 Spiritual
Healing of the Family,
by Fr. Robert DeGrandis, the highly
popular, charismatic priest takes a look at how we can heal our families of
spiritual disorders, how we must learn to pray for this, how to approach inner
healing, and how first we have to heal ourselves. He also discusses how to purge
negative spirits that may be haunting marriages.
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ANGELS ARE ENCOUNTERED BY THOSE WHO ARE ON THEIR DEATHBEDS, NO MATTER THEIR RELIGION
Previously, we have visited a book by a researcher studying deathbed visions, in particular those who -- in their waning moments (and this occurs frequently) -- say the hospital or hospice room crowds with relatives and friends.
They also cite the appearance of Jesus.
And angels: more than anything, folks who are dying report angels, no matter their religious affiliation.
What to make of all this? What to make of Jews who see Moses, or Muslims who claim to see Allah?
"The belief in angels seems to transcend most religious boundaries, and many believe that these ethereal beings play a prominent role in the dying process," writes the researcher, David Kessler, whose books on dying have won the praise from the likes of Mother Teresa. "It is not necessary to debate the reality of angels and other deathbed phenomena. They're much more than simple entities that can be proved or disproved. They comfort us and offer us hope. They're part of a religious and spiritual belief system that many of us hold sacred. And although some like to think of angels as 'New Age,' references to them can be traced back to the Old Testament. For example, in the Book of Genesis, God starts out using the word I, but then switches to We. Many interpret this as referring to the angels, who existed before Creation."
It is a role of angels to aid in our transition to a spiritual existence, Kessler notes (in his book, Visions, Trips, and Crowded Rooms), and they are also there for those left behind, "reminding us that our loved ones exist beyond death."
The point: no one dies alone. There are relatives. There are spiritual figures.
Most important of all: there is the mediator between God and man -- Whom everyone must encounter.
"Jesus, I love you," were the final words of Mother Teresa. "Jesus, I love you."
A chaplain reports that a woman named Sally who was dying from multiple-organ shutdown and had not spoken for hours suddenly sat up and in a clear voice said, "Jesus, you're here!"
Shortly after, she passed to the other side.
Meantime, in the last weeks before a 12-year-old named Julie died, her mother noted that the girl frequently looked to a corner of the room, breaking into "this huge glowing smile" -- a smile so bright the mother took a photo.
"It truly was remarkable," noted a hospice worker. "This emaciated, tiny girl sitting in her wheelchair and looking up toward the corner. I've seen happy children. I've seen kids who see their grandparents and light up and wave. But there was something different about Julie's expression. It was amazing. She had an otherworldly look, like an angel seeing Heaven."
We discuss these accounts at our retreats for a simple reason: nothing is more important than death. And nothing is more important than preparing for it. In both deathbed visions and near-death experiences (as well as the teachings of Christ), the common theme is that life on earth is a time to develop unconditional love. Without it, religion loses most of its meaning. And without a supernatural component, death itself is without meaning. A tragedy it is that doctors are so afraid to discuss deathbed phenomena -- even though they too notice it.
"This happens all the time," said one physician, "but no one wants to talk about it." He explained to a chaplain that he needed referrals from other doctors and wanted to be seen as "competent, technically astute, and on top of cutting-edge treatments." If he went around discussing visions, he said, "do you think I would be taken seriously?" He then asked the chaplain to keep him anonymous.
But the visions transcend artificial attempts at quashing them, and seem to be mounting in our time, as the veil "thins." The doctor himself testified that medications and hallucinations could not account for the visions one woman who was dying of multiple-organ failure experienced.
Another woman whose family was less than religious nonetheless came out of total silence on her deathbed and exclaimed: "Oh, I just saw Jesus!"
Noted her daughter: "All of us (including my mom) were genuinely surprised by
her vision. I mean, we always thought of
ourselves as 'Christian-Lite' -- hardly pious enough to get a home visit
from Jesus! But that seemed to be exactly what my mother was
seeing."
[Michael Brown retreat, Wisconsin and Announcing a retreat in Connecticut]
[resources: The Other Side]
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