ihlRO0JycU3jJXWmP8jmIl7VYHRkdKZBMtQ3TnoTk7XvttD9hSPbpg/s400/Alexandrina_da_Costa_1935.jpg" /></a>"On the morning of my departure, Dr Araujo rose early than usual and told me that he had been unable to sleep that night due to the responsibility weighing on him. When he arrived at the hospital, a crowd awaited him. After spending a short while with me, he permitted some people to enter the hospital and only then did he tell us that we were free and that the 'observation' was ended. He allowed my sister to eat a meal near me and then said, 'In October, I will come to visit you at Balasar, not as a doctor-spy, but as a friend who esteems you.'<br /><br />"I kissed the doctor's hand gratefully and thanked him from my heart. I did this in all sincerity for I was deeply grateful to him for the seriousness with which he had treated my case."<br /><br /><strong>The Official Medical Reports</strong><br />So ends Alexandrina's account of the medical investigation of her fast. The official report issued by Dr Araujo confirmed the prodigy as "scientifically inexplicable". The key sentence stated: <em><strong>"It is absolutely certain that during forty days of being bedridden in hospital, the sick woman did not eat or drink and we believe such phenomenon could have happened during the past months, perhaps the past 13 months leaving us perplexed."</strong></em><br /><br />The report is signed Dr Gomez de Araujo of the Royal Academy of Medicine, Madrid, specialist in nervous diseases and arthritis.<br />In addition to the formal medical report, there was a certificate signed by Drs lima and Azevedo. It read as follows:<br /><br />We the undersigned, Dr C. A. di Lima, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of Oporto and Dr E. A. D. de Azevedo, doctor graduate of the same Faculty, testify that, having examined Alexandrina Maria da Costa, aged 39, born and resident at Balasar, of the district of Povoa de Varzim ... have confirmed her paralysis .... And we also testify that the bedridden woman, from 10 June to 20 July 1943 remained in the sector for infantile paralysis at the Hospital of Foce del Duro, under the direction of Dr Araujo and under the day and night surveillance by impartial persons desirous of discovering the truth of her fast. Her abstinence from solids and liquids was absolute during all that time. We testify also that she retained her weight, and her temperature, breathing, blood pressure, pulse and blood were normal while her mental faculties were constant and lucid and she had not, during these forty days, any natural necessities.<br /><br />The certificate continues:<br />"The examination of the blood, made three weeks after her arrival in the hospital, is attached to this certificate and from it one sees how, considering the aforesaid abstinence from solids and liquids, science naturally has no explanation. The laws of physiology and biochemistry cannot account for the survival of this sick woman for forty days of absolute fast in the hospital, more so in that she replied daily to many interrogations and sustained very many conversations, showing an excellent disposition and a perfect lucidity of spirit. As for the phenomena observed every Friday at about 3 p.m. (i.e. her ecstasies), we believe they belong to the mystical order .... For the sake of the truth, we have prepared this certificate which we sign. Oporto , 26 July 1943."<br /><br />A distinguished professor who carefully examined the medical reports and other details of the examinations made on Alexandrina testified:<br /><br />"In returning to my friend and client (i.e. Fr Pinho) the copies of the reports concerning the singular case of Alexandrina Maria da Costa, I desire to thank him for the opportunity he has offered me of studying in minute detail this strange case .... It was above all as a doctor, specialist in nutrition, and not only as a Catholic, that I found that which had happened to the sick woman so interesting. I also attach great importance to his testimony (i.e. Fr Pinho's report on Alexandrina submitted some years earlier to the Archbishop of Braga), because an enlightened confessor and spiritual director is, perhaps, more competent than anyone else to determine if his subject is mentally normal or abnormal.<br /><br />"In my opinion, it is not possible to explain by purely scientific means, or better still, by medical means, that which has happened to Alexandrina da Costa. Nothing makes us believe, according to what one reads in the detailed reports of the doctors and the confessor, that it is simply a matter of hysteria, particularly in view of the long time in which the sick woman has passed, and is still passing, without taking the slightest nourishment. On the other hand, I am certain that it is not a matter of deception because the impartial commission which observed her for forty days and forty nights with rigorous vigilance, could verify that her abstinence from nourishment was total.<br /><br />"Now this abstinence from all food during such a long period of time is incompatible with life, and much less with the maintenance of normal temperature, respiration, pulse, blood pressure, etc .... Her intellectual life is intense, her relationships are perfect, her faculties and senses are retained in an absolute manner. . . . This extraordinary case, rather I would say exceptional case, can in no way be explained by purely natural means, or through scientific data. The inflammation of the spinal cord, which is most probably the cause of the paralysis, has nothing to do with her abstinence from food, being merely a parallel illness."<br /><br />This report was signed by Professor Ruj. Joao Marques, professor of medical science in Pernambuco and uni¬versity lecturer of the faculty of medicine, and also Professor Recife; professor of the branch of nutrition of the School of Social Service in Pernambuco and also the president of the Society of Gastroenterology and Nutrition in Pernambuco.<br /><br />There we have the certification and the verdict of medical science. But Alexandrina had a more enlightened explanation. She confided to her confessor that Our Lord had told her, <span style="color:#ff0000;"><em><strong>"You are living by the Eucharist alone because I want to prove to the world the power of the Eucharist and the power of my life in souls."</strong></em><br /></span>_________________________________<br /><br /><strong>Sources:</strong><br /><em><strong>-“Alexandrina The Agony and the Glory”</strong></em> by Francis Johnston, Tan Books, 1979 <a href="https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/28/">-Availible from Tan Books here</a>.<br /><em><strong>-“Blessed Alexandrina A living miracle of the Eucharist”</strong></em> by Kevin Rowles, New Hope Publications, 2009 <a href="http://www.newhope-ky.org/inspiringlives.htm">-Availible from New Hope publications here.</a><br /><br /><strong>-For more information on Blessed Alexandrina da Costa, see my other article <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/blessed-alexandrina-da-costa-mystic-and.html">"Blessed Alexandrina da Costa -Mystic and Victim Soul"</a></strong>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-24430721182323973442010-10-08T01:30:00.008-04:002010-10-08T01:58:29.656-04:00Speaking in Tongues -A supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_TKdupWYJzq84PCH4Hhm4evPixnSAKB8vl41v7sJ_7nxgQ3ut2WvN6dxsMn86qK376gpRi9v8LrRFEH1TXt3TqVTaW5bBC2HZv0rxmg42ufuFMpshC6y4AMmoitmVEGmA_v0C9-ph0Q/s1600/St_Paul.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 316px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525549883783932306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_TKdupWYJzq84PCH4Hhm4evPixnSAKB8vl41v7sJ_7nxgQ3ut2WvN6dxsMn86qK376gpRi9v8LrRFEH1TXt3TqVTaW5bBC2HZv0rxmg42ufuFMpshC6y4AMmoitmVEGmA_v0C9-ph0Q/s400/St_Paul.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">The Gift of Tongues</span> -<em>Speaking in ones native language while being understood by those of various languages.<br /></em><br />Concerning the gift of speaking in Tongues, in the Acts of the Apostles we read:<br /><em>“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and E'lamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"</em> (Acts 2: 1-14)<br /><br />And so the gift of Tongues we will refer to in this article is not the Charismatic gift of Tongues that is practised by some today, but the <em><strong>Apostolic gift of Tongues </strong></em>as related in the Scriptures, whereby a person speaks in their own native language, but is heard and understood by those of various languages.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKgCMNNITgke8jnbZhx5r5gDULOVDmVslAdK52NRtr1yTpCilFKx4Ylc6dRRXH6feCQWJm8_bM4wR9WNMIe1kkmDtkmA_C4jGzD1gWbCDm6744G3Vvo-bbLeDvpyPhasap-_RfV5FOrg/s1600/St_Anthony_of_Padua.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525547903580700034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKgCMNNITgke8jnbZhx5r5gDULOVDmVslAdK52NRtr1yTpCilFKx4Ylc6dRRXH6feCQWJm8_bM4wR9WNMIe1kkmDtkmA_C4jGzD1gWbCDm6744G3Vvo-bbLeDvpyPhasap-_RfV5FOrg/s400/St_Anthony_of_Padua.jpg" /></a>St Anthony and the Gift of Tongues</span></strong><br />The book <em><strong>“The Little Flowers of St Francis”</strong></em> was written by Brother Ugolino about 100 years after the life of St Francis of Assisi and St Anthony of Padua, the details of which are based on original documents of the Franciscan Order. In Chapter 39 of this book we read:<br /><br />"St Anthony of Padua, one of the chosen disciples and companions of St Francis, whom the latter called his Vicar, was preaching one day before the Pope and the Cardinals in Consistory, there were therefore present at that moment men of different countries- Greeks and Latins, French and Germans, Slavs and English and men of many other different languages and dialects.<br /><br />"And being inflamed by the Holy Spirit and inspired with apostolic eloquence, he preached and explained the word of God so effectively, devoutly, subtly, clearly and understandably that all who were assembled at that Consistory, although they spoke different languages, clearly and distinctly heard and understood everyone of his words as if he had spoken in each of their languages. Therefore they were all astounded and filled with devotion, for it seemed to them that the former miracle of the Apostles at the time of Pentecost had been renewed, when by the power of the Holy Spirit they spoke in different languages.<br /><br />"And in amazement, just like in the Acts of the Apostles they said to one another: <em><strong>"Is he not a Spaniard?' How then are we all hearing him in the language of the country where we were born-we Greeks and Latins, French and Germans, Slavs and English, Lombards and foreigners?" </strong></em><br /><br />It was not only at this consistory that St. Anthony's gift of tongues was utilized. It is written that while preaching in Italy he spoke in perfect Italian, and while in France he preached in French, although he had never studied these languages. Also remarkable is the fact that <em>"the simple-minded and the most ignorant listeners were capable of fully comprehending all he said; and his voice, though gentle and sweet, was distinctly heard at a very extraordinary distance from the speaker." </em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlMxSvJrmhF47_G3jwSfI_5qYjl7KipmZ1s1KDzB7IVI-RMH50tfclDh8ShWMYWKh3GCjCLmF0lKronl1AO-s2cAjQr9M0-qqBqrOgqiK5-0ERTA6PVoI21ulvAkkAV039HPJcKVif7g/s1600/St_Paul_of_the_Cross_1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525547706527154082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlMxSvJrmhF47_G3jwSfI_5qYjl7KipmZ1s1KDzB7IVI-RMH50tfclDh8ShWMYWKh3GCjCLmF0lKronl1AO-s2cAjQr9M0-qqBqrOgqiK5-0ERTA6PVoI21ulvAkkAV039HPJcKVif7g/s400/St_Paul_of_the_Cross_1.jpg" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The gift of Tongues in the preaching of St Paul of the Cross</span></strong><br />The grace of being heard at great distances was also documented on at least three occasions in the life of St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775), the holy founder of the Passionist Order. Because of his extraordinary reputation for holiness, people would come from great distances to hear the man of God preach his missions, and to witness the remarkable miracles and cures that often accompanied his preaching. Therfore the crowds that gathered during his missions were often immense. On at least three documented occasions, his voice could be heard by all those present, even amdst the usual noises of such a great crowd, extending even those who were literally several miles away. This extraordinary grace took place in the three locations of La Tolfa, at Civitacastellana, and on the Isle of Elba, where he was heard a full five miles away.<br /><br />Also, as stated above with the Apostles and also St Anthony, it was also documented on several occasions that his Italian language was understood by members of different foreign nationalities and languages who had come to listen to him.<br />[For those interested, the webmaster has a website devoted to the extraordinary life of St Paul of the Cross here.]<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMM3wWDpAWWquJKmqb75lk0GEc-wpVlkCsQnAzR1_WJX9sOATnxlVA5c7c46CQ85wvlSoBrB5wg8gnka0QU5sLxpb3ARm80UWKjuzDJ0TNewJfaE7B33iEb3q26nGmrYMaYPtTlC2QPp0/s1600/St-Dominic.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525547487626296994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMM3wWDpAWWquJKmqb75lk0GEc-wpVlkCsQnAzR1_WJX9sOATnxlVA5c7c46CQ85wvlSoBrB5wg8gnka0QU5sLxpb3ARm80UWKjuzDJ0TNewJfaE7B33iEb3q26nGmrYMaYPtTlC2QPp0/s400/St-Dominic.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">The gift of speaking in Tongues in the life of St Dominic</span></strong><br />And then there is also another holy Founder, St. Dominic (1170-1221), the founder of the Dominican Order and the great promoter of the Holy Rosary, who was given the gift of tongues when he was one day on a journey to Paris with his companion, Bertrand of Garrega, and a number of other friends and disciples.<br /><br />While on the road they visited the sanctuary of Rocamadour, where they spent the night praying before a miraculous image of Our Lady. The next day, as they journeyed along, they sang litanies and recited psalms and the divine office, which attracted the attention of two German pilgrims, who began to follow them. When they came to the next village the two German pilgrims, being greatly attracted by the devotion of the little band, made motions to them indicating that they should sit down and dine with them. It was somewhat of an awkward situation since the Germans could not understand the Dominicans, nor could the Dominicans understand the Germans. This continued for four days, with the Germans sharing their food with the Dominicans.<br /><br />On the fifth day St. Dominic addressed Bertrand in this manner:<br /><strong><em>"Brother Bertrand, it grieves me to reap the temporal things of these pilgrims without sowing for them spiritual things: let us kneel down and ask God to grant us the understanding of their language, that we may speak to them of Christ."</em></strong> Accordingly, they knelt down and prayed. When they rose up, they were able to converse with the Germans in their own language and did so without difficulty for the rest of the journey.<br /><br />As they drew near Paris, the Germans, now filled with spiritual consolations, departed from them. The earthly food which the Germans had provided had been exchanged by Dominic for spiritual food which nourished their spirits and was beneficial to their eternal salvation. St. Dominic, for his part, charged Bertrand to keep silent about the matter and to keep it secret until his death, <em><strong>"lest the people should take us for Saints who are but sinners.'"</strong></em><br /><br />-See also the German Mystic and Stigmatic <a href="http://www.miraclesofthesaints.com/2010/10/gift-of-understanding-foreign-and.html">Therese Neumann and the supernatural gift of speaking and understanding ancient Biblical languages</a>.Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-58487369993723337002010-10-07T01:56:00.000-04:002010-10-07T01:57:13.191-04:00claim token243Q5MMUEXH3<br />technorati claim tokenGlenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-267322435107828622010-10-06T22:11:00.011-04:002010-10-07T16:32:55.718-04:00The Crown of Thorns in the lives of the Saints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvIY6ziz7lnfhHbgW3UCkvtYMv77J2kyeRiZ8ukd8Z0gjDfLQ33-tPrI44YbexF37cEjg9r7g4wA7j3hs-Gj-eSczeO-joSN_l5lEVlG42Cu6uNYRUgoL93c5kjs0NGUJDCezd2vDCLo/s1600/Crown_of_thorns_Marie_Rose_Ferron.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 287px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525126778328232658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvIY6ziz7lnfhHbgW3UCkvtYMv77J2kyeRiZ8ukd8Z0gjDfLQ33-tPrI44YbexF37cEjg9r7g4wA7j3hs-Gj-eSczeO-joSN_l5lEVlG42Cu6uNYRUgoL93c5kjs0NGUJDCezd2vDCLo/s400/Crown_of_thorns_Marie_Rose_Ferron.jpg" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;">The Crown of Thorns</span></strong><br /><br />Like the Stigmata, the Crown of Thorns is a extraordinary mystical gift of God given to select victim souls, that they might participate more fully in union with Jesus for the conversion of sinners. A good portion of the Stigmatics have also bore the Crown of Thorns, such as St Julian of Norwich, St Catherine of Siena, Domenica Lazzeri [<a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2010/07/maria-dominica-lazzari-mystic-stigmatic.html">who's crown of thorns puncture wounds were once counted and there were exactly 40 puncture wounds</a>], Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and Therese Neumann to name just a few.<br /><br />One very recent American mystic who lived in Woonsocket, Rhode Island named <strong>Marie Rose Ferron</strong> (1902-1936) was given the Crown of Thorns along with the Stigmata beginning in 1927. [Marie Rose Ferron is pictured with the Crown of Thorns marks visible in the photo above] Her case was studied extensively by numerous persons, including physicians, clergy and others from various backgrounds. One of her spiritual directors, Father Onesime Boyer wrote a popular book about Marie Rose entitled <em><strong>“She Wears a Crown of Thorns”, </strong></em>Benzinger Brothers, 1946. Concerning Rose and the Crown of Thorns we read:<br /><br />“On January 10, 1928, I [Father Boyer] received a letter stating:<br /><em>‘Rose has four little holes in her forehead, two in front and one in each temple; she feels as if her head were breaking open. Father Paradis and Mr. G. L. Desaulniers were with us. For them, it was, without doubt, something supernatural. While she was speaking, she fainted away three times; her mother took advantage of it to show us her wounds: they were all bleeding.'</em><br /><br />“Once I asked Rose how the thorn stigmata were made- I wanted to know whether she found them already made after ecstasy or if she could feel them developing. When I asked her that question she already had seven of them.<strong><em> 'During their development,'</em></strong> she said, <em><strong>'I feel them active. The impression is that of a hair being tightly pressed against the skin and boring a hole, as a gimlet would do.'</strong></em> [A gimlet is a small hand tool used for drilling or boring small holes -ed.]<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6bEpXAFhZzlP3L7bIB4u2eUoTcRGE-j_NTncofpkapOyb3NTWNtpZkQVLpeS8xpxniwNWhQDe4LZys7DIjydz9Zw5fCbjjA_nYd3NP2qhx2fWCvWnJcGkSYDdNf-pqQFuKD5PMn3ho4/s1600/Crown-of-Thorns-Marie-Rose-Ferron-.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 262px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525399680639606034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6bEpXAFhZzlP3L7bIB4u2eUoTcRGE-j_NTncofpkapOyb3NTWNtpZkQVLpeS8xpxniwNWhQDe4LZys7DIjydz9Zw5fCbjjA_nYd3NP2qhx2fWCvWnJcGkSYDdNf-pqQFuKD5PMn3ho4/s400/Crown-of-Thorns-Marie-Rose-Ferron-.jpg" /></a>“The stigmata which Rose had in the back of her head, prevented it from resting on the pillow; so she was often seen with her arm under her neck; sometimes, it was replaced by small cushions. Frequently, she would use neither; her head then was bent forward, as though she had a kink in her neck. She was seen to remain for hours in that position. While it was depressing to see her that way, she never for a moment showed the least sign of discomfort. Even when the exterior signs of the other stigmata had disappeared, if she rested on her pillow, she felt the invisible thorns penetrating deeper.<br /><br />The thorn stigmata never completely disappeared. When Rose uncovered her head, we could always see them, although they were not so active as before. But when her sufferings were at their height, the stigmata turned red and a kind of serum oozed from them.<br />On June 23, 1929, one of my correspondents wrote:<br />“A Missionary came to see Rose. While he was there, Dr. McLaughlin walked in. The Missionary wanted to see Rose's forehead, he thought it would help him during his missions. The Doctor said to her: <em>‘Rose, I do not want to hurt your feelings, but if you do not mind, I will show him your forehead.'</em><br /><br />With her permission, he explained to the Missionary how he knew the ridges and punctures were the stigmata of the crown. <em>‘Never mind, Rose,'</em> said the Doctor, <em>‘I will do my best for you, I will fight for you!'<br /></em><br />"Towards the end of November, 1929, the writer [Father Boyer] was in Rose's room, waiting till she came out of ecstasy. There was a lady with us, who had been helping Mrs. Ferron to dress her. I was then told by the mother that Rose had a crown. <em><strong>'It is like two heavy cords,'</strong></em> she said,<strong><em> 'that encircle her head.'</em></strong> The outlines of the crown were quite visible on Rose's bandage which she always wore tightly fitted to her forehead. I was offered to see them; but I refused, more to show her that I attached no great importance to such signs.<br /><br />"On January 3, 1930, Father Leonard called on her. In his notebook, he tells us that the crown consisted of two branches well outlined, produced by heavy swelling of the flesh; they were an inch apart and intersected, over each stigma.<br /><br />"When the stigma of the crown disappeared, one branch of it still remained, and although it was reduced in size, it was still very visible. After her death, a photograph was taken of Rose [see photo above]. An examination of the picture will give a good idea of what the crown looked like. The other branch, which was an inch away from the one which is visible, ran parallel to it, both crossing each other right above each stigma and then winding their way around the head. The fact that the branches of the crown appeared over a year after the thorn stigmata, and yet, were aligned with the latter in perfect symmetry is most remarkable. Out of that combination emerged a beautiful crown. The frontispiece is a reconstruction of the crown to show how it appeared in 1929.”<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOyTsGM-VbuhFKwsRuXuG4q9T9pZO9pMRob57K6tBXibpGsMcNJeDb8b28FH6uRu6qncNqXCxB7vdZkXTT-5GZDZ7tbHzJ1QUXB3TlCJXzXhcs6G4LeGG3dHYHWhNG7w9Z6Bwj_38_Js/s1600/St-Rita-of-Cascia.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 331px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525126500505883858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOyTsGM-VbuhFKwsRuXuG4q9T9pZO9pMRob57K6tBXibpGsMcNJeDb8b28FH6uRu6qncNqXCxB7vdZkXTT-5GZDZ7tbHzJ1QUXB3TlCJXzXhcs6G4LeGG3dHYHWhNG7w9Z6Bwj_38_Js/s400/St-Rita-of-Cascia.jpg" /></a>A thorn from Jesus' Crown pierces the head of St Rita</span></strong><br />One of the Saints who experienced only one wound of the Crown of Thorns stigmata was St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457). One day, she went with the sisters of her convent to the Church of St. Mary to listen to a sermon preached by Bl. James of Mount Brandone. The Franciscan friar had a great reputation for learning and eloquence and spoke about the Passion and death of Jesus, with particular emphasis on the sufferings endured by our Saviour's Crown of Thorns. Moved to tears by his graphic account of these sufferings, she returned to the convent and retreated to a small private oratory, where she prostrated at the foot of a crucifix. Absorbed in prayer and grief she declined, out of humility, to ask for the visible wounds of the stigmata as had been given to St. Francis and other Saints, but asked instead for one of the thorns so that she could experience this suffering for love of our Saviour.<br /><br />Concluding her prayer, she felt one of the thorns, like an arrow of love flung by Jesus, penetrate the flesh and bone in the middle of her forehead. The wound, in time, became ugly and revolting to some of the nuns, so that St. Rita remained in her cell for the next fifteen years of her life, suffering excruciating pain while engaged in divine contemplation. Added to the pain was the formation of little worms in the wound. At the time of her death a great light emanated from the wound on her forehead while the little worms were transformed into sparks of light. Even today the wound can still be seen on her forehead, since her body remains wonderfully incorrupt.<br /><br />A more detailed explanation of the thorn in the forehead of St Rita can be found in the book <em><strong>“St Rita of Cascia”</strong></em> by Fr. Joseph Sicardo, O.S.A., Tan books:<br /><br />“On one occasion there came to Cascia, to preach in the Church of St. Mary, a Franciscan friar named Blessed James of Mount Brandone. This good father had a great reputation for learning and eloquence, and his words had the power of moving the most hardened hearts. As St. Rita was desirous to hear so celebrated a preacher, she, accompanied by other nuns, went to the said church. The subject of Father James' sermon was the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. With words as if they were dictated by Heaven, the eloquent Franciscan told the old, old story ever new of the great sufferings of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But the dominant idea of all that the Franciscan said seemed to be cen¬tered in the excessive sufferings caused by the crown of thorns. <br /><br />"The words of the preacher penetrated deeply into the soul of St. Rita, they filled her heart to overflowing with sadness, tears were in her eyes, and she wept as if her sympathetic heart would break. When the sermon was over, St. Rita returned to the convent carrying in her bosom every word Father James had said concerning the crown of thorns. After making a visit to the Blessed Sacra¬ment, St. Rita retired to a small private oratory, in which today her body reposes, and, like the wounded heart that she was, desirous of drinking of the waters of the Lord to slake the thirst of the sufferings she anxiously coveted, she prostrated herself at the foot of a crucifix and began to meditate on the pains our Saviour suffered from the crown of thorns which penetrated deeply into His sacred temples. And, with the desire to suffer some of the pain her divine Spouse suffered, she asked Jesus to give her, at least, one of the many thorns of the crown of thorns that tormented His sacred head, saying to Him: <br /><br />"Oh my God and crucified Lord! You who were innocent and without sin or crime! You who have suffered so much for love of me! You have suffered arrest, buffeting, insults, a scourging, a crown of thorns, and finally a cruel death on the Cross. Why do You wish that I, Your unworthy servant, who was the cause of Your sufferings and Your pains, should have no share in Your sufferings? Make me, Oh my sweet Jesus, a participant, if not of all of Your Passion, at least of a part of it. Recognizing my indignity and my unworthiness, I do not ask You to imprint on my body, as You did in the hearts of St. Augustine and St. Francis, the wounds that You still preserve as precious rubies in Heaven. I do not ask You to stamp Your holy Cross as You did in the heart of St. Monica. Nor do I ask You to form in my heart the instruments <br />of Your Passion, as You did in the heart of my holy sister St. Clare of Montefalco. I only ask You for one of the seventy-two thorns which pierced Your head and caused You so much pain, so that I may feel a part of the pain You felt. Oh my loving Saviour! Do not refuse me this favor. Do not deny me this grace. I will not leave here consoled, if You send me away without so desired a pledge of Your love." <br /><br />"When St. Rita had concluded her prayerful peti¬tion, her divine Spouse, not wishing to resist any longer the desire of His faithful bride, granted her request. Making of His crown of thorns, so to speak, a bow, and of one of the thorns, an arrow, Jesus fired it at the forehead of St. Rita with such impetus and force that it penetrated the flesh and bone, and remained fixed in the middle of the forehead leaving a wound that lasted all of her life-and even to this day, the scar of the wound remains plainly visible. The pain that followed, when the thorn penetrated the forehead of St. Rita, was so acute and intense that she fell into a swoon, and she would have died then and there had not Jesus, who wounded her, preserved her life, so that she might feel, as she had earnestly desired, at least a part of the pains and torments of His Passion. On recovering herself and knowing that she had been favored with a signal and precious token, St. Rita returned fervent and heartfelt thanks to her divine Lover and Spouse. <br /><br />"St. Rita left the oratory bearing on her forehead the sacred wound, and on her countenance evident signs of intense suffering. On seeing the wound, the nuns were more than surprised, but they were ignorant of the mystery. St. Rita, however, guardian of the royal secret and knowing how important it was to conceal the sacrament the Sovereign King had confided to her, hid it in her bosom and revealed it to no one. <br /><br />"The pain caused by the wound increased day by day, and the wound itself assumed so ugly and revolt¬ing an appearance that St. Rita became an object of nausea to some of the nuns, who could not bear even to look at her. Not wishing to be the cause of the least inconvenience to the nuns, St. Rita re¬mained nearly all the time in her cell engaged in divine contemplation, and glorying, even in the midst of the pains of the wound caused by an arrow of divine love. Sometimes the nuns visited her in her cell, either to bring her some nourishment or to speak a few words with her, for they all loved her dearly. And as often as they came, they departed edified by her wonderful patience. <br /><br />"But St. Rita was happy, even in the midst of her sufferings, and when she felt that her sufferings were becoming more intense, she said to her divine Spouse: "0 loving Jesus, increase my patience ac¬cording as my sufferings increase." This prayer, like all the prayers of St. Rita, was answered, and so great was her patience amidst all the pain she suffered that she called the little worms which were generated by the putrid humor of her wound, "her angels" -for they increased her sufferings when¬ever they moved or fed themselves on her tender and aching flesh, thus giving her new occasions to practice patience and to merit more and more the love and esteem of her divine Spouse, Jesus Christ.” <br /><br />In closing, another excellent relatively recent description of the Crown of Thorns in the life of the <a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2008/12/saint-gemma-and-crown-of-thorns.html">20th century Italian mystic St Gemma Galgani can be read here</a>.<br />_____________________________<br /><strong><em>"...My heart bleeds under the weight of suffering but my will remains united to Yours, and I cry out to You: Lord it is for them that I want to suffer .... I wish to mingle my tears with Thy Precious Blood for the salvation of those I love!"</em> </strong><br />-Marie Rose FerronGlenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-26307270128562706832010-10-06T01:28:00.027-04:002021-08-06T20:06:15.109-04:00Miracles with dogs, birds & other animals<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX1b5usbWN9spK6NSAptuRvzVkBQjCc0RewpUbwmMlJ7s-1ZGnM8sQma7A4o8t_3rFhdWsrBNJPQ0UZG0-EZQvA4QysYqwgg9QF-gqE02aFKp2EQqP4HrryGK7NdY0MnKpDvna2DucV4/s1600/St_John_Bosco_1887.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537429159740194130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX1b5usbWN9spK6NSAptuRvzVkBQjCc0RewpUbwmMlJ7s-1ZGnM8sQma7A4o8t_3rFhdWsrBNJPQ0UZG0-EZQvA4QysYqwgg9QF-gqE02aFKp2EQqP4HrryGK7NdY0MnKpDvna2DucV4/s400/St_John_Bosco_1887.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 306px;" /></a>
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">Miracles of the Saints over Nature: -Dogs, Birds and other animals</span></strong><div>
It is absolutely amazing to see the obedience that relatively unintelligent animals often performed at the bidding of the Saints. The lives of the Saints are full of stories pertaining to the extraordinary influence of the Saints over many different kinds of animals. God, it seems, allows the Saints to have this extraordinary rapport with the animals, so as to draw their fellow man closer to Him by marveling at the wonders that He works between the Saints and the animals. </div><div><br /></div><div>Below we have three such stories- St John Bosco and the mysterious dog "Grigio", St. Joseph of Cupertino and the story of the little goldfinch, and Father Paul of Moll and the beautiful colored messenger birds. <div><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">St. John Bosco and the mysterious dog "Grigio" who protected him on numerous occasions</span></strong> </div><div>Among all the amazing episodes in the life of Don Bosco, one of the greatest was the appearance of the dog <strong><em>"Grigio"</em></strong> -a huge grey dog that appeared suddenly at moments of danger, reappeared on many occasions and disappeared some years later when the danger was over. He asked for neither food nor shelter, was savage as a wolf against an enemy, but gentle as a lamb with the boys of the Oratory, and whom St. John "Don" Bosco gave the name of<strong><em> Grigio</em></strong> <strong>-"the grey one."</strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> Don Bosco was once passing through the thickly populated quarter which lay near Valdocco late at night. It had a bad reputation: shady characters could skulk behind the tufts of scrub and brushwood and burst out upon the passerby. His mother, Margaret Bosco, was always anxious when her son was out late at night. Don Bosco had passed the last buildings of the town when a huge grey dog appeared and walked by his side.
He was startled at first, but as he found that the creature seemed friendly, he accepted its company and went on to the Orarory. When he reached the door the dog turned around and trotted off in the direction whence it had come. </div><div><br /></div><div>Every night henceforward, when Don Bosco was out late, the same thing happened. He found the dog waiting for him whenever there was a lonely part of the town to be traversed.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGf8Bpesv42GGF4VU6QcWmaMa4Ev3Kqp1tEoyaZ0W6uBRBlV7lyyToptfdYPelr872PyI4Ea5pahP7_tDTgDfrunSzjqqf-cEcjeyabJB3mKf-u6anhXBIfmiWUlTGYeY64KEAWn0aG4/s1600/Grigio.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537429696681317890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGf8Bpesv42GGF4VU6QcWmaMa4Ev3Kqp1tEoyaZ0W6uBRBlV7lyyToptfdYPelr872PyI4Ea5pahP7_tDTgDfrunSzjqqf-cEcjeyabJB3mKf-u6anhXBIfmiWUlTGYeY64KEAWn0aG4/s400/Grigio.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 338px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a>One night, he became aware of two suspicious-looking men who were following him, matching their pace to his. When he tried to avoid them by crossing the road, they crossed too. He decided to rum back, bur at the moment he did so they were on him. A cloak was thrown over his head and a handkerchief thrust into his mouth. He struggled to free himself and call for help, but it was useless. Suddenly, with a terrific howl, Grigio appeared and rushed upon them. Leaping on the one who held the cloak, he forced him to let go, then bit the second and flung him onto to the ground. The first tried to escape but Grigio was after him, rolled him too in the mud and stood over them both, growling furiously.
<strong><em>"Call off your dog!"</em></strong> they cried to Don Bosco.
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"><em>"I will call him off if you will let me go about my business,"</em></span></strong> he replied.
<strong><em>"Yes, anything..only call him off!"</em></strong>
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"><em>"Come, Grigio," </em></span></strong>said Don Bosco, and the dog immediately obeyed, while the two men, terrified, made off in double quick time. </div><div><br /></div><div> Another night, Don Bosco was on his way home when a man hiding behind a tree fired twice at him at such close range that it seems almost impossible that both shots had missed. Then, throwing away the pistol, the man rushed upon him. But at this exact moment, Grigio mysteriously appeared and seized the man, and dragged him a few feet away, growling fiercely all the while. He then released the man who instantly fled in terror, and the dog once more escorted Don Bosco home.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPl8ZUCdTta0_rc5ijy_31kNVQREYBZa_yVudchSUXd-vWhQq21duTuXKEO-ydeLYqsPOdiXB16jhrbPgIafMOWBBTBFPYSbhvD4sdNri1VMPnjDgsjxQClXT0WJ61w3hQsbxRtsEGiI/s1600/Grigio_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537430742198899282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPl8ZUCdTta0_rc5ijy_31kNVQREYBZa_yVudchSUXd-vWhQq21duTuXKEO-ydeLYqsPOdiXB16jhrbPgIafMOWBBTBFPYSbhvD4sdNri1VMPnjDgsjxQClXT0WJ61w3hQsbxRtsEGiI/s400/Grigio_2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 292px;" /></a>On another occasion it was from a whole band of thugs that this mysterious companion saved him. Don Bosco had reached a lonely spot when, hearing steps, he turned to see a man close to him with an uplifted stick. Don Bosco was a swift runner in those days, but his enemy was swifter and soon caught up with him. It was a moment of action. Don Bosco, with a well-directed blow of the fist, sent the man sprawling. His howl of pain brought several others out of the bushes where they had been hiding. They were all armed with heavy sticks, and things now looked black for Don Bosco. Once more, at the crucial moment, the terrific howl of Grigio was heard. He ran around and around his master, growling and showing his formidable teeth until one by one the ruffians turned and disappeared. </div><div><br /></div><div>One night, instead of accompanying Don Bosco, Grigio went to the Oratory and refused to let him go out, lying down across the door of his room, for once growling and showing ill temper towards Don Bosco when he made the slightest attempt to dislodge him.
<em>"<strong>Don't go out, John,"</strong></em> said his mother;<em> <strong>"if you won't listen to me, at least listen to that dog; he has more sense than you have."</strong> </em></div><div><br /></div><div>
Don Bosco gave in at last, and a quarter of an hour later a neighbor came in to warn him that he had overheard two rogues planning to attack him.
Another evening after supper the dog appeared in the playroom, and all the boys of Don Bosco's Oratory gathered around him and made much of him. They patted him, pulled his ears, stroked his head, the little ones rode on him. He regarded them with grave eyes until at last they brought him into the refectory where Don Bosco was still at supper.<em> <strong>"</strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"><strong>Why, Grigio, old fellow, what brings you here?"</strong></span></em> he said. Grigio went up to him, put his great head on the table, looked at him and wagged his tail.
<em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLOMUVmgQcwXCy_UpPlQiGkW4hJppKrAJs9Ke00HJhffYkcfH-F8Yw3mZ9n4IyDdGoe40mp73Upycf-LJkMpAKV_MmlpWhNV1y1cTvIgqyzFMzrbM9uR9bV38bJO3moAbifiAoBLtfww/s1600/St-John_Bosco_1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524811886392666658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLOMUVmgQcwXCy_UpPlQiGkW4hJppKrAJs9Ke00HJhffYkcfH-F8Yw3mZ9n4IyDdGoe40mp73Upycf-LJkMpAKV_MmlpWhNV1y1cTvIgqyzFMzrbM9uR9bV38bJO3moAbifiAoBLtfww/s400/St-John_Bosco_1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 245px;" /></a>"<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">What do you want, old boy? A bit of cheese or polenta?"</span></strong> </em>No, he wanted neither. <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"><em>"Then, if you won't have anything,"</em> </span></strong>said his master, stroking the great head, <em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"then go home to bed."</span></strong></em>
Grigio gave him one long look, turned around and trotted out. </div><div><br /></div><div>The reason of this unusual visit of Grigio was never really known, but it does show the remarkable gentleness and kindness of this "stray dog" who was nevertheless incredibly vicious and protective of Don Bosco on numerous occasions. </div><div><br /></div><div>The last time Don Bosco saw him was one night in Castelnuovo. He was going from Murialdo to Moncucco and it was growing dark. He had to pass some farms and vineyards that were guarded by savage dogs. <span style="color: #3333ff;"><strong><em>"I wish I had Grigio here,"</em></strong> </span>he said to himself. As if the wish had suddenly produced him, Grigio appeared with every sign of delight at meeting his friend, wagging his tail, and he walked the whole way with him.
It was lucky he was there, for two dogs at a farm they passed rushed out upon them, but Grigio in a vicious offensive soon sent both of them flying with their tails between their legs. When Don Bosco reached the friend's house to which he was bound, they were astonished to see the magnificent dog and wondered where Don Bosco had picked him up. When they sat down to supper he was lying beside them, but when Don Bosco rose to give him some food, he was not to be seen. In fact, that was the last of Grigio. The enemies of the Saint had grown tired of plotting against him, and the mysterious protector was never to be seen again.
So how can the incredible timing and actions of "Grigio" the stray dog be explained? How is it that he mysteriously showed up at just the right moment on not one, but <strong>numerous</strong> occasions to literally save the life of Father John Bosco? Was Grigio an Angel in the form of a dog? Or was he simply a dog that was mysteriously guided by God to protect Don Bosco? But how then did he seem to appear out of nowhere? One thing is for sure: God was with St. Don Bosco because he had long ago given himself completely to the service of God, and God worked incredible miracles through his intercession, that he might be a holy example to all the poor boys who came to the Oratory that he had founded which literally became for them a heavenly refuge.
[Source for the above information is the excellent book <em><strong>“St John Bosco”</strong></em> by F.A. Forbes, Tan Books, 2000.]
