From the mailbag: a miracle connected to Roe vs. Wade
In the early 1990's, a couple named Terry & Judy [surname withheld for privacy] were inspired by the Holy Spirit to build a chapel as an addition to their home outside of St. Louis. Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (the twin Hearts), this lovely little chapel is open for anyone to come in and pray. Divine intervention became evident as the necessary furnishings and holy images began turning up one by one, including stained glass windows of the twin Hearts, pews that fit the pre-laid floor perfectly, the large wooden crucifix, and the altar from the chapel of a convent that had closed.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CHAPEL ON JANUARY 22, 1993,
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROE VS. WADE :
One day a workman rushed in to tell Judy that a terrible accident had occurred: somehow the magnificent crucifix had come off its chain and had crashed onto the marble altar below.
On entering the chapel, Judy saw that the arms of the crucifix has splintered, shattered into many pieces. The corpus however remained intact, lying at an angle on the altar. At that moment both she and the workman noticed that light shone in through a window, falling only on the body of Jesus and nowhere else.
One side of the marble altar had been broken by the impact, revealing a metal box inside the stone. Judy knew that it is customary that Catholic altars (on which the
sacrifice of Jesus is re-enacted in the Holy Mass) contain the relic of a saint who had given his or her life for the church. She sensed that it would not be improper for her to open the box, and took this opportunity to find out which saint's relic had been brought into their home by God's providence. In a quiet room, she opened the box and found the relics of three saints. Read on to see how each has a connection to the abortion issue, and to marvel at the communions of saints and the mystical body of Christ.
St. Benignus of Dijon, Martyr, shares his feast day with All Saint's Day, November 1. Little is known as fact about his life, but it is believed that persecutors subjected him to many trials and torments. After miraculously withstanding these, he was eventually killed by having his head crushed with an iron bar and his heart pierced. In partial-birth abortions, babies are killed by having the base of their skulls pierced and their brains vacuumed out, causing their skulls to collapse.
St. John Eudes's feast day is August 19, the same day on which the altar in this chapel was originally consecrated for the former convent. This saint was so concerned for women and girls in the mid-1600's who had repented of unchaste lives yet who faced dismal futures, that he founded a religious order and a refuge to help them. Rather than condemning women who have had abortions, we must pray for their conversion and healing, and participate to help them rebuild their lives. St. John is also known for promoting devotion to both the "Adorable Heart of Jesus" and to "The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God" - this chapel is consecrated to the twin Hearts!
St. Vincent of Saragossa underwent unspeakable tortures beyond what any man could endure without supernatural aid. Toward the end, he was stretched on a rack made of spiked, red-hot gridirons and had salt rubbed into his wounds. Like him, babies in the womb are pulled apart and burned with saline solutions. Despite it all this saint grew in strength, courage, resolution, joy and
tranquility, dying peacefully on January 22, 304 A.D. THIS CRUCIFIX FELL ON THIS MARTYR'S FEAST DAY, AND ON THE EXACT DATE OF THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROE VS. WADE Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
Let us pray: Dear Jesus, through the intercession of Sts. Benignus, John Eudes and Vincent of Saragossa, open our hearts to see how You, our Loving Savior, agonize over the children and parents lost and suffering from abortions. "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." Help us to be unwavering and unselfish in our support of single mothers who have the courage to bring their babies into the world. Help us to recognize how each of us is being called to use our individual gifts to reach out to parents so that they can know Your mercy, love and healing. May we inspire hope in all parents by sharing with them our faith, our time, our wealth, and our very lives. We entrust this day, this mission, and this nation to the mercy of Your Most Sacred Heart, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen.