There are two types of people in the world: believers in God and those who don’t. Unbelievers refuse to accept any evidence contrary to their convictions.
Those who have faith see evidence of the Divine all around them.
In one of my favorite stories from a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, a father and his daughter both have the same dream of their brother/son dying on the battlefield in Vietnam. Before he passes, they see him receiving the last rites from a priest and hear the priest’s name.
The dream was true; their loved one died on the battlefield. Later, when they contact the military to thank the priest for his service, they find out that the priest they remember from their dream died days before their son/brother.
Chicken Soup for the Soul has several books with inspirational stories of miracles, Divine intervention, and angels.
Eben Alexander, M.D. relates his personal story of his near-death experience (NDE) in the book “Proof of Heaven, A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife.” While in a coma for seven days, with the part of his brain that controls thought and emotion shut down completely, Alexander experiences angels and heaven.
Before his NDE Alexander had no belief in heaven, God, or the soul, let alone near-death experiences.
He remembered one particular angel in heaven. After his recovery he researched his life before he was adopted. He recognized that the angel was a sister from his birth parents he never knew existed.
Alexander says in his book “I know there will be people who will seek to invalidate my experience…but I know better. Not only was my journey about love, but it was also about who we are and how connected we all are — the very meaning of all existence.”
In October 1995, Saint Pope John Paul II visited the United States. As with any dignitary’s visit, the itinerary had been planned months in advance.
Baltimore’s schedule included a stop at a Seminary. After greeting the seminarians, the Pope expressed a desire to pray before the Blessed Sacrament that evening, but this was not on the itinerary.
Security personnel immediately took action to ensure the safety of the church and the side chapel where the Tabernacle was located. They brought in highly trained dogs, which are used to find missing people after a natural disaster or any person who might be a threat, as in this instance.
The dogs made their rounds through hallways, offices, and classrooms, finally reaching the side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was.
As they reached the Tabernacle, the dogs sniffed, whined, and refused to leave. They sat looking directly at the Tabernacle, obviously sure they’d discovered someone there they couldn’t see. The dogs remained there, riveted, convinced that a real person was there. Only when they were commanded to by their surprised handler did the dogs move from the spot.
The above story is from Vincentian Father Anthony Netikat’s book “100 Eucharistic Miracles Proved by Science and Approved by the Church.”
The Catholic Church has authenticated 12 instances of “stigmata,” where an individual suffers Christ’s wounds from his crucifixion. The stigmatic develop wounds that bleed from the hands, feet, and sometimes on the side (from the spear) and the hairline (from the crown of thorns).
Catalina (Katya) Rivas, a housewife and grandmother from Cochabamba, Bolivia, has been filmed live suffering from stigmata. Called “Signs from God,” the video was broadcast on Fox Network in July 1999 to over 20 million viewers.
Through a message from Jesus, she predicted the date of her stigmata two months before it was to take place.
The video, according to the journalist covering the event, says it is heartbreaking and frightening as Katya’s pain, over several hours, affects everyone in the room.
The next day she was recovered, with signs of her bleeding wounds almost completely healed.
A little over 2,000 years ago, the devil’s worst nightmare came true when Jesus Christ died for our sins. That makes Holy Week the worst time of the year for the devil. So he works overtime to tempt us this week. Be on your guard.
May you have a blessed Easter week.