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rENTybb4wGwERNMxi_aRskVE3WWENEherH_vwv3yhErS3Uo-9qPZS_AT51I3kYPK4oczSb1Zz-Mfzil4YjN_MWhq53x0Y6fyJvH9o7p6N15_YSdORMVLqBBqb9vIRwfjEGT9RKA3GdU/s1600/St-Francis-of-Assisi.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524813962429134834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rENTybb4wGwERNMxi_aRskVE3WWENEherH_vwv3yhErS3Uo-9qPZS_AT51I3kYPK4oczSb1Zz-Mfzil4YjN_MWhq53x0Y6fyJvH9o7p6N15_YSdORMVLqBBqb9vIRwfjEGT9RKA3GdU/s400/St-Francis-of-Assisi.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 303px;" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But before we move on to the next Saint who had a remarkable way with animals who should surely at least mention probably the most well known Saint to have an extraordinary friendship with the animals: <strong><em>St Francis of Assisi. </em></strong>It was documented on numerous occasions how the birds often flocked to him, and landed on his arms and shoulders, singing sweetly all the while. He spoke to them, and they responded by singing and fluttering their wings. One can read on the Internet the book entitled <em>“The Flowers of St Francis”</em> which details many of the Saints remarkable experiences with nature. </div><div><br /></div><div><strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">St Joseph of Cupertino’s influence over the animals</span></strong> </div><div>Through the grace of God, St Joseph of Cupertino worked various marvels with the animals. A linnet, to which he often said, <em>"Praise God,"</em> would praise the Lord or cease to do so at his command. Once, on setting free a gold-finch that had been caught in a fowlers net he said to it: <strong><em>"Go now and enjoy what God has given thee; I ask nothing more of you than that you return when I call you to praise with me your God and mine."</em></strong>
Obedient to these words, the bird flew about in the garden near by and, when Joseph called it, it immediately would come straightway came to praise the Creator. A hawk once killed a finch, which the saint had trained to say, <strong><em>"Jesus and Mary”</em></strong> and also <strong><em>"Friar Joseph, pray your Breviary."</em></strong> The hawk returned at the saint's command and, when he reproached it saying, <em>"You, thief!</em> <em>You have killed my finch and you deserve that I should kill you!"</em> Amazingly, the hawk remained perched on the cage as if sorry for its misdeed, and the witnesses state that it even allowed Joseph to strike it with his finger, and only flew away when he said, <em>"Now go. This time I will pardon thee, but do not do such a thing to a pet again."</em> </div><div><br /></div><div>To the nuns of St. Clare at Copertino the saint presented a white lamb to watch over the discipline of the community. The lamb always was with the Nuns during their spiritual exercises and was ever alert in the Chapel to wake the sleepy by butting and jostling or to remove with hoofs and teeth any vain finery which it observed.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqSzITQNlFySJ0aP6XrH_jVdY64EHls4aD-Cd4-9w8wDjEfOwnKawH9dJYUqQVYqhb3CHiLA_c5Hap9NEt-thNy2FCfkwcR6HM9ya-MAmpLbexMo2arbRjcFGXpJ8xij8IPM7Yx2S38w/s1600/Saint_Joseph_Cupertino.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZABJ1P5jwfMLJL_ni0Q2mVH1GMQpGbfZPupxc-H0wtiZD-eORa0Bd4U-FV5bbm8DJvqcEDMF0Y4aSL08IVsYFFvtSh_Vui-wp068iAYCiky-oKf4urszHwooQ60L3vPERKvKMTiJuJE/s1600/Goldfinch.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537438795756484082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZABJ1P5jwfMLJL_ni0Q2mVH1GMQpGbfZPupxc-H0wtiZD-eORa0Bd4U-FV5bbm8DJvqcEDMF0Y4aSL08IVsYFFvtSh_Vui-wp068iAYCiky-oKf4urszHwooQ60L3vPERKvKMTiJuJE/s400/Goldfinch.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 339px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 360px;" /></a>When the lamb had died, the saint promised to send the nuns a bird which should prompt them to love God, and thus it came to pass. One day as the nuns were reciting the Divine Office, a forest songster perched on the window of the choir and sang most sweetly. And thus day by day the merry warble of the feathered songster accompanied and encouraged the chanting of the nuns, until one day it saw two novices quarrelling and flew between them in an endeavor to part them with its outspread wings and tiny claws. One of the novices struck the bird, and it flew away and did not return, though it had been with the community for five years.
The nuns were grieved because of this and complained to Joseph, but he said: <strong><em>"It serves you right; why did you provoke it and chase it away? It is therefore unwilling to come again."</em></strong> But, at their repeated request, he promised to send the bird again. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the first summons to choir, the bird not only came to the window and sang, but, grown more tame than before, and flew into the monastery. The nuns tied a small bell to its foot. When it failed to appear on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, they again had recourse to Joseph, who replied to them: <strong><em>"I sent you the bird that it should sing, not that it should ring a bell. It has stayed away because during these days it has guarded the holy sepulchre. I will see that it comes back again." </em></strong>And the bird returned once again and remained with the pious nuns until its death.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r3uv9vhF2GRvByBGKlt0dBMagcDgA8wf2ZTy99tUQ-4wbhfwTHU2CFLsG10b-1tGb7QgaMkcC2hKKFYYsndU5R7D-zVv7KqlRFsi4wLauaHXEMcLWx-PDK4Fc4SjGWRK0Uv7PZoSvfc/s1600/Father_Paul_of_Moll.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524811610731599890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1r3uv9vhF2GRvByBGKlt0dBMagcDgA8wf2ZTy99tUQ-4wbhfwTHU2CFLsG10b-1tGb7QgaMkcC2hKKFYYsndU5R7D-zVv7KqlRFsi4wLauaHXEMcLWx-PDK4Fc4SjGWRK0Uv7PZoSvfc/s400/Father_Paul_of_Moll.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 272px;" /></a><strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;"><br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;"><br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">Father Paul of Moll and the miraculous messenger birds</span></strong> </div><div>The saintly Father Paul of Moll , who is known as <em>"The Benedictine Wonder-Worker of the Nineteenth Century,"</em> also had a mysterious experience with birds. We are told in his biography that whenever he visited Antwerp he would call upon a certain invalid lady and her servant, Theresa.
Fr. Paul, in the year 1887, told the servant Theresa that she would know beforehand of his approaching visits. At his next visit he asked, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Well, have the little birds announced my coming?"</span></em></strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> As a matter of fact, on the eve of Father Paul's visits to the lady, beautiful little birds, varying in number from two to twelve at a time, began to make their appearance in the garden, singing a joyful air which was always the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>They would also perch on the window-sill of the drawing room which looked out upon the garden, and tap upon the window panes. Although the tune of the mysterious songsters never varied, they had at each successive visit a different plumage.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2WY0jFU53tOj6dheCk-P13-Yk1TDBha-vBd-oXILhqXLDT4ls81WrMKFsoTPUvYxJrsPrHhnhmZ0VMUNNOD0aaA8F_Eitm4GEvAfkO_zWrCu7DasTWMj14t1dO6PD502oVaIG1OY_0o/s1600/red-legged-honeycreeper.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537438133298935826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2WY0jFU53tOj6dheCk-P13-Yk1TDBha-vBd-oXILhqXLDT4ls81WrMKFsoTPUvYxJrsPrHhnhmZ0VMUNNOD0aaA8F_Eitm4GEvAfkO_zWrCu7DasTWMj14t1dO6PD502oVaIG1OY_0o/s400/red-legged-honeycreeper.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 308px;" /></a>Not only did the servant, Theresa, see the birds, but also the invalid lady and her nurse. Neither of them could tell where the birds came from any more than Theresa could. But were the birds from the tropics? But in that case these delicate little creatures would hardly have ventured into our climate in all seasons, for they came in winter, when it was snowing and very cold, as well as in summer. </div><div><br /></div><div>The nurse tried repeatedly to catch one of the birds, but in vain. She spoke of it to Fr. Paul and he replied, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Oh! they won't let themselves be caught!"</span></em></strong>
When asked about the beautiful little birds, Fr. Paul replied with a smile, <em><span style="color: #3333ff;"><strong>"They are messengers."</strong></span></em> Fr. Paul then warned Theresa not to speak of the birds to anyone except to an intimate friend of hers. He then warned, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"If during my lifetime you spread the news abroad, the birds will never come again." </span></em></strong></div><div><br /></div><div>
On the eve of Fr. Paul's death, the birds appeared once more, but they were somewhat dejected and with drooping wings sang a melancholy song which the members of the household understood to be a presentiment of a tragic happening.</div><div><br /></div><div>Six months passed before the birds returned again, and this took place when a photograph of Fr. Paul was hung in the invalid's drawing room. At this time they sang beautiful melodies, but it is reported that afterwards their visits were infrequent.
As mentioned earlier, the birds appeared each time in a different plumage. Theresa, however, was able to give us a description as the birds appeared on Wednesday, September 30, 1897, a year and seven months after Fr. Paul's death. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk7AXuWfAFdsqBUwvvKhCN4ArFXNnxwGMqNZTJcKH_5Gz9yJ4rvyN6ltsxTu2qWG3VXdjyElTiV3ikShsi6NQ_qwQUspsoTt2m9iNQ6h24zBK5Lvn__J_94h2_SLJRE4DV_DspDxAd0I/s1600/Tropical-bird.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537438587389926754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWk7AXuWfAFdsqBUwvvKhCN4ArFXNnxwGMqNZTJcKH_5Gz9yJ4rvyN6ltsxTu2qWG3VXdjyElTiV3ikShsi6NQ_qwQUspsoTt2m9iNQ6h24zBK5Lvn__J_94h2_SLJRE4DV_DspDxAd0I/s400/Tropical-bird.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a><em>“<strong>Today, at ten minutes to eleven, two little birds of incomparable beauty arrived; their plumage was blue, green and purple, their breasts and heads white, the latter with stripes of deep purple in the form of a garland.”</strong></em> </div><div><br /></div><div> Another lady of Antwerp was favored with a visit of Fr. Paul. She had two small sons who were covered with horrible eruptions which the doctors could not cure. When Fr. Paul saw the condition of the children he advised the mother to make a novena and wash both children with water containing the medal of St. Benedict. Fr. Paul was a promotor of the medal of St. Benedict and often advised this remedy to those who were ill. The mother was surprised by this advice and replied,<em> "But the physician forbade me to wash them in water."</em> </div><div><br /></div><div>Fr. Paul repeated his advice, <strong><em>"I tell you, wash them twelve times a day for nine days."</em></strong> Before the end of the novena both children were perfectly cured. This is just one of the countless miracles worked by Father Paul of Moll, <em>"The Benedictine wonder-worker of the nineteenth century."
</em>
The same woman tells us, <em><strong>"I have visited the grave of Fr. Paul three times, and on each occasion a beautiful little bird came and sang over the tomb as long as I prayed there. The bird did not fly away until the moment I left."</strong></em>
____________________________</div><div><br /></div><div>
<em>-"The more a man loves God, the more beautiful he grows in the eyes of God."
-"God being infinite love, we can always love Him more and more."
-"Oh love! Oh infinite love! Oh eternal love! Oh sweet love of God !"
-"Man finds his greatest consolation in faithfully keeping the commandments of God and the holy Church, and in having a great devotion to Mary."</em>
<strong>-Some sayings of Father Paul of Moll</strong>
<strong>-</strong></div><div><strong><br /></strong></div><div><strong>Click here for more </strong><a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2009/02/rev-father-paul-of-moll.html"><strong>information on the extraordinary life of Fr. Paul of Moll</strong> </a></div></div>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-33805632358281637962010-10-05T01:47:00.015-04:002010-10-05T13:55:03.637-04:00Levitation and Ecstatic flights in the lives of the Saints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD8Ou0_m1upu-J0p6fmy2xqp4k4xkUDYRIVRb8aZ64f-qrLILr21DS1RKhDRwtPcX2NKQf5WFrTt1Et4BLdPdrgg_hvC3Qleis1ImYQp514ZvxSAwlvfywLGycSTDBHkaohM9QOQJQ_E/s1600/St-Joseph-of-Cupertino.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524444194110085426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwD8Ou0_m1upu-J0p6fmy2xqp4k4xkUDYRIVRb8aZ64f-qrLILr21DS1RKhDRwtPcX2NKQf5WFrTt1Et4BLdPdrgg_hvC3Qleis1ImYQp514ZvxSAwlvfywLGycSTDBHkaohM9QOQJQ_E/s400/St-Joseph-of-Cupertino.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Levitation is one of the most frequently mentioned phenomena in the lives of the Saints. Many more Saints have experienced this marvel in addition to those who will be mentioned below. Some more notable Saints are St Benedict Joseph Labre, St. Angela of Brescia, St. Antoinette of Florence, St. Arey, St. Peter Celestine, St. Colette, St. Margaret of Hungary, St. Stephen of Hungary, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Joseph Oriol, Bl. Bentivolio Buoni, St Francis of Paola, St. John of St. Facond and St Martin de Porres.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">St Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663)</span></strong><br />Certainly one of the Saints who is best known for levitating during prayer is St. Joseph of Cupertino, who experienced so many levitations that were witnessed by his brothers in the Franciscan Order and others that he is regarded as the patron saint airplane passengers. In Fr. Angelo Pastrovicchi's official biography of the Saint, which was first published in 1767, the author states that:<br /><em>“Not only during the sixteen years of the Saint's stay at Grottella, but during his whole life, these ecstasies and flights were so frequent, as attested in the acts of the Process of beatification, that for more than thirty-five years his superiors would not permit him to take part in the exercises in the choir and the refectory or in processions, lest he disturb the community."<br /></em><br />St Joseph was often enraptured into remarkable levitations, often being carried away by God for some distances. In the records of his official beatification process [Acta Sanctorum], seventy of his levitations and ecstatic flights are recorded.<br /><br />One Christmas Eve the Saint invited some shepherds to join in celebrating the birth of the Saviour. When they started to play bagpipes and flutes, the Saint let out a cry of joy and flew a considerable distance through the air to the high altar. He remained in his rapture about a quarter of an hour. Although he was in the air leaning over several lighted candles, his garments were not affected. As usual, all present were astounded by the miracle.<br /><br />During a profession ceremony at Cupertino, the Saint, dressed in a surplice, suddenly rose to the height of the pulpit and remained for some time with outstretched arms and bent knees. -Imagine the amazement of the religious and the congregation! One Holy Thursday, while praying before a representation of the holy sepulchre which was situated above the high altar and lit with many candles and lamps, the Saint rose in the air and flew to the altar. Without touching any of the decorations, he remained for a time until the superior ordered his return.<br />Another time on hearing a priest say: <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Father Joseph, how beautiful God has made Heaven,"</span></em></strong> the Saint flew up and "rested" on the top branches of an olive tree. He remained there in a kneeling posi¬tion for half an hour while the branch which "supported" him swayed as lightly as if a small bird had perched on it."<br /><br />Once while passing through Monopoli on his way to Naples, he was led by his fellow religious to the church of the monastery to see a new statue of St. Anthony of Padua. After spotting it from a distance, he suddenly flew to the statue and then returned to his former place. After the Inquisition heard of these marvels, they felt the need to investigate and commanded that the Saint say Mass in their presence at the Church of St. Gregory of Armenia, which belonged to the nuns of St. Ligorio. Suddenly the Saint rose with a loud cry from a corner and while praying, flew to the altar. He remained standing in the air, bending over the flowers and lighted candles with his arms spread in the form of a cross. The nuns cried in alarm that he would catch fire, but he returned to the floor unharmed.<br /><br />Certainly the most prominent witnesses to the Saint's levitations was <strong>Pope Urban VIII</strong>. During the Saint's first stay in Rome he went with the Father General to visit the Pope. While bending over the feet of the Pontiff the Saint became enraptured and rose in the air until the Father General commanded that he return. The Pope marveled at the phenomenon and told the Father General that he himself would bear witness to the occurrence should the Saint die during his pontificate.<br /><br />To satisfy the curiosity of the Spanish Ambassador to the Papal Court and his wife who went to Assisi on purpose to see St. Joseph, the Saint was told by Fr. Custos to go into the church and visit Our Lady's statue. Upon entering the church he looked toward the statue of the Immaculate Conception on an altar, and flew over the heads of those present, and remained in the air at the feet of the statue. After a few moments he flew back and then retired to his cell."<br /><br />Occasionally the Saint's raptures lasted six or seven hours. A peculiar aspect was that, when a rapture overtook him at Holy Mass, he always resumed where he had left off. Another unusual aspect is that his garments were never disturbed during his many flights whether he travelled forward or backward, up or down. St Joseph of Cupertino was so on fire with the love of God that one could almost always draw him into an ecstatic levitation by simply speaking of the adorable love of God or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or causing him to contemplate a picture of Jesus or Mary.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BrI7vRdl72Aq0rAE7SUzQBRA2LHpWeqbGvk8i1UoKnOsSWfnJnS01ccqWZzk9Pgl2-YV8zbfDW5SudfEziT7WHU4BUEiapiwFvA4wqcrIxK-RH9XcHk1PHVnTrNifch6rOKhtTRDthY/s1600/St-Gerard-Majella.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 230px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524443981050355234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_BrI7vRdl72Aq0rAE7SUzQBRA2LHpWeqbGvk8i1UoKnOsSWfnJnS01ccqWZzk9Pgl2-YV8zbfDW5SudfEziT7WHU4BUEiapiwFvA4wqcrIxK-RH9XcHk1PHVnTrNifch6rOKhtTRDthY/s400/St-Gerard-Majella.jpg" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)</span></strong><br />Like St Joseph of Cupertino, St Gerard Majella was often enraptured into remarkable levitations, often being drawn away by God for some distances. It was sufficient for St Gerard Majella to think of the perfections of God, to contemplate the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity or that of the Incarnation, to cast his eyes upon a crucifix or a picture of the Blessed Virgin, to be in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament or even some wonder of creation.<br /><br />The following are a few examples:<br />Gerard, intending to spend some days at Oliveto, received hospitality at the house of the archpriest Don Salvadore. One morning, Holy Mass was about to begin, and Gerard, who desired to communicate at it, did not appear. They called him, they knocked at his door, but there was no answer. At last they entered and found the seraphic brother kneeling in ecstasy, a crucifix in his right hand, the left hand laid on his breast, his face pale, his eyes half-closed. For more than half an hour, the household of the archpriest gazed in admiration at the ravishing spectacle.<br /><br />This hospitable home had already been witness of a still more remarkable ecstasy, in which the servant of God was suspended without support in the air. It had taken place on the very morning of his arrival at Oliveto. Gerard had withdrawn to his room to pray. At the dinner hour, the archpriest went himself to invite him to dinner. But to his astonishment he found the brother ravished in ecstasy and raised about three feet from the ground. Filled with amazement, he withdrew, but returning shortly after, he found him in the same state. The whole household, all witnesses to the extraordinary event, unable to sit down to dinner, awaited the guest with tears of emotion. At last he appeared, his face all inflamed. <em>"Please do not wait for me,"</em> he said to the archpriest. <em>"I do not wish to inconvenience you."</em> To preserve the memory of this rapture, the archpriest marked on the wall of the room the height to which he had seen the Saint elevated.<br /><br />A similar prodigy was seen by all the people at Corato. On Good Friday, 1753, a picture representing Jesus Christ Crucified was carried in procession. When the procession entered the church of the Benedictines, Gerard was already inside engaged in prayer. As soon as he perceived the sacred image of the Saviour, an ecstatic transport seized him, and before the eyes of all, he was elevated to a considerable height from the ground, his eyes fixed on the picture.<br /><br />Yet another occasion is the account of a blind beggar who lived in Caposele who played most charmingly on the flute. Seeing him one day at the gate of the convent, Gerard begged him to play a well-known Italian song: <em>"In all things, oh my God, I wish your Will, not my own."</em> Immediately, a rapture of divine love seized upon the holy religious, and he began to leap, repeating the words: <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">"Your Will, oh my God, and not mine!"</span></em></strong> Then, suddenly raising his eyes toward Heaven, he was elevated in the air with the swiftness of an arrow, and there remained for some time ravished in ecstasy.<br /><br />This reversal of the laws of gravity, this super natural agility, took the shape even of an ecstatic flight. Gerard was returning one day to Iliceto with two young companions. As they were passing before a chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, he turned the conversation to that tender and compassionate Mother. Then he took a pencil and wrote, I know not what, on a scrap of paper, which he tossed up in the air as if it were a letter. At the same moment, his two companions beheld him rise in the air and fly with the rapidity and lightness of a bird to a distance of over three quarters of a mile. Afterwards, they never ceased to recount this prodigious fact of which they had been witnesses.<br /><br />There were other times that the servant of God was favored with ecstatic flight. A pious person named Rosaria loved to relate that she had seen him one day carried up like a feather through the air, his arms extended. He flew thus for over three quarters of a mile, hastening to the convent to which he was called, no doubt, by some exercise of Rule or some desire of the Superior.