Sr. Briege & the
Eucharist from The Curate's Diary, by Fr. T. Doyle:
Today Sister
Briege McKenna's healing ministry is totally centered on the
Eucharist.
During a special
retreat for sisters a few years ago, she shared a remarkable story of how Jesus
led her to this Eucharistic centering.
She said, "I had a big problem.
After my own dramatic healing and then receiving the gift of healing others, I
was worried because so many people were coming to
me.
Many
Healings
"In less than one year, so many healings were
taking place, that the people wanted to make a saint out of me, even asking for
relics...cloth
from an old habit, my hair trimmings, etc. I was astounded and disturbed by
it... and then there was the way that some people wanted to touch me, as if they
would be healed or graced by doing so.
"I loved the
people, but I did not like what was happening. There was a danger that, instead
of directing people to the Lord or to the Mass, they had come just to see me.
"I certainly knew that, of myself, I had absolutely no power, and that it was
Jesus Who was doing the healing; that I was only His chosen instrument. However,
even to be chosen by Him was itself an extraordinary gift. Pride could step in,
and one could begin to believe that one is better than other people. "In a
certain way, I felt that I was becoming a celebrity, and I knew that it was
neither true, nor good for my soul.
"I went on a
pilgrimage to Lourdes , and begged Our Lady for help. I asked Her, to please
keep me in the heart of the Church, and to show me how to integrate this healing
ministry into the life of the Church. "I remember sitting in front of the
Blessed Sacrament in Exposition one day, just praying to Our Lady. Then I went
down to the Grotto." A pilgrimage was taking place of mentally handicapped
children, and as I watched them being assisted from Mass, I remember thinking
and knowing that Mary will show me the way.
Come to El
Passo
Sr. Briege came
back to America , and three weeks later she got a phone call from Fr. Rick
Thomas. He had a special ministry across the border in Mexico. He said to her,
"I would love to have you come and visit the poor at the garbage dump and pray
with them. You can help with
the healings. Their need is so great."
She explained
that given her existing commitments, she had only an evening and a morning
available, and he responded, "That's fine. God doesn't need a long time. On
your way back from California , stop off and stay
overnight."
She arrived in El
Passo to be met by this very colourful charismatic priest, a man who witnessed
to the faith in everything he did. On the one hand, he was normally wearing a
Texan hat and Texan boots. On the other hand, "Alleluia" was his favourite word,
which he regularly repeated with gusto.
When Sr. Briege
arrived, he started jumping up and down with delight, and introduced her to his
dog and his donkey. Sr. Briege did not know what to expect
next!
The Unforgettable
Dump
That evening, they drove directly out to the dump,
and he told her, "They do not have a clue as to who you are, and it does not
matter. When the time comes, I will just get you to say a prayer with them, and
God will do the rest." When they arrived at the dump, Sr. Briege witnessed
scenes she will never forget.
On the Texan border
with Mexico , there is the Rio Grande , the river which Mexicans try to cross to
get into the U.S. They are driven back by border police. These are poor
Mexicans, who squat and live at the garbage dump, and their children are born
there. As Fr. Rick showed Sr. Briege around, she was horrified by the sheer
squalor. She had given retreats in South America , but she had never seen
anything like this.
When Fr. Rick told
her that he was going to celebrate Mass there for them the next morning, she was
somewhat taken aback, wondering how Mass could be celebrated with any dignity in
such an environment. What would the people know or understand? The children
were running
around wild like
little animals. She was horrified at thinking that, in that place with those
people; they will not be able to comprehend what happens during Mass. Anyway,
the next morning, she, a small group of young Mexican Americans, and Fr. Rick
set out for the dump. He brought a little table and all the Mass
requirements.
When they arrived,
already up to 1000 people were there, and more were coming! She remembered
standing there looking over this crowd of poor miserable people. Clearly
visible in the distance, not even fifteen minutes away, were beautiful homes and
a big Mexican Seminary.
But these people had
no church, and indeed, they had nothing. Fr. Rick had taken it upon himself to
go out there and to begin evangelizing and ministering to them. He was trying to
break down the hatred through speaking of God's love, and then seeking to get
them into groups to do works toward that end.
The Mass
The
Mass started, and although Sr. Briege has been a daily communicant since she was
12 years old, she said that that Mass had changed her life!
