Tag: Life

The School of Evangelisation

I only went to the School of Evangelisation (SOE) because of pressure from a friend of mine. The very first time that he spoke to me about the SOE I thought to myself, why is this dude walking around with a bible as if he had the whole world in his hands? He was glowing; he looked so free and so happy. When he spoke, it was with conviction and he said that my life would change forever. I remember replying that I did not need my life changing, it was perfectly fine the way that it was! However as I thought about it, I realized that his words had touched me deeply and so I decided to go.

As SOE began, I really hated it. It felt as if they were teaching us how to become priests and nuns. I didn’t understand much of what was being said as I was from a Hindu background and it was all a bit overwhelming for me. I would go in to the sessions and literally watch the clock. I kept thinking this is silly, why is everyone praying like this. Why pray so hard, who is going to hear? It got to the point where I was in tears and I told one of the team members that I couldn’t stay and I was going home. However, after receiving some prayer I decided to stay.

The Power of Spiritual Sharing

On the third day of SOE, I went for a spiritual sharing session. I was amazed when the person I was talking to began telling me everything about myself as if he was receiving visions of my life. He talked a great deal about the Lord and what he had done for me and I felt so free after the session. It was as if I had been carrying a huge heavy rock that I had now got rid of. I realised then that God loves me dearly despite my sins. I had never felt anything like this before. One of the things my spiritual sharing elder kept saying was that Jesus has big plans for me, “he knew you while you were in your mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13) and he also said that the rosary I was carrying in my hand would very soon end up around my neck.

After my spiritual sharing session, I tried to pray and as I prayed I realized that I couldn’t stand up properly, I felt faint and weak. This continued for a while and then I started having uncontrollable shivers that were unbelievably strong and almost painful. I had to be taken out of the convention room because I was struggling so much and when the priest came to touch my head and bless me I moved away from his hands without realizing it.

They Put the Rosary around my neck

The priest and other team members were praying for me but it didn’t make much difference and if anything it seemed to be getting worse. Finally that evening the priest decided to pray over my rosary and he put it around my neck during the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. After a few minutes of the rosary being around my neck, I was fully recovered. My shivers, my pain, the weakness had all disappeared. I had run away from the Eucharist before but suddenly I started moving closer and closer to the Blessed Sacrament. I started praying and I found that I could praise the Lord with all my heart. I felt so free as if something that had been within me had finally left me. I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I remember the joy I had, others told me I was glowing. I knew my Lord Jesus Christ was within me.

A Vision of Jesus

As I prayed before the Blessed Sacrament I remember losing control of everything and falling over. As I fell I saw Jesus and in my vision I fell into his lap. As I tried to stand up again he said that it was all right, I didn’t have to get up but I could just lay there. It was a wonderful experience and I still have a great joy within me because Jesus showed himself to me. That moment was my big wake up call! Nineteen years flashed before my eyes and I thought this is it; this is how I will spend the rest of my life.

Ever since that day, my life has completely changed. I now feel that I am being showered with blessings and love and my life is filled with hope, joy and peace. Today as I write this I know that he is within me and I feel blessed to be a child of God. I fear no one or nothing but God because I know I have Jesus with me every step of the way. As I conclude my story, I thank you for reading it. I pray that you all fall in love or continue to be in love with our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank Jesus for letting me write this and Sehion Ministries for all their love and prayers.

 

Written by Aathira Cheeroth

“I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Psalms 91:2

Struck Down Suddenly with Kidney Disease

Until the age of twelve, I was a normal child, I was doing well at school and I was active and healthy by the grace of God. Then all of a sudden, I became unwell. I woke up one morning with so much swelling on my face, I couldn’t even see properly. I was taken to the GP where the doctors gave me three different allergy tablets to take for a month thinking it was a reaction to something. When all this failed to make me better, Dad and Mum asked for me to be referred to a specialist. I was seen by consultants who said that it was a serious problem and they took me straight to the ward for blood tests. I was diagnosed with a kidney disease.