<br /><br />It is an intense love for God that draws the Saints ever closer to Him. In the last months of his life, Gerard sometimes heaved such sighs as to attract upon himself looks of astonishment. Father Cajone reproved him for thus drawing attention to himself, at which Gerard took the good Fathers hand and laid it upon his heart. The beating was so violent that after a few moments the Father asked him then how he was able to thus endure it. On a similar occasion, Gerard said to Dr. Santorelli, <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">“If I were on a mountain, it seems to me that I would set fire to the world with these flames of love”</span></em></strong> then he took the Doctors hand and placed it upon his heart, which was beating with an unheard of fury, as if it were about to leap out of his breast.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNZaPfeXxcVWgwezv_sGNh7se3f3A2BaRkjYWV1QfTtDbMtF6mDdt2BG1vZ4iD5JdW-5iEjyA9fl-gmVzHrrjQosowJKJGauHLEREp0H-N8uKdhpRIBXFpz9GXpQE_JDIujm9i2v-4rw/s1600/Saint_Paul_of_the_Cross.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 271px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524443726162868546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNZaPfeXxcVWgwezv_sGNh7se3f3A2BaRkjYWV1QfTtDbMtF6mDdt2BG1vZ4iD5JdW-5iEjyA9fl-gmVzHrrjQosowJKJGauHLEREp0H-N8uKdhpRIBXFpz9GXpQE_JDIujm9i2v-4rw/s400/Saint_Paul_of_the_Cross.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)</span></strong> </span><br /><a href="http://www.saintpaulofthecross.com/2009/09/miracles-of-st-paul-of-cross.html">St Paul of the Cross, the holy founder of the Passionists </a>was in the town of Latera, in the diocese of Montefiascone, and was in the sacristy of a church speaking with other priests when he became so inflamed with the love of God that he rose in the air, to the complete astonishment of his witnesses. Another time he was in a town on the isle of Elba giving a mission when, at the most fervent part of his sermon, he walked off the platform, through the air and over the heads of the people and then returned as though nothing unusual had taken place. One can only imagine the emotions felt by those who had witnessed such an unexpected display of the supernatural.<br /><br />During the last years of his life the Saint was sitting in the sacristy of Sts. John and Paul Church in Rome and absorbed in holy conversation with a number of people when, as the deposition states:<br />"He began, according to his custom, to have his countenance lighted up, brilliant rays flashing from his face; then his whole body began to tremble; then, as I believe, he perceived that he was losing the control of his senses, he clung with both his hands to the arms of the chair, and leaned his shoulders on the back of it; as soon as he had done this, he began to rise, together with the chair, and that to such a height, that I think he must have risen at least to the height of five or six feet...in this state he continued a very long time in most sublime contemplation. Finally he returned to himself, and, as the rapture passed away, a slight tremor took place all over his body, and gradually the servant of God, with the chair, descended and rested on the ground."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCUTo9tlCjd273aFtLDGqqMKqHCjKaQWuipJdRWJSbY-gEOyPH-Y4Rlrx1SNsokdYvtFkJJcg0RTOF4HYLpBPk97aGNEyVJggwBPqFmtLgxEVI9PXM7qilaS0p77qfFPMdYJBCf-vqAI/s1600/St_Gemma_Galgani.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 260px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524447371187289282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCUTo9tlCjd273aFtLDGqqMKqHCjKaQWuipJdRWJSbY-gEOyPH-Y4Rlrx1SNsokdYvtFkJJcg0RTOF4HYLpBPk97aGNEyVJggwBPqFmtLgxEVI9PXM7qilaS0p77qfFPMdYJBCf-vqAI/s400/St_Gemma_Galgani.bmp" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)</span></strong><br />In more recent times there is also the story in the extraordinary life of St Gemma Galgani [the webmaster's favorite Saint!] when on a certain day Gemma was adoring Jesus on the crucifix while she was going about her household chores, when all of a sudden Jesus on the Cross came alive, and with one hand beckoned Gemma to come to Him, and then in a moment of love and joy, Gemma was raised off the ground and taken to Jesus, and embraced Him in an ecstasy of love. Those interested can read the <a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2009/06/st-gemma-miracle-of-crucifix.html">entire story of Gemma's ecstatic flight to Jesus on the crucifix here</a>.<br />______________________________<br /><br /><em>"My Mother [the Blessed Virgin Mary] is very different. If I bring Her flowers, She says She does not want them. If I offer Her cherries, She will not take them. When I ask Her then what She desires, She replies: <strong>'I desire your heart, for I live on hearts.</strong>'</em> -St Joseph of CupertinoGlenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-88463385118654254572010-10-04T21:28:00.007-04:002011-09-30T00:25:24.496-04:00Gift of understanding foreign and ancient languages<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugyTwz1Fo2V1lnFCj-3fG7M43LdfFJYOR9kb4gTngtEmA9xg98LnEo3hfcycGj3ChAQlb504jDPnQ06JdGtuzj29YL4-EnaWXfweoTf8ZH3PjV1b_sRihrfKqxllttKqCIKKVnR2khQU/s1600/Therese_Neumann.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 293px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524376088373558498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugyTwz1Fo2V1lnFCj-3fG7M43LdfFJYOR9kb4gTngtEmA9xg98LnEo3hfcycGj3ChAQlb504jDPnQ06JdGtuzj29YL4-EnaWXfweoTf8ZH3PjV1b_sRihrfKqxllttKqCIKKVnR2khQU/s400/Therese_Neumann.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;"><strong>The supernatural gift of understanding foreign and ancient languages</strong></span><br /><br />The extraordinary gift of <em><strong>understanding*</strong></em> foreign languages, especially ancient Biblical languages has been given to numerous Saints, especially the Mystics. Most notably in recent times this gift was given to a remarkable 20th century mystic and stigmatic named Therese Neumann of Germany (1898-1962).<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>(*Note</strong>: I will highlight the gift of speaking in foreign languages in another article on this website)</span><br /><br />I will highlight Therese in this article, because her gift of understanding foreign and ancient biblical languages was studied by several language scholars and linguists.<br /><br />During the ecstasies of the Passion in which Therese not only saw, but physically participated in in a mystical way, she heard the four languages which were in common use during the time of Christ: Latin, Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic; the Aramaic was spoken in a dialect mixed with Greek words. Therese recognized and repeated them after she returned to normal life. The fact that this humble country girl could master such languages is a miracle in itself. Therese had a seventh grade education and did not speak or understand any other language but German; to her personal friends she spoke in the dialect of the Oberpfalz, the particular region of Bavaria in which Konnersreuth is located.<br /><br />Many eminent scholars of Oriental languages and of the Old Testament visited Therese in order to check the authenticity of Therese's knowledge of languages. Nevertheless, it was indeed difficult to find scholars who were qualified to interview Therese. It is not an exaggeration to say that in many instances she knew more about these ancient languages and many other details than the scholars did!<br />Some of the noted men who helped extensively in the verifi¬cation and clarification of the 2,OOO-year-old practices were:<br />Rev. Prof. Dr. Wutz (a priest), professor of Oriental languages and the Old Testament at Catholic College, Eichstatt, Bavaria; Prof. Bauer, of Halle, a non-Catholic expert in Oriental lan¬guages; and Prof. Wessely, of Vienna, a non-Christian, who was also a scholar of these languages. All of the results of their investigations were made public.<br /><br />Dr. C. Wessely, the Vienna orientalist and papyrus expert, spoke of it at a meeting of the Leogesellschaft in the Austrian capital. He told how Dr. Gerlich, Dr. Wutz, and Dr. Johannes Bauer, professor of Semitic philology at the University of Halle, had observed and studied, each independently of the others, all the Aramaic material furnished by the stigmatist. The New Testament, composed in Greek, transmits only about sixteen Aramaic words, and even those in their adapted Grecian forms. Except for this, then, almost nothing was known of the language which was the customary one of Jesus and His neighbors; it was not Hebrew, as many have supposed. Dr. Wessely says: <em><strong>"It is a matter, doubtless, of correct Aramaic, as it was probably spoken in Christ's time. That fact of it being Aramaic is proved. From the grammatical viewpoint, Therese Newmann’s utterances are correct, without exception, and they are most noteworthy even in the strictest tests as to details.”</strong></em><br /><br />These well known scholars came to the conclusion-and they stated it categorically-that Therese's knowledge of these languages was absolutely correct, and that it was impossible for her knowledge to be explained by any falsehood or power of suggestion. Many other university professors who had similarly tested her came to the same conclusion. Dr. Prof. Wessely stated: <em><strong>"Therese Neumann's knowledge of Christ's own lan¬guage is a miracle in itself. I am amazed at her knowledge of Aramaic in particular. It is "Als etwas unerhortes-e-nocb nie dagewesenes. " (Something unheard of and inconceivable.)</strong></em><br /><br />Therese perfectly pronounced certain words in connection with the Passion. Judas greeted the Master with these words: "Schlama Rabbuni." (Greetings, Master.) The other Apostles became aware of the fact that Judas would betray the Master, and cried out in excitement: "Magera beisebua cannaba-magera beisebua." (A sword, down with the man of the devil, that thief.)<br />The executioners inquired after "Jeschua Nasarija" (Jesus of Nazareth), and Jesus answered ''Ana'' (I). Then He turned to His Apostles and said "Komu" (Up). The people cried out, "Ma hada?' , (What is the meaning of this?) Then later, Our Lord said, "Amen, Amen amarna lachbam atte emmib pardessa." (Amen, amen, I say to you, today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.)<br />When Our Lord said, "It is consummated," Therese heard in Aramaic, "Schlem kalohi.' When He said the words, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit," Therese heard "Abba be ada afkid ruchi." During the vision when Jesus was near the city of Nairn, raising a dead man back to life, He spoke first the word "Etphetach,' upon which the dead man opened his eyes and mouth. At the word "Kum," he raised himself from the stretcher.<br /><br />The theory that Therese was able to read the minds of the various Oriental language scholars is disproven by the fact that she spoke the Aramaic sentences correctly to a degree which, at the time of her presentation to the experts, was not known to them. Furthermore, Therese used a contellation of Aramaic words, which no scholar expected, and yet she was entirely correct. In other words, Therese could not have read something from the minds of the learned men which did not exist in their minds.<br /><br />In her visions of the saints, too, Therese was able to understand many different languages. The saints spoke in their native language, and yet Therese was able to understand them perfectly. There was never any language barrier with her. She always understood and repeated what was said, regardless of whether the saints were European, Asian, African or whatever.<br /><br />In fact, Therese had hundreds of visions of saints during the year. On August 10, the Feast of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence spoke to her in Latin. On the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, she heard St. John speak in Greek. When St. Therese of Lisieux appeared to her, she spoke in a French dialect that is used in the Pyrennees. St. Francis de Sales also spoke to her in French, while St. Anthony of Padua (who was born in Lisbon) spoke to her in Portuguese. St. Francis of Assisi spoke in Italian, and St. Teresa of Avila spoke Spanish. In the case of German saints, Therese would ordinarily understand it anyway, but the fact is that she then spoke a German accent that she normally did not speak-but she nevertheless repeated it perfectly.<br /><br />As the years went by, the Saviour added a very special aspect to this gift by allowing Therese to hear the saints speak to her in her German dialect. This had also happened once on Pentecost Sunday, 1928, when she was bilocated to Rome and heard St. Peter giving a sermon in perfect German. After one of these visions Therese was reminded that Holy Scripture tells us that all those present on the first Pentecost, listening to St. Peter's sermon, heard it in their own native tongues!<br /><br />And, speaking of the Blessed Virgin's apparition to Bernadette at Lourdes, which Therese saw in one of her visions, the words of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bernadette are heard not in Latin, nor in literary French or Spanish, but in the dialect of the Pyrenees, where the apparitions of Lourdes took place. Our Lady said: "Je suis la Conceptiune Immaculada:" ("I am the Immaculate Conception"). Therese's spiritual director, Father Naber, was unable to explain this, but while reading a book about Lourdes he learned that the words were in a form of speech prevalent in Southern France. The book gave the sentence exactly as Therese had heard it.<br /><br />Therese was given many other remarkable mystical gifts, such as completely fasting without any food for over 30 years and living solely off the Eucharist, also the recognition of relics, blessed objects, priests and the Holy Eucharist, even when these items or persons where disguised or hidden to name just a few.<br /><br />Those interested can read more <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/12/therese-neumann-mystic-victim-soul.html">here about the extraordinary life of Therese Neumann, mystic and victim soul.</a> </div>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-14338051323133224272010-09-30T02:04:00.009-04:002021-08-06T20:16:07.298-04:00Prophecies in the lives of the Saints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvn5A253RM5fE1tJN103_Czo55s3WXEvkWqeYt8iOB8IUV2AiKaBBN0Xn5Pq5tay4z4johg3mrhKY3fRM-75JqdHCM-tcS3g33y1EesD5JjPew_jrVwEPWbzshRz587BuEuOxkRZg_Os/s1600/St-Anthony-Mary-Claret.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522594918601538002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvn5A253RM5fE1tJN103_Czo55s3WXEvkWqeYt8iOB8IUV2AiKaBBN0Xn5Pq5tay4z4johg3mrhKY3fRM-75JqdHCM-tcS3g33y1EesD5JjPew_jrVwEPWbzshRz587BuEuOxkRZg_Os/s400/St-Anthony-Mary-Claret.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 245px;" /></a>
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">Prophecies from three holy founders- St Anthony Mary Claret, St John Bosco and St Colette</span></strong> <div><br /></div><div> Numerous are the prophesies in the lives of the Saints throughout the course of the centuries. The primary purpose that God inspires such prophecies in the Saints it seems is to guide souls closer to Himself through means of warnings of future matters and events. And, at times (but not always) the prophecies are often contingent upon the response from the intended persons, as we shall see in some of the examples below.
Among the countless Saints known for the gift of prophecy are St Martin de Porres (d. 1639), St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi (d. 1607), St Francis of Paola (d. 1507), St Francis of Rome (d. 1440), Bl. Margaret of Castello (d. 1320), St Anthony of Padua (d. 1231) and St Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) to name just a few. </div><div><br /></div><div>We will be highlighting three holy founders of religious Communities who were given the gift of prophecy, two of which lived quite recently.
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">St. Anthony Mary Claret</span> </strong>(1807-1870) [pictured above] the holy founder of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (known as the Claretians) worked countless miracles through the grace of God in his lifetime, among them a large number of documented prophecies. A well documented prophecy occurred when Father Claret organized a mission which, because of his heavy schedule, was unfortunately planned during harvest time when the wheat was ready, and the people were obliged to work in the fields.
In preparation for his mission, he visited the homes of many of the workmen and told them that they should attend the mission, and that God would bless them for doing so. Many respectfully replied that it was impossible, since the entire harvest could be lost in a single day. To this the Saint uttered this prophetic warning: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"In God's name I say to you, that if you come to the Mission your wheat fields will be more productive, and all danger of rain and hailstorms will be averted. If, however, you do not come, your harvest will be destroyed."</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div> With that prophetic warning, St. Anthony Mary Claret began the mission. Some farmers and workers attended; others did not. Two days later the farmers who had not attended the mission saw their crops completely ruined by a fierce hailstorm that unexpectedly appeared. Those who had attended the mission saw that not only had the hail spared their crops, but their wheat stalks were also more heavily laden with grain than had been anticipated, just as the Saint had predicted. </div><div><br /></div><div> Another prophetic miracle took place in the diocese of Vich, Spain where a couple named Jose Rovira and Rosa Malats had two daughters. One died in childhood and the other daughter, Candida, secretly desired to enter the religious life and eventually told her parents of her vocation. Her parents asked her to think well about it. The father and daughter consulted a priest friend named Father Canals, Prior of the Carmelites of Vich. After speaking with Candida and seeing the poverty and age of the parents, the priest was reluctant to make a decision since the parents were no doubt expecting Candida to be the joy and help of their old age.
So, knowing of Father Anthony Mary Claret's holiness, Father Canals sent them to him, who then interviewed the daughter, reflected for a few moments, prayed and then made this prophetic pronouncement to the father: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"It is the will of God that Candida become a religious. Do not fear to give your consent, because within a year God will grant you the blessing of becoming the father of a son, who will be your consolation in your old age."</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div>The father smiled, realizing that his wife was well past the age of child-bearing, but he replied to the Saint: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"If within a year we have a son, we shall give our daughter permission to enter the convent."</span></em>
As predicted, a son was born exactly one year later. The whole town had heard of the prophecy, and all declared that it was a miraculous birth. Candida, now relieved of responsibility, was accepted into the Third Order of the Carmelites of Charity. Her brother grew in health and virtue and became, as the Saint had predicted, the consolation and joy of his aged parents. </div><div><br /></div><div> On another occasion, the Island of Cuba was in need of deep spiritual reform, so the Pope, knowing of Father Anthony Claret’s holiness and virtue, ordered him to the island, and made him the Archbishop of Santiago on May 20, 1850. Within a few years his extraordinary example of poverty and piety many of the people converted, however some would not listen or appreciate the gift that was given them in the extraordinary person of Archbishop Claret.
And so God gave them a sign---It was 8:30 in the morning of August 20, 1853 that the worst earthquake in Cuba’s memory struck Santiago. Everyday for several weeks one merciless aftershock followed another, even as many as five in a day shook the city and the outskirts in a siege of terror that left no structure spared of devastation. Only with the presence of their saintly Archbishop could the people of Santiago bring forth the hope for deliverance from this awful scourge. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many began to beseech Anthony for his intercession and he did, in fact, stop at least one erupting tremor by pressing his holy hand to the ground.
However he knew by Divine inspiration that the earthquakes were God’s will and he stated: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“God does with many of us as does a mother with a lazy sleeping child,”</span></em> the saint explained. <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“She shakes his bed to wake him and make him rise. If that fails, she strikes him. The good God does the same with His children who are sleeping in their sins. He has shaken their beds that is, their houses by the earthquakes, but He spared their lives. If this does not awaken them and cause them to rise, He will strike them with cholera and pestilence. God has made this known to me.” </span></em></div><div><br /></div><div>
Even so, many seemed to forget his prophecy. Scarcely a month passed, when cholera broke out, spreading with the speed and horror of an inferno. The saint happened to be away on a preaching mission and he hurried home to attend to his stricken flock, praying and working with every means for their spiritual and bodily welfare. Within three months the plague claimed nearly three thousand lives, that is, one-tenth of Santiago’s population. And while the reality of such human misery pained the blessed Claret, he had the far greater comfort of knowing that with the help of his faithful priests, reportedly not one life was lost without the consolation of the last sacraments.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PuOaxHET5sqqDNFC3m9QQLVhy21EeMgGVCjnuechA8Pvp4-oar-jvivxK6r6M1DeMA7CnMHb0LeAXa87r4VbouvtkEDwyfousSwSA7P9BD5oh5swvrmwO-rnH_s6E8gCSwqGu0OXMzc/s1600/Saint-John-Bosco-in-1878.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522594736732667730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PuOaxHET5sqqDNFC3m9QQLVhy21EeMgGVCjnuechA8Pvp4-oar-jvivxK6r6M1DeMA7CnMHb0LeAXa87r4VbouvtkEDwyfousSwSA7P9BD5oh5swvrmwO-rnH_s6E8gCSwqGu0OXMzc/s400/Saint-John-Bosco-in-1878.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 300px;" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Next we shall contemplate a few of the many occasions where <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">St. John Bosco</span> </strong>(1815-1888), the holy Founder of the Salesians foretold events that would take place to people he knew and to many whom he met for the first time. Such was the case in 1853, when a young girl spoke to the Saint of her vocation to the religious state. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Saint hesitated only a moment before replying, <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"You will have to wait a long time before you can realize your desire, but at last you will join a congregation which was founded in the year of your birth."</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div> Twelve years later the young girl joined the Little Sisters of the Assumption, which had been founded, as the Saint had predicted, in the year of her birth. It is said that the Saint had never met the girl, but perhaps knew of the many difficulties that had detained her so long in the world.
