Home

From the Life of the Fathers translated by Gentianus Hervetus: Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis (c. †420 AD)
One of the Fathers related how a certain Bishop had heard that two men of his flock were disgraceful adulterers, and he asked God to show him if this were true. So after the consecration of the Offering, when they both came up for Communion, he looked carefully at the faces of each one. The faces of sinners always appeared to him as black as charcoal, with bloodshot eyes. Others always appeared with clear faces dressed in white garments. Moreover, after receiving the Body of the Lord, the features of some seemed to be lit up, while the others in flames. In order to find out if it was true that the two men had committed the crime, he observed when giving Communion and saw that the face of one of them was fair and honest and the other’s face was black and ugly. And as the grace of the Divine Mysteries began to take effect, he saw a beam of light illumine the face of the one, while flames burnt all over the other. The Bishop prayed that he might know the meaning of what he had been shown about each one. And an Angel of the Lord came and stood beside him. “Everything that you have heard about them is true,” he said. “But one of them persists in his disgrace and is determined to go on sinning. That is why you saw that his face was black and all in flames. The other has also done exactly as you have heard, but you saw his face illumined with a clear light. For it is recorded that he has renounced those evil deeds which he formerly committed. With tears and groans, he has begged pardon from God and promised that if his sins might be forgiven, he would not commit them again. So his former sins have been wiped out, and he has come into that state of grace which you have seen.” “I marvel,” said the Bishop, “that the grace of God has not only rescued this man from the torments due to such a disgraceful life, but that it has already rewarded him with such honor.” “You do well to marvel,” said the Angel, “for you are only human, but your God and ours is naturally good and kind to those who cease from their sins. Those who come to Him in Confession He not only forgives, but crowns with honor. For God so loved mankind that He gave His only begotten Son for sinners, and for sinners He gave Him up to death (Jn 3:16). While we were yet sinners He chose to die for us (Rom 5:8), so how much more must He love us when we have become His own! Know, therefore, that there is no human sin which can extinguish the love of God, if only each one can wipe out his past evils by penitence. For the Lord is merciful; He knows how strong the passions are and how strong and malicious the devil is. He cares for His children when they fall into sin and offers them amendment of life. He has compassion on those who are slow to repent, but when He has loosed them from their sins, He bestows upon them the rewards of the righteous.”
A young mother well known to the Order wrote to us in April of last year:
After reading your newsletter, I was reminded of this incident and wanted to tell you about it. When my daughter was 21 months old, we were walking on the upper level of a school building. I turned my back for a few seconds and when I looked again, she was running towards a two-story flight of concrete stairs. Before I could stop her, she began to run down them and tripped. She started to fall, but before her head hit the step something caught her and slowly pushed her back to an upright position. When I arrived next to her, she was standing still. There was no possible ordinary explanation for this. Although I could not see anything, I felt a strong presence and I know it was her Guardian Angel that saved her that day. ~ Erica S.
A Terrible Car Crash
Late one evening I was driving home from a Bible study at a local Catholic Church in the city of Sacramento, California. As I approached the street on which I lived, I started making a left-hand turn; halfway through the turn I was hit by another car which had run the red light. I was not wearing my seat belt, so during the car crash I was thrown about. Suddenly, I felt someone holding me down, keeping me from flying out of the car window! Finally, the vehicle came to rest in the middle of the street. The thought came to me “get out of there before the gas tank blows!” By then I was in complete shock. I reached my hand and touched the car door and it “flew open”. I jumped out of the car and fell down. I was taken to the emergency room. I had blood in my mouth and on my clothing. After a careful examination, no injuries could be found either in or on my body. I was treated for shock and sent home. I remained in bed for several days. A few weeks later I located my car in a nearby wrecking-yard. The attendant asked if I was the driver of the car—I told him I was. He looked absolutely amazed! He showed me the car; it was totally destroyed! He asked me, “How did you get out of this car?” I told him I opened the door and got out. “Impossible!” he declared. “Look! that door is completely caved in. No one could have opened it!” Then the Scripture passage in the book of Acts came to mind where the Angel rescued Peter from jail, leading him out through a closed gate which opened by itself at the approach of the Angel. I know for sure that my Guardian Angel rescued me from injury and harm or even a possible death during the car crash! ~ Joseph G
The Abortion Mill
Once when I was 7 or 8 months pregnant and doing sidewalk counselling, I spoke with a woman going into an abortion mill. She seemed sad and said “I really wouldn’t do it....” Nevertheless, she proceeded into the abortion mill. Some time later, she came out, accompanied by a man who was angry. As they were pulling out of the driveway and waiting to turn onto the street, I saw that the woman was holding a folder which likely contained “24 hour papers.” Suspecting that she was being forced into an abortion, I said calmly through the open car window, “Remember, it is illegal for anyone to force a woman to have an abortion.” At this, the man, who had forbidden me from speaking to them, got out of the car, fist raised in anger, yelling “I’m going to blast you”—making me wonder if he had a gun. He was storming around the car towards me. In an instant, I was filled with fear—not of the pain of the impending meeting with his fists, which I fully expected—but because of the tremendous vulnerability I sensed for my child, now quite large, in the womb. I had no way to shield her. I immediately remembered the story from a recent OA newsletter about a Sister who, in danger of physical harm, had prayed the Sanctus, and her would-be attackers had been unable to harm her. So I closed my eyes, and holding my rosaries in front of my own baby, quietly prayed the Sanctus, making an act of will that my prayer be joined with that of all the angels in heaven adoring God. I repeated it several times. When I opened my eyes, the man and the car were gone. Onlookers told me that the woman stepped out of the car and told the man to get in the car. And he obeyed. ~ Sarah
The Young Prostitute
The following true story happened more or less four years ago. I knew a young prostitute named Miriam. She was twenty-two years old and had two daughters, the oldest being two and a half years old. Since we also work with prostitutes who desire a new life, Miriam asked that we help her. She said that she desired to return home to her family, but her “manager” told her that if she did something “so brainless” the two girls would have to remain behind. They were, afterall, a great investment. Before all this happened, however, Miriam and I had had a conversation about the holy angels and we agreed that we would entrust our cause to them. Some twenty days later, I received a message from Miriam. She was hospitalized for severe kidney spasms, but had already been released and was considering the possibility of realizing her desire: to leave that life and return to her family. She was ready to flee, but not without her daughters. She asked me if I would go to the place, offer money and take the girls. She was confident that all would go well. The following morning, I entrusted myself once more to the holy angels and went to that awful place. The “manager” was very angry to see me and told me that I would remain in Miriam’s place, in every sense; that she would strip me and force me to prostitute myself until the “Big Chief” arrived. Some “youths” drew closer and also about three men. I ardently asked my holy angel to protect me and to pray with me the “Sanctus” which we pray during the Holy Mass. I prayed in a medium tone of voice and felt secure. The “manager” tried to touch me but, there being a distance between us of about twenty centimeters, more or less, she was unable to move. Irritated, she shouted at me to stop “saying that thing”, because “something” was holding her back. For forty five minutes she shouted and threatened, but couldn’t move herself. Finally after help arrived she fled terrified, shouting that I stop “saying that thing.” Thus, we were able to remove the children and give them to their mother, helping all three to return to their family.
<Previous 1 2 Next>