I attended the Catholic Miracle Rally, run by the Cor et Lumen Christi ministry last weekend. It was such an inspirational and joyous two days full of wonderful events and miracles....the first and foremost miracle being that I was actually there! How funny the way life works out.
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The ministry was founded by the dedicated and inspriational Mr Damian Stayne 17 years ago. With his team, he travels internationally...preaching, training, and through the Holy Spirit, enabling healing to thousands of people. There were also two very charismatic speakers: Father Bernard Murphy, (a giant of a Franciscan Friar both in likeability and size!) from the Bronx, and Father Pat Collins, a reknown author and evangelist. The music and singing were fantastic...I still have their songs ringing in my ears....and the masses and adoration were celebrated with great spirit and reverence. The healing service itself on the Saturday evening moved me to tears. There were so many poor souls there, praying for relief of their physical sufferings. In my small mind that is sometimes so ignorant to the great power and mystery of the Lord, I momentarily wondered how was He able to hear and tend to every single person's prayers (approximately 1,000 present) all in one go. There was a woman, roughly in her late 50's, sitting next to me, who came to the event hobbling on a crutch. She was clearly debilitated and the condition seemed chronic. After we prayed for the healing of legs, she simply got up and walked to the stage and gave her testimony to the Lord. She revealed she had been suffering from arthritis for 10 years. I was overjoyed! And how great was her faith. I also witnessed the healing of blindness from macular degeneration; a kid running up and down the aisles from healing of his knees (due to his condition, he was not allowed to take part in sports); sensation returning to the legs of a young girl suffering from spina bifida; and the physical dissolution of an abdominal tumour in a woman. God knows how many more healings in mind, body, soul and spirit had occured that night....that are occuring even now....and even for people who weren't even present. And people may not even know they're healed until their next radiological scan...
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I personally felt the presence of the great power of the Spirit that night...yet I confess there were times I felt I instinctively put up barriers in my mind, which blocked the way to my receiving healing of my ailments (of which I have a list!). But there was also one very special moment I felt the great Spirit enter me. When my hands were outstretched, I felt some kind of pressure literally descend onto my forearms. I was crying. It was then I felt I was receiving an answer to a particular intention....it was like it was being delivered straight into my heart. WOW. I wasn't even expecting anything like that, to be honest I didn't even know what to expect to do or feel. I just asked the Lord for forgiveness of my sins...at the time I felt so deeply troubled at how much I hurt Him in recent memory. I then emptied my mind and heart of anything negative....and then I opened myself up to receiving something...anything in fact...and true enough...the grace came. In fact that week I had been praying a special novena to St Philomena for a particular person. I believe that through her intercession, I received the wonderful answer from the Spirit. How amazing. I left the conference filled with such awe and peace. And I felt I was truly beginning to realise the Lord's plan for me. Although I'm still trying to figure it all out, I believe I'm getting closer and closer to knowing.
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His love is all around....and His miracles are ever more present and alive today just as much as it was 2,000 years ago when He lived among us. Just because we're in this up-and-fast technological world full of cars and computers, instant information, post-modern thinking, and the ability to name a gene for everything (...quite a world away from the world we imagine Jesus lived in), it doesn't mean His miracles are happening any less today.
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I'm only saddened that in this secular society, Christianity seems to be on the periphery of everything. I have very few Catholic friends my age. Many of my friends are either lapsed, indifferent, or outright atheists who will label people like me "brainwashed". I can't talk about religion to my friends...it's almost a taboo subject in the pub. There's such negativity and scepticism over religion...such lack of faith and dare I say it, such arrogancy in the widespread disbelief of the existence of anything higher than ourselves. People would rather turn to quirky new age fads for quick fixes. Failing that, it's drink or drugs or other outlets. It's not as though I don't understand why this happens. I do enjoy a good drink... but in times of trouble in the past, I found solace in alcohol (and other things too shameful to mention on here), which led to nothing but extremely negative consequences on my life, behaviour, and worst of all, I hurt others in the process. I've been on the verge of spiralling into great anxiety....what a horrible and bleak time... it's so painful to think about now (...although I am actually thankful that I have an idea of what depression is like, because it will allow me to identify with the pain and blackness that any of my depressed patients may feel). But it was at a time when I was so indifferent to faith. Even though I was still going to mass, I let the emptiness engulf me...I had got so carried away with the sceptical, quick-fixing, self-obsessed "norms" of this society without stepping aside to think for myself....and I only chose to believe and practise certain things that I liked about my religion, while poo-pooing other aspects as being "outdated" and irrelevant. How wrong I was. I really thought I was above it all... too clever for my own good. I can't believe I used to think I could deal with life all on my own. Only He got me out of that mess. And now it's impossible to imagine life without Him. For me, this has been such an amazing, yet inherently simple revelation. I only wish I had realised this sooner.
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