Before the Mass
began, she watched an old woman coming in, carrying a bundle on her shoulder.
At first, Sr. Briege thought that it was some form of a gift for Fr. Rick. But,
when the old woman opened up the cloth, in it there was a little child,
completely burned from head to foot, filthy, dirty, and screaming! The woman
looked at Fr. Rick, and with great compassion, she said, "Please bless him. I
found him smouldering when I was coming across the mountain." She had picked him
up, put him into this cloth, and carried him to Fr. Rick. The child was
practically skinless! Fr. Rick looked at the little boy, got Sr. Briege to join
with him in a prayer, and then suggested that he be placed under the table on
which the Mass was to be celebrated.
Sr. Briege related
that once the Mass had begun, she felt and saw the presence of Jesus. When Fr.
Rick said, "Let us the Gloria," praises to God came forth from the tops of their
voices. She had come from across the border from comfort. She had everything
that she needed,
but they had nothing,
and yet they praised God loudly and whole heartedly. She heard the Lord
speaking to her, saying, "If my people do not praise Me, the stones will cry
out!"
Here were the
poorest of the poor and they were radiant with praise to God. When the
consecration came, she had her head down. Then she looked up and saw that Fr.
Rick had one of those large hosts. For a moment, everybody was prostrate on the
ground. It was then that she had the most beautiful image of Jesus with His
two hands out. He was smiling, and within herself, she heard the words of the
Gospel,
"Come to Me all you
who are weary, and I will refresh you." Just as she was seeing that, the
people lifted up their faces and started shouting, "Viva Cristo Rei" ....long
live Christ the king! At that moment, she truly knew that Jesus was in the
Host... that it is not just a piece of bread, but truly Jesus, Himself. For
these people, in the midst of their poverty, they had the King of Kings. They
clapped, cheered, and cried, "Viva Cristo Rei" ...long live Christ the
king!
She found herself
weeping as she saw the great faith of these people, and she asked herself, "Is
my faith as strong as theirs, that I may always realize that a Consecrated Host
is really Jesus'
The Little
Children
Mass ended and the burned little boy, who had
been placed under the Mass table, had long since stopped crying. Sr. Briege went
to look for him, and she was overwhelmed when she saw him. He had crawled out
from under the table, was totally healed, and was playing in the
sand!
She went over to
the old woman, and said to her, "What happened to him?" With hindsight, she
realized that it was a stupid question. The old woman looked at Sr. Briege, and
said, "What do you mean what happened? Didn't Jesus come?" As Fr. Rick put his
hands over the bread and wine and called upon the Holy Spirit, as the bread and
wine were changed, the little boy was changed. He was given new skin!
Not only that, before
the Mass, Sr. Briege saw a mother bringing in a Down Syndrome baby. The mother
was a young girl, and she had this beautiful little baby in her arms, but it had
all the appearances of having Down Syndrome. She and Fr. Rick prayed over the
child. At the end of the Mass, the child's mother came running up to her,
saying, "Look at my baby!" Her baby was now
perfect.
More
Healings
There were many more healings. Sr. Briege had
spent eight hours with the people, and she did not remember which ones she
prayed with, but it was certainly not all of those who were healed. It was as if
God had put on a display of miracles. Fr. Rick usually did not pray with the
people. All he did was celebrate the Mass.
Power Of The
Eucharist
Sr. Briege spent eight hours on the mountain
dump, and she went back to El Passo so overwhelmed that she could not sleep.
Finally, at three a.m., she heard Jesus tell her, "Get up and pray." She knelt
at the side of the bed, and the Lord said, "You asked My Mother to
help
you, and to show and
teach you, She brought you here. People come and seek signs and wonders. They
go looking for healers and for something to help them, and they will go to
anybody! Yet, I am on the altars of the world and in the tabernacles of the
world, and they pass Me by. I brought you here because I have a mission for
you. I want you to go to the world and speak on the power of the Eucharist. As
you begin to lead people to the Eucharist, I will show you what I can do...
and, He is doing just that!
This occurred in
1972. Since that time, Sr. Briege has been travelling all over the world to
speak about the power of the Eucharist. In Ireland, as in many parts of the
world, they have a history of men and women who knew that the Mass was worth
living and dying for.
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