A reader in southern Arizona wrote to us a while back asking for prayers in helping to stay positive and upbeat as she faced an unexpected financial crisis. Wrote she:
“Thank you for today’s headline editorial regarding remaining free from all anxiety. I have just received notification that our septic system has failed and we need a new leach field on our property. The initial estimate is $15,000 — money we do not have. Your article reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – ‘in all circumstances give thanks, for this is the Will of God for you in Christ Jesus.’ I am battling the demons of despair and anxiety and I ask for you to be extra prayer warriors in battle.”
Assured of prayer and reminded that God, in His time, will resolve all things, she reports that matters worked out. Her follow-up:
“On the day our septic system failed, I put a note on Facebook publicly putting the best possible spin on the situation that I could think of, such as ‘thank you, Lord, that this didn’t happen when my house was filled with wedding guests a couple of months ago’; ‘I am grateful this did not happen on a weekend or holiday,’ etcetera.
“Over the next few weeks as work progressed, I tried with all my heart to stay trusting in the Lord: upbeat, very cheerful and worry-free, in spite of the fact that the new system and landscaping work, completed with our own sweat equity and 31 tons of landscape rock pushed the dollar amount to nearly $24,000. Thanks be to God for credit cards!
“The end result of all this cheerfulness?
“My husband just accepted an unexpected new job offer with a whopping 39 percent higher pay rate and my own rate was increased by eleven percent, thus allowing us to easily bear the weight of the credit card payments and then some. God is truly good and so generous. Thanksgiving to Him every day was not always easy, but we are so grateful that He chose to give us material proof that giving thanks and trusting in His providence is indeed the best thing to do.”
Of God’s protection Deborah Crosby, of Madison, Ohio, says, “I know I have written to you in the past about this but wanted to comment again after reading your article this morning on sacramentals and their protection.
“Back in the 90’s we had a fire start in our finished basement and on every entrance way I keep a Miraculous Medal and or Scapular. Our sliding basement door had a Scapular hanging on the curtain rod. The fire did a lot of damage to the basement and upstairs suffered smoke damage but no injuries or deaths and in the rubble downstairs the Scapular was found intact without any signs of being in a fire. I believe that Scapular saved us and our home because it occurred in the middle of the night and smoke detector didn’t work. Something or someone woke us up to the danger and angel the blessed mother? That Scapular still hangs on that door to this day!”
As well it should — in all our abodes.
God is not just extragalactic.
He is here and now.
“I was reading your story on some folks’ experiences with sacramentals and thought to share,” chimes in a viewer named Tricia from Blackwood, New Jersey. “Last year after I came home from work, I noticed my front porch Adirondack chairs were moved and one in particular was very close to my front door. I then observed that the rain spout from the roof was leaning over the back of the chair. When I looked up I saw it was pulled out of the clamps and off the siding of the second floor bedroom wall. I called the police for a possible break-in and pointed it out to him. ‘No doubt about it,’ he said.
“Seems someone stood on the chair arm rails and then grabbed onto the rain spout to hoist themselves up to the second-floor bedroom window thinking to push in the window air conditioner and get into my house. Only problem is, there was a St. Benedict’s medal over that and every window in my home!
“I am certain, without a doubt, that the ‘would be’ robber failed because of the medal (and blessed salt around my property) that continues to provide a wall of spiritual protection around my home.
“I sort of chuckled to myself that with God’s Hand over us, we have nothing to fear and I hoped the ‘would be’ robber wasn’t too hurt yet learned a good lesson. Praise God!”
[resources: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Brown Scapular]