One of the lay brothers, named Nasai, a member of John Bosco's Order, the Salesians, was entrusted with a prophecy from St. John Bosco in February of 1882 regarding Fr. Bologne, one of the founders of a Salesian Mission at Marseilles, France. The Saint told the lay brother to continue helping Fr. Bologne and to follow him to France, where the good priest would govern several houses of the Order. The Saint added, <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Yet he will not end his life in France, but at Turin (Italy). When you hear of his death, get ready; your own will be close at hand."</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div> As predicted, Father Bologne died of apoplexy on January 4, 1907, in Turin. Brother Nasai entered eternity eight months later, on September 25, 1907.
Additionally, St. John Bosco predicted the untimely death of a number of his students. The Saint, in addressing the boys in his school, once warned: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Let us be ready for death, for before a month is over one of us has to appear before God." </span></em></div><div><br /></div><div>
One of the young Latin scholars named Berardi, who was experiencing robust health, heard the prophecy and felt it was meant for him. Several days later a sore developed on his lip and kept enlarging, until a fever kept him in bed. A doctor examined the boy and had him immediately brought to the hospital, where the boy died the next day of blood poisoning believed to be caused by the bite of an insect. The prophecy had been realized in only sixteen days.
On another occasion, two priests, one named Father Cagliero, went in February, 1862 to tell Don Bosco [as he was fondly called] that one of the pupils of the Oratory had died. The Saint replied sadly: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"He will not be the only one. Within two months from now two others will appear before God."</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div>The two priests begged to be given the names. Fr. Cagliero wrote them down on a piece of paper and slipped it into an envelope, which he sealed. Before the end of two months both youths mentioned in the prophecy took sick and died.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcPIFlpsytbFYDBF_Y_4A96CmlfzOkWNEiDGu5gaQL-s0kCDf4Jg3_t-opiiyEN_A21_O6MOEStlNYY3iRiI1CCeoj29voN0N7ZHFQj8fppckWpinE56kYP9X44oPwzk9AAcgDtekpt4/s1600/St-Colette.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522594524170112194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcPIFlpsytbFYDBF_Y_4A96CmlfzOkWNEiDGu5gaQL-s0kCDf4Jg3_t-opiiyEN_A21_O6MOEStlNYY3iRiI1CCeoj29voN0N7ZHFQj8fppckWpinE56kYP9X44oPwzk9AAcgDtekpt4/s400/St-Colette.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 339px;" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another extraordinary Saint who was blessed with the gift of prophecy was <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">St. Colette</span></strong> (1381-1447), the founder of Colettine Poor Clares who became a Franciscan and was made superior general of the Poor Clare Order. Reformer of those convents already in existence, she became the administrator of the convents she had established. Toward the end of her life she began to divulge events that were to take place in the future, including the Protestant Reform. </div><div><br /></div><div> At the convent in Besancon, France she foretold an event that would take place in the next century. A great fire, she foretold, would burn the convent building to the ground. The nuns were horrified and pressed the Saint to tell them if the fire could be stopped. Colette shook her head sadly and told the nuns, <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"When the big cross out there in the cemetery falls down across the graves, they will know the fire is about to come. Let them be warned and run out of the house. But they will not be able to prevent the disaster."</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div>The nuns who heard this prophecy from the Saint's lips wrote the warning in the convent's archives for their sisters of the next century.
And so it was in 1510, that is 60 years later, the great cross fell over the graves. The nuns were terrified and began at once to take every precaution to prevent the fire that had been predicted. However, their precautionary endeavors were to no avail. The fire began and destroyed the convent the next day. It is said that perhaps God not only wanted to show that He was guiding His servant Colette and her Community throughout the ages, but also the indestructibility of the spiritual Community that Colette had built through the grace of God, since the convent was rebuilt soon afterwards, and remains even today. </div><div><br /></div><div> Another prophecy of St. Colette concerned her spiritual friend, St. Vincent Ferrer. After coming out of an ecstasy, which he had witnessed, she asked St. Vincent if he wanted to know what she had been told about him. She asked as though it were a thing of joy. When he replied that he wanted to know, she told him death would come for him in less than two years. As a native of Valencia, Spain, he asked, <em>"Well, tell me at least that it will be in Spain."</em> Answering his request she replied: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"No. In France."</span></em> And so it happened. St Vincent Ferrer died two years later in Vannes, France at age 69, after a life of complete love and service to God and His Church.</div>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-27199691174200120972010-09-29T02:03:00.015-04:002021-08-14T10:13:33.577-04:00A voice from heaven -The miraculous voice of St Clelia Barbieri<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vFk4tYy9ABIUPZDaEqru7tgXr_eaHzD6sW8ArS7_kQcs49zR9t-T66B5jg64qGGJ1_vxA2Lqsb7GNAOz_aGJzE8iCZah4L4iOHFNtEIMbY98NfCrUwhqncke7V5ni2LJA_NLYUqiD4I/s1600/St_Clelia_Barbieri.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522218462471280338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vFk4tYy9ABIUPZDaEqru7tgXr_eaHzD6sW8ArS7_kQcs49zR9t-T66B5jg64qGGJ1_vxA2Lqsb7GNAOz_aGJzE8iCZah4L4iOHFNtEIMbY98NfCrUwhqncke7V5ni2LJA_NLYUqiD4I/s400/St_Clelia_Barbieri.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 282px;" /></a>
<div><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #3333ff;">Voices from the afterlife: The Voice of Saint Clelia Barbieri (1847-1870)</span> </span></strong><em>–The youngest founder in the history of the Catholic Church whose voice is miraculously still heard today.</em>
<em><strong>“I shall remain always with you and I shall never abandon you!” </strong></em>–St Clelia to her religious sisters at her deathbed </div><div><br /></div><div>Saint Clelia Barbieri was born in Bologna, Italy on February 13, 1847 and she died at age 23 on July 13, 1870. Her short life edified everyone who came into contact with her. She is the founder of the <em>Congregation of the Suore Minime dell'Addolorata</em> (Sisters Minims of Our Lady of Sorrows) and she is the youngest foundress of a religious community in the history of the Catholic Church. </div><div><br /></div><div> Clelia was born into a poor family of hemp farmers. Her father Giuseppe died during a cholera epidemic that swept through Italy in 1855 when Clelia was only eight years old. Without him, Clelia's mother, her two sisters and her seventy-five-year-old grandfather were faced with a difficult future. But Clelia was a great consolation for her mother and assisted her by learning to use the loom and weave hemp. </div><div><br /></div><div>Even at this age Clelia was devout and learned all she could about the Catholic faith from her mother and the parish priest. After she had learned to read and write, Clelia's favorite book was her catechism, because it taught her about God and encouraged her in the way of virtue.
When she was fifteen, her parish priest, Father Gaetano Guidi, formed a group known as "The Christian Doctrine Workers," [or “Workers of the Christian Catechism”] which was a group of young teachers of which Clelia was a member. She taught children their catechism and ran a small primary country school in which the students were only a few years younger than herself. Eventually, both men and women attended her classes along with their children. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Clelia becomes the youngest founder in the history of the Church</strong></span></div><div>Having given herself completely to Jesus, she refused at least two marriage proposals and in prayer she asked God for a spiritual friend who would join her and help her to live fraternally together a life in common. Theodora Beraldi who was six years older than Clelia became that special friend, and inspired by Clelia’s exceptional virtue and piety, she encouraged other girls to join them. During this time, Clelia took private vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience under the guidance of her parish priest and spiritual director, Father Guidi. </div><div><br /></div><div>Clelia was only twenty years old when she inspired this small group of young ladies of similar religious ideals to join her in the performance of charity and good works. After acquiring a small house near a church in LeBudrie, Italy they began living a community life, but they retained their secular status throughout Clelia's lifetime. They devoted their energies to the teaching of Christian doctrine, to sewing, to aiding the sick, and to providing all forms of charitable assistance to those in need. One of </div><div><br /></div><div>Clelia’s ideals for her community was that there would be no need for a dowry, so that even the poorest of aspirants might join her Community.
Amidst the founding of her community in 1867 she became very ill with tuberculosis, and upon examination by a physician it was discovered that she was wearing a penitential chain with spikes on it that was wound <em>three times around her body</em>. Thus one of the penances that she practiced became known. </div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>She became so ill that her family called a priest to give her the last Sacraments, and just as he was about to do so she recovered her senses and said to her family and those gathered <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“Why are you weeping? Don’t be afraid; the Lord will not take me away this time. He is still expecting more from me.”</span></em></strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> The first religious house was opened on May 1, 1868. The girls lived in common and all wore a grey dress and they slept on a wooden beds with hay mattress. They spent the day alternating between prayer, spiritual reading and work, which consisted of sewing, spinning and weaving.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuZT00bnk1100d1IComO7f6Cm3BKeY32QTyKieRs_sCECAUa2r6LCp9M9DLfjnsjmySxs2ivfEPDZp6Lzfh_a77BTJI9V5YsGJTGczZbocWk_8J6UflLemBRAPdqj2aY2wAfCUJYxFfQ/s1600/Clelia_Barbieri.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522218142626446322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUuZT00bnk1100d1IComO7f6Cm3BKeY32QTyKieRs_sCECAUa2r6LCp9M9DLfjnsjmySxs2ivfEPDZp6Lzfh_a77BTJI9V5YsGJTGczZbocWk_8J6UflLemBRAPdqj2aY2wAfCUJYxFfQ/s400/Clelia_Barbieri.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 235px;" /></a><strong><br /></strong></div><div><strong><br /></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Some remarkable miracles in the life of Clelia</span></strong></div><div>
Soon after the foundation of the Community, many unusual things began to take place. When there was no food in the house, led by Clelia the community prayed, and moments later the doorbell rang, and a gift of food was given to them. Clelia took St. Francis of Paola to be the Communities heavenly patron, and by praying to him for his intercession there were several occasions were they obtained bread, flour, wine and other staples in a most extraordinary manner.
Clelia was blessed with other mystical favors, as was demonstrated when she was given a quantity of apples from the mother of Anna Forni, a member of the community. Clelia placed them on a table and divided them into three parts, saying, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"I will keep these you picked in your orchard, and those you found on the ground, but I cannot accept this third group because you did not come by them honestly."</span></em></strong></div><div><br /></div><div> In fact, the woman had gathered some of the apples from the trees on someone else's property. In addition, “Mother” Clelia, as she was then known, cured many people by using the oil from the lamp that burned before the portrait of St. Francis of Paola.
One day, while standing at the window of the community's house, she pointed to a nearby field and prophesied, <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Do you see that field next to the church? There the new house will rise. I will no longer be here ... You will increase in number and will spread out on the plains and in the mountains to work in God's vineyard. Many will come with carriages and horses...”</span></em> </div><div><br /></div><div>
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">“I shall remain always with you and I shall never abandon you!”</span></strong></div><div>
All of what Clelia had prophesized to her companions was eventually realized. Clelia died of tuberculosis on July 13, 1870 when she was only 23 years old. Her last words were prophetic: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Be brave because I am going to Paradise; but I shall always remain with you, too; I shall never abandon you!"</span></em></strong> This prophecy was also realized, since she soon proved her presence by the sounding of her voice. The miraculous phenomenon of her voice first took place during the evening of July 13, 1871, <strong><em><span style="color: red;">exactly one year after Clelia's death</span></em></strong>, while the sisters were at prayer in the chapel. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Sisters declared that:
<strong><em>“Suddenly there was the sound of a high-pitched, harmonious and heavenly voice that accompanied the singing in the choir; at times it sang solo, at other times it harmonized with us in the choir, moving across from right to left; sometimes it passed close by the ears of one or other of the sisters. The joy which it brought filled our hearts with a happiness impossible to put into words. This wasn't of this world. We lived that day in paradise. From time to time, one had to leave the room ... The emotion that we experienced was so strong that it left you breathless until one had to call out: "Enough, dear Lord, enough!"</em></strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> This miraculous event dismissed all thoughts of sleep. Instead, since the Blessed Sacrament was not then reserved in their chapel, they decided to pass the night adoring the Blessed Sacrament in a nearby church. They again declared, <strong><em>"But how great was our surprise when we realized that the voice had followed us and accompanied us as we began our prayers!"</em></strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> Clelia's voice prayed with them until dawn. It was precisely the one year anniversary of her death. Since that day she has never left them, joining them in the most diverse surroundings and conditions.
There were only ten girls who lived in the community at the time of Clelia's death. After the Rule of the Order was approved by the Vatican, more members joined the community, many being inspired by the voice of the holy foundress. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the Second World War there were 236 members. During the 1950's the sisters numbered almost three hundred. In recent years the flourishing order maintained over thirty-five institutions throughout Italy. Feeling called by those abroad, the Sisters then began missions abroad, and houses of the order were opened in Keralia, India and in Tanzania, Africa with a number of the local young women in these area joining in practicing the virtues and ideals of the holy foundress. </div><div><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Clelia’s heavenly voice is still heard today</span></strong></div><div>In the communities of Usokami and Wadakanchery, the Sisters hear Clelia's voice which sings and prays with them in Swahili and Malayalam. When they pray in Latin, Clelia prays in Latin as well.
During the past one hundred and twenty-five years since her death, Clelia's heavenly voice has been periodically heard in the houses of the order. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7P6cn7Bl7Qc0GTyCdD7gUPrReSXi9WOxeWJEAMOjTD5cq0TU3knLC5Pw43O6QcqTsNsgVxqmSys21Hzom2j-OiRW6g9IeQJ0WcA6vH6jzbqQiEKKUfQKcGvd5icEseWjU4VSsBVnwr8/s1600/St_Clelia_Barbieri_3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522217680209896114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7P6cn7Bl7Qc0GTyCdD7gUPrReSXi9WOxeWJEAMOjTD5cq0TU3knLC5Pw43O6QcqTsNsgVxqmSys21Hzom2j-OiRW6g9IeQJ0WcA6vH6jzbqQiEKKUfQKcGvd5icEseWjU4VSsBVnwr8/s400/St_Clelia_Barbieri_3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 279px;" /></a>Especially at LeBudrie, the voice is heard accompanying the sisters in their hymns, in religious readings, and in their conversations. It is also heard accompanying the priest during the celebration of Holy Mass, and during the sermons. </div><div><br /></div><div>Even in the parish churches it is heard lingering among the faithful.
In 1970, the Mother Superior of the order in LeBudrie stated the following to Joan Carroll Cruz, the author of the book <strong><em>“Mysteries, Marvels and Miracles in the Lives of the Saints”, </em></strong>1997, Tan Books<strong><em>:</em></strong> <em>"... this prodigious gift stimulates us to do well, increases our faith, is a relief to the trials of life, and gives us a great desire for heaven."</em>
<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In a more recent letter received before publication of the aforementioned book, the Mother Provincial of the order, Sr. Silvana Magnani, confirms that the prodigy is still taking place. </div><div><br /></div><div>She writes that <strong><em>"The voice accompanies us in our prayers which are in Italian, and with prayers that are in diverse languages: in Tanzania where we have a mission, the voice speaks in the language of Swahili; in India, the language is Malayalam."</em></strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> The voice of St Clelia Barbieri been described as one unlike any of this earth. Always sweet and gentle, it is sometimes accompanied by angelic strains. Numerous witnesses of unquestionable integrity, including her original companions, various superiors and sisters of the order, priests and lay workers in the order's hospitals have adequately testified that they have heard the voice. </div><div><br /></div><div>Moreover, many witnesses have given sworn testimony before ecclesiastical tribunals who investigated the prodigy prior to Clelia's solemn beatification on October 27, 1968, and before her canonization by Pope John Paul II on April 9, 1989.
The heavenly voice of St Clelia confirms the promise made by her to her companions before her death, </div><div><strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Be brave, because I am going to Paradise; but I shall always remain with you, too; I shall never abandon you!"</span></em></strong>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvrDDO7zHS1avxLjw-pEOmmwZWTisB_f3Ejgdnxj3yLKigaKKJy4DQeAk0QrU5agQnZ-n0tehlYAmO9rU2uEOSN5XUELjnlHoNLT0UAgWmiKjrTqYOJZLyvDQnkLSmn6wZno1YmA3jS8/s943/Clelia+Barbieri.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="558" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPvrDDO7zHS1avxLjw-pEOmmwZWTisB_f3Ejgdnxj3yLKigaKKJy4DQeAk0QrU5agQnZ-n0tehlYAmO9rU2uEOSN5XUELjnlHoNLT0UAgWmiKjrTqYOJZLyvDQnkLSmn6wZno1YmA3jS8/w379-h640/Clelia+Barbieri.jpg" width="379" /></a></div>In the book <strong><em>“A Song of Love-Saint Clelia Barbieri”</em></strong> by Paolo Risso <em>[“Un canto d’amore- Santa Clelia Barbieri”,</em> Torino, 1989] St. Clelia's biographer states:
<em>“And St. Clelia continues to let us hear her voice like that first anniversary of her death. Her nuns, together with many others, continue to hear her voice which prays, sings and intercedes. It is a voice full of happiness when announcing good news for her "family," the Church and the world. It is full of sadness when suffering is nearby. It is always calm and encouraging, a true sign that God never leaves us.”</em> </div><div><br /></div><div> Her relics are housed in a beautifully crafted urn at the Communities religious house in Le Budrie (Bologna), Italy. Many come to visit this sanctuary devoted to her, and to pray before her relics, and it is from here that many blessings have gone forth throughout Italy and the world.</div><div>________________________________ </div><div><br /></div><div><em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Oh great Lord God, You see that my will is to love You, and to try to avoid offending You. Oh Lord, open Your Heart and send forth the flames of love. Enkindle my heart with these flames and burn me with love"</span></strong></em> <strong>-St Clelia Barbieri</strong> </div><div><br /></div><div> Primary sources:
<em><strong>-"Mysteries, Marvels, Miracles in the Lives of the Saints", </strong></em>by Joan Carroll Cruz, Tan Books and Publishers, 1997
<em><strong>-"Faces of holiness: modern saints in photos and words, Volume 1"</strong></em> by Ann Ball, Our Sunday Visitor, 1998.
