St. Joseph in Sicily ... Providence in action

On March 19th, we celebrated the Solemnity of the great St Joseph. Many offered him a Novena or even a Thirty Day Prayer, entrusting him with their most urgent intentions. One of my dear sisters tells this story that illustrates the kindness of this saint, his humor and his effectiveness.

"I was in a house belonging to the community of the Beatitudes, in Pettineo, Sicily. This house was an old Franciscan convent, very cold and very humid. At that time, there were about 30 of us in the House and we lived in great and very severe poverty. There were neither small nor larger sources of income. We often had many guests who came to pray with us and who stayed for a meal.

I remember that one day, we had nothing to eat. Many of us were young and it was not easy for everyone to eat their fill. Our superiors always told us that Saint Joseph is the father of Providence, and they would tell us a lot of stories about people who had received his help. So we, the younger crowd, still full of zeal, said, "Let's make a shopping list with everything we need, and also add some things we'd like to have", and that's what we did. So in that list, there are all sorts of things and there was something for everyone... even Nutella and so many other things that were not really useful. Trusting St Joseph blindly, we put that list behind his image, in the prayer corner in the kitchen. 

Every day, we prayed to St. Joseph. We were completely taken by surprise when someone suddenly knocked at the door and left lots of bags! We couldn't believe our eyes! We put all the bags on the big kitchen table. We dared not open them... and then someone exclaimed: "Take the shopping list!" It felt like a treasure hunt: one sister read the products on the list and the others looked inside the bags to see if they were in there. We were amazed, it was like a game of tombola! Nothing was missing! Well ... almost nothing!

I remember Piero's face, he just fell silent in sadness when the sister finished reading the list. Only one thing was missing, peppers! "No, that's not possible! Saint Joseph, should have remembered my peppers! No, that isn't fair!" While he expressed his criticism because there were no peppers, suddenly a familiar voice was heard on the stairs: it was Madame Inès, God rest her soul...

Ines was an elderly lady, a widow who lived alone in Pettineo and who often came to see us. Inés raised her voice on the staircase, she was annoyed by something. In the meantime, Piero was grumbling against St. Joseph in the kitchen, while Ines was expressing her irritation.

- 'What's wrong, Ines? Why are you angry?'

- 'Well nothing! I brought you some peppers in oil, and the jar opened in my bag!'

Poor thing! She did not immediately understand why her purse stained with oil turned our home into a party!

No, St. Joseph had forgotten absolutely nothing! He just had his own plan: he wanted someone else to become an instrument of God's Providence, and that was Ines. He wanted us to no longer be doubters, he wanted us to be believers!"

St. Joseph did not have an easy time in his life! The torment of seeing Mary with child, the rejection of the people of Bethlehem, the extreme poverty of the stable where Jesus was born, the flight to Egypt by night and the long stay as a political refugee there, without any regular work nor any income, losing Jesus at the age of 12 with those three days of terrible anguish... In short, this man was weathered by ordeals and humiliations, how could he not understand our troubles of today? As Mary said on March 2nd, "Near Him (Jesus), everything is easier. Suffering next to Him is easier because there is faith. Faith helps when you are in pain, and suffering without faith leads to despair. Suffering that is experienced and offered to God raises us up."

(from Children of Medjugorje Newsletter)

Being Blessed by giving..a story from Eygpt (Desert Fathers)

A monk had a brother living in the world who was poor, and so he supplied him with all he received from his work. But the more the monk supplied, the poorer the brother became.

So the monk went to tell an old man about it. The old man said to him, If you want my advice, do not give him anything more, but say to him, Brother, when I had something I supplied you; now bring me what you get from your work. Take all he brings you, and whenever you see a stranger or a poor man, give him some of it, begging him to pray for him.

The monk went away and did this. When his secular brother came, he spoke to him as the old man had said, and the brother went sadly away. The first day, taking some vegetables from his field, he brought them to the monk. The monk took them and gave them to the old men, begging them to pray for his brother, and after the blessing he returned home. In the same way, another time, the brother brought the monk some vegetables and three loaves, which he took, doing as on the first occasion, and having received the blessing he went away

And the secular brother came a third time bringing many provisions, some bread, and fish. Seeing this, the monk was full of wonder, and he invited the poor so as to give them refreshment. The he said to his brother, Do you not need a little bread? The other said to him, "No, for when I used to receive something from you, it was like fire coming into my house and burning it, but now that I receive nothing from you, God blesses me.

Then the monk went to tell the old man all that had happened, and the old man said to him, Do you not know that the work of the monk is of fire, and where it enters, it burns? It helps your brother more to do alms with what he reaps from his field, and to receive the prayers of the saints and thus to be blessed.

God Knows (a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins)

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied:

“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. 

