Seeds of Joy, Stories for Easter - St. John Francis Regis

“If you have Faith the size of a mustard seed….” Matthew 17:20 In times of crisis, we often wait, watch and pray for miracles. This was the case in 1627 in the French City of Le Puy. A young boy named Jacque Guignon was at the point of death. The last sacraments were given as poor Jacque’s eyes glazed in an unrecognizing stare. As the family gathered in prayer, Jacque’s life hung by the slenderest thread. But all of a sudden, the deathly silence of the sickroom was broken by a voice declaring, “Have courage, my boy. You will not die.” Those holding vigil were, of course, startled. They turned towards the one who’d spoken, seeing a young Jesuit seminarian stepping into the room, smiling at the boy. Jacque sat up and gasped, “Why, Pere, I’m so glad you came!” Just as quickly as that miracle happened, the seminarian, “Pere” John Francis Regis, slipped away. This would be considered the first of many miracles attributed to this man who would one day be made a saint. Thirteen years later, now “Father" John Francis Regis would perform one of his last earthly miracles before his early death. In the town of Montfaucon, a plague threatened the lives of all who lived there. The future saint came to minister to the victims but was turned away by those wanting to protect him from the deadly plague. He was escorted out of the city. At the bottom of Montfaucon’s hill, with upraised hands, Fr. Regis slowly traced the sign of the cross over the city. At a curve in the road, he stopped again to pray. At the summit, he once more made the sign of the cross over the suffering city. Those who had escorted Fr. Regis waited for him to say a word of goodbye, but instead, they saw his eyes light up with an unearthly glow as he turned and said, “Have courage.” He then told them that the plague would go no further – They would be spared. And, true to his word, even though the surrounding towns continued to be ravaged by the plague, Montfaucon did not record another incident of the plague from that day forth! Today, we are going through a plague of our own. May we learn from Saint Regis and turn to God in these times of crisis. Let us ask him to pray for us and help us to find healing. And as we wait, watch and pray for our own miracles, let us hear St. Regis’ confident voice reminding us also to “Have courage!” Watering the Seeds Where do you find your courage during such times of crisis? What saints’ guidance and spiritual practices do you find most helpful during these times? Why?