<em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">~St Clelia Barbieri, pray for us!</span></strong></em> </div>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-27314478503756986922010-09-26T18:01:00.009-04:002010-11-09T13:58:01.781-05:00Bibliography -Books and resources used for this website<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32bvs3NBZhm7GFHYmeC5dI4NRaQApHvXri0kcWe0pIO0YrtiPKkmR52DcnYNKNaJYHfufYuBefOK7XSHMVqk0_h-OtUMBNINjbhxuwB0r208R3Ncu4ipNVl_pY0h3tvvaRZ5v7R6mcM4/s1600/Mysteries_Marvels_Miracles_in_the_Saints.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 269px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521362704354446402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32bvs3NBZhm7GFHYmeC5dI4NRaQApHvXri0kcWe0pIO0YrtiPKkmR52DcnYNKNaJYHfufYuBefOK7XSHMVqk0_h-OtUMBNINjbhxuwB0r208R3Ncu4ipNVl_pY0h3tvvaRZ5v7R6mcM4/s400/Mysteries_Marvels_Miracles_in_the_Saints.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Books used for this website -Recommended reading</span></strong><br /></span><br /><br /><strong><em>-"Mysteries, Marvels, Miracles in the Lives of the Saints"</em></strong> by Joan Carroll Cruz, 1997, Tan Books and Publishers <a href="http://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/476/">and availible here</a>.<br /><br /><strong><em>-“The Cure D’ Ars”</em></strong> by Abbe Franicis Trochu, The Newman Press, 1953<br /><br /><strong><em>-"Padre Pio- The Stigmatist"</em></strong> by Rev. Charles Mortimer Carty, Radio Replies Press, Second edition, 1952<br /><br /><strong><em>-"Blessed Gemma Galgani",</em></strong> Benedict Williamson, 2nd edition, 1932, B. Herder Book Co.<br /><br /><strong><em>-"Faces of Holiness -Modern Saints in Photos and Words"</em></strong> , by Ann Ball, Our Sunday Visitor, 1998<br /><br /><strong><em>-"Faces of Holiness II -Modern Saints in Photos and Words" </em></strong>, by Ann Ball, Volume 2, Our Sunday Visitor, 2001<br /><br /><strong><em>"St Gerard Majella"</em></strong> by Father Edward St-Omer, C.SS.R., Tan Books, 1999.<br /><br /><strong><em>"St Bernard of Clairvaux",</em></strong> by Abbe Theodore Ratisbonne, Tan Books, 1991.<br /><br /><strong><em>"St Joseph of Copertino"</em></strong> by Father Angelo Pastrovicci, O.M.C., Tan Books, 1980.<br /><br /><strong><em>"St John Bosco",</em></strong> by F.A. Forbes. Tan books, 2000.<br /><br /><strong><em>"St Vincent Ferrer -The Angel of the Judgement",</em></strong> by Father Andrew Pradel, O.P., Tan books, 2000.<br /><br /><em><strong>"The Miracles of St. Anthony Mary Claret"</strong></em> by Father Juan Echevarria, Tan Books, 1992.<br /><br /><em><strong>"St Francis of Paola -God's Miracle Worker Supreme"</strong></em> by Gino J. Simi and Mario M. Segreti, Tan Books, 1977.<br /><br /><em><strong>"St. Rita of Cascia -Saint of the Impossible"</strong></em> by Father Joseph Sicardo, O.S.A., Tan Books, 1990.Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-68864484189311776112010-09-25T16:02:00.013-04:002013-05-05T08:23:37.198-04:00Mystical knowledge in the Saints -Reading into the heart and souls of men<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7Bpb8JLAy7Mc1UBNZkq0YiiBXlEo6uhmpBmNDSIl6jHqsM43i7K2-9smF0Hf2Mpc8-cbgd7mFid3tOU9TRaQkRMDWk1bIFELkazFn41IOesuOyQnVgZXvU9t8wqmqSUrpPeQVZysU3g/s1600/St_Jean_Baptiste_Marie_Vianney.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520979922450495666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7Bpb8JLAy7Mc1UBNZkq0YiiBXlEo6uhmpBmNDSIl6jHqsM43i7K2-9smF0Hf2Mpc8-cbgd7mFid3tOU9TRaQkRMDWk1bIFELkazFn41IOesuOyQnVgZXvU9t8wqmqSUrpPeQVZysU3g/s400/St_Jean_Baptiste_Marie_Vianney.jpg" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 275px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Mystical knowledge in the lives of the Saints –The gift of reading into hearts</span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><em>By: Glenn Dallaire</em></span><br />
<br />
A facet of Mystical knowledge is a supernatural gift of God whereby a Saint is able to read into the heart and conscience of an individual to then be able to guide and direct the person towards a greater union with God. Over the centuries, this gift of reading into souls has often been given to Priests that they may better guide penitents in the Sacrament of Confession. Some of the Priests famous for the gift of reading souls are St Padre Pio (d. 1968), St Anthony of Padua (d. 1231), St John Bosco (d. 1888), St Philip Neri (d.1595), St Francis of Paola (d. 1507), St Joseph of Cupertino (d. 1663) and St Paul of the Cross (d. 1775) to name just a few.<br />
<br />
There have also been many mystics who have received this gift of reading into hearts, such as St Gerard Majella (d. 1755), St Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), St Lydwine of Schiedam (d. 1433), St Hedwig (d. 1243) and in modern times the mystics Blessed Alexandrina da Costa (d. 1955) and Servant of God <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/marthe-robin-mystic-stigmatic-victim.html">Marthe Robin </a>(d. 1981), and the American mystic <a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2009/05/marie-rose-ferron-american-stigmatist.html">Marie-Rose Ferron </a>(d. 1936) to name just a few.<br />
<br />
Perhaps one of the greatest and most documented examples of the gift of reading into souls can be found in the extraordinary life of St. John Vianney (1786-1859), affectionately known across the world as <em>“The Cure of Ars”.</em> St John Vianney was a most zealous priest who spent his whole life for the conversion of sinners. Sainte Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney as he is known in France was a country priest in the small town of Ars, France. He spent literally 16-18 hours a day in the confessional, and people from all over France and abroad made pilgrimages to Ars to visit the “Holy Cure”, and to go to him in Confession. For God, who was pleased with the love and devotion of this holy priest gave him the gift of reading hearts, so as to be able to lead sinners closer to God, and St John Vianney certainly possessed this gift in a most extraordinary way.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue; font-size: 130%;">The gift of reading hearts in the life of St John Vianney</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">[Primary source: <strong><em>“The Cure D’ Ars”</em></strong> by Abbe Franicis Trochu, The Newman Press, 1953]</span><br />
Because of his gift of reading souls, people came from all over France to go to Confession to the holy Cure of Ars, and although he spent from 16-18 hours a day in the Confessional, there were always long lines of people waiting to seek advice and counsel from him, for he truly was a <em>“alter Christus”,</em> that is, another Christ. He are some true stories about his amazing gift of seeing into the heart of men.</div>
<div>
<br />
A woman who was the mother of sixteen children had succeeded in getting a place in line in the middle of the nave, because with so many children to care for, she could not afford to be away from home for too long. Suddenly the saint appeared outside his confessional, and, pointing his finger towards her, he said: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"You, madame, you are in a hurry- Come at once!"</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
In 1833, or thereabouts, Marguerite Humbert, of Ecully, now Madame Fayolle, paid a visit-the first in fifteen years -to her cousin, Jean-Marie Vianney. He had asked the daughters of the Providence to treat her well, because she had taken <em>good care of him during the time of his studies. "Now, before leaving," Marguerite tells us, "I returned to the church, and I asked myself whether I should go to confession to my cousin. At that very moment someone came to tell me that he was waiting for me. I was greatly surprised because he could not see me where I was. . . . I left Ars full of a great interior joy"</em><br />
<br />
One day the servant of God was hearing confessions in the sacristy. M. Oriol records: <em>"All of a sudden he appeared on the threshold, and, addressing me, he said:<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"> 'My friend, ask that lady who is towards the back of the church to come to me.'</span></strong></em> And he told me how I should know her. Now, I could not find the lady at the place to which he had directed me, so I returned and told him. <br />
<br />
He replied, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">'Go quickly; </span></em></strong><strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">she is in front of such a house.'</span></em></strong> I ran and overtook the lady, who was going away, grievously disappointed, for she could wait no longer.'"<br />
<br />
A poor woman, whose timidity had evidently caused her to miss her turn for confession two or three times in succession, had been at Ars eight days without succeeding in seeing the holy Cure. Finally the saint himself summoned her; more than that, he went to fetch her, and led her through the crowd to the chapel of St John the Baptist. <em>Quite happy now, she held on to his cassock and slipped through the passage he opened for her.</em><br />
The saint knew from personal experience that grace has its moments, and that it may go by without coming back. Hence, on occasion, he literally caught souls "on the wing."<br />
<br />
In the year 1853, a cheery band of young men set out from Lyons to go on pilgrimage to Ars. They were good Christians ; all except one, an old man who had joined the group, <em><strong>"solely to please the young people."</strong> </em>They reached the village at about three o'clock in the afternoon. <em><strong>"Go to church, if you like,"</strong></em> said the unbeliever on leaving the carriage;<em><strong> "as for me, I shall order dinner."</strong></em> He walked a few yards, then stopped. <strong><em>"No, on second thoughts, I will go with you," </em></strong>he said, <strong><em>"for you should not be that long!"</em></strong><br />
<br />
So the whole band filed into the church. Now at that very moment Fr. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, came out of the sacristy and entered the chancel. He knelt down, stood up and turned round; his eyes were looking for someone in the direction of the holy water basin, and finally he signalled to someone to come up. <strong><em>"It is you he wants,"</em></strong> the youths told the astonished unbeliever. So he walked up, obviously feeling very embarrassed, we are told by the nun to whom we owe this story. <em>"As for us, we were chuckling inwardly, for we understood that the bird had been caught. The Cure shook his hand, saying</em>: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">'It is a long time since you were at confession?'</span></em></strong> <strong><em>'My good Cure, it is something like thirty years, I believe.'</em></strong> <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">'Thirty years, my friend? Just think. . . . It is thirty-three years; you were then at such a place..."</span></em></strong><br />
<em><strong>'You are right, M. le Cure.'</strong></em><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">‘Ah, well, so we are going to confession now, are we not?'</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
The old man confessed afterwards that he was so taken aback by the invitation that he dared not say no; but he added: <strong><em>'I at once experienced a sensation of indefinable comfort.'</em></strong> The confession took twenty minutes, and made a new man of him."</div>
<br />
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OzqoCFs4zn1LafmStu9ZAGBdyvAq6m6sPEINuX3e6_y_Ii-9wkKHiVty6LlVJpOgs25fCQX35QaLO1YadyXIXlQajPaXbLP4mn_iEsBkmLoo6Z3jpD3H1i7PgJR-JRmaQkHG7EXnTI0/s1600/St_John_Vianney_Cure_d_Ars.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520980264896488418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OzqoCFs4zn1LafmStu9ZAGBdyvAq6m6sPEINuX3e6_y_Ii-9wkKHiVty6LlVJpOgs25fCQX35QaLO1YadyXIXlQajPaXbLP4mn_iEsBkmLoo6Z3jpD3H1i7PgJR-JRmaQkHG7EXnTI0/s400/St_John_Vianney_Cure_d_Ars.jpg" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 274px;" /></a>The way in which another sinner was won over is quite typical. About the year 1840 a certain man named Rochette took his son, who was sick, to the wonder-worker of Ars. His wife accompanied him; she went to confession and received Holy Communion.<br />
<br />
As for Rochette, he had but one concern: namely, to obtain the cure of his boy. He paid, indeed, a few visits to the church, but he kept in the neighbourhood of the holy water font. There he was when the saint, coming from behind the altar where he was hearing the confessions of priests, began to call him. He refused to budge. At that moment his wife and his son were close to the altar rails. <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Is he really that much an unbeliever?"</span></em></strong> Father Vianney asked the wife. At last, at the third summons, the man decided to walk up the nave. <strong>"After all,"</strong> he thought,<strong><em> "the Cure d' Ars will not eat me!"</em></strong> He went with Father Vianney behind the altar. There was no time to lose. <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"This is for both of us, Rochette,"</span></em></strong> said the Cure, and, pointing to the confessional: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Go into there,"</span></em></strong> he said.<br />
<strong><em>"Oh!"</em></strong> the other replied,<strong><em> "I don't feel like it."</em></strong> <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Well, begin here then."</span></em></strong> replied Father Vianney<br />
<br />
Incapable of offering resistance to so sudden an attack, Rochette had fallen on his knees.<br />
<strong><em>"My father,"</em></strong> he stammered, <strong><em>"it is some time…ten years...."</em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Make it a little more."</span></em></strong> <strong><em>"Twelve years then. . . ."</em></strong> <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Still yet a little more."</span></em></strong> replied the holy Cure.<br />
<strong><em>"Yes, since the great jubilee of 1826."</em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Ah! there we are! One finds it with a little bit of seeking."</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
Rochette then made his confession like a child. The following day saw him kneeling by the side of his wife at the altar rails. Their boy, the faithful chronicler adds, left in the church of Ars his two crutches, for which he had no further use!</div>
<br />
<div>
Thus for countless souls the road to Ars became the road to Damascus, nor should anyone imagine that, in addition to his personal prayers and penances, the saint had recourse to any unusual means to bring about their conversion. They were moved, at first, by the fire of his preaching, so that, when he came to close quarters with them in the privacy of the confession; a few words were enough to deal them the blow that prostrates the spirit of man in order to raise it again.<br />
<br />
Moreover, except in special cases such as a general confession, he sought to make most confessions rather quickly so as to be able to confess as many persons as possible, and he required a like conduct from the penitent. <em>"Five minutes sufficed to pour out my soul into his,"</em> said Pere Combalot on leaving the confessional of the Cure d' Ars. He did not mince matters in dealing with sinners; his sublime faith raised him far above the fear of men, and, putting all his trust in God alone, he knew, when necessary, how to say to men, irrespective of their position: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“It is not lawful for you to do that!" </span></em></strong>Who can tell the number of souls whom the lancet of his word freed from the hidden virus that poisoned their life? He knew the spot which it was necessary to touch, and he rarely missed his aim.<br />
<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Ah! if God were not so good," </span></em></strong>he sighed; <span style="color: #3333ff;"><em><strong>"but He is so good!"</strong></em> <span style="color: black;">or</span><span style="color: black;"> again</span><em><strong> "Save your poor soul! What a pity to lose a soul that has cost our Lord so much! What harm then has he done to you that you treat him thus?"</strong></em></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Alas!"</span></em></strong> the holy confessor said to M. Valpinson, a merchant of La Ferte-Mace, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"you have a vice that will be your damnation -namely, pride." </span></em></strong>The penitent owned to it and began to reflect. That simple word changed his soul, and his life became that of a meek and humble Christian. He could never recall his memories of Ars without shedding tears.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtspPtOz2Bdq4JDx0YwQ9vrouHYZdXJO6A4JDRC1sfC2TiHfan6scb8xpvwZeThJxSu0YA75a_nmQj7aepseEUMZbJ_gPZ3xxCNbKiRFAH5rVQNb35jE1CcOfYnvCVcqH_1zm-XhN-r3c/s1600/St-John-Vianney-Cure-of-Ars.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520979570779624914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtspPtOz2Bdq4JDx0YwQ9vrouHYZdXJO6A4JDRC1sfC2TiHfan6scb8xpvwZeThJxSu0YA75a_nmQj7aepseEUMZbJ_gPZ3xxCNbKiRFAH5rVQNb35jE1CcOfYnvCVcqH_1zm-XhN-r3c/s400/St-John-Vianney-Cure-of-Ars.jpg" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 300px;" /></a>In order to move big sinners, Father Vianney, without other exhortation, contented himself with uttering one phrase, simple but terrible on the lips of one who read the future:<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"My friend, you are damned!"</span></em></strong> It was short, but it was eloquent. Obviously the saint intended to speak conditionally, and his meaning was:<em><span style="color: black;"><strong> "Unless you avoid such an occasion, if you persist in such a habit, if you do not follow such and such advice, you will be damned." </strong></span></em><em>"What, I damned! I am to be cursed by God forever!"</em> Francois Bourdin, of Villebois, kept repeating to himself on coming out of the confessional.<br />
<br />
In 1856, in consequence of bad business transactions, this man, though still young-he was thirty-five years old-had gone, full of despair, to live with his father-in-law at Ambutrix. A mission happened to be taking place at the time, but, notwithstanding the entreaties of his family, he refused to attend it. His faith, nevertheless, was far from extinct, but the despairing thoughts that haunted him turned him away from God. In the end he was touched by grace: <strong><em>"I want to go to confession,"</em></strong> he announced, <strong><em>"but to the holy confessor, the Cure d' Ars."</em></strong> But the holy Cure of Ars saw into the mans soul, and by way of encouragement, after the avowal of his sins and miseries, all he heard from the Cure was the terrifying answer: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"My boy, you are damned!"</span></em></strong> But the threat became a flash of light. The man was instantly converted, and to the end of his life remained a fervent Christian.</div>
<br />
As a rule the direction of pious souls did not demand many more words. But here also his utterances were fiery darts that buried themselves in the heart for all time. <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Love your priests very much!"</span></em></strong> was all he said to Mgr. de Langalerie, his own Bishop, when he knelt at his feet."<br />
<br />
Or again <em>"I have been somewhat careless when doing such-and-such a thing,"</em> Frere Athanase told him in confession, <em>"but mainly, my intentions are good." </em><strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Oh, my friend, good intentions! Hell is paved with them."</span></em></strong> That was all he said.<br />
<br />
Frere Amedee, the future Superior-General of the Brothers of the Holy Family, had just concluded his confession: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Oh! love, love the good God very much!"</span></em></strong> exclaimed Father Vianney, at the same time folding his hands; and he gave him absolution without adding another word.<br />
<br />
<em>"He twice heard my confession,"</em> says the Abbe Monnin. <em>"Every one of my accusations provoked on his part this exclamation of faith, commiseration, and horror for the smallest sin:</em> <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">'What a pity!'</span></em></strong> <em>I was particularly struck by the accent of tenderness with which he uttered the words. His simple <strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">“What a pity”</span></strong> in all its beauty showed what damage sin had done to the soul. And it was the sincere holiness of the Cure d’ Ars that imparted to his words their power and efficacy."</em><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></em></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiacooNj2vY1EGGpysFI8gifr3B0-KqfIcFYR8btMhH6uIF2z0yGfgJ1KyCgoUvYEjbh7CxlEqrWTeSugTgi3fKZGnGbTjqECAqKXvKGiPThettBXy9eSqnya1M26Tt_s7Ok9RlG7tGmI/s1600/St-Padre-Pio-Capuchin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiacooNj2vY1EGGpysFI8gifr3B0-KqfIcFYR8btMhH6uIF2z0yGfgJ1KyCgoUvYEjbh7CxlEqrWTeSugTgi3fKZGnGbTjqECAqKXvKGiPThettBXy9eSqnya1M26Tt_s7Ok9RlG7tGmI/s400/St-Padre-Pio-Capuchin.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: large;"><strong>The gift of reading souls in the life of St Padre Pio</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>St Padre Pio</strong> (May 25, 1887-Sept 23, 1968) was one of the greatest mystics of the 20th century. He bore the stigmata (the wounds of Christ) for 50 years and was known not only for his deep holiness, but also the extraordinary mystical gifts with which he was given by God. One of these mystical gifts was the ability to read souls, especially during Confession. Because of his popularity as an extraordinary Confessor, he often spent up to 18 hours a day in the Confessional, and in fact it eventually became necessary to implement a "ticket-booking" system, whereby those interested in going to confession to Padre Pio had to have their name entered in a log book, and were then given a ticket. Depending on the season of the year the wait for confession to Padre Pio was between 3 days in the winter months, to well over a week in the summer months.</span><br />
<br />
This writer has before him perhaps 4 dozen accounts of St Padre Pio's incredible gift of reading hearts, but since this article is already becoming lengthy, I will list only a few examples. Those interested in reading more can simply pick up one of the many biographies on Padre Pio.<br />
<br />
We begin with the true story of a young man from a town in the North of Italy who was going through a bad period of religious crisis. He happened to go to a conference given by a priest from Padre Pio's monastery named Fr. Mariano Paladino. The young man felt inspired to confide in him and told him some of his doubts and spiritual struggles. <br />
<br />
The priest, after listening to him made him a proposal: <em>"Why not come down to San Giovanni Rotondo to talk to Padre Pio?</em>". He accepted and soon after arriving in San Giovanni Rotundo he decided to go to Confession.
He entered the Confessional and before he even opened his mouth Padre Pio said to him: <b><em><span style="color: blue;">"Answer yes or no to the questions I ask".</span></em></b>
<br />
<br />
Then the Padre began an almost unbelievable examination of conscience: <strong><em><span style="color: blue;">"Have you done.....",</span></em></strong> asked the Holy Confessor naming a particular sin. From the very beginning of this "litany", if the youth wanted to say something that was not either an approval or disapproval, the Padre repeated: <strong><em><span style="color: blue;">"Please reply only yes or no"</span></em></strong> and he continued the examination.
The Padre gave a precise list of sins to which the youth unfortunately had to answer only "yes" to each question. His head was swirling wondering how Padre Pio could possibly know all of these intimate things and faults about him. At the end of the examination of his conscience (or better to say, his "revelation" of conscience), the Padre said: <strong><em><span style="color: blue;">"My son, with all these bad sins I cannot now give you absolution"</span></em></strong> and then he sent him away.
