Look Up

 

Today, the pandemic is people's worst nightmare.  I was reading about St. Vincent Ferrer.  His times not only had a pandemic but also a papal schism--there were two popes at the same time.  Think of it.  Not only were the people physically sick, but also spiritually.  What would you think?

I think the people had every right to complain to God, but they didn't because they weren't praying.  They were so consumed with their personal problems that they forgot about praying to God.  Since they forgot about God, so did their behavior.  The people were living in sin.

When this happened to Moses in the desert, Numbers 21: 4-9, God healed the people by having Moses make statues of snakes and hold them up on a pole.  When the people looked up they were healed and thanked God.

St. Vincent Ferrer had the people look up at Jesus on the cross and they were healed.

It wasn't the snake statues, nor the presence of a Dominican preacher that healed the people.  It was their belief that God could heal them.  People will die in their sins if they reject God because they are rejecting the only way to be rescued from sin.  So look up to Jesus on the cross.  Look what He did for you.

Definition of Thaumaturgist

A thaumaturgist is a performer of miracles.  An example would be St. Vincent Ferrer, O.P. 

The devotion to St Vincent was strengthened with the arrival of the Dominican friars in Malta in 1513, having their first church in Rabat, above the shrine of Our Lady of the Grotto. In fact, in this church one finds a painted effigy of the saint and another painting in the church’s choir showing St Vincent resurrecting the dead. Due to the large number of miracles performed during his lifetime, St Vincent is one of the limited number of saints on whom was bestowed the title of thaumaturgist, a performer of miracles.

This quote is taken from an explanation of why the Maltese call St. Vincent Ferrer a thaumaturgist.

St. Vincent Ferrer

St. Vincent Ferrer was a great preacher. On one occasion, when St. Vincent Ferrer was entering Barcelona, he saw the Angel Guardian of the city. He spoke of this fact, when he gave a sermon to the people. As a consequence, a special devotion sprang up toward the angel, and a monument was erected in his honor. At the hour of St. Vincent's death, a multitude of angels came to

accompany his soul to heaven. The angels filled the house in which he lay dying under the appearance of snow white birds of ravishing beauty, and disappeared at the moment that the Saint breathed his last breath.

St. Vincent is frequently depicted with wings like an Angel because he had a special rapport with the angels.