"Does God give us signs?"

Mardi Gras!!  Join us for some Cajun food and live music as we celebrate Mardi Gras. Saturday, March 5, University Yard, 4-7 pm. Our newest GW Catholic tradition!
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A blogger posted the following question: "Does God (or Mary or the Holy Spirit) give us signs if we ask/pray for them? Do you know of any examples of this happening?"
 
Yes!  There is an abundance of examples of God giving His people signs when they ask for them.  I have come to know many examples of this through reading, listening to people, and in my own experience.  One of the most popular examples among the saints would be St. Francis of Assisi.  When he first opened Scripture in order for God to speak to him, God spoke clearly.  We might refer to this as "Bible Bingo" - when someone opens up the Bible, says, "Ok, God speak to me here!" as they blindly place their finger on a Scripture passage.  The passage that St Francis pointed to was the one in which Jesus teaches to sell everything and give to the poor.  This is exactly what St Francis did.  He became one of the greatest examples of living a simple life and embracing poverty in union with the poor that the world has ever seen.  And, of course, he lived one of the most fruitful lives ever.

Closer to home, many students have received signs from God when they ask for them.  A student went on retreat last summer in order to have some kind of an experience of God's presence.  He had been very active at the Newman Center his first three years here, but in the midst of spiritual darkness.  He had gotten to know so many GW Catholics who had a regular experience of God's presence, especially in the Eucharist, and wanted to know what that was like.  So, he went on a 5 day, silent retreat with the hopes of experiencing God's presence in some way.  It happened.  God spoke to him during that retreat in a way he hadn't know before.  It was just an initial word that has grown since then.  He has had a breakthrough since the retreat, not just with God's presence in general, but with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  He spoke to other students at a recent Tuesday discussion about the sign God has given him.

A commuter student was hitting some turbulence last year in regards to her major and future career.  She was actually becoming depressed because her "plans" were not working out; her major seemed to be a dead end.  She turned to Our Lady of Guadalupe because she has such a strong devotion to her.  Her prayer was that God would show her what to do through Mary.  Well, He did.  During her nine day novena, the student received an offer for another major that was just as fruitful and exciting.  She is now doing well on her new path.  Also, during the novena, a rose in her Mom's garden grew unusually large and fast. She wasn't looking for this kind of sign, but it confirmed what was happening with the other students and other major.  She showed me pictures of the rose - it was huge!

A woman who comes to me for spiritual direction had come to a crossroads about her vocation a few months ago.  She was t the point of major frustration.  I suggested that she ask God to give her a sign as to what her vocation is.  So, she made a novena to St. Joseph.  On the ninth day of the novena, two significant things happened.  In her prayer, God gave her an insight about raising children she had never had before.  It brought her wisdom but also peace.  Then, she went to daily Mass (as she does every day).  The readings were about marriage!  The priest preached on marriage in a way that spoke directly to her.  She truly believes that God gave her the sign that she is called to be married and has been living in peace ever since.  (Now, he just needs to send Mr. Right!).

There are many other examples of people receiving signs from God when they ask for them.  More often than not, the signs are not very dramatic.  God gives us signs that are subtle but strong.  So many students here have talked about the peace they have experience in Adoration.  That is a sign that the Real Presence is real!  There are also many people who receive signs from God even if it's never in prayer.  These are the real heroes of prayer.  Fr Wells used to ask why God never spoke to him in prayer.  And yet, he prayed every day of his priesthood.  Mother Teresa lived in spiritual darkness the last forty years of her life.  And yet, she, too, was faithful to daily prayer.  For Fr Wells, Mother Teresa, and so many others, God speaks to them loudly, just not in ways that they were looking for or necessarily asking for.  He speaks to all of us! He speaks to us in prayer, through Scripture, our experiences, and through other people.  He will us a sign if we ask for it...it just might not be in the way we ask for it...or it might!