Grace Notes columns

Grace Notes column by Sister Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT. One of the deceptions in the modern search for healing is the subtle tendency to separate the grace for healing from the mystery of redemption won for us in Christ. This happens through an over emphasis and dependence upon programs and formulas that often end up placing the full burden for results outside the hands of the Divine Physician.

This is not an age where we want to lose the edge in our discernment. If we do, we can easily end up in dangerous positions, dangerous especially to our souls. One of the things that is more and more prominent is the number of people who become entangled in occult activities (especially witchcraft and New Age) without even recognizing it at first. This is because doors in the spiritual realm get opened.

Whether one looks at the beginning of history biblically or strictly from a scientific point of view, without the spiritual perspective, it’s reasonable to surmise that humankind’s first home outside paradise would have been a cave. Archaeologists have verified the authenticity of cave paintings dating back to prehistoric times, suggesting that caves were the first natural shelters for our ancestors.

... the saints, whether they are great theologians like St. Thomas, or missionaries like St. Francis Xavier, or mystics/contemplatives like the great St. Theresas, are exactly like this as well. Their love for the lost and their desire for the salvation of every soul move them to great heights of holiness, to profound union with Christ in his redemptive work.