My Parents encouraged me to Pray

Very soon, I was under the care of Southampton General Hospital. They did a biopsy by taking some tissue from my kidney, as the steroids I had been taking for three months were having no effect. The biopsy results showed that it was a more complicated kidney disease. They said that there was no cure for it so I had to try many different immuno suppressant medicines which made me more ill for nearly two years. It came to the stage where I was getting really puffy and swollen all over. Sometimes, I couldn’t even walk because I was so swollen and my family were going backwards and forwards to the hospital all the time. My parents suffered a great deal financially, mentally and physically during this hard time but they never gave up hope and encouraged me to be strong and pray to God.

My Kidneys were Removed

I had lots of hospital admissions. I missed months of school and I missed all my friends. I missed many school trips. By God’s Grace, I was awarded many achievement award trips at school but due to my condition, I was unable to go for any of them. My little sister missed out most during my hospital admissions as my parents spent so much time with me. Gradually my kidney function got worse and I was becoming more and more ill. None of the medicines were working. Eventually, the doctors decided that my kidneys were doing more damage than good so they had to be removed. I could not believe that this was happening to me. I had kidney failure. In the next few months, I had three major operations and suffered much pain and agony due to the surgery.

I Thank God that I can have the Dialysis at Home

When I was suffering in hospital, I would pray to the Lord to ease my pain and then I would feel much better. I am now dependent on dialysis, where a machine does the work of my kidneys. God has helped me so much. He has showed me ways to deal with the situation and enabled me to have the dialysis at home. I thank God for giving my Dad and my Mum the strength and knowledge to look after my dialysis at home. This means that I do not need to miss any school, my sister can always be with us and we all have a bit of normality back in our lives. God is so great, greater than any of us can ever imagine.

Never Give Up Hope

Right now, I thank God for everything he has done for me. I have such a wonderful family who are with me every step of the way, so many understanding friends, such caring doctors and nurses to look after me. I can never thank the Lord enough. I pray for all those little children and people who are suffering right now. I pray for everyone who is struggling with a similar illness, who do not have the facilities that I have. I ask God to help them like he helped me. For all those who are suffering out there, you should never give up hope. Just hold God close to your heart and everything will be well.

My fight with kidney failure still continues but I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel…

Written by Risa Romy

Receive the Holy Spirit

I was brought up as a Christian but I have only come to living the Christian life in these last couple of months since I attended a School of Evangelization (SOE). Since starting to live with Jesus Christ (JC) in my life I have experienced things that I never thought were possible. One of the most incredible things that happened to me was during the SOE. We were praying the Way of the Cross outside and by the last station I had my hands raised up and was praying. Suddenly I felt someone take hold of my hand and a soft breeze began blowing across me from my right side. I realized that it was the Holy Spirit but I did not understand the significance of what had actually happened until a few months later when I read in John 20:22, “Then he breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit.” JC did for me what he had done for his own apostles two thousand years ago; not because I was someone special but because he loves me and wants the best for me.

Christian Life is not Old Fashioned and Lame

If you were to ask young people to describe a Christian life they might describe it as boring, old fashioned, lame or unattractive. If you were to tell your mates that Jesus is a very important part of your life they would think that there is something wrong with you. The truth is, Christian life is anything but old fashioned and lame. As a youngster, I had seen plenty of miracles worked through the power of prayer. I remember when my mum suffered two cracks on her backbone and there was a very real possibility that she would not be able to walk properly again. But, through the power of prayer and the love of Jesus, within four months she was up and walking and went straight back to work.

Things have Started Getting Even More Amazing

Since receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit things have just started getting even more amazing. I started getting visions and was given the ability to speak in tongues – all of which I thought weren’t possible any more. I had read about them in the Bible, but I never thought that we, as Christians today, could have these gifts. Then I went on a “Growth” retreat in January where we were guided through all the fruits of the spirit such as the gifts of healing, knowledge and prophesy. I prayed for and got the gift of healing, not because I was special or worthy in any way but simply because of God’s love for me. These gifts are open to all of us and they come out of our relationship with Jesus.

