The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

Children's Catechesis: Miracles – A Glimpse of Heaven

Authored by Dr. Gerard O'Shea in Issue #9.2 of Catechetical Review

Nearly forty years ago, my wife and I faced one of those moments that every parent dreads. Our curious three-year-old daughter reached up to the kitchen bench and put her finger into a cup of tea  that had just been poured and pulled it over onto herself. It scalded her arm and, within seconds, a blister the size of an egg appeared. Straight away, we put ice and Lourdes water onto the blister, and I took her immediately to the hospital, praying all the way. The nurses and doctors began their work immediately. One of the doctors took me aside gently to give me the diagnosis. He had seen many of these before. Our daughter would be in great pain and would have a very uncomfortable night. There would also be a disfiguring scar that would remain permanently.

The first strange thing about this, however, was that none of what he told us would happen ended up being true. Our daughter was not at all distressed and said that she was not feeling any pain. We returned daily to the hospital to change the dressing on the wound, but it seemed to be healing far more rapidly than expected. The doctors were baffled. Some weeks later, no discernible scar remained. We were witnessing a miracle, and I was forthright in my praise for the goodness of God to all who would listen. It was then that I discovered an unexpected phenomenon. Most of the people I told about this were able to recount stories of their own personal miracles. Could this be true? Were miracles far more common that I had thought? Does God really intervene in our lives continually? Apparently, he does. And I have experienced many more of these inexplicable events over my lifetime.

The rest of this online article is available for current subscribers.

Start your subscription today!


This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

Witnessing to Life
By Kimberly Baker
As Christians, we are called to affirm the dignity of each human being. This dignity has its beginning from our first moment of existence, when each of us receives the gift of life itself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of... Read more
AD: Glorious Works of Art and Inspiration
By Colleen Rainone
Free This is a paid advertisement. To order these resources visit www.ignatius.com or call 800-651-1531.... Read more
AD: Decided Excellence Catholic Media
By Colleen Rainone
Free This is a paid advertisement in the January-March 2024 issue. Advertisements should not be viewed as endorsements from the publisher. To find out more, go to www.decidedexcellence.com or email at [email protected] .... Read more

Pages

Watch Tutorial Videos

We've put together several quick and easy tutorial videos to show you how to use this website.

Watch Now