So heart be still:

What need our little life

Our human life to know,

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife

Of things both high and low,

God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will

Is best. The stretch of years

Which wind ahead, so dim

To our imperfect vision,

Are clear to God. Our fears

Are premature; In Him,

All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until

God moves to lift the veil

From our impatient eyes,

When, as the sweeter features

Of Life’s stern face we hail,

Fair beyond all surmise

God’s thought around His creatures

Our mind shall fill

Sowing & Reaping ... it works if you're listening !

One week when I was a widowed mother of two small children, the Lord spoke to me to pay off a layaway that I saw in the CFNI Bookstore. I didn't know the person. The layaway was laying behind the counter with a ticket on it. The Lord say pay it off.

I asked the clerk how much was owed on it. It was exactly what I had in the bank. I was on my way to a women's ministry.At the meeting, I received $100.00 back. The Lord spoke to me, "Don't eat your seed. " I took the $100.00 to a minister and gave it.

 On the way home, I stopped to visit another ministry. They gave me $200.00. The Lord said,"Don't eat you seed." I went right back to the minister that I had given to earlier that day. I gave the $200.00. 

The next morning I had a knock at my door. A man from our church gave me a check for $500.00 seed offering. He was proving God for a job he was hoping to get. (Malachi 3:10) The Lord spoke to me again, "Don't eat your seed." I took the $500.00 to the same minister again. 

On the way home, I stopped for services at another ministry. They asked me to lead worship that afternoon service. As I stepped off the platform just before preaching, a man handed me something. 

I tucked it into my pocket. After church, I pulled it out of my pocket. It was a check for $1000.00. On the bottom of the check it said "My Seed." 

Then the Lord spoke to me and said "Now go pay your bills." I had just enough to pay them with about $50.00 left for groceries.

The Royal Way

It was necessary for foreigners in Britain to renew their visas periodically. I had to have mine renewed by 31st December 1954, or leave the country. I did not have a penny to my name, how could I get those forms down to London ? A registered letter cost 1 shilling (12 pennies). I did not believe that God was going to let me be thrown out of school for the lack of a shilling.

And so the game moved into a new phase. I had a name for it by now. I called it the game of the Royal Way. I had discovered that when God supplied money He did it in a Kingly manner, not in some groveling way.

Three separate times, over the matter of the registered letter, I was almost lured from the Royal way. I was head of the student body and in charge of the schools tract fund. One day my eye lit first on the calendar, it was 28th December and then on the fund. It happened to contain several pounds just then. Surely it would be alright to borrow just one shilling.

And surely not, too. Quickly I put the idea behind me.

And then it was the 29th December. Two days left. That morning the thought occurred to me that perhaps I might find those pennies lying on the ground. I had actually put my coat on and started down the street before I saw what I was doing. I was walking along with head bowed, eyes on the ground, searching the gutter for pennies. What kind of Royal Way was this ! I straightened up and laughed out loud there on the busy street. I walked back to school with my head high, but no closer to getting the money.

The last round in the game was the most subtle of all. It was 30th December. I had to have my visa application in the post that day if it was to get to London by the 31st.

At 10 o’clock in the morning, one of the students shouted up the stairwell that I had a visitor. I ran down the stairs thinking this must be my delivering angel. But when I saw who it was my heart dropped. The visitor wasn’t coming to bring me money, he was coming to ask for it. For it was Richard, a friend I made months ago in the Patrick slums, a young man who came to the school occasionally when he needed money.

With dragging feet I went outside. Richard stood on the white-pebble walk-way, hands in pockets, eyes lowered, “Andrew, would you be having a little extra cash ? I’m hungry”
I laughed and told him my predicament and as I spoke, I saw the coin.

It lay among the pebbles, sun glinting off it in such a way that I could see it but not Richard. I could tell from its colour that it was a shilling. Instinctively, I stuck out my foot and covered the coin with my toe. Then, as Richard and I talked, I reached down and picked up the coin along with a handful of pebbles. I tossed the pebbles down, one by one, aimlessly, until at last I had just the shilling in my hand. But even as I dropped the coin into my pocket, the battle began.

That coin meant I could stay in school. I wouldn’t be doing Richard a favour by giving it to him: he’d spend it on drink and be as thirsty as ever within the hour.

While I was thinking up excellent arguments, I knew it was no good. How could I judge Richard when Christ had told me so clearly that I must not. Furthermore, this was not the Royal Way ! What right had an ambassador to hold onto money when another of the Kings children stood in front of him saying he was hungry. I shoved my hand in my pocket and drew out the silver coin.

“Look Richard, I do have this. Would it help any ?”

Richard’s eyes lit up. “it would mate”. He tossed the coin into the air and ran off down the hill. With a light heart that told me I had done the right thing, I turned to go back inside. And before I reached the door, the postman turned down our walk.

In the mail, of course, was a letter for me. I knew when I saw my sisters handwriting that it was from our prayer group back home and that there would be cash inside. And there was, a lot, a pound and a half, 30 shillings. Far more than I needed to send my letter; enough to buy soap, treat myself to my favourite toothpaste and buy Gillette supers instead of blues.

