The Healing Journey

July 26, 2023

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
– Albert Einstein

Through a curious series of events, Tony was given a life-sized statue of St. Anne, which had been rescued from a dumpster at a church. He had the statue refurbished and it looked as good as new.

Every morning on his way to work, he’d lay his hand on her cheek and ask, “St. Anne, please take care of me and my family.”

It was a hasty prayer to the person who has a direct line to Our Lady, who has a direct line to You Know Who. It never hurts to be on good terms with people in high places, especially someone as prominent as Jesus’ grandmother.

Tony prayed to her when he had problems at work and at home. And he always asked his spiritual grandmother to take care of his earthly mother, who had Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Six years before, the doctors told him his mother was “terminally ill” and had only a few months to live, but God had other plans.

Day after day, he’d petition St. Anne to care for his mother. At first, he asked for a miraculous cure, but later, he asked for simpler needs: that a fever might break, that she might get a good night’s sleep, and that her death would be peaceful. Toward the end, when her condition worsened, his wife stayed with her around the clock.

The morning she died, they stood by her bed and said the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Her eyes were closed, but they sensed she could hear them. As they prayed, she quietly and peacefully passed away. Their prayers had been answered.

When the priest arrived, everything became clear. He looked at them, smiled and said, “She died on the feast of St. Anne, July 26th.”

***

They’re no such thing as a coincidence.