Richard and Ronda are old friends and together with Richard's wife Ruth have just authored a wonderful anthology on what the saints say about heaven. Ronda spoke about healing our masculinity and femininity, Richard spoke on healing and forgiveness and I gave a talk on praying the rosary for inner healing. There was a chance for confession, anointing and healing prayer. Good attendance from around the parish and a real hunger for the practical expression of God's healing and forgiveness in the church.
The real reference to relics was another wonderful event held at OLR this week. Fr. Carlos Martins--a priest in the new religious order Companions of the Cross--was here for two days with his amazing collection of holy relics. Over 150 first class relics of the saints on display including relics of the True Cross, the Holy Thorn, the Veil of the Blessed Virgin and the cloak of St Joseph. Wow! Wonderful stories of God's healing through the holy relics, stories of the saints and the power of God transforming their lives.
We also got to know Fr Carlos--a wonderful priest with a powerful deliverance ministry. I wish I could share all the great love of Christ he has--a very down to earth person, but with a true love of the supernatural, a strong intellect and humble devotion to Christ. We hear so many awful things about priests these days, so it was terrific to meet a priest who is a good model.
At the relics exposition there was a palpable sense of wonder, joy and devotion amongst all the faithful. What a shame that so many Catholics dismiss relics and know nothing about them. So many blessings as we focus on the lives and mystery of the saints! So many mysterious and wonderful things take place if we will only open our lives to the wonder of God's love!
A couple of nice comments from the relics exposition: There were crowds there from parishes all across the upstate and one woman said with great joy, "Father this is real Catholicism! None of this Protestant entertainment stuff!" Another guy--a big truck driver convert from Baptist Church came being skeptical and disbelieving in relics. He had developed a devotion to St Padre Pio. He's standing looking at a first class relic of St Pio and he smells this sweet fragrance of roses. Thinking that the woman standing next to him has got on some good perfume he turns to ask her if she is wearing perfume and at that instant she turns to him and says, "Can you smell that wonderful fragrance?"
Nice.
Last year the traveling Lourdes statue came to our Archdiocese. I went to see it at lunch at a parish I am familiar with -- one that is large and pretty devout, but not in any way "traditional." They have recently been having Adoration but you would not think of them as otherwise particularly devotional. I am not big on apparitions of Mary (not saying I don't believe in them; I am just not the apparition sort of person) so I mostly went to see what it was all about.
ReplyDeleteSeveral dozen people were there on a weekday at lunch time. I didn't have a bolt of lightning experience, but it was very peaceful and although I'm a person who gets antsy I felt as if I could have sat there all day just looking at the statue and praying. The statue was very beautiful in person (even the pictures of it they gave you for a donation look cheesy, but the real thing is not).
One of the things I like most about the Catholic Church is this: Whatever sort of person you are, whatever sort of spirituality comes naturally to you, there is a place for you. This was not my sort of spirituality, but as a Catholic I was welcome and at home because it was still "mine." People do not need to try to make the Church relevant or make us into quasi-Protestants. The real thing is so much BETTER, even if is not your cup of tea!