The game was over. The King had done it His way.

Watchmen ... a story from 4th Century Eygpt

The Fathers went into the caves of the desert and they were referred to as, "Keepers of the walls," and, "Guardians of the world & peace." They considered themselves as commissioned to keep watch on the world's frontiers and waged war in prayer against the demonic powers that invaded the world of mankind. The monks were thought of as trees - purifying the atmosphere by their presence.

These desert monks were considered in 4th century Egypt, to be a force of spiritual power for their neighbors and towns and cities. Their whole life was dedicated to prayer and fasting and spiritual warfare, not for themselves or their own needs, but to intercede for those around and for the whole world. They made the desert blossom, both spiritually and physically, for apart from prayer, they also grew many foods in the desert.

Appollo was famous for his personal austerity and fasting, and the monks and cave-dwellers ate once or twice a week. But when there was a famine in Thebaid, the people in the town assumed that as always the communities of monks would have plenty of food, which they indeed did!

Demolishing the Temples
The Christianity of Egypt was a new thing but the diocese of Alexandria was a flourishing Christian center by the 3rd century. Nevertheless ancient heathen temples remained along the Nile. Theophilus the Bishop, one day summoned some of the Fathers to come to Alexandria and pray and demolish the deities of the heathen temples.

Their motive in separating themselves was to give their hearts the opportunity to focus on God alone. They went without, gave up the comforts of the towns and villages in order to give themselves to spiritual warfare on the behalf of others. They kept watches in the day and night. To "Stand by night in the House of the Lord," they took literally, and regulated their sleep so as not to give the flesh an opportunity to rule. A student of the monks of Nitria said, "Some of them never sleep at night - but either sitting or standing they persevered in prayer until the morning light." The attitude was positive, they were not refusing to sleep, but they were keeping watch. It was commonly believed among the Desert Fathers that, "One hour of sleep at night was enough for one who was a fighter."

Demons and Angels:
In their devotion to spiritual warfare, the Desert Fathers had many encounters with angels and demonic powers. They exercised great discernment and could see very clearly and deeply into the spiritual realm. One of the first and probably the most famous of these desert monks was Anthony the Great A.D. 251 - A.D.356

Anthony's Revelation:
Anthony went into the desert at age 35 and stayed for 20 years alone, interceding and praying. Anthony said, regarding the discerning of spirits and spiritual warfare, "Let us pray that we may know the hidden things, that we may have power from God to stand against the darts of the evil one. And if we desire to know the hidden things, then we must have our hearts pure, that we may be a habitation for the Holy Spirit and then He will abide and rest in us, and the light that proceeds from Him will enable us to see hidden things; even from remote distances. Did not Elisha because of the purity of his heart, see with his spirit that which his natural eyes had never seen. We must then see and make a distinction between the things of God and the things of the congregation of the Evil one.....This fact I have learned from long experience. The visions and revelations of the Holy Spirit are not of tumultuous character, but take place under conditions of peace and restfulness."

Discernment:
Anthony was constantly attacked by demonic powers but learnt how to discern and take authority over them..The evil spirits would come and tell Anthony "prophetic" and informative things, but he said, "I have no need to learn things from you." He said, "On occasions they (the demons) would come and fill my house with snakes and all manner of reptiles, but I would tell them, "Be gone," and they would right away leave. Then they brought torches and threatened to set alight my cell with me in it, but I lifted up my voice in the Psalms and said, Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but I will be strong in the name of the Lord our God, and immediately the devils disappeared from before me. After a month another band of demons came again in the form of singers and began to sing and speak to me with words from the Scriptures, but as a deaf man I did not hearken to them." "Another time they came back and shook my habitation where I was living, but I laughed at them, for my confidence was in the Lord. And my mind was in no way disturbed by them."

"And then they came to me with such clamor and dancing and singing and clapping, but then when they saw that I did not cease to pray or sing Psalms, (as other men who have been defeated by them), their songs turned into lamentations and they began to wail. Then I gave thanks to my good Lord because He has broken and brought low their arrogance and folly."

False Light:
"On another occasion the devil appeared to me in the form of a monk and gave me false counsel telling me to rest from praying because I was after all only a man of flesh and blood. I gave him no answer but bowed myself to the Lord and asked Him to make an end of this devil, and the demon vanished like smoke from my door."

Satan appeared:
The devil came many many times to Anthony. Satan came to his door one night and told Anthony that the "Christians were filling the desert and that his own people did not follow him for any other reason that he held them captive."Anthony and others like him, lived in the Spirit and many people came to them for counsel of their wisdom, for they were able to see the matters in hand by the Spirit, and discern and pray and minister in the realm of the unseen world. Governors and other great men and women came into the desert seeking out the prayers and ministry and counsel of the Desert Fathers who had given themselves to prayer and spiritual warfare.