The penitent went away very saddened for his sins, and full of repentance he cried for three days, but during this time the Padre did not abandon him, as we shall see next.
<br />
<br />
The next day after holy Mass the Saint passed by him, and suddenly the young man smelled a wave of perfume, like a bouquet of flowers. He couldn't understand why, but noticing that Padre Pio had just shaved his tonsure, he thought to himself: <em>"Surely this friar must have just been to the barbers and in doing so they must have covered him in aftershave!"</em> It was later that it was revealed to him that the beautiful floral fragarance which he percieved at that precise moment was actually that which eminated from Padre Pio's wounds of the stigmata.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEajUy_6chLSil4XDDrdKguLsoxHCCcQnET7Oe2BLC65hldrXABkUmLl0pAevBct77b6-n0twY4xVH0G9egMnZLwsQB_5f9OKbnuczm7gdH2ZYa0bZ-cfBN5232IECgsDvc5Ms0CCgEoI/s1600/Saint-Padre-Pio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEajUy_6chLSil4XDDrdKguLsoxHCCcQnET7Oe2BLC65hldrXABkUmLl0pAevBct77b6-n0twY4xVH0G9egMnZLwsQB_5f9OKbnuczm7gdH2ZYa0bZ-cfBN5232IECgsDvc5Ms0CCgEoI/s400/Saint-Padre-Pio.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
Afterwards, he went back to his hotel and while he was locked in his thoughts and staring at a wall, he suddenly saw on the wall a photo of Padre Pio: it seemed that the Padre was looking directly at him and he was so struck by his penetrating glance that he felt compelled to close his eyes. When he re-opened them the photo had disappeared.
He was very surprised and wanted to know what had happened to him in that intense moment. He went over and asked the hotel keeper: <strong><em>"Where is the picture with the photo that was on the wall over there?</em></strong> The hotel keeper answered: <em>"What? There has never been a photo on the wall over there".</em>
<br />
<br />
The young man then understood that the Padre was near him in this difficult moment of his life. He went home feeling calmer and more at peace. After a period of reflection he went back again to San Giovanni Rotondo. Once again he confessed to the Padre and to the surprise of many he suddenly made a radical choice: to embrace the religious life and become a priest. (This story was revealed by the man--now a priest--in December of 1999, and out of humility he requested to remain anonymous)
<br />
--------<br />
<br />
There was a poor young woman who volunteered to sort through items that were donated to charity. One day, among other things, there was a nice piece of cloth that was donated, and since she was quite poor, she decided to take it to make herself
a dress. <br />
<br />
<div class="Style" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Soon afterwards she happened to go
to Confession to Padre Pio. Immediately at the beginning of the sacramental dialogue
he said to her:<strong><em><span style="color: blue;"> "You have got dirty hands!".</span></em></strong> </div>
<br />
<div class="Style" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
She did not
understand what the Padre was referring to and she replied: <em>"But father, I have washed
them!".</em> </div>
<br />
<div class="Style" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
And then Padre Pio replied: <strong><em><span style="color: blue;">"And what about that material that you kept for yourself?"</span></em></strong> </div>
<br />
The young woman was stunned and wondered how in the world he could have known this. She replied: <em>"But
father, it was from the things that were donated for the poor, and I am poor!"</em> <br />
<br />
<div class="Style" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
The Padre, wanting to make himself clear said: <strong><em><span style="color: blue;">"Yes, but you should have asked'."</span></em></strong>
</div>
-----------------------<br />
<div class="Style" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</div>
<div class="Style" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
In closing we have Mrs. Maria
Mansi who relates what happened to her mother in confession to Padre Pio. <br />
"One day my mother had to go from Biella to her hometown Gioia del Colle, so she decided to pay a visit to San Giovanni Rotondo to speak to the holy Padre. Soon after her arrival she went to confession and she confessed to him that she had missed Mass the Sunday
before, and at the same time seeking to justify herself she gave the excuse <em>"....because it was raining very heavily".</em></div>
But the Saint, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, soon dismantled the poor excuse saying: <strong><em><span style="color: blue;">"Yes, it was raining heavily, but it was also raining heavily when you left on your journey, but that did not stop you then!"
</span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">-----------------------</span><br /><strong><em>
<span style="color: #3333ff;">-St John Vianney, pray for us!</span>
<br />
<span style="color: #3333ff;">-St Padre Pio, pray for us!</span></em></strong></span>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-78736780974694798192010-09-24T20:01:00.008-04:002015-01-29T11:37:46.577-05:00Bilocation of St Padre Pio<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_89VDeV3WpAXmAHLnxJ2g6BOxRRXda4xwuqnZGbGkbXLjoAuPecJUCTyy4Llqoq_c2DsnO2_E6OLehQg0ns3z9MollS4ViqUQwXI6IEMaxOBnLPvOoCj3umQb2tGuR-h5BY12ugCe8c/s1600/St-Padre-Pio-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_89VDeV3WpAXmAHLnxJ2g6BOxRRXda4xwuqnZGbGkbXLjoAuPecJUCTyy4Llqoq_c2DsnO2_E6OLehQg0ns3z9MollS4ViqUQwXI6IEMaxOBnLPvOoCj3umQb2tGuR-h5BY12ugCe8c/s400/St-Padre-Pio-1.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520623531794924114" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 318px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 130%;">Bilocation in the lives of the Saints</span></strong><br />
<br />
Bilocation (sometimes hyphenated as bi-location) is a special gift of God where an individual can be in two places at once. God always uses this gift for acts of mercy or charity to be performed by the Saint, in circumstances where it is physically impossible for the Saint to be present under normal circumstances.<br />
<br />
While the gift of bi-location has been given to countless saints. Probably one of the most frequent and documented accounts occurred relatively recently in the extraordinary life of the beloved St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968).<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Extraordinary examples of the gift of bi-location in the life of St Pio:</b><br />
<br />
In the April 2008 issue of <em><a href="http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/2008april.asp">“Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry”</a></em> newsletter published by <strong>Padre Pio Devotions </strong>we read of an account of the extraordinary appearance of St Pio in America.<br />
Ellie Hunt’s family came from Padre Pio’s hometown of Pietrelcina and had known Padre Pio from his childhood. They eventually emigrated from Italy to New York. In 1960, when Ellie was 31 years old her grandfather, Jack Crafa became gravely ill. Ellie and her parents lived close to his home in Flushing, New York and during his grave illness, the family stayed by his side. When Jack eventually fell into a coma, they all knew that his life was soon passing.<br />
<br />
One day while Ellie and her parents were at her grandfather’s bedside, a stranger knocked at the door. They were all surprised to see a Capuchin monk dressed in a dark brown habit, because there were no Capuchin monks in their Parish or in any other parish in the area for that matter. They were also surprised to see that he was wearing sandals without any socks, because it was a particularly cold day and snow covered the ground. The monk said that he had come to pray for her grandfather. Ellie was also a bit upset, because she thought that the parish priest should have come to pray for her grandfather, and not a complete stranger. However, she was soon impressed by the kindness and compassion of the young monk.<br />
<br />
He then went straight into her grandfathers bedroom and blessed Jack Crafa. Then told the family to pray the Rosary suggesting that they sit at Jack’s side, praying the Hail Mary close to his ear, for he seemed to have the opinion that Jack was still able to hear. After the monk said that, Ellie was surprised to find that when she took her grandfather’s hand in hers, she felt a response from a very slight squeeze from his hand.<br />
<br />
The young Capuchin then gave Ellie’s grandfather the Last Sacraments, then he blessed the family and bid them goodbye. As he walked out the front door, Ellie’s father, James noticed that there was no car waiting for him outside. James watched him as he walked up the street until he disappeared in the darkness. Jack Crafa died that very night. He had been in a coma for nine days.<br />
<br />
After the unknown monk had left, Ellie’s father James became pale and appeared quite shaken. Ellie’s mother Lucy, asked him for the reason<em>.”Don’t you know who that was?”</em> James replied, <em><strong>“It was Padre Pio. He came to give the Last Rites to your father and he looked exactly like I remember him when I used to deliver eggs to him in Pietrelcina.”</strong></em><br />
<br />
For Ellie’s grandfather Jack had been one of Padre Pio’s spiritual sons from Pietrelcina and through a special grace God Padre Pio had come to comfort and encourage him, and to administer the last Sacraments of the Church, for his death was only hours away.<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">[Source <em><strong>"Pray, Hope and Don't Worry"</strong></em> newsletter, April 2008, published by <strong><a href="http://www.padrepiodevotions.org/">Padre Pio Devotions</a></strong>]</span><br />
<br />
<strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxrgMPOWXr1SMFCVQ6ykYShvfKvwmYRzJaHTzih9Te4UaSEdpX-60iIqiZSJo-y1Wftuvy5cx1XGiZMi1DSxKb34hh5_huLAWxojJ2F2lf40Z4Y65wuPi8zuUIeBp0P0EypyK8w9Z25c/s1600/Padre_Pio_3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxrgMPOWXr1SMFCVQ6ykYShvfKvwmYRzJaHTzih9Te4UaSEdpX-60iIqiZSJo-y1Wftuvy5cx1XGiZMi1DSxKb34hh5_huLAWxojJ2F2lf40Z4Y65wuPi8zuUIeBp0P0EypyK8w9Z25c/s400/Padre_Pio_3.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520624298387886946" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 309px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 130%;">More examples of bilocation in the life of St Padre Pio</span> </strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">[The primary source for this section is <em><strong>"Padre Pio- The Stigmatist"</strong></em> by Rev Charles Mortimer Carty, Radio Replies Press, 2nd ed.]</span>Signora Concetta Bellarmini of S. Vito Lanciano declares that she was suddenly stricken with a blood infection followed by bronchial pneumonia with a very high fever. She was reduced to such a state that the doctors despaired of ever saving her. The flesh had become yellow from the infection which had spread throughout her body.<br />
<br />
A relative urged her to direct her prayers to Padre Pio. She prayed to him whom she has never seen, when suddenly in full daylight a stigmatized monk appeared to her and smiling blessed her without touching her as he stood in the middle of the room. The woman asked him if his appearance signified the grace for the conversion of her children, or else the grace for her physical cure. Then Padre answered, <em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Sunday morning you will be cured,"</span></strong></em> then he vanished from the room, leaving an odor of perfume which the servant girl also smelt. After this visit her flesh turned normal color, the fever ceased and in a few days her health was completely restored. She went with her brother to San Giovanni Rotondo to see if Padre Pio was the one who appeared to her. When she arrived at the Monastery and saw Padre Pio in the church she turned to her brother and said, <em><strong>"There he is, he is the one."</strong></em><br />
<br />
Signor Bugarini Arturo of Ancona was urged by friends to turn to Padre Pio for the cure of his boy. Whilst he was standing near the bedside of his critically ill son he felt three consecutive taps on his shoulder, whilst a voice said: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"I am Padre Pio, I am Padre Pio, I am Padre Pio."</span></em></strong> At the same time he felt all over his body a wave of heat as if he were next to an intense flame, then all of a sudden it ceased. This visit of Padre Pio restored the health of the son. Father and son visited the monastery to thank Padre Pio for the miraculous cure and the spiritual conversion of the father and all the Bugarini family.<br />
<br />
On July 20, 1921, a Monsignor D'Indico of Florence, whom this author met in 1923 when studying theology at the Archbishop's Seminary at Florence, was alone in his study. He felt the sensation of having someone at his back. He turned and saw a monk who disappeared. He left his quarters to tell a chaplain what happened. The chaplain thought it was mere hallucination due to his actual state of anxiety over his sister, who was very ill. He invited him to take a short walk for mental distraction.<br />
<br />
When they returned they called at the sick room. His sister who a little before was in the state of coma, at the same hour as when her brother felt the sensation of being in the presence of Padre Pio, narrated that she had seen a monk enter her room who approached her and said:<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Don't be afraid, tomorrow your fever will disappear and after a few days there will be no trace of your illness on your body."</span></em></strong> </div>
<br />
<div>
<em>"But Padre,"</em> she answered,<em> "are you then a saint?"</em> </div>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #3333ff;"><strong><em>"No, I am only a creature who serves the Lord through His mercies."</em></strong></span><em>"Let me kiss your habit, Padre."</em><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Kiss the sign of the passion,"</span></em></strong> and he showed his hands transfixed and bleeding.<br />
<em>"Padre, I recommend to you my husband and child."</em><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Pray, pray that you will be good and be assured that your child will be under my protection,"</span></em></strong> and blessing her he vanished.<br />
<br />
She immediately got better and in eight days was entirely cured.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5y8wOP3xriQNG39ejA8LkhvHJai3ZspsDkSch0OmqkgiMZM4xBja5Zs8x_taN3GEIODhcTv5EeErZbnGmQfW7jUSCQ4hzkCFX_ofv9Xqje_b1d0ypXJO3SHNW6p4GQpxHTxQug238nKk/s1600/Padre_Pio_1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5y8wOP3xriQNG39ejA8LkhvHJai3ZspsDkSch0OmqkgiMZM4xBja5Zs8x_taN3GEIODhcTv5EeErZbnGmQfW7jUSCQ4hzkCFX_ofv9Xqje_b1d0ypXJO3SHNW6p4GQpxHTxQug238nKk/s400/Padre_Pio_1.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520623123961988882" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 288px;" /></a>His opinion on the recognition of bilocation</span></strong><br />
One day a monk who was speaking about the bilocation of St. Anthony of Padua who miraculously appeared in Lisbon, said to Padre Pio: <em>"Perhaps these privileged of the Lord do not even know when their bilocation occurs:'</em>Padre Pio quickly interrupting him as one who is experienced with such events answered: <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Certainly they know. They cannot know if the body or the soul moves, but they are very conscious of what happens and they know where they are going."</span></em><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">St Pio miraculously appears to a General</span></strong><br />
While World War I was raging throughout Europe, one day General Cadorna, a General in the Italian Army, was in his study during the war and in deep study he held his head in his hands, thinking of all the young men who, for the love of country would have to give up their lives, when suddenly he smelt a very strong perfume odor of roses which was wafted around the room. Raising his venerable head, he was stupefied to see a monk with a seraphic look and with bleeding hands. Passing in front of him, the monk said, <em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Be calm, they will not do anything harmful to you."</span></em><br />
<br />
With the disappearance of the monk, the general no longer smelled the perfume. He told a Franciscan friend about the vision and when he mentioned the perfume the Franciscan said, <em>"Your excellency, you have seen Padre Pio."</em> Then he told the general all about Padre Pio. The general decided to visit San Giovanni and when he arrived there incognito, he was immediately approached by two Capuchins, who had recognized the general even though he was trying to disguise himself in civilian clothing. They approached him and said, <em>"Your Excellency, Padre Pio is waiting for you. He sent us to meet you." </em><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj002zw39ZGZarHugsgO0FG5PMKJfa1LK95bpMIUw1Xiqh0GOyMZP7rpXJ5ark3-W7SXykFY4dOY-CgP-uaYaKil6TTNmffSz7NKTx1nXxRZxXXOTVefkmllb8EF9-khQkRo7z6VpH3sHg/s1600/Stigmata_St_Padre_Pio.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj002zw39ZGZarHugsgO0FG5PMKJfa1LK95bpMIUw1Xiqh0GOyMZP7rpXJ5ark3-W7SXykFY4dOY-CgP-uaYaKil6TTNmffSz7NKTx1nXxRZxXXOTVefkmllb8EF9-khQkRo7z6VpH3sHg/s400/Stigmata_St_Padre_Pio.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520628757568532642" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 306px;" /></a>St Pio appears leaves the imprint of his stigmatized hand on a bed sheet</span> </strong><br />
Emma Meneghello, a very pious young girl of 14, was afflicted with epilepsy which threw her into fits several times a week. One afternoon whilst in prayer, Padre Pio appeared to her and placed his hand on the bed sheet, then smiled and vanished. The cured epileptic arose to kiss the place where the Padre had placed his hand and she noticed a cross of blood left on the sheet. A small square cut of the sheet with the blood stains is conserved today in a glass picture frame. <em>"Through the intercession of Padre Pio,"</em> writes this miraculously cured girl, <em>"I have obtained other graces, especially for dying babies."</em><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Padre Pio appears and cures a dying man</span></strong><br />
Mrs. Ersilia Magurno, a woman of great faith, for two months was taking care of her husband, who was stricken with influenza. This illness would not have given alarm were it not that he was also affiicted with a very weak heart. Night and day helped by a nun, the wife was watching her husband with every possible care, whilst praying and invoking Padre Pio. He grew worse and the doctors advised that the last rites be given to him because of the very alarming failure of his heart.<br />
<br />
One night the wife noticed in the room a strong perfume of flowers. The next morning, however, a worse condition prevailed and the dying man was approaching his end. A telegram begged Padre Pio's intercession. Two days later Mr. Magurno entered the state of coma. The wife did not give up hope and sent a second telegram. Finally the 27th of Feb., 1947, the sick man after a day of prolonged crisis fell asleep. The nun was away and the wife remained alone to watch him and at midnight she noticed that his sleep was more restful than usual. At 7:30 in the morning, noticing that he was awakening, she rushed to his side and said, <em>"How do you feel?"</em><br />
<strong><em>"I am cured, I am well. Padre Pio just left the room; open the window please and take my temperature."</em></strong> It was entirely normal.<br />
<em>"Ernesto,"</em> asked the astonished wife, anxious to hear and to know. <em>"What are you saying? Have you seen Padre Pio? And what, did he tell you?"</em><br />
<strong><em>“He came together with another monk, he examined my heart and said, <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: #3333ff;">'This</span> </span><span style="color: #3333ff;">fever will go away, tomorrow you will be cured and within four days you can get up.'</span> “Padre Pio looked around, examined the medicines, read the medical reports and remained in the room all night."</em></strong> To confirm this miracle a strong odor of violets was observed in the room.<br />
<br />
Five months later on July 27 the couple went to San Giovanni and Mr. Magurno immediately recognized Padre Pio as the monk who cured him. Padre Pio received him with fond greetings and placing his hand on his shoulder said to him: <span style="color: #3333ff;"><strong><em>"How much this heart has made you suffer."</em></strong></span><br />
<strong>"Go away child for you have been cured"</strong><br />
We must not think that Padre Pio arrives always unexpectedly at the bedside of the sick, for at times he announced in advance the time of his coming. Once a little sick girl told her parents the approximate hour of his arrival, and the parents in their simplicity not understanding the phenomenon went to meet him at the railroad station. When they returned to the child disappointed, they found her asleep.<br />
<br />
<em>"Padre Pio didn't come,"</em> her mother said sadly, as soon as she saw her waking.<br />
<em><strong>"Why he just left!,"</strong></em> the child answered. A young girl, cured also providentially from a grave infirmity, desired to test the power of Padre Pio and she came to him feigning the infirmity that once afflicted her.<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“Go away child,"</span></em></strong> he said, striking her jokingly on the shoulder, <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"go away for you are quite cured and be careful that you never again tempt the mercy of the Lord."</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9RsSRbhQBp08K3aF9FfgMpLg0j-pliBI_rziqj8c0BYwGidnkcv_3UO2iHcPz6-v9l9onBHUoSo0Lbap6bKo1QdMxyH1KQK11-r_aCpWT1b6GygmWXt-rQOPs3J_dX9R2_pByyyEdRg/s1600/Padre_Pio_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9RsSRbhQBp08K3aF9FfgMpLg0j-pliBI_rziqj8c0BYwGidnkcv_3UO2iHcPz6-v9l9onBHUoSo0Lbap6bKo1QdMxyH1KQK11-r_aCpWT1b6GygmWXt-rQOPs3J_dX9R2_pByyyEdRg/s400/Padre_Pio_2.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520622058639876530" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 308px;" /></a><strong>He miraculously appears to baptise a baby as promised</strong><br />
A couple from Genoa visited Padre Pio to sadly tell him that they had no children.<br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Bring him to me to be baptized when he is born,"</span></em></strong> was his answer. From this reply and many other similar ones we discover that Padre Pio was often able to foretell the sex of an unborn child.<br />