God Has a Sense of Humour

Slowly I began to realise that prayer is not just about sitting in front of a cross all day, it’s about having a deep and meaningful conversation with God from your heart. God is our loving father and when we talk to him and listen carefully, we will hear him talking back to us. When I was younger, I used to think that Jesus was someone who was serious all the time and wouldn’t have a laugh. I now know that this is so far from the truth. We are made in God’s image and if we have a sense of humour, so does he. I have had many moments when I have had a laugh with Jesus. Why? Because he is my brother so I don’t feel uncomfortable joking with Jesus. As St. John Bosco said, ‘run, jump, shout – just don’t sin’.

 

“He breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit.”

I have a Fantastic Circle of Friends

Before I came to know Jesus I didn’t know how many true friends I really had. I did not know who I could trust. I remember the saying ‘it is better to have a small circle of trustworthy characters around you than a large circle of backstabbers who put on the mask of a friend.’ After I came to know Jesus and started walking in his light, JC gave me a fantastic group of friends who I know I can trust. They help me grow daily in Christ. They are always there for me not just to pray together but to have a laugh together, to enjoy precious moments together, to be a rock for each other when we are going through tough times.

We can Shine in this Dark World

Jesus didn’t die for us so that we could go to Church on Sundays and live like the rest of the world every other day. Jesus paid the ultimate price for us so that we can shine in this dark world as children of the living God. We are not called just to be average Christians, we are called to be instruments of his love and peace, to realize our identity and worth as sons and daughters of Jesus. Please don’t waste one more day living the life of an ignorant Christian; instead shine in your home, schools, colleges, football teams, so that through you other people can see Jesus. Be the warrior you were created to be. Be on fire! Be another Christ!

“He breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22

Written by Nevil George

My journey into Catholicism

Nothing is more difficult sometimes than taking the first step. I was a Jew and my journey into Catholicism started by meeting with a priest every week for four months. I didn’t know anything about Christianity until those meetings. I had met many Christian people, but I have to say that none of them really knew why they practised what they did or their own salvation history. The Priest and I spoke about many subjects and he told me many wonderful things about Catholicism, but he never sold me anything. He left me to make up my own mind.

I was Curious

After meeting Father in the Parish Office for two months I asked him what was going on at the church every week during our talks as I saw people going in and out. He told me that it was called Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Catholic faithful would come to Adore and keep company with the Eucharist. Of course my next question was what is a Eucharist? He explained that it was a consecrated host that was now the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus displayed in a monstrance. He showed me pictures too, that helped a great deal since I still had no idea what those things were. What I saw was a white wafer in a glass circle in a really awesome display. He also explained that they had a Eucharistic guardian who sat with Jesus during the day so he would not be alone. I asked if I could go over to the church and see Jesus too even though I wasn’t Catholic at the time. Father said of course!

What am I doing here?

The Church was just across the street from the Parish office so I stepped out into the porch and gathered my thoughts. What had brought me here in the first place was what I thought was a prompt from God. I had felt a very strong pull towards Catholicism all of a sudden, which, quite frankly, was odd since I had never thought about Christianity before. I was thinking, “What am I doing here, actually talking to a priest and now going to their church to see a decorated wafer?” My feet felt like I had freshly dried cement shoes on them all of a sudden. I practically dragged myself across the street and up to the church door. I was a bit scared and had decided that I would just step inside and see the wafer, look around and then leave. In that way I could say I had been and thank the priest for all his time, then go away never to return.

The presence was overwhelming

But God had other plans. I stepped inside the Church and looked around, letting my eyes adjust. It was very small and ornate with beautiful stained glass windows and dimly lit. At the front, on the altar, I saw the wafer in the monstrance. What happened next was unexpected to say the least and I never would have dreamt it in a million years. Suddenly I couldn’t breathe and my knees nearly buckled. The Presence was so overwhelming and powerful and I knew immediately that it was the Presence of Jesus. My thoughts could not catch up, but my heart truly understood what this was. I could not in any way, at that moment relate to a wafer in a decorated frame, but I could not deny the Presence. This was very frightening. I put my hands over my face to hide the tears flowing down my cheeks and the instant shame I felt in his Presence.

I felt so small in this huge presence

After having such an overwhelming experience of his presence in the Church I moved to a pew that already had the kneeler down as if it expected me. When I knelt, I covered my face fully and tried to hold back the sobs desperately trying not to cry out. Without thinking I whispered to the Presence “Please don’t look at me, I’m filthy and not worthy of a glance from you.” Somehow I felt the weight of my endless sins and I wanted to collapse under it. I felt broken inside and out and my mind was reeling. I begged him “Please leave me be, I can’t bear this shame and embarrassment.” I felt so small in this huge presence, I felt vulnerable, helpless and exposed as if nothing was secret anymore. I whispered again “Please don’t look at me I am a fool and a sinner.” Suddenly I felt like something was consoling me and calming my turmoil and shame. It was peaceful and giddy as if the air crackled with it all around me. I leaned back in the pew and gathered my thoughts and looked around. I noticed there were about three other people there and I felt my face flush hot with embarrassment but they didn’t seem to have noticed me.

 

“How awesome is the Lord most high, the great king over all the earth!” Psalm 47:2

He Was Thrilled That I Was There

I spoke softly to the Presence and said I thought it was Jesus. I said I was very sorry for not understanding what was happening to me and to please give me time. What I felt after that should not have surprised me after what I just experienced, but it shocked me. I suddenly sensed that the Presence was as excited as a child and thrilled that I was there. It was like a child who is excited because you showed up to their birthday party. What I felt was this awesomeness because I had accepted his invitation to visit that day and he wanted me to come back regularly and often. I felt my shame well up again and I began to cry. I realised that I had never given Jesus two seconds of my time nor any thought at all until that moment. I even laughed at people who talked about him, those who were thrilled to have Jesus in their lives and tried to share him with others. Although I had never considered him before he had invited me to visit him. I had never felt lower than I did right then. What came to mind then was the words “It doesn’t matter, you came today and I want you to come back.”

The Beginning of a very Long Road

I felt the Presence recede and that was my cue to go if I chose to, which I did. I stepped outside and the sun hit my face like a reality check. I was feeling very confused, hurt, disoriented and vulnerable and I didn’t know what to make of what had just happened to me. I don’t remember walking to my car and getting in. I just sat there for a while staring into space trying to think straight, but I suddenly felt drained and very tired and I needed to go home. I looked over at the church before pulling away and I thought to myself that this was only the beginning of a very long road ahead if I chose to take it. At some point inside the church my heart had already decided the choice and I would indeed go back again to have many more visits with Jesus.

Written by Liam Stewart

Building my Relationship with God

After my conversion experience at a retreat when I was fifteen years old, I knew that I wanted to live my life for Jesus and to help others to get to know him. A short time later when I moved away from home to train as a nurse, I made time each day to build my relationship with God through personal prayer and daily Bible reading. I was growing in discipleship but as I slowly grew closer to God, I was also becoming more aware of my small sins and faults as a teenager.

Addicted to Heavy Metal Music

Although, I had been spiritually blessed so powerfully by Jesus, there were still parts of my life that I had not given over to him. I loved listening to rock music, especially satanicallyinfluenced bands. All my friends were into heavy metal and I just went along with them. At first, I didn’t like any of the lyrics, I was much more impressed by the musical rhythms and the vibes attracted me. I don’t know, even now, why I was so addicted to this type of music. I had a collection of fifty CDs, with the music of famous satanic bands and I wore T-shirts with the bands’ logos and messages printed on them. I knew, at some level, that what I was doing was wrong, but I didn’t want to stop. I knew that this music was not doing me any good spiritually and deep inside, there was always a prompting to stay away from this sort of music, but I never listened to that inner voice and I realise now that I was shackled like a slave to the satanic music.

