One summer’s evening I was scheduled to celebrate Mass for a group of young adults in a home up in the hills above Santa Barbara. I arrived and started to set up for Mass. But then there was a phone call. There was an emergency at the local hospital in Goleta. They needed a priest right away. So I jumped in my car and drove there as quickly as possible.

When I arrived at the hospital, I just walked into the emergency room because the charge nurse there was the mother of one of my students at Bishop Garcia Diego high school. As I entered, I saw there was one gurney with a patient on it and the curtain closed. There were three firefighters standing at
the foot of the gurney. I pushed the drape back and entered. The charge nurse said: “I’m sorry Father John, he’s already flat lined.“

The cardiac machines were not beeping and the nurses were getting ready to take off the sticky patches with electric wires. I felt very bad about the situation and then I noticed the man was wearing a cloth brown scapular. I took a moment and said, “Oh look; he’s wearing an old-fashioned scapular, one of the old cloth ones”. I touched the scapular and immediately the heart monitor started to beat. He opened his eyes and in an Irish accent said: “Father I’m so glad you’re here. I want to go to confession“.

The charge nurse asked what I did in a confused state. The firefighters looked shocked and a doctor came out of his office and was angry because he had already made out the death certificate. The patient looked surprised and I said, ” God bless you” and then made the sign over him very quickly.
Immediately they went into action and took him into surgery without having a chance for him to
go to confession. The firefighters had to get me a chair as I was so surprised at this situation and event.

I went home and prayed for the man. I didn’t even think to ask for his name. I was so surprised by the situation that I just left. But that’s not the end of the story. About three weeks later, he came to see me at the parish. He told me his name and I recognized him not only from the hospital but because I had taught his son in high school. We had a short chat and he told me that the firefighters had come to visit him in the hospital and showed him their notes. They had written “brought back to life by God“ at the bottom of their records.

He said that the doctor had treated him in surgery and that he was on a waiting list to get a new heart. We prayed a little bit together and he left. I was amazed and continued to pray for him. His son, who was a large redheaded young man, called me and talked to me about his dad. He asked me to go over what had happened at the emergency room as he had found it surprising and didn’t quite understand how it had happened.

About four weeks later, the man came back to see me at the parish. He sat down in the parlor, and we talked about the situation and he smiled and said that he was off of the list for a new heart. I was a little confused, and said that I was surprised because he needed a new heart.

Then he told me that he had seen the cardiologist, and the cardiologist was amazed, but that his heart was healed. He could find nothing wrong with his heart at all. So he was to keep his heart and not have to have surgery. We laughed in joy at that news.

He said that God had healed him. I was very surprised, because I don’t expect miracles to happen like this. I know they have happened, but I never thought I would see one so plain and simple and in my presence. I have never expected to see a miracle and I certainly did not cause this one. This was all the will and the work of God!

Every once in a while I get up to Santa Barbara and Goleta. When I drive or walk past that hospital it brings me joy to think of what happened there. I have heard from that man’s son that after reaching the age of 92 that man died and received the final anointing and had a Catholic funeral. Now I think of him as a saint, who like billions of those in Heaven have not been Canonized by the Church, but are still very much rejoicing in Heaven with God, including my own mother.

Most of us have known real saints in our lives and they will laugh and greet us when we are welcomed into the very presence of Christ and all of the Saints. What will Heaven be like? I doubt that it will be floating on a cloud playing a harp. I can’t play the harp and I’d be bored. I’ll write more on what I believe Heaven may be like later. But for now think of those who are there that you know. Rejoice that they are there and probably praying for you to join them!