The gospels after Easter are full of testimonials of
eyewitness encounters with our Resurrected Lord. Sometimes, we might feel like Doubting Thomas
and need to see Him for ourselves to believe.
Often, we wonder if this could even happen over 2000 years later. I am writing this blog to testify that the Lord
still reveals Himself to the modern world, for he once came to me during a vision when
I was 13. Today, when I was praying the Chaplet
of the Divine Mercy, I was urged to share this
testimony with all of you. Although my
story is short, I will add it to the testimonies that Jesus does indeed appear
today as he did to the disciples.
My vision occurred during an evening service at First
Congregational Church in Ridgefield, CT where I lived during my teens. It was 1975 during a rough time in my life, where I was a new kid who struggled to fit in at the local junior high. My family attended the Congregational church,
and to be honest, I was the typical bored teenager whose mind wandered most of
the time. The church was built in 1712, and we still sang the same hymns as the Pilgrims.
One night, I went to an evening event with my family. It was very different from the typical morning
church service because we were singing contemporary songs. I remember seeing people, who normally sat straight, start clapping and moving to the tunes.
When you faced the front of the church, there were five
stained glass windows that depicted scenes of Jesus. They were in a semi-circle around the altar
at that time. The central window showed
Jesus coming back at Judgment Day in a triumphant position. He was surrounded by stained glass depicting
rays of the sun.
During the service, I suddenly saw the center stained glass
window grow brighter (at night). The
image of Christ Triumphant briefly came to life and Jesus gave me a smile. Then, He slowly faded away and the window went
back to the stained glass image. It
might have lasted a couple of brief seconds, but at that moment, time was
suspended. I remember this peaceful
feeling that lingered for a few days afterwards.
Although I was with my family and in a crowded room, there
was never any mention of anyone else seeing Jesus. After the euphoria went away, I was too
terrified to tell anyone especially my
family because they would think I was crazy.
I even wondered about it myself, since this encounter never occurred again
during my remaining years at the church. So, how do I know it was real?
First, I was not afraid at all and felt indescribably
peaceful. Before this time, I had been
afraid of dying after my baby sister passed away when I was three. My parents explained to me that you see Jesus
when you die, so I was absolutely terrified of the thought of encountering Him. So, if this came from my imagination, I would
have been scared that I was about to die. I also never took drugs or drank, so it would not be from a hallucination.
This event finally had a huge impact on my life and I remember it clearly today. It served to comfort me during difficult
times, because the Lord cared enough to appear to me. My spiritual walk with Christ also began at
that age. My journey eventually led me to the Catholic Church which is more accepting
of mystical experiences. I later became
devoted to St. Joan of Arc, St. Faustina and St. Juan Diego, because they also experienced visions during
their lives.
I now go to St. Timothy in Mesa, Arizona. A few years ago, they painted a mural, and in
the center is Christ Triumphant which reminds me of that stained glass
window many years ago. Despite my wishes, He has never
appeared to me in my current church.
However, I do believe that Jesus smiles at everyone when they are worshipping
Him, even if we cannot see it. For one
brief time in my life, He opened up my eyes and I saw a glimpse of eternity.
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