Learn About Miracles with Your Family

Heavenly Hosts; Eucharistic Miracles for Kids and Miraculous! Catholic Mysteries for Kids, both by Kathryn Swegart, O.F.S., were written to introduce children to some of the miracles that have taken place in the history of the Church, but these books are actually great for all ages. 

It can be hard to believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. After all, after transubstantiation, the bread and wine still look the same. We take it on faith that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, but how can we be sure? God knows that we humans like to have tangible proof of things that are hard to believe and understand. Heavenly Hosts tells of various Eucharistic miracles in which the veil has been lifted and the consecrated bread and wine have been shown to be the true body and blood of Jesus. 

These include a miracle in Lanciano, Italy in the 8^th century in which the bread turned to flesh and the wine turned to blood. A similar miracle took place in 1994 Buenos Aires. In this case the bloody flesh was scientifically tested and found to be part of a human heart that was alive at the time that the sample was taken. There are several other miracles included in which the power of the Real Presence in the Eucharist has been made manifest.

Miraculous! includes stories of all sorts of miracles. Learn about the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary which was moved by God from Nazareth to where it now resides in Loreto, Italy. Discover the mystery of the creation of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on St. Juan Diego’s tilma. Relive the moment when the Shroud of Turin was first photographed, revealing the Holy Face of Jesus in the negative.  The back of the book includes additional scientific evidence about several of the miracles included in the book.

Each of the stories in these wonderful books is short (a few pages) which makes them perfect for reading aloud as part of morning time, religion class, or before bed. Your whole family will love and learn from these miraculous stories. They might even help you and your children grow in faith.

The Power of Praying the Rosary

With the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7^th, October is considered a month dedicated to the special devotion of the rosary. While I usually review more recent books, I came across 101 Inspirational Stories of the Rosary by Sr. Patricia Proctor, OSC (Franciscan Monastery of St. Clare, 2003) in my parish library and wanted to share this wonderful resource.  Maybe you’ve heard of the rosary, but have never or rarely prayed one. Maybe you tried praying it once or twice but found it boring and repetitive and decided it was not for you, or maybe the rosary is a treasured part of your prayer life that you can’t imagine living without. Whatever category you fall into, this book is one you should consider adding to your reading list. 

Sr. Patricia Proctor gathered the personal testimony of 101 people “who have prayed the rosary and experienced wonderful results.” October 2002 – 2003 was the Year of the Rosary proclaimed by Pope St. John Paul II, and this book was compiled in connection with that year.  She also set up a website at Rosary101.com which is still active. 

In these pages, you’ll read stories of miraculous healings, miracle births, protection during war, financial blessings, saved marriages, conquering addictions, discernment of vocations, help finding a job, the grace of a happy death, and much more. You can read as few or as many of these stories as you like. It is a great book for opening to a random page and getting a quick dose of uplifting inspiration. 

The appendix features Pope St. John Paul II’s apostolic letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae as well as a brief history of the rosary (if you are looking for a longer historical examination of the rosary, Fr. Donald Callaway’s Champions of the Rosary is a great resource), the 15 Promises of the Blessed Virgin to Christians who Faithfully Pray the Rosary, simple directions for praying the rosary, and how to make a rosary. 

The rosary has been one of my favorite devotions since I was a young girl. I grew up praying it with my mother and have continued that tradition with my own children. I’ve said so many 54 Day Rosary Novenas, I literally wore out my prayer book and had to purchase a new one. It is my go-to prayer for whenever there is a serious need to pray for. I lay all my major intentions at Mary’s feet so that she can bring them to her Son. Some answers come quickly, while others take much more time, but Mary has never failed me. Even when things don’t turn out the way I hoped, I feel a sense of peace with the outcome that I know comes from prayer. I encourage anyone facing a major decision or life crisis to offer a 54 Day Rosary Novena.

Our Blessed Mother at Fatima told us to pray the rosary for peace and the conversion of sinners. With our world and our Church going through such rough times, we need the rosary more than ever. This October, I invite you to make a special effort to pray the rosary. If you’ve tried it before and decided it wasn’t for you, please try it again. And if you’ve ever received a special answer or miracle after praying the rosary for that intention, I invite you to share your story in the comments so that others may be inspired to ask for Mary’s intercession.

Eucharistic Miracles of the World

I was doing research for another project and came across this site featuring a Vatican traveling exhibition on Eucharistic Miracles of the World. http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm

There is a book available on the miracles as well as links to the .pdf files that make up the posters of the exhibition. These miracles are truly amazing and will help enhance your faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. 

Prayer Request Update - Mother with Breast Cancer Gives Birth

A while ago, I asked for prayers for a member of my extended family who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 17 weeks pregnant. She had a mastectomy and has been having chemo treatments. She gave birth today to a beautiful baby girl. Her story is told here: Pregnant Cancer Patient Documents Recovery on Facebook. She still has radiation treatments to go through so prayers are still needed, but today, a definite miracle took place.

Everyday Miracles

I was out planting my garden this weekend (hope springs eternal!) and thinking about these tiny seeds that I was scattering on the earth. Every plant that we see comes from a seed. Admittedly some are bigger than others  but it is still pretty amazing that a huge tree or a beautiful flower can come from such a tiny start.

That led to my thinking about people - how we all get here from the meeting of two cells - Two Cells! And those two cells contain all the genetic information to create a walking, talking, thinking, full-of-potential human being.

These are the type of things we don't think of all that often, but creation is amazing, full of miracles that by all rights should not occur. One slight change in our world and none of this exists.

God is truly great!

A Local Miracle that Contributed to the Beatification of Cardinal John Newman

Read the story of the miraculous healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan of the Boston Diocese. His miracle was accepted as the one necessary for the beatification of Cardinal John Newman. Learn more about his amazing story here: 'Miracle deacon,’ Deacon Jack Sullivan, tells his story at Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst

Believe in Miracles

I’m not sure at what exact age it happened, but at some point my Christmas wish list changed from things that fit under the Christmas tree to less tangible things that don’t come in boxes.

I wish for healing for friends and family members who are suffering, either physically or emotionally. I wish for peace among family members and in the world at large. I wish for wisdom in parenting my children. I wish for belief when I am burdened with doubt. The list goes on. Perhaps you have one of your own?

Unlike my children, who are eagerly awaiting (early!) Christmas morning to open their presents, I know that most likely my wish list won’t magically be fulfilled simply because the calendar states it is December 25th. Yet, still, I hope. I do believe in miracles. I’ve seen them happen.

Isn’t that what Christmas is about? Hoping in the face of unbeatable odds? Think of the Jewish people who waited and waited for a Messiah. At times, it must have seemed that the Savior would never come. And when He did come? He came in a way they never expected – as a poor baby born in a stable.

He would go on to counter all of their expectations. They expected a military leader, someone to conquer the world for them. What they got was a carpenter who would preach the need for love and forgiveness and who would ultimately die on a cross as a criminal. How could they continue to hope in the face of all that? Wasn’t it all just some cruel joke? Many stopped hoping. Who could blame them?

Yet, for the select few that held on to their hope, their faith was richly rewarded. It was the ultimate surprise ending. The unthinkable happened. Death was conquered!

We celebrate Christmas because of Easter. For those of us who have heard both the Christmas and Easter stories over and over again, they may have lost some of their shock value. This Christmas, try to listen to the Gospel with fresh ears. The Savior of us all, the Son of God, came to earth as a baby in the humblest of circumstances. Angels announced his birth. Both shepherds and kings bowed before him.

Christmas is a miracle of the greatest degree. God still works miracles today. Believe that they can happen. I hope and pray that your Christmas wishes come true.

Bleeding Hands, Weeping Stone

Bleeding Hands, Weeping Stone: True Stories of Divine Wonders, Miracles and Messages
by Elizabeth Ficocelli looks like a great book. You can check out Lisa Hendey's enthusiastic review of it on Catholic Mom: Review of Bleeding Hands, Weeping Stone

A Time for Miracles

Spring seems to be a special time for miracles. After the cold and desolation of winter, everything comes to life again. We are surrounded by miracles and, yet, we so often don’t stop to appreciate them. Daffodils and tulips are blooming in my garden. Planted in the fall, they are my act of hope each year that I believe spring will come. As winter is just drawing to a close they begin to poke their heads up out of the snow, holding such promise. Then, one day, they begin blooming and it is breathtaking. Each flower is so beautiful. It lives for only a few short days, but God cared enough to put such care into its creation. The same goes for all the other green things that are pushing their way through the earth, reaching up for the sun. My children love to collect the dandelions and present them to me so that I can put them in vases. I did the same thing when I was a little girl. Even the so-called weeds are made by God!

This morning at mass, the children of our parish took part in the crowning of Mary, a special tradition in the month of May. The 2nd graders who made their first communion this weekend were dressed in their special first communion clothes, a symbol of their purity as they received Jesus for the first time. Each child was given a blue carnation which they placed at the feet of a statue of Mary while “Hail, Holy Queen” was sung by the congregation. It was so touching. Each of those children is a gift from God, each one created for a special purpose, each one a walking miracle!

This afternoon, my children were playing with the little girl who lives next door. They were all blowing bubbles and having a wonderful time doing it. I watched the bubbles as they sailed away. The light was streaming through them and making little rainbows. They only lasted a few moments but they brought such delight for that short period of time. We have a God that made rainbows!

It amazes me that anyone can look at creation and not believe in an intelligent, loving God. How could all this be random? From the tiniest part of a cell to the expanses of space, such care was put into creation. So often we are in a hurry. We get caught up in the busyness of life and we walk right by. We get mired in sadness and discouragement. We see all the darkness. But we are surrounded by beauty. Our world is overflowing with miracles! Somehow they are all that much more noticeable in the spring. Each flower, each insect, each sunny day, each time our children laugh playing outside is a reminder to take notice and to thank God. Today is the day to pay attention to the miracles that surround us.

A Living Miracle

Fr. Stanislaus Papczynski was recently beatified by the Catholic Church. The miracle that made that beatification possible was written about in the Winter 2007-8 edition of "Marian Helper." :

A Polish man named Zbigniew Chojnowski prayed to Fr. Stanislaus for his cousin (also his goddaughter) who was two months pregnant. The previous year she had suffered a miscarriage and her second pregnancy was in trouble. Upon examination, her doctor discovered that the amniotic sac had shrunk and the fetus had not been growing normally due to a lack of blood flow through the amniotic cord. In addition, the woman had a tear in the sac that had drained virtually all of her amniotic fluid. In-utero tests confirmed the baby's heart had stopped beating. The doctor declared the baby dead. The following day, Monday, a second test confirmed that the baby had no heartbeat.

'But I didn't stop praying to Fr. Stanislaus.' Zbig recalls. On Wednesday, the disconsolate mother hadn't yet spontaneously miscarried, so her doctor prepared to perform surgery that day to remove the dead baby.

'But just before surgery, examining her with an ultrasound, the doctor discovered a heartbeat.' says Zbig. Further tests confirmed the baby was alive and that blood was flowing through the umbilical cord. The presence of amniotic fluid also indicated that the tear in the sac had mended. . . . No medical explanation can account for these events.

Sebastian is now a healthy 6 year old boy. To find out more about Fr. Stanislaus Papczynski, visit www.marian.org