<br />
The following year the fortunate couple returned with their baby boy, but in the Church of Our Lady of Graces there was no baptismal font and there was such a crowd in the church that they could not reach Padre Pio. The mother remained in the Parish House of San Giovanni Rotondo one mile away, whilst the father went to the monastery to protest that Padre Pio had invited them to come there, otherwise they would not have come. He waited and his wait was in vain. He returned to the Parish House to learn from his wife that even though Padre Pio at the time specified was very preoccupied with the people had come and baptized the baby.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Padre Pio miraculously appears and rescues a condemned woman</span></strong> </div>
<br />
<div>
In a city of central Italy a teacher and ex-secretary of a Fascist organization was accused of having furnished arms and bombs to the Fascisti, who perpetrated an explosion that killed military and civilians. But the teacher was innocent. Taken by force from her home to be tried and shot she succeeded in bringing with her a Rosary and a photograph of Padre Pio. They conducted her to observe the destruction and to see the spectacle of the dead whose death they attributed to her. They then brought her to the place of execution.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile some members of the firing squad entered her home with the pretext of searching for arms. Instead they began stealing money, objects of gold, clothing, until all of a sudden there thundered a shout, <em><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Enough,"</span></strong></em> so resolutely and imperiously that the soldiers fled abandoning their loot.<br />
<br />
The sister of the condemned girl watching the whole scene cringing in a corner recognized in the shouting of <strong><em>"Enough,"</em></strong> the voice of Padre Pio.<br />
The order to aim and fire had been suspended because of the arrival of an interminable column of armored cars, horses, cannon, ambulances and marching troops. The commander of the firing squad remained standing on a car as if hypnotized.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDQqxnvbELQrzQIDYVo8vOm5FjCxVVUZyABU6vy9xY1rA_9sSl8u6iXHqBPsBtHAJghwEcJI07eXEHd85BfQJPa-aMH5GJWvvg5xAdarj2FhMDLYpvv564oj7qg_XTjBUIlHGzoS-2h0/s1600/Padre_Pio_Holy_Mass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDQqxnvbELQrzQIDYVo8vOm5FjCxVVUZyABU6vy9xY1rA_9sSl8u6iXHqBPsBtHAJghwEcJI07eXEHd85BfQJPa-aMH5GJWvvg5xAdarj2FhMDLYpvv564oj7qg_XTjBUIlHGzoS-2h0/s1600/Padre_Pio_Holy_Mass.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Padre Pio celebrating Holy Mass & Eucharist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The young teacher could hardly breathe as she reflected that her hour would come when the last soldier passed by. She began to pray to Padre Pio for the grace of seeing God's will in her execution. A gentleman approached her and asked what they had decided to do with her.<br />
<em>“I don't know, I no longer know anything, they are all away, there is only the commander there,"</em> as she pointed him out with a facial expression full of horror.<br />
He was motionless as if cemented to his post. <span style="color: #3333ff;"><strong><em>“Then consider yourself free and come with me."</em></strong></span><br />
He brought her in his automobile to her home where many women were comforting her griefstricken sister. The condemned girl threw herself into her sister's arms and then taking a picture of Padre Pio from the wall, kissed it and pressed it to her heart. In that instant she felt a hand gently patting her cheek.<br />
<br />
A few months later the teacher went to San Giovanni to thank her saviour.<br />
<strong><em>“Padre,"</em></strong> she said, <strong><em>“my life will not be enough to thank you."</em></strong> He said: <strong><em><span style="color: #3333ff;">“My child, how much your faith caused me to run."</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">-St Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us!</span></strong><br />
<b></b>____________________________________________<br />
<br />
<strong>A few quotes and sayings of Padre Pio:</strong><br />
<em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"Prayer is the best weapon we possess. It is the key that opens the heart of God."<br /><br />"Love our Lady and make her loved; always recite the Rosary and recite it as often as possible."<br /><br />"You must always humble yourself lovingly before God and before men, because God speaks only to those who are truly humble and He enriches them with His gifts."<br /><br />"Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine."<br /><br />"Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus."</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #3333ff;"><br /></span></em>
<em><span style="color: #3333ff;">"The Rosary is a special weapon for these times in which we are living"<br /><br />"Love Jesus, love Him very much, but to do this, be ready to love sacrifice more."<br /><br />"Imagine Jesus crucified in your arms and on your chest, and say a hundred times as you kiss His chest, "This is my hope, the living source of my happiness; this is the heart of my soul; nothing will ever separate me from His love."<br /><br />"Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is I want it to be a place of consolation for You.."</span></em> </div>
<div>
<em><span style="color: #3333ff;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div>
<strong>Click here <a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2008/09/st-padre-pios-devotion-to-st-gemma.html">for more information on St Padre Pio</a></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspl-3hej1VjCj6ZSH8Tr028ZWuv6DCgVKEauSAoWnlVO8e5VwA2DgWwFiue6gkQK9Woo4_z7oEqUDy2ypPclbwplShzE3NZb8-22GONbLAB6CQ2r4uvs7-scdwB-mVaSB40Rfjl68-vE/s1600/Padre+Pio+authentic+relic+locket+rosary+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspl-3hej1VjCj6ZSH8Tr028ZWuv6DCgVKEauSAoWnlVO8e5VwA2DgWwFiue6gkQK9Woo4_z7oEqUDy2ypPclbwplShzE3NZb8-22GONbLAB6CQ2r4uvs7-scdwB-mVaSB40Rfjl68-vE/s1600/Padre+Pio+authentic+relic+locket+rosary+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">For those interested, I am offering some beautiful <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/p/mystics-of-church-gift-store.html" target="_blank">St Padre Pio relic locket rosaries in the Gift Store here</a>.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
Those interested in making a Novena (9 days of prayer) seeking the holy intercession of St Padre Pio can find the <a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2011/09/novena-to-st-padre-pio-padre-pio-novena.html">Novena to St Padre Pio here</a>.Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com241tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402685764467628731.post-28642792659495236012010-09-24T01:57:00.013-04:002011-10-09T15:04:47.749-04:00The Stigmata<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N3i7VDHoopzTK_LLokP79QrTP5UsmtUv7l45ml523bR3MRlMVUSc9htUBnErEEUIGenLvIClTgIbfJ1OUeEzPfXFcsT75a6iISeO8QJQhL0QHLnfARJGW82zaZ-GXprpvAqNGL02Mu8/s1600/St+Gemma+Stigmata.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 333px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520365990230176722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8N3i7VDHoopzTK_LLokP79QrTP5UsmtUv7l45ml523bR3MRlMVUSc9htUBnErEEUIGenLvIClTgIbfJ1OUeEzPfXFcsT75a6iISeO8QJQhL0QHLnfARJGW82zaZ-GXprpvAqNGL02Mu8/s400/St+Gemma+Stigmata.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#3333ff;"><strong>Miracles of the Saints: The holy Stigmata</strong></span><br /><br />The stigmata is the wounds of Jesus inflicted by God upon the body of the saint-mystic-victim soul. They consist of the five wounds of Jesus which are the nail wounds in the hands and feet, along with the wound in the side, next to the heart. They can be either visible or invisible. The main purpose of the stigmata is so the saint may suffer in union with Jesus for the conversion of sinners, that is, for the redemption of humanity. Those who bear the stigmata are then “co-redeemers” with Christ, as they, with their limited human capabilities, share in His sufferings and participate in a special way in His Redemption. Simply put, victim souls make reparation for sin and do penance for all those who don't. And through their sufferings in union with Jesus they lead souls to God, by obtaining the graces that certain souls need to turn to God. They participate in and live the Passion of Jesus in their body and souls, for the conversion of sinners.<br /><br />For the Apostle St Paul says in his letter to the Colossians <em><strong>“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the sake of his body, that is, the church."</strong></em>(Colossians 1:24).<br />While St Francis of Assisi is commonly believed to be the first Saint to have been given the stigmata (on September 14, 1224), there are some scripture scholars who believe that St Paul himself may have been the first to have borne it, for in Galations 6:17 Paul himself states: <strong><em>"From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."</em><br /></strong>And furthermore, in the Acts of the Apostles we read: <strong><em>"...And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them."</em></strong> (Acts 19:11)<br />It is suggested that these hankerchiefs were blood soaked from the wounds of Paul's stigmata. As most Catholics know, many in the church follow this practice today with the veneration of the relics of the Saints.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUGv_2ZFF5pm1TSqOqTc5GyKw9W2VKeWyFwsrpRFaNNIG9UXLNE7IbRAaY6yVq7lXRXJRKsePobryB5jFbKORh0mnWp0m-rHrZH7KaV5zc4YiejU9_SZRMyosOHzCxlgJQh22UFUDa7o/s1600/St_Gemma_Galgani.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 260px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520365721699168770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUGv_2ZFF5pm1TSqOqTc5GyKw9W2VKeWyFwsrpRFaNNIG9UXLNE7IbRAaY6yVq7lXRXJRKsePobryB5jFbKORh0mnWp0m-rHrZH7KaV5zc4YiejU9_SZRMyosOHzCxlgJQh22UFUDa7o/s400/St_Gemma_Galgani.bmp" /></a><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">A modern case of the Stigmata</span></strong><br />Certainly a very recent and probaly one of the best documented cases of the stigmata would be that of the Italian Saint Gemma Galgani (1878-1903) who also happens to be this writers favorite Saint! Gemma was an extraordinary saint who loved Jesus with all her heart and soul. At an early age she had an remarkable piety, and Jesus began giving her interior locutution at age 7. At age 20 she was miraculously cured of spinal meningitis through the heavenly intercession of another saint- Gabriel Possenti C.P.(who at that time was declared Venerable) who miraculously appeared to Gemma each night and encouraged her to make a Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. One year later she was given the stigmata by Jesus in the prescence of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her guardian Angel<br /><br />One day after Holy Communion, shortly after her miraculous cure, Jesus said to her: <strong><em><span style="color:#ff0000;">"Courage Gemma! I await you on Calvary on the Mount that I shall show you!"</span></em></strong><br />The suffering through which she had passed during her illness had purified her soul, and the hour was approaching in which she would realize the nature of her vocation. It was June 8th, 1899, the vigil of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. That morning after Holy Communion Jesus revealed to her that in the evening of that day He would give her an extraordinary grace. She went at once to tell her confessor, and then confession to receive absolution, that she might be prepared as much as possible for what Jesus was to do next. Then, with her soul flooded with a wonderful sense of peace and joy, she returned home.<br /><br />Gemma herself will relate what happened on this night:<br /><em>"It was Thursday evening, the vigil of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Suddenly, more quickly indeed than usual, I felt a piercing sorrow for my sins; but so intense that I have never since experienced the like again. The sorrow was so great that I thought I must die. After that I felt all the powers of my soul in recollection. My intellect knew nothing except my sins and offences against God; my memory recalled each one, and made me see all the torments Jesus had endured to save me. My will moved me to detest them and be willing to suffer anything in expiation. A world of thoughts surged through my mind; thoughts of sorrow, love, fear, hope and encouragement.<br /><br />"This was quickly followed by a rapture, and I found myself in the presence of my heavenly Mother, with my guardian angel on her right. He commanded me to make an act of contrition, and when I had done so my Mom said to me:</em> <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">'Daughter, in the name of Jesus I forgive you all your sins,'</span></em></strong> and added, <strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">'Jesus, my Son, loves you very much, and wishes to give you a grace. Would you know how to become worthy of it?'</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFD5XMiUoezjMRSxJcd9xMtE54C_vCXiVHOUuM2rkWFc36J9S0p7ygECm-5sudfe-109tCLCH1JkifHiPp6xuNg6meXE2MuO9D2KMK_rxCSfvyqmsNDzr0I-Ljhw5tAZ1uqFdx1Jg9Ig/s1600/Santa_Gemma_Stigmata.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 264px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520364956419998114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFD5XMiUoezjMRSxJcd9xMtE54C_vCXiVHOUuM2rkWFc36J9S0p7ygECm-5sudfe-109tCLCH1JkifHiPp6xuNg6meXE2MuO9D2KMK_rxCSfvyqmsNDzr0I-Ljhw5tAZ1uqFdx1Jg9Ig/s400/Santa_Gemma_Stigmata.jpg" /></a><em>In my misery I knew not what to answer. Then She continued</em>: <em><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">'I will be a mother to you; will you show yourself a true daughter?' </span></strong>And after saying this She opened her mantle and covered me with it. <strong>At that instant Jesus appeared with all His wounds open</strong>; but blood no longer issued from those wounds, but flames of fire. In an instant those flames came and touched my hands, feet and heart. I felt I was dying and should have fallen had not my Mom held me up, I remaining all the while covered with her mantle, and thus I remained for several hours. Afterwards my Mom kissed me on the forehead, then everything vanished and I found myself kneeling on the ground, but still feeling intense pain in my hands, feet and heart. I got up to go to bed and saw blood flowing from those places where I felt the pain. I covered them up as best I could and then, with the help of my guardian angel, got into bed." [From the "<strong>Autobiography of St Gemma Galgani"</strong>]<br /></em><br />This event took place on the first floor of a house numbered thirteen in the Via del Biscione in the parish of S. Pietro Somaldi, where Gemma was living with her family. <em>"We point to this house with singular affection," </em>writes her confessor, Venerable Father Germano, <em>"because we believe one day it will be as memorable as La Verna, where St. Francis received the Stigmata." </em><br /><br />The following morning Gemma arose early and, despite the intense pain she was enduring, went to church as usual to receive Holy Communion, putting on gloves to hide the wounds in her hands. She came home perplexed. How could she conceal what had happened to her? But perhaps it was nothing exceptional, but a gift bestowed by God on all who had consecrated themselves by vow to Him. What should she do? Finally she went to her aunt and said:<em><strong> "Aunt, just look at what Jesus has done to me!"</strong></em><br /><br />The aunt, although she had for some time felt there was something quite exceptional about Gemma, looked at her in amazement, and could not make out what had happened.<br /><em>"The phenomenon always began in the way Gemma has herself described, and there is little to add to her account of it,"</em> says Ven. Father Germano, who further writes in his <strong><em>"Life of St Gemma Galgani": </em></strong><em>"...From that day it continued to repeat itself, on the same day and hour of each week, that is, from Thursday evening towards eight o'clock and continued till three o'clock on Friday afternoon. No preparation preceded it, no sense of pain or impression of any sort in those parts of the body announced that it was imminent, except the recollection of spirit which preceded the ecstasy.</em><br /><br /><em>"Scarcely had this begun when suddenly red marks appeared on the backs and palms of both hands, and under the epidermis a rent in the flesh opened by degrees, oblong on the back of the hands and irregularly round in the palms. A little after and the membrane itself was pierced, and on those innocent hands the flesh wounds were seen, about half an inch in diameter in the palms, and on the back of the hands about five-eighths of an inch long by one-eighth of an inch wide.</em> [Here Ven. Father Germano remarks: "I greatly marvelled at the crescent form of this opening so unusual in other stigmatics until I read the life of the Venerable Diomira of Florence, who had a wound similar to that of Gemma, according to the sworn testimony of medical men, and other eye-witnesses."]<br /><br /><em>"Sometimes the laceration appeared only on the surface; at others it was scarcely perceptible to the naked eye, but more often was very deep, and ap¬peared to pass through the hand, the openings on both sides touching each other. I say seemed to pass, because these openings were full of blood, partly flowing and partly congealed and when the flow of blood ceased, they closed immediately .... In her feet, besides the wounds being large and livid around the edges, the size of the opening was the reverse of that of the hands, that is larger on the instep and smaller on the sole of the foot. Moreover, the wound on the instep of the right foot was as large as that on the sole of the left. Thus it would have been with our Saviour if both His feet had been fastened to the Cross by a single nail…</em><br /><br /><em>"Now we come to the wound in Gemma's side. It had the form of a half-moon in a horizontal direction, with the two ends turned upwards. Its length in a straight line was quite two inches, its width at the centre a quarter of an inch."<br />"The flow of blood from this wound was so abundant that her underclothing was saturated by it. The humble virgin did what she could to hide it by using manifold linen cloths, which she repeatedly applied to her side; in less than an hour they were saturated, and she hastened to conceal them so as to wash them in secret.</em>'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUALIbRKeCGzQxBndGp6Qoc3L9pMgcGxS7JIDgmxozdrERpn3w-G3_YmUlMcE1cez99n71Penglt3uCx9akjXAhhw5n25CkXGpN5-t9bIam1Eh3vQjU1m4oZWQCoXnZvm4oAylCmsoYQ/s1600/St_Gemma_Galgani_1.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 264px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520364512809615570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUALIbRKeCGzQxBndGp6Qoc3L9pMgcGxS7JIDgmxozdrERpn3w-G3_YmUlMcE1cez99n71Penglt3uCx9akjXAhhw5n25CkXGpN5-t9bIam1Eh3vQjU1m4oZWQCoXnZvm4oAylCmsoYQ/s400/St_Gemma_Galgani_1.bmp" /></a>Gemma herself describes her experience on one occasion thus: <em><span style="color:#3333ff;">"This morning. . . I felt my senses leaving me. To the pain at my heart was added an acute anguish in all my members. Before all and above all was my sorrow for sin. What excruciating pain! Had it been greater I would have died, and I can say the same of the wound which I received. My heart could no longer bear the restraint, and began to send forth blood in abundance."<br /></span></em><br />One of those who lived with Gemma declared upon oath that the blood from her side alone, unless it had been stopped, would have flowed down to the ground. The same can be said of the wounds in her hands and feet. Her spiritual director, Father Germano continues: <em>"The blood was fresh, of a rich colour, such as flows from a newly opened wound, and so it remained, even after it had dried upon the skin, the clothing and the floor."<br /><br />"The disappearance of the wounds was no less remarkable, for as soon as the ecstasy on Friday was over the flow of blood from all five wounds ceased, the raw flesh healed, and by the following day, or at latest by Sunday, not a trace of those wounds remained. Only the places where the wounds had been showed a whitish colour which indicated where they had been the day before."</em> [From the <strong><em>"Life of St Gemma Galgani"</em></strong> by Venerable Father Germano, C.P.<br /><br />These supernatural manifestations continued every Thursday and Friday, until prohibited by her directors, and after her death, although the stigmata had ceased for two years, these white marks were distinctly visible, especially upon her feet.<br /><br />More notes on the stigmata in the lives of the Mystics of the Church:<br />Throughout the history of the Church there have been some souls who have received the invisible or "hidden" stigmata, and even moreso there have been numerous stigmatics who initially received the stigmata in a visible form, but in their great humility they asked God that it might become invisible (hidden), which at their request God granted in all the cases that I have read. <br /><br />Additionally, most stigmatics do not have a permanent stigmata; for most the stigmata normally appears on Thursday evenings, and disappears on Friday afternoons, only to reappear again the following Thurday, although some, like St Padre Pio for example, bore the stigmata permanently (meaning he had the stigmata all the time--and in his case, it was 50 years and 3 days, until his holy death on September 23, 1968)<br /><br />The invisible (or hidden) stigmata can be just as painful, or even more painful than the visible stigmata. In fact, the physical bleeding of the stigmata often seems to lessen the pain, so that for most visible stigmatics, the time prior to when the wounds completely open (on Thursday evenings) is most painful...then once the wounds open and the blood begins to flow, the pain often lessens somewhat.<br />________________________________________<br /><br /><strong>Click here for </strong><a href="http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/2009/01/stigmata-scourgings-crown-of-thorns.html"><strong>more information about the stigmata of St Gemma with detailed descriptions from several eyewitnesses.</strong></a> </div>Glenn Dallairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14335880223972671663noreply@blogger.com26