Thursday, May 25, 2006

"Rachel's OK"

I thought I'd share a very uplifting experience my wife and I recently had.

During a time of prayer with some friends, a girl praying over my wife said to her, "I have a feeling that God has a message for you, but it doesn't make any sense."

With some trepidation, my wife asked what the message was. Our friend responded, "Rachel's OK."

Immediately my wife burst out into tears, and our curious friend inquired what the message meant.

You see, a few years ago we had a miscarriage. She was about 2 months along, and although there was no way "scientifically" to determine the sex of our lost child, we had a sense that she was a girl, and that her name was Rachel Liberty. That was a trying time, but we became convinced that she was in heaven and was watching over us.

Around the same time that my wife was being prayed over, I was in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in a moment of deep communion with Christ. I perceived him telling me that my dear little Rachel, waiting under the Tree of Life, had been shown the whole of my life and had responded by asking for special intercessor status. Christ agreed to her request and said that only the prayers of his own mother would be more powerful for me. [Please know that I understand this as a purely private revelation, and it cannot possibly be regarded on the same level as magisterial authority.]

Our friend had known we had a miscarriage but had never known we had chosen a name. She had no idea who this Rachel was that she was delivering a message on behalf of, but she faithfully delivered it anyway. I thank her for that step of faith. You know who you are.

Sometimes the veil of eternity is lifted for a moment, and we are allowed a brief glimpse of the glory of God. Sometimes he allows those moments to connect, to strengthen us in times of trial. Sometimes he uses those connected moments to relay a message of love and encouragement.

The love of God never ceases to amaze me.

1 comment:

  1. Amen. Our Joel, with us for only 44 hours, would turn 19 this summer. Since becoming Catholic we have a deeper understanding and confidence regarding our babe, much more certain that when we were Protestants. God bless you and I thank God with you for his kindness and for his faithful servants. Peace.

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