I Have a New Friend

It seems I have a new friend.

Sometimes you just know when you've had a Divine Set-up in answer to something churning around in your heart. Today was such an experience for me.

I happened across a video posted on Facebook ten days ago by someone I don't know in a group I belong to but almost never read or participate in. The video was an hour long. Both of my children just happened to be out for almost exactly the length of time it took me to listen. Big plus -- it was actually a talk given by a man I have a lot of respect for, Dr. Mark Miravalle. I took a class from him in grad school, and I've never known anything he had to say to be a waste of my time. So I started listening, and was hooked.

Oh yes, the new friend: St. Philomena.

I'd heard of her, and knew that a lot of people have a strong devotion to her. I've never been one to get into lots of devotions, although many saints have attracted my attention over the years. But I didn't know anything about St. Philomena's unique story. Some would probably say there's not enough intellectual basis for devotion to her. Intellectual stuff can be such an occasion of pride, and as the Carmelites have been teaching me, one is hard pressed to find a sin that is more odious than pride. There is nothing shameful in simple faith and trust in the experience of the supernatural. The supernatural, after all, is real, or Christianity itself is a sham.

So, I accept that God has heard the cry of my heart for a prayer partner, and that it is St. Philomena.

Here's the video I watched. Maybe you'd like to watch it too. (It's actually all audio with just the same picture displayed throughout.)