Miracle Moments

"St. Monica was a woman of great faith," the priest declared as he began his homily at morning Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church here in New Orleans. That’s all it took. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and a sudden rush of emotion as his prophetic words penetrated me to the core. “A woman of great faith,” I thought to myself as I sighed deeply. “She certainly was.” I admired her and I understood her. St. Monica knew God intimately, and she relied on him completely. She was a woman who believed in the power of steadfast, unbridled prayer. She was a wife who kept a hopeful heart during intense and prolonged suffering at the hands of her abusive husband. And she was a mother who allowed God’s grace to carry her through the torment and pain triggered by her prodigal son. St. Monica put her faith in God every single day…and she never took it back. She remained faithful to God, and he remained faithful to her. During 17 years of suffering, St. Monic...

In 5 1/2 years I have never received an email from my son Johnny who is a member of "Comunita Cenacolo." Computers and emails are just not part of community life. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened my email today and found a letter from Johnny-from Liberia no less! Johnny lives in a remote section of the country that is without electricity...so this email transmission is really amazing! I am gratefully sharing his thoughts with each and every one of you in thanksgiving for your love and prayers! GOD IS FAITHFUL! "I want to express my gratitude to all who have interested themselves in my own safety and well being here in Liberia. Thank you for your concern. I think it’s only right to respond in some capacity and inform you of my current situation. I’ve been in Liberia as a Catholic missionary for over eight months. Here at our mission we have twenty children, some of whom are orphans and some of whom come from very difficult situations that hav...

I admire my 29 year old son Johnny.(He's in the blue shirt) He is not jumping ship, running for the hills or taking the easy way out. He is staying in Liberia, standing on faith and stepping up to the commitment he made to care for the orphans entrusted to his care. Johnny and I spoke by telephone for over an hour this week about life under the threat of the Ebola Virus. “We are taking precautions,” my son assured me. “The fruit bat carries the virus, so fresh fruit is off limits”… “We can’t go to the open air market and shop for food, and we aren’t supposed to shake hands with people.” Shaking hands is apparently a very important custom. Johnny told me the virus, which is not airborne, is carried by fruit bats which some locals eat. A man apparently ate a contaminated bat that had not been thoroughly cooked and because he came in physical contact with people before his death, the virus spread. If the bat had been cooked all the way the virus would have died along...