Keeping Me away from God’s Grace

When I prayed about the situation, I was shown that it was troubling my soul, and keeping me away from God’s grace and mercy and from his plans for me and my future life. So I decided to attend another retreat and during this, God showed me a way to be able to make use of my love of music for his glory instead. I was inspired by a small group of young Catholics and I again began thinking about evangelisation and my future plans to work for Christ as a living gospel. While there, a thought came to me: ‘Why don’t I use the good things about music as a way of proclaiming the Good News, like King David had done with the Psalms?’

Music is a Gift from God

It was then that my way of seeing music changed. I realised that it is a spiritual gift from God. I decided that instead of listening to heavy metal music, I would create worship songs with good catchy rhythms and lyrics that spoke of pure devotion to God. I didn’t know how to start writing music, so I decided that God must have a plan and I would wait and surrender myself to him for this new endeavour. I assured myself that God knew what he was doing. But while I waited, unfortunately, I drifted back to listening to the heavy metal music to which I was still enslaved.

My Blind Eyes were Opened

God is good at reading our hearts and he saw that I was trapped by this music. Exodus 34:14 tells us that God is a jealous God which means that he doesn’t want to share our hearts and souls with anything that is not good for us. So he showed me that I needed to get rid of this bad habit. A few months after the retreat, I caught flu and developed symptoms of a viral fever which couldn’t be diagnosed. Even though I was treated with several different medicines, I wasn’t getting any better. One day I was lying ill in bed listening to ‘Megadeth’ and other gothic metal bands. I still remember the moment, when I realized: ‘I am terribly mistaken’. A new track began with the words ‘Our Father, who art in hell.

Suddenly my blind eyes were opened and I thought ‘What am I doing? Am I working against Jesus, and against his gospel? This is the exact opposite of what I want to do? Am I killing him again by crucifying him with my sins? Am I again scourging my Jesus?’

I Broke the CD into Pieces

So, without a second thought, I jumped out of bed, stopped my CD player, took the CD out, and looked at it. Then suddenly, deep inside me, I heard someone telling me, ‘Get rid of that CD and stick to me. Stick with me and you will be cured of your spiritual blindness and the after-effects of the sin that is ruining your soul and keeping me away from you.’ It was my beloved Jesus again. I quickly broke the CD into pieces and threw it away. To my surprise, I started noticing my fever symptoms disappearing miraculously. I didn’t take any more tablets and by that evening my fever was gone. I believe that Jesus cured me, Thanks and glory to him for keeping me close to him and guiding me safely back to him. I now know that even when my sins were leading me away from him, he grabbed me and bound me closer to him.

I Replaced the CDs and T-Shirts

I threw out all my evil CDs over the next few days and went to Confession. I found it difficult, initially, to get rid of the CDs, which formed a collection made over a number of years. But now, instead, I have got a collection of spiritual and joyful, praise CDs. I also started changing my T-shirts to gospel graffiti and the Word of God as a way to evangelise. Once I had surrendered this part of my life to God, he was able to use me to help him in his mission here on earth. I was chosen as a Christian leader within my nursing college, with many responsibilities, even though there were plenty of other people who I thought were more spiritual or more qualified than I was.

Let Me Lead the Way

Whenever I am unsure what to do, I remember Jesus saying to me: ‘Don’t worry, I am with you, stick with me, follow me, let me lead the way.’ I have let Jesus teach and transform me and I have seen what he can do with a willing servant. At the end of my time at college I was able to organise an evangelistic retreat for three hundred of the first and second year students. Now, I have come to the UK and I believe that God has a purpose and ultimate plan for sending me here to help with his long-planned mission to re-evangelize the UK and Europe. My advice to you is, first of all, give yourself fully to God’s holy plans and trust in him, then he will guide you and use you as an instrument in his mighty hands. He wants the first place in your heart and in everything that you do. That’s all he asks of you.

