While begging God to stop the black mass scheduled to take place in Oklahoma City on September 21st, thoughts of the mighty power of God kept
coming into my prayers. Particularly,
thoughts of the Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem that occurred in 1255, whose miraculous Presence continues to this day. It is a true story of a woman
who obtained a consecrated Host in order to use it for evil purposes. As the woman was bringing the Host to a sorceress, the Host started bleeding profusely. People on the streets thought something terrible happened to her
as blood poured forth from the veil in which she concealed the Sacred Host. Scared, she went home and hid the Host in the bottom of a trunk. That
night, a brilliant light began to emanate from the trunk — the light was so
dazzling that it awakened the woman and her husband. The woman then proceeded
to tell her husband what had happened and they stayed up all night kneeling in adoration
in the glorious light. At dawn, a priest was called to their
home. He, too, witnessed the miracle and processed the Host back to the
Church. All those who had the Host in
their possession (and untold numbers who have seen or heard of the miracle in
the centuries since) were converted — recognizing the power and glory of the
Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist! I don’t know if God will preform a
miracle like this in Oklahoma City, but I know He can! I know that He
will do whatever is best in this situation to convert as many hearts as possible.
He alone knows if this will convert the person who is in possession of the
consecrated Host. He alone knows what will bring the greatest glory to
Him.
Blessed Bartolo Longo – Former Satanic Priest
Another thought kept coming to me, which is in conjunction
with the last.It is another true story
of a man who drifted so far away from God and his religious upbringing that he
became a satanic priest. His name is Bartolo
Longo and he was born in Naples in 1841. When satanic forces were tormenting him, his
family, who had never stopped praying for him, convinced him to make a good
confession.He did and was helped by a
priest who encouraged him to become devoted to the rosary.In 1870, he became a third order Dominican
and chose to live a life of penance in reparation for all the sins he committed
as a satanic priest. One day, nearly succumbing to despair for all the sins he
had committed, he was inspired to remember Mary’s promise to help all those who
encouraged others to pray the rosary.So
began his mission to promote the rosary and to restore the ruined chapel of
Pompeii.Many conversions and miraculous
cures took place as people became devoted to the rosary and pledged to build a
new shrine in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1980, Pope John Paul II beatified Bartolo Longo calling him “the man of the Madonna” and the “Apostle of the Rosary.”
Let us remind
ourselves: We have the power of God with us and within us and our prayers will
not go unheard. We have to hold fast to
the knowledge that God is truly present in the Eucharist and He is infinitely
more powerful than Satan and all the forces of evil in the world. He sometimes allows terrible things to
happen, just as He allowed His only Son to die on a cross to save us, but He
allows it only if it will bring about infinitely more good to us than if it had
never happened. Let us pray for the conversion of hearts of those who are
instigating this black mass, for “God
does not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted and
live!” (cf. Ez 18: 23).
Tens of thousands
united in prayer and fasting against this abomination is itself a miracle of
faith and a beautiful manifestation of the power and glory of God. We have
untold strength in our unity! So, as we
remain united and continue in prayer and fasting, let us call to mind these
miracles of the past (and hundreds of others) and rejoice that God’s power will
be made manifest and many hearts will be converted. Let us not get discouraged when we are faced
with such evil forces, “For the LORD,
your God, is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and
awesome” (Deut 10:17), who gives us strong and mighty weapons at our disposal!
Let us also recall the faith and steadfastness of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego when confronted with certain death in the fiery furnace, and let us echo their words to King Nebuchadnezzar: “There
is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.If our
God, whom we serve, can save usfrom the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!But even if he will not,
you should know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden
statue which you set up” (Dn 3: 16-18).
For more
information about the Eucharistic miracle see:
