'MYSTERIOUS STRANGER' RESCUED A PRIEST AT AIRPORT SECURITY

Angel accounts strengthen everyone's faith. Headline article up at Spiritdaily today.

FROM THE MAILBAG:

Do you like angel -- and healing -- accounts as much as we do?

From the mail we hear from an old friend, Mary Ann Wichmann, who works in a healing ministry.

"We were at Lambert St. Louis Airport flying back to Boston after a very fruitful weekend giving a healing retreat at Our Sorrowful Mother's Ministry in Vandalia, Illinois, August of 2011," she recently recalled. "There were four of us, Father Joe Whalen, Father John Welch, Philip Rego, and myself.

"Philip and Father Joe were ahead of us and went through the security checkpoint. Father Welch and I got to the first security guard (a woman) who asked for our identification. I presented mine and turned back and noticed Father Welch's face drain of all color when he opened his wallet and there was no driver's license; it was not to be found anywhere in the wallet.

"As he was fumbling through his pockets, I was combing through his carry-on luggage on the floor. He had kind of a frozen in shock look and I was trying to figure out what to do next. I was thinking, I'd let Philip and Father Joe go back to Boston and I would stay in St. Louis with Father Welch until we could get some identification sent to us from the priest's rectory in Connecticut.

"At that moment I heard the most soothing, calm, strong and reassuring voice! I was kneeling on the floor going through the suitcase and turned around, when I heard this voice say, 'Father, father please it is alright. Don't worry, look in your wallet again.'

"I was surprised to hear him addressed as 'father' at the airport, as most times these days priests are called 'sir' or something secular.

"I turned, and saw a tall, handsome man in his thirties, with a starched white shirt, dark blue pants, lots of what looked like medals or pins, very, very clean-cut and dressed immaculately. Father John just looked at him and he said, 'Please father, look in your wallet again,' so Father John opened his wallet again, and there was the license!

"He stared in disbelief! I turned back to the suitcase to zip it up and then heard, 'Oh, Father, don't forget your rosary that you placed in this bin.' I turned and looked up but he had disappeared, and Father John said the same thing; he turned to get his rosary and this man had just disappeared.

"He was not dressed like the other guards, he seemed to materialize right in front of us and then disappeared. But we both say in retrospect, that we could not get over his voice. How soothing and reassuring it was! It was like none we had ever heard. After that we boarded the plane and had a nice flight back to Boston. We always pray to holy Archangel Raphael to accompany us when we travel, as he is not only the patron of healing but traveling too. We also put his prayer cards in our luggage so it does not get lost. Father Welch and I both have the 'knowing' now that this was an angel sent to help us, and we feel it could very well have been Raphael our patron. I always say you are protected in proportion to your mission, wow! What protection priests have!"

“This made my day. Thank you so much for posting it!”

~ ~ ~

You are very welcome. This angel account was probably posted at FR already but I love it. At http://spiritdaily.com/ from their archives.

Another testimony for everyone, it gives us hope and reminds us to speak to our own guardian angels and it gives you the nice goosebumps. The Angels are so giving and proper, etc.

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Maryland Priest Claims Angel Visited His Church In Full View
Of Congregants

By Michael H. Brown

A devout priest in Maryland reports that on the feast day of Guadalupe, an angel appeared during Mass in front of him and about 200 congregants.

The priest, Father Richard Scott, 41, of St. John the Evangelist Church in Clinton, Maryland, in the archdiocese of Washington, tells Spirit Daily that on December 12 he had started the day asking Our Lady of Guadalupe for confirmation pertaining to a special request he had made. Originally from Peru, Father Scott, who says he has a special devotion to the angels (”in the Catholic sense, nothing at all New Age”) and recites the litany of angels every day, and conducts healing Masses at a church dedicated to the ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL, recounts that at about 6:45 a.m. he was praying to the Virgin. “Blessed Mother, I know you are Our Lady of Guadalupe,” he had said. “You know that I love you very much. You are also Queen of Angels. I know I am not worthy, but because of the merits of your Son Jesus and His Divine Mercy, I humbly beseech you to send me St. Raphael to give me a sign that what I have heard in my heart is from your Son.”

That night Father Scott celebrated a Mass in honor of the Guadalupe Virgin at 7:30 p.m. He says that he had gone through the day without much further thought as to his request. “I forgot about it,” he says, “but God didn’t.

“I was saying the prayer of the faithful and I had closed my eyes and I opened them and looked up to see the people that I was praying for and I was indirectly praying for my special intentions and also praying for a man with cancer — and for our bishops that they always be filled with the Holy Spirit and faithful to the Holy Father — and just as I was saying that all together, I looked up and in the back of the church, I saw this Hispanic woman who works in the parish preparing the little kids at the time of the offertory, bringing the gifts — they were going to present roses and carnations to the Blessed Mother — and right next to her I see this young man in his twenties with light brown hair with a big picture, a big painting in a frame, with a radiant face and around his body like an aura. He looked different — but completely human, nicely dressed, with corduroy pants, a shirt, a sweater, and like a suede jacket.

“He was radiant — the most penetrating loving eyes. They exuded love, and he had a huge smile, as if he was my best of friends, surprising me. He walked like he was on a mission to fulfill what God wanted him to do. He walked up the aisle reverently but quickly. He was in control. Nothing would stop him. He just came down, but he didn’t do it in a way that was pompous. He didn’t float. He walked like a normal person, but quickly with this big painting on his right side and it was like there was a light, a spotlight on him, like an aura around his body, even though his body was normal, and throughout the whole thing his eyes were in contact with me. He GAVE REVERENCE TO THE EUCHARIST and to me as a priest. He genuflected near the tabernacle and presented this painting. He laid it against a lectern on the left-hand side. He was not far away from me. He went up two steps and laid it against the lectern and he said to me, ‘You have to bless it.’ I did say as he was approaching, is there anything I can do to help you. I was shocked. Even as he said, ‘You must bless this,’ his facial expressions never changed.

“There was complete love and tenderness but he was there on a mission. I couldn’t walk up to him. I couldn’t move. Something kept me from moving. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was observe and receive. Afterwards he turned around, once again genuflected to the Blessed Sacrament, and then he went again somewhat fast down the aisle, turned around, once again looked at me, raised up his arms to heaven, and said with a smile, as if he was exuberantly happy, ‘Amen, alleluia!’”

It is an angel story as there have been many angel stories but with this twist: Father Scott actually saw the mysterious stranger disappear. Most who have angel encounters describe a stranger who then was nowhere to be seen, but the Maryland priest actually saw him vanish.

“After saying, ‘Amen, alleluia,’ he put his arms down and I don’t know how the wooden doors opened, but as he was going down the steps, before he got outside — there is another set of glass doors — I saw him disappear. He went down five or six steps and disappeared. I saw him disappear. He disappeared just before he got to the glass doors. I did not see the glass doors open, and from the altar I can tell when people leave Mass early.”

Of course, we leave this all for your discernment. So far we have no reason to doubt it and if true we find it tremendous — a Christmas gift. It confirmed something major for the priest, who says that painting was a replica of the famous Michelangelo masterpiece, “The Creation,” in which God is touching the finger of Adam. He said there was a man in a car who had been out front through Mass waiting to drive a relative, and the man later testified that he saw no one enter or leave. Those attending Mass were equally shocked at the mysterious visitors actions and way of walking.

Father Scott believes the mysterious stranger was the Archangel Raphael. He says the painting was expensively framed in wood with cardboard protectors on the corners. The priest left the painting in the church for four days, waiting to see if anyone would claim it, which no one did

Thank you everyone, comments are funny and sweet. One more
for the evening. I’ll NEVER forget another miraculous account, it’s not about an angel but it is proof, God is outside of time and reminds us all, humility, humility, humility.

~ ~ ~

How A Vision Of Jesus and A Nun Turned Turned A Man Into A Bishop

By Michael Brown http://www.spiritdaily.com

William Emmanuel Ketteler (1811-1877)

Each of us owes gratitude for our lives and our vocations to the prayers and sacrifices of others. One of the leading figures of the German episcopacy of the 19th century, and among the founders of Catholic sociology, Bishop Ketteler owed his gratitude to a simple nun, the least and poorest lay sister of her convent.

In 1869, a German diocesan bishop was sitting together with his guest, Bishop Ketteler from Mainz. During the course of their conversation, the diocesan bishop brought up his guest’s extremely blessed apostolate. Bishop Ketteler explained to his host, “I owe thanks for everything that I have accomplished with God’s help, to the prayer and sacrifice of someone I do not even know. I can only say that I know somebody has offered his or her whole life to our loving God for me, and I have this sacrifice to thank that I even became a priest.”

He continued, “Originally, I wasn’t planning on becoming a priest. I had already finished my law degree and thought only about finding an important place in the world to begin acquiring honour, prestige and wealth. An extraordinary experience held me back and directed my life down a different path.

“One evening I was alone in my room, considering my future plans of fame and fortune, when something happened which I cannot explain. Was I awake or asleep? Did I really see it or was it just a dream? One thing I do know, it brought about a change in my life. I saw Jesus very clearly and distinctly standing over me in a radiant cloud, showing me his Sacred Heart. A nun was kneeling before Him, her hands raised up in prayer. From His mouth, I heard the words, ‘She prays unremittingly for you!’

“I distinctly saw the appearance of the sister, and her traits made such an impression on me that she has remained in my memory to this day. She seemed to be quite an ordinary lay sister. Her clothing was very poor and rough. Her hands were red and calloused from hard work. Whatever it was, a dream or not, it was extraordinary. It shook me to the depths of my being so that from that moment on, I decided to consecrate myself to God in the service of the priesthood.

“I withdrew to a monastery for a retreat, and I talked about everything with my confessor. Then, at the age of 30, I began studying theology. You know the rest of the story. So, if you think that I have done something admirable, now you know who really deserves the credit—a religious sister who prayed for me, maybe without even knowing who I was. I am convinced, I was prayed for and I will continue to be prayed for in secret and that without these prayers, I could never have reached the goal that God has destined for me.”

“Do you have any idea of the whereabouts or the identity of who has prayed for you?” asked the diocesan bishop.

“No, I can only ask God each day that, while she is still on earth, he bless and repay her a thousand-fold for what she has done for me.”

The sister in the barn

The next day, Bishop Ketteler visited a convent of sisters in a nearby city and celebrated Holy Mass in their chapel. He was distributing Holy Communion to the last row of sisters when one of them suddenly caught his eye. His face grew pale, and he stood there, motionless. Finally regaining his composure, he gave Holy Communion to the sister who was kneeling in recollection unaware of his hesitation. He then concluded the liturgy.

The bishop who had invited him the previous day came and joined him at the convent for breakfast. When they had finished, Bishop Ketteler asked the Mother Superior to present to him all the sisters in the house. Before long she had gathered all the sisters together, and both bishops went to meet them. Bishop Ketteler greeted them, but it was apparent that he did not find the one he was looking for.

He quietly asked the Mother Superior, “Are all the sisters really here?”

She looked over the group of sisters and then said, “Your Excellency, I called them all, but, in fact, one of them is not here.”

“Why didn’t she come?”

“She works in the barn,” answered the superior, “and in such a commendable way that, in her enthusiasm, she sometimes forgets other things.”

“I would like to see that sister,” requested the Bishop.

A little while later, the sister who had been summoned stepped into the room. Again Bishop Ketteler turned pale, and after a few words to all the sisters, he asked if he could be alone with the sister who had just come in.

“Do you know me?” he asked her.

“I have never seen Your Excellency before.”

“Have you ever prayed for me or offered up a good deed for me?” he wanted to know.

“I do not recall that I have ever heard of Your Excellency.”

The Bishop was silent for a few moments and then he asked, “Do you have a particular devotion that you like?”

“The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” was the response.

“You have, it seems, the most difficult task in the convent,” he continued.

“Oh no, Your Excellency” the sister countered, “but I cannot lie, it is unpleasant for me.”

“And what do you do when you have such temptations against your work?”

“For things that cost me greatly, I grew accustomed to facing them with joy and enthusiasm out of love for God, and then I offer them up for one soul on earth. To whom God chooses to be gracious as a result, I have left completely up to him and I do not want to know. I also offer up my time of Eucharistic adoration every evening from 8 to 9 for this intention.”

“Where did you get the IDEA TO OFFER UP all your merits for someone totally unknown to you?”

“I learned it while I was still out in the world,” she replied. “At school our teacher, the parish priest, taught us how we can pray and offer our merits for our relatives. Besides that, he said that we should pray much for those who are in danger of being lost. Since only God knows who really needs prayer, it is best to put your merits at the disposition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus trusting in his wisdom and omnipotence. That is what I have done,” she concluded, “and I always believed that God would find the right soul.”

Day of birth and day of conversion

“How old are you?” Ketteler asked.

“Thirty-three, Your Excellency,” she answered.

The Bishop paused a moment. Then he asked her, “When were you born?” The sister stated her day of birth. The BISHOP GASPED; her birthday was the day of his conversion! Back then he saw her exactly as she was before him now. “And have you any idea whether your prayers and sacrifices have been successful?” he asked her further.

“No, Your Excellency.”

“Don’t you want to know?”

“Our dear God knows when something good happens, and that is enough,” was the simple answer.

The Bishop was shaken. “So continue this work in the name of the Lord,” he said. The sister knelt down immediately at his feet and asked for his blessing. The Bishop solemnly raised his hands and said with great emotion, “With the power entrusted to me as a bishop, I bless your soul, I bless your hands and their work, I bless your prayers and sacrifices, your self-renunciation and your obedience. I bless especially your final hour and ask God to assist you with all his consolation.”

“Amen,” the sister answered calmly, then stood up and left.

A teaching for life

The Bishop, PROFOUNDLY MOVED, stepped over to the window in order to compose himself. Some time later, he said good-bye to the Mother Superior and returned to the apartment of his bishop friend. He confided to him, “Now I found the one I have to thank for my vocation. It is the lowest and poorest lay sister of that convent. I cannot thank God enough for his mercy because this sister has prayed for me for almost 20 years. On the day she first saw the light of the world, God worked my conversion accepting in advance her future prayers and works.

“What a lesson and a reminder for me! Should I become tempted to vanity by a certain amount of success or by my good works, then I can affirm in truth: You have the prayer and sacrifice of a poor maid in a convent stall to thank. And when a small and lowly task appears of little value to me, then I will also remember the fact: what this maid does in humble obedience to God, making a sacrifice by overcoming herself, is so valuable before the Lord Our God that her merits have given rise to a bishop for the Church.”

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4/10/09

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