Written by Prince Paulose

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, REVELATION 3:20

 

My Life Seemed Perfect

I knew that God was real, Jesus was the only Saviour, and that the Holy Spirit could transform and heal. I had heard it many times. But did I care? No, living as a young teen in the twenty first century I didn’t bother about God. All I ever wanted to do was to have fun and live my life the way I wanted to. I had many friends and they meant the world to me, they were the first ones I ran to if I needed help. My life seemed perfect; I had everything – a loving family, many friends, all the love and care that I needed and I happily spent many hours watching movies and TV programmes.

However, I now know that I was missing the best friend that I could ever have, one incredible and loving guy. His name is the name that is above all names – Jesus Christ. I didn’t have him in my life and therefore when I look back at those times I realise that my life was meaningless, and to be honest, extremely boring.

Suddenly Everything Seemed to go Wrong

For years my life focussed around the things of the world, which I now know, was dangerous, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15). Suddenly, when I least expected it, there came a period in my life when everything started to go wrong. For various reasons, I had to leave my friends and everything which I thought gave me happiness. I was left with a few friends who I really didn’t really bother with and my family. Sirach 20:11 says “There are losses for the sake of glory.” Little did I know at the time, that the terrible things that were happening to me were for the sake of God’s glory. With each passing day, I was feeling lonelier and more isolated. Inside I felt heartbroken and very confused at what was happening to me. To hide my inner pain, I tried to appear tough and stubborn on the outside although on the inside, I was screaming for help. I became so hard hearted that I couldn’t cry whatever happened.

I needed the Joy of the Holy Spirit

It was around this time that I went to a Catholic Convention. In one of the sessions a girl, who I knew quite well, got up to give her testimony. During her story, she spoke some words that I will never forget, they hit me like a bolt of lightning,

“When the Holy Spirit came upon me I got a feeling of joy that I had never experienced before.” The moment she said these words my eyes flooded with tears, but I felt really embarrassed and tried to hide them. From that day I felt a real need, deep in my heart for the joy and love of the Holy Spirit.

The Experience was Indescribable

By the grace of God, my father took me to a retreat led by the Kids For Kingdom team and that’s where I came to know how awesome Jesus really is. I went there feeling broken inside but I was open and thirsting for the love of God. One day, during the retreat, suddenly, everyone started praising God and crying out to the Mighty Saviour. A deep sense of repentance came over me and without even realising it, I started praising and crying out to the Lord with them. The experience was indescribable, words could not explain what it meant to me. When I finally opened my eyes, I realised that we had been praising and worshipping God for three hours and I was still crying out with joy. Psalm 147:3 says, “God heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” We were all filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit so much that we couldn’t stand still. So we continued dancing, It felt like I was dancing with the angels in heaven.

Jesus Became my New Best Friend

“If anyone is joined to Christ, he is a new being. The old has gone and the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Ever since Jesus became my new best friend, my whole life has changed and it’s great because I know that the love and joy that I am receiving from the Holy Spirit is something that will never run out or stop. Praying, reading the Bible, family prayer, and going to Holy Mass are now the first priorities in my life, because they bring me closer to Jesus.

If you want to experience this heavenly joy or if you want the love of Christ to fill you to overflowing then all you have to do is open your heart to Jesus and surrender your life to him. Then, he himself will come into your heart and fill you with his love and joy. “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” (Revelation 3:20).

 

Written by Nimmy Biju

Growing up in India, Prince knew the story of St. Thomas and how he had doubted the disciples when they told him that Jesus had risen from the dead. It wasn’t until Thomas had touched the wounds of Jesus that his eyes were opened and he believed. Little did Prince realise that a similar experience would change his life forever.

He put his hands into the wounds of Jesus

I have always admired St. Thomas who was one of the disciples of Jesus. Although he doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead, he went on to experience the unconditional love of God by that ‘touch of faith’ when he put his hands into the wounds of the risen Christ. This had an amazing impact on him. He was so inspired to evangelise that he took the Good News all the way to India, where I come from. The Indian Church can be traced right back to St Thomas.

My ‘Doubting Thomas’ Faith

I was brought up as a good Catholic boy by my very devout parents and my faith was based on what they taught me. My first real experience of God’s power was at a retreat when I was fifteen years old. I would say that my faith was like Doubting Thomas’s at the time. Many people were testifying to being healed and receiving miraculous cures but I was sceptical and always tried to work out the scientific reality behind what I thought of as these ‘magic shows’.

I didn’t realise, or was not ready to accept, that God’s amazing power was behind all these miracles. I suspected that they might be actors put there by the leaders to trick us and to prove their point. However, I was always keen to listen to spiritual talks, to learn more about the Gospel stories and hear about the personal faith experiences of others.

I wanted to get closer to God

I nevertheless wondered why I didn’t have any of the experiences that others claimed to have, even though I had tried to fast and pray during the retreat. I wanted to get closer to God, but nothing seemed to be happening for me. On the third day, while sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration, I pleaded with Jesus to show me his presence or give me some powerful experience so that I could also be motivated to show others his presence and love. But that night, I didn’t get any answer from God.

‘I need a powerful experience from you today!’

The next day, the Gospel at Mass was from Matthew 17: 20, where Jesus says ‘If you have just a little faith, even the size of a mustard seed, then you can ask this mountain to go and fall into the sea and it will.’ This Gospel line struck me powerfully, as if God was answering my prayers from the night before. That night during Adoration the priests were sprinkling holy water on all the people gathered in the hall. I prayed to Jesus, ‘I need a powerful experience from you today, please, Lord.’ I cried for the first time while praying and suddenly the words of the Gospel struck me again as if someone was whispering it to my heart. I suddenly realized that it was Jesus. I knew at that moment that Jesus was present and active and had heard my prayer.

I Reached Out My Fingers

Then I saw a priest coming towards me sprinkling holy water. I could see that people in front of me were receiving an anointing and blessing and I desperately hoped that I would receive some of this anointing. I waited for the water to fall on me, but nothing happened. Not losing faith, this time my prayer was more sincere and from my heart, I bowed down fully on the floor eagerly awaiting God with my eyes closed.

Then suddenly a voice came from inside my heart: ‘Open your eyes.’ So I opened them and I saw two drops of holy water on the floor in front of me. Something inside me was telling me to touch those little drops. I reached out the fingers of my right hand and slowly moved towards the drops. I was reaching out with a firm faith that something would happen to me now for definite.

I remembered the story of Thomas who reached out to touch the wounds of Jesus, (John 20: 24-29) and I reached out with the hope of that woman who touched Jesus’s cloak and was healed (Mark 5: 25-34). These two Gospel passages were burning in my heart as I eagerly focused on Jesus with my body, mind and soul. Then without hesitation, I touched the drops and to my surprise (it was a terrific shock), I experienced something like electric pulses passing through my fingers. I could feel the pulses travelling to my heart first, then radiating to everywhere else in my body like a little shock wave. I thought ‘Wow! God is here!’

A wonderful joy radiates in my soul

I thanked and praised God for giving me such an amazing experience of his mercy. I glorified and praised him along with the crowd for his answer to my humble prayer. Then, while I was praising him another strange thing happened. I started talking in funny words. It was the gift of tongues!

From that moment on, a wonderful joy radiates in my soul whenever I talk about the Word of God and spiritual things. Since that retreat I have had a great desire to bring more people to Jesus by evangelising, and I believe that it is my lifelong mission to let others know about Jesus Christ as the only saviour and redeemer for the forgiveness of our sins. Ever since then, to live for Christ has been the greatest desire in my heart, because he knows me and he loves me, even though I am a sinner. That’s his unconditional love!

Written by Prince Paulose