Asking for Signs from God (?)

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ConservativeOne

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I’ve had what I consider to be a frightful experience today, and I hope I’ve chosen the correct forum. If not, please advise.

I’ve been told by a fellow Catholic that we are not supposed to ask for signs but I’ve been very worried about a loved one’s soul - and if they had a happy death. This morning, I asked the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a sign - quickly adding that I probably wouldn’t recognize one if I got it. MINUTES later, I was tidying an area and accidentally bumped my hand into a statue of St. Joseph - sending it flying onto the floor. I could hear pieces of it scattering - the heads of St. Joseph and Our Lord broken off. I quickly considered what St. Joseph is patron of — The Universal Church and A HAPPY DEATH.

But this statue broke…Was this a sign - in the most negative sense? I don’t want to be superstitous or “tempt” God (as the saying goes) by asking for signs. But I haven’t been able to function since this morning. Any thoughts? I’m so distraught.

Anyone? Please - no feel-good answers…And please pray for this deceased’s soul, as well as mine.
 
What you relayed is part of the problem of asking for signs from God.
This can be dangerous territory as I know of people who look to radio songs , license plate messages and bad situations as teachings/messages coming from the Holy Spirit. They lack discernment and these things are not from the Holy Spirit.

Actually laying questions at the feet of Jesus is a better way to do things.
Laying questions at the feet of Jesus…presumes a whole lot of devotion and sincerity in doing this.
The Holy Spirit will not always answer, but when he does it is usually interiorly.

I have been involved with Catholic mystics within the church for some time and have had my own interior guidance by the Holy Spirit.
One time, I was told from the Lord that he would give me a blessing as a sign of the truth of his words. The next night praying under the stars as I finished the rosary, I saw the best fiery meteor come nearly directly at me in the sky. It was a mile or two high in the sky and I could see it as the flame died out and it went black. I presumed it landed a few miles away.

Contrary to what you are thinking, I didnt think it was a sign from God but I was a bit perplexed. I have been to other areas of the US. , Hawaii for instance, at the foot of Mauna Loa, near their famous observation telescope…its located there because of the clearness of the sky, away from lights and pollution and have seen countless shooting stars there in one night because thats what the sky