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From The Liaison

Miracles and Other Opportunities to Grow   [back to top of page]

Here’s a scenario. It’s between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. in Rockford on Perryville Road, a divided 4-lane, north-south beltway. Speed limit is 45 mph; cars are traveling 55-60 mph in both directions. Suddenly, there’s a bona-fide miracle from the Lord; a real, actual, credible miracle…and I witnessed it.

I had just pulled into the flow of traffic and was complaining to myself that the lady in the car ahead of me was going too slowly with cars rapidly approaching from behind me. Then, to top it off, she slowed even more and pulled into a turn lane. Finally, she was out of my way. But there was another reason for slowing that I hadn’t known about. (See how the Lord teaches me?) A mother mallard duck with her little yellow babies were running as fast as they could across the highway. The cars in the lane beside me couldn’t stop in time, but she was clear of their lane. I stopped and enjoyed seeing all those tiny feet—there had to be 16 or 18 of them (16 divided by 2 is 8) yep, I guessed at least 8 yellow ducklings—running as fast as they could. The lead duckling kept his nose against mamma’s tail and her head was aimed like an arrow moving to its target, running as fast as she could to get her babies to the road’s edge. Somehow, the ducklings were keeping up with their mother.

The miracle? They made it. Not only to the edge of our two lanes of traffic, but they had already made it across all four lanes of speeding traffic without getting hit and without cars having to slam on their brakes to miss those creatures of God. I proceeded on with a smile on my face, a welling up in my heart and a word of thanks to the God who loves his creations so much he would do that even for those tiny ducks. I then began to realize that what I had seen was one of God’s miracles. Soon thoughts came of how much God loves even me, who was complaining of the car in front of me going too slowly. (Matt. 6:26-27)

But there’s another half of my story, the complaint. Sorry again, Lord.

It’s not unusual for me to spend my travel time between work and home (25 minutes each way) with no music or even tapes playing in the car. Previous articles have explained the various blessings of these times; lots of good time with the Lord.

So here’s another scenario. Just left home and a car pulled out in front of me and then slowed down, or it seemed that way. “Why would anyone do a thing like that? Why couldn’t they have waited just a few more seconds until I’d passed instead of pulling out like this? Oh, I see they’re finally moving faster than I am. I guess I was just in a hurry, but look at them go now. Now they’re driving much too fast. Don’t they know how dangerous that is? What if someone pulls out in front of them? Oh, sorry Lord. Yes, you are right again and I shouldn’t be criticizing. Why do I do that so often? Lord bless that person, love and protect them, keep them safe. — I wonder why those big trucks always drive so slowly on this road? Can’t they wait until later so I don’t have to be caught behind them? Woops, Lord, I did it again didn’t I? Sorry. Please heal whatever it is within me that makes me do that. Please? Lord, why do I do that so often?”

 Then the Lord began to show me that my (notice: my) main problem was that they didn’t meet my expectations…my expectations. When they didn’t, my peace was disturbed, and the Lord kept reminding me that there was no reason they should have to meet my measurements of what is right and what is not. Thank you, Lord, for teaching me and for showing me where I need to do better. How often do we all become unjustly annoyed by people or circumstances around us? When we do, it’s usually our peace that is disturbed, not theirs. We pay the price, they don’t. And they aren’t affected at all by our self-imposed annoyances.

Then, in His typical gentle way He reminded me of Paul’s lamentation, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but do what I hate … Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 7:15, 24, 25)

Many areas of our lives, mine and yours, are in need of the Lord’s healing touch. When we find that we have done things contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit we can turn it around, ask the Lord’s forgiveness, try to move the situation under the Lord’s authority and try to make amends in some way. For me, it helps to first take responsibility for my own actions rather than blaming my actions on others, as it is so common to do in our society today. It would be very easy to say that we wouldn’t have reacted wrongly if another hadn’t caused us to do it. My action was not their fault; it was clearly mine, no matter what they did. Then, to make amends, I try to remember to pray for that child of God I have just criticized, and finally I ask the Lord to heal within me the source of my inappropriate action.

