God's Protection and Intervention

 

 

I believe in the power of prayer. Every day I try to place my children and grandchildren under God’s Dominion and Protection. Recently there were two incidents involving my daughter and family within less than 24 hours that could have had dire effects, except for Divine Intervention. 
The first was when she and her husband left by car for a vacation with their 3 month old and 3 year old children. They were driving on the thruway at night and encountered a major rain and lightening storm.  They were in the passing lane at the time and suddenly a car came down the ramp at a high speed onto the thruway and did not yield. An eighteen wheeler that was driving in that lane moved over quickly to try and avoid hitting the oncoming car. The truck driver obviously did not see my daughter’s car and was literally 3 to 4 inches away from crashing into them.  My son-in-law immediately went off into the median to avoid getting hit. Thank God there were no barriers or fences. My daughter said, “Mom I truly believe that I felt God’s arms wrap around our car.”

The second incidence took place the next day. When my daughter called and asked if I could turn on some lights in their house. I said I would get over in the early afternoon to do that. I had one delay after another as well as going over and forgetting the key to their house. I finally got there at 9:30 at night to discover there was no electricity. The electric company had shut off their power around 5 o’clock P.M. that day because of some mix up with the bill.  

My daughter has a special needs baby that cannot nurse but needs mother’s milk.  She pumps 6 hours a day every day and had over 300 bags of breastmilk in the freezer.  If I had gone over in the afternoon to turn the lights on I would have never of known the electricity would be shut off after I had left and all the milk would have been ruined.  We did get the electricity turned back on that night and we all thanked God once again for His loving protection and Divine Intervention. 

 

A Member of the Diocesan Prayer Group, September 2016

Personal Stories - Healing

 

A Rainbow of Love - An Inner Healing
 

On June 12th, 13th and 14th, we had the opportunity to travel to South Bend, Indiana as a team. We attended the National Charismatic Conference held on the Campus of Notre Dame University. The trip there gave us a wonderful time of sharing, getting to know one another in a deeper way.

At the conference, as the themes developed, we were reminded that charisms are given to show forth the power of God, and that we need to be willing to serve others though these gifts. - And we were exhorted to ask what gift God wanted us to receive and reminded that those gifts are given to bring the world to Jesus Christ - a lesson I was soon to experience.

There was a thread which ran through my week-end. My own mother and father, who have both passed away, were very much on my mind right from the start.

There was a time set aside on Saturday for those who wanted prayer and I had decided to go. But I had forgotten that the place we were to go had been changed, so I was not able to take advantage of that ministry. I decided to go to the dining hall, only to find Bob and Connie there. Bob went back to the dorm and Connie and I began to share. Again my father and mother came to mind. As we shared, the tears followed. I had struggled for years with a desire to feel my own father’s love. A healing was beginning to take place.

Then, Sunday at Mass, the Spirit allowed me the grace to feel my own earthly father’s love. Somehow he was present to me. And just as beautifully, this opened the door to feel my Heavenly Father’s love! I realized that, in order to really be able to give God’s love to others, we must first have a deep, first-hand knowledge (experience) of His love for us. We cannot be bearers of peace without knowing deeply the Prince of Peace. (Continued below)

The rainbow that God sets before us is indeed multi-colored. He calls us to take up our crosses and follow Him - the uncomfortable Good News. We need the courage and boldness only the Holy Spirit can give.

Later that Sunday we would once again see the wonder of God’s creation. We were told there was a beautiful rainbow over the Conference building (it had not rained). Connie and I went outside to find the rainbow was completely circling the sun, and a bigger one in a complete circle some distance from the sun. I certainly would not begin to figure it out, but what it did say to me was I believe my Father is in control and I thank him for the wonder of his love and mercy shown to us.

There was a sung prayer that one of the speakers introduced that ran through the whole weekend. It went — “More love, more power, more of you in my life”. May we be open to that love, that power in the person of Jesus Christ — that the world may know indeed it is the Father that sent us Jesus and through Him we receive His Holy Spirit, if we will only ask.

I submit for your discernment these words spoken to us at the conference:

“Yield — Stop — Look —Listen. Come before me, turn your life, your mind, your heart, your soul over to me. Indeed I am a rainbow of many colors. Enter deeply into the fabric of the colors of my life, to my glory, my honor. I will share my glory with no other. It is my hand that will deliver my child. I am your Father. Come to me.”

Betty B.

Rochester, NY

 

Sr. Miriam Patrice McKeon, S.C.H. - Instantaneous Healing of Cancer

Sr. Miriam Patrice McKeon has always had a special devotion to the Holy Spirit, yet she did not come into a full realization of what that might mean until experiencing Baptism in the Holy Spirit at an ecumenical prayer meeting. Then, several years later, God called her into full-time ministry in the Charismatic Renewal.

At a conference where Agnes Sanford was the main speaker, Tommy Tyson spoke a personal word to her, prophesying that the Lord was about to open a door for her. Soon after this, Sr. Miriam was conducting a retreat and began receiving words of knowledge for the retreatants. By the end of the weekend, people were asking her to consider a full-time ministry in coordinating an office for healing ministry.

This was out of the question, however, since she herself was going into the hospital for treatment of breast cancer. The night before surgery, Tom Dilorenzo visited and prayed with her. During the prayer, she felt her whole left side flooded with heat. She believed that she was healed.
 

The next morning Sr. Miriam shared with the doctor what she had experienced. He did a biopsy before proceeding with the surgery, and found no trace of the cancer. Sister has had no recurrence since.
 

These events, along with her charism of praying with people, have led Sr. Miriam into a ministry of healing with a special emphasis on cancer patients. Over the years Sr. Miriam and those who work with her estimate that they have prayed with eight to ten thousand people for healing.

Sr. Miriam’s service to the renewal continues to be tireless. She is always available, never looking for attention or glory. Just over a year ago she was appointed to the Charismatic Renewal Services of Boston Service Committee, bringing her gifts of wisdom, discernment and encouragement to serve the renewal in an even broader way. Thanks be to God for faithful servants like Sr. Miriam!
 

(Reprinted From National Service Committee Newsletter)

 

Notre Dame National Conference - Miraculous Evangelism

Ralph Martin, a noted Renewal leader of many years, and now a world-wide Catholic evangelist, gave us a dynamic vision of what God is doing in the world today through three major streams of grace: the pontificate of Pope John Paul II; the multitude of strong, fervent renewal movements focusing on true conversion to Jesus Christ; and the countless phenomena of the Eucharist and Mary that are flooding the world as never before.

 

A Real Walking, Talking Miracle - Healed of Serious Illness

I called an ambulance for my 89 year old mother on May 5. After sitting by myself for an hour and a half in Emergency, the doctor gave me the bad news. He told me she was fighting for her life.

She had pneumonia, kidney failure, and they were having difficulty regulating her heart beat. He told me the first 48 hours were most critical.

I told Paula, my Prayer Group Leader, about my mom and she insisted that my mom be put on the Prayer Line, so she started the calls. When I got home that evening I was told by my brother that mom just had a mild heart attack, and to prepare the family.

My mother survived the first 48 hours. - My God is an awesome God!

Still in Intensive Care one week later, the doctor informed me she would be taken off life support in three days, which was her wish.

When I saw her at four in the afternoon, she was off the respirator and breathing on her own. My God is an awesome God!

I kept Paula informed as much as possible about my mother’s condition. My mother was put into a semiprivate room the next day. One week later I was told by the doctor her condition was serious. My mother had blood clots in each leg and she needed surgery.

She survived the surgery. My God is an awesome God!

Her kidneys started working well. She was taken off the catheter. My God is an awesome God! She was supposed to go into a nursing home for 2 to 3 weeks, but improved too much over the next two days to qualify. My God is an awesome God!

She spent the summer in therapy and steadily improved. Now she’s off the oxygen and can walk up to 200 yards and her breathing is good. My God is an awesome God! She went camping with my brother over Labor Day weekend, expecting to stay two to three days. She stayed ten days. She is going on another camping expedition with my brother as I am composing this.

My God is an awesome God!

Thank you, Paula, for reminding me to call on Dr. Jesus, the “Great Physician”.

Steve G.
Rochester, NY

Focusing on the New Springtime which the Pope often mentions in his writings and talks, Ralph gave us a glimpse of evangelistic efforts in Asia and Eastern Europe. He shared about a young couple bringing their extremely sick child to an evangelist while he was in the middle of giving a talk. He told them he would pray for the child after he had finished speaking. But tragically, when they later came up to him, the child had already died.

Saddened and embarrassed, the evangelist prayed fervently for God to raise the child back to life again, as a witness to His invincible power and glory. He prayed simply, with expectant faith in the God of love and power. The child was miraculously restored to life!

Bishops in that part of the world confirmed to Ralph that on as many as four recent occasions, people have  been raised back to life through Christian ministry. Additionally, one bishop related that a group of women recently contacted him saying that a ‘Woman’ kept appearing to them with a Child in her arms, and they wanted to know how to respond to this. After questioning them further, he instructed them that they were being visited by the Mother of Christ who wanted to bring them to her Son; that they should accept Jesus Christ into their lives, learn Christianity and be baptized.

Through many such testimonies, Ralph’s talk gave all the encouragement we needed that, through the unexpected and marvelous grace of God, the New Springtime is indeed at hand. All glory to God, Amen!

Dave Valone

Rochester, NY

 

It's the song of the redeemed, rising from the African plains.

It's the song of the forgiven, drowning out the Amazon rains.

The song of Asian believers, filled with God's Holy Fire;

It's every tribe, every tongue, every nation  - a love song born of a grateful choir.