I've heard of this but had never done this before until now. I first tried the easy route of scrolling down and letting the mouse pick someone. When I did this I landed on...no one as I highlighted some gap space between saints :lol: So I figured I make a project of it and print, cut and pick from a hat. As I was doing this I was thinking that I've read about a few saints (St Faustina's diary, Anne Katherine Emmerich's works, Mary Magdoline to name a few) but did not know who to go to for my current unemployment / financial problems (I've gone to several such as St Faustina, St Joseph, Mary Magdoline, St Jude, etc.) and it felt like I was saint surfing and not developing a deeper relationship with one particular saint. So I decided to use this opportunity to pick not one but 3 saints for the following causes: 1. the intention the Holy Spirit wants me to pray for this year 2. the saint to help me with my current unemployment / financial situation 3. the saint I would turn to during the chastisements (I've always felt I should have a go-to saint for this time to keep me grounded in the chaos, running in the right direction, as calm as possible) The picks were surprising at first...but not when I read the blurb about them on the website. Here they are: Prayer intention for this year St. Patrick of Ireland "If I am worthy, I am ready also to give up my life, without hesitation and most willingly, for his name. I want to spend myself in that country (Ireland), even in death, if the Lord should grant me this favor." Patrick's Confessions Pray for the laity to respond to the call to be missionaries and evangelists today. Interesting pick. I do not have Irish roots (although close, as I'm part Scottish), but a family member did marry someone from Ireland so there are plenty of Irish around me and I've been there a few times. It just made me smile when I picked it. Saint to help me with my current problems: Our lady of Guadalupe I was expecting St. Joseph, but I'm thinking what does Our Lady of Guadalupe have to do with this, but then I read: "Am I not here who am your Mother? Is there anything else that you need?" Pray for greater dependence on the maternal love of Mary Enough said...no more saint surfing for this problem...my Mother, please continue to untie the knots I have created in my life...I am depending on you to do this and intercede for me. Saint to help me through the chastisements: Blessed Mariam of Bethlehem I was expecting St Michael the Archangel or someone like that, and I had never heard about this woman. But then below her name read: "Little Lambs, do not be afraid of God! Call on God alone and entrust yourself to Him and do not be afraid. Jesus is madly in love with Man" Pray for the liberation of those who are under the power of darkness :shock: :shock: I'm not sure what else to say on that one...
I am completely amazed at this whole companion saint miracle. The saints really do come to you! Listen to those, Potatosack! Just amazing. A woman in the back of one of our churches was holding the basket for all the others to pick. When everyone was done and most had gone, she decided to reach in herself. I was standing there when she let out a little squeal...the saint she picked (I don't remember who it was) hit a special cord...his feast day was her wedding anneversary! This meant something very special to her, as she became very excited and was marveling at the fact that the "companion saint" thing actually "worked"! It was enlightening to see. My mom was an interesting one. As we left the church, she reached in to the basket and pulled out a paper that immediately dropped back in the basket, then after she fished it out it fell on the floor. She picked it up, and couldn't get it open! (I don't know why). I took it from her and it opened for me. She read it and frowned. it was a blessed who she never heard of, and it was weird, but she seemed so distressed that she hesitated to leave the church steps. I saw her distress, and told her to go back in and pick another one, since after all, it seemed that the paper was trying to get away from her anyway, perhaps she grabbed the wrong one. So she did go back, and took another paper. This one stayed in her hands and opened easily...it was St. Mark. Someone she had never prayed to but at least she knew well who he was. It read, "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Mark 10: 8-9) Pray for a return of the sanctity of Marriage. Something she could relate to. She has two grandchildren who need to accept this truth whom she prays for already. And my dad is needing her strength more and more these days also. I ordered her a book on St. Mark online and got her some prayer cards. We will see where this goes.
Oh and us with St. John the Baptist? Well, further thought has revealed something else. Not only has this given us something to pull us back together spiritually, but it has also given us a mission. We had already been discussing it, but now it seems very real. We have 4 grandchildren (and another about to be born), and NONE of them are baptized! I have mentioned this before to you all. Well, perhaps THAT is what John has come to help us with! My husband has been talking with his son about baptizing his girls, possibly when they come here to visit in March! While I was folding and cutting all the saints with our priest, we had a conversation about this issue, and I asked him if it would be possible for my stepson to do this when they visit. He was baptized here when he was young and is still listed as a member of one of our local parishes. They will be here for 2 weeks. Of course he said it was possible, and we should discuss it seriously with him. Then there are the other grandchildren coming too. We joked about a "group baptism"...LOL. Then on sunday who do we both get as our saint? Well, there you go. Also, another thing: Who was the first apostle of Jesus? It was someone who first was an apostle of John the Baptist, but then left him to follow Jesus...it was ANDREW. Andrew is my husband's confirmation saint! And his story was told today in the gospel, just to make sure we didn't miss that clue too... :shock:
Thank you, Garabandal. This reminded me that it was on the feast of John the Baptist that Our Mother appeared to 6 children in Medjugorje! Another major part in both mine and my husband's ongoing conversion. It just keeps flowing in!