On that day I was again taught how to live within the peace He offers; and with the situation under His kingship I found it easy to again praise and worship Him as I should. And on that “day of the duckling miracle” I learned a little more about His love for me … and little ducklings.V

                                                                                                                        Blessings,

                                                                                                                    Ron

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Know Your Faith

Confirmation    [back to top of page]

(A Sacrament of Christian Witness)

How many of us remember our Confirmation day or the preparation we went through to get there? As we reflect on our faith journey and the part the Gifts of the Holy Spirit play in our lives, it would be beneficial for us to recall our own Confirmation and what it means to us today. The Code of Canon Law states, “The Sacrament of Confirmation confers a character. By it the baptized continue their path of Christian initiation. They are enriched with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and are more closely linked to the Church. They are made strong and more firmly obligated by word and deed to witness to Christ and to spread and defend the faith.” (Canon #879) This statement tells us that we are:

1.      Enriched with the gift of the Holy Spirit

2.      Are more closely linked to the Church

3.      Are obligated to witness to Christ and to defend the faith.

How well have we carried out our Confirmation obligations? Are we ready to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit?

We know that we received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism, and at that time we entered into the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Catholic Church. As we grow physically, we should also grow spiritually in the Gifts we received at our Baptism. The grace of the Sacrament of Confirmation helps provide part of the spiritual nourishment we need to grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and that grace did not end on the day of our Confirmation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once was granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost... Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the ‘character’, which is a sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of the Holy Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness.” (CC #1304) St. Thomas Aquinas compares Baptism and Confirmation by likening them to birth and maturity. “In Baptism, the individual applies the fruit of Christ’s Redemption to himself. In Confirmation, he applies these fruits to others because it is his function to do so. Baptism gives power for one’s own salvation; Confirmation gives power for others’ salvation.” (Theology of the Sacraments, Part Two, Rev. Christopher M. Buckner, p. 27)

After receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation we are expected to assume a more significant role in giving witness to our faith in both word and deed. It is our duty as Catholic Christians to use the grace we received in Confirmation not just at that present moment but throughout our lives. Sister Francis Clare, SSND, (author, teacher, evangelist) has a beautiful prayer that she uses to invoke the power of our Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation graces to be stirred up in our lives so that we can be an effective Christian to empower others to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church seems to echo this prayer in #2044 “it [Confirmation] gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.”

In our prayer time let us take a moment to pause and think about the day of our Confirmation. Let us take time to pray for the grace of our Confirmation to be renewed in our lives and then go out to “spread and defend the faith,” as we are called to do. The Church needs all of us in this time in history to witness to the truth of the Gospel.V

                                                                                                Kate Elliott, DRE

                                                                                            Holy Spirit Church, Roscoe

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In the last year or two I have found that I have had an attraction to St. Teresa of Lisieux, the Little Flower, so I recently purchased a book of some of her writings. St. Theresa said, “I will let fall a shower of roses,” meaning favors through her intercession. I have recently had two experiences of the aroma of roses. The first experience was at the CCRS retreat in Rockford, Illinois, January 24-25, 2004, during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. I didn’t recognize it as such until someone else spoke out and said that they smelled roses. My second experience was at the bilingual Day of Renewal on March 7, 2004, in Rochelle, Illinois, during the praise and worship time.

Several years ago I made a counted cross stitch picture of a rose on a hand towel and gave it to a friend. At the time she said that she felt roses held some significance in my life.

When I recently shared the following reflection with her she reminded me of her comment some time ago.

I was mercilessly teased and ridiculed by my peers as a child and developed a serious lack of self-confidence. For some reason I believed in my peers’ ridicule more than the adults who tried to support me. Being a naturally shy and quiet child, my reaction to this persecution was to withdraw into myself even more. I built up walls of protection to hide behind and only let a few trusted people in.

      The way we view things as a child is sometimes affected by our lack of understanding, our feelings of inadequacy, or our uncertainty about ourselves. This can cause misperceptions that can be carried into our adult lives and affect us in our relationships with those around us and with the Lord.

      Gradually, over the years the Lord has been chipping away at my walls. He’s the Master Builder of hearts and wholeness. After all, in order to build new structures, a construction crew needs to first take down old structures and clear the construction area. I once described myself as a tightly closed rose bud that the Lord was slowly opening. At several significant points in my life, I prayed for healing and released the wounded area to the Lord and he has answered those prayers in many ways to change and renew me and change the way I relate to people. Those walls that were put up to be protection from hurts, also cut off my capacity to reach out to others in love. The Lord’s healing has allowed a greater openness to people now than ever before.

      At the close of the National Leaders Conference in November, 2003, we were asked to pray for and anoint the person next to us. As a lady from Michigan prayed with me, she caught her breath and tears sprang to her eyes. She said that she saw roses, fully open, and that it was like a garden where the Lord finds pleasure. She also said that she was in awe at the beauty she saw in her vision of God’s garden. She made a point to emphasize that the roses she saw were fully open.

      I knew her vision was the Lord’s reminder to me of how he has worked in my life and I praise the Lord for His healing. He made the reminder clear to me by again using roses.

      What is the significance of all of this and why do I repeat these experiences here? For me these experiences signify the presence of the Lord, and I share them because we all sometimes have to learn about others’ experiences before we can define our own. I can’t explain why these types of experiences occur, or why He used the image of roses in my life, but I know that the Lord often uses such experiences to “prepare the ground” for His work. Our Lady of Guadalupe told Juan Diego to gather roses to take back to the bishop. The roses became a miraculous sign of the authenticity of her appearance and Juan Diego’s report.

Roses have become significant and a sign for me. He used roses to prepare me to open myself more freely and completely to the Spirit’s action and call in my life, which led to more personal growth and greater intimacy with Him. Has the Lord used roses – or another sign – in your life as a sign of his presence and your own growth? Ask him. V

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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” In addition to the meaning of these words for Jesus and for the Church throughout the world, they also remind us of our own personal identities as men and women who have been baptized into Christ. For us, the Spirit of the Lord is upon us, each one of us, who have been born anew in the saving waters of Baptism.

The Spirit prompts us to go forth in faith “to preach good news to the poor:” the poor in material things, the poor in spiritual gifts, the poor in mind and body. The Holy Spirit gives us the courage and strength to go out to all who, in a particular way, are the “little ones” of the world. All of us respond in a unique manner, according to our own special talents and gifts, but we shall be able to make a generous and authentic response only if we are firmly grounded in a regular habit of prayer.

Accordingly, I recommend that you meditate on these words of Isaiah frequently, pondering the great mystery of how the Spirit of God overshadows your life in a manner not altogether dissimilar to the experience of Mary. As the truth penetrates your heart and soul, it fills your whole being with gratitude and praise and a sense of awe at God’s great love.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” These words stand at the foundation of our prayer, our service to others, our life of faith. They direct us toward the invisible God who dwells within us as in a temple, to the one whom we profess in the Creed to be “the Lord,” the “Giver of Life,” the one who “has spoken through the prophets.” In prayerful reflection on these words, we meet and adore the Holy Spirit.

Copyright © 2000, ICCRS. “Then Peter stood up...” Page 51. Used with permission.

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General Audience – March 9, 1994

The Holy Spirit, the giver of every gift and the main principle of the Church’s vitality, does not only work through the sacraments. According to St. Paul, he who distributes to each his own gifts as he wills (1 Cor 12:11), pours out into the people of God a great wealth of graces both for prayer and contemplation and for action.

They are charisms: lay people receive them too, especially in relation to their mission in the Church and society. The Second Vatican Council stated this in connection with St. Paul: “The Holy Spirit also distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church as it is written (in St. Paul) ‘the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for profit.’ (1 Cor 12:7)”

St. Paul highlighted the multiplicity and variety of charisms in the early Church: some are extraordinary, such as healings, the gift of prophecy or that of tongues, others are simpler, given for the ordinary fulfillment of the tasks assigned in the community.

As a result of Paul’s text, charisms are often thought of as extraordinary gifts, which primarily marked the beginning of the life of the Church. Vatican Council II called attention to charisms in their quality as gifts belonging to the ordinary life of the Church and not necessarily having an extraordinary or miraculous nature. In addition, it should be kept in mind that the primary or principle aim of many charisms is not the personal sanctification of those who receive them, but the service of others and the welfare of the Church in that it concerns the growth of Christ’s Mystical Body.

As St. Paul told us and the Council repeated, these charisms result from the free choice and gift of the Holy Spirit. In a special way the Triune God shows his sovereign power in the gifts. This power is not subject to any antecedent rule, to any particular discipline or to a plan of interventions established once and for all. According to St. Paul, he distributes his gifts to each “as he wills” (1 Cor 12:11). It is an eternal will of love, whose freedom and gratuitousness is revealed in the action carried out by the Holy Spirit – Gift in the economy of salvation. Through this sovereign freedom and gratuitousness, charisms are also given to the laity, as the Church’s history shows.

We cannot but admire the great wealth of gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit on lay people as members of the Church in our age as well. Each of them has the necessary ability to carry out the tasks to which he is called for the welfare of the Christian people, and the work’s salvation, if he is open, docile, and faithful to the Holy Spirit’s action.

Copyright © 2000, ICCRS. “Then Peter stood up...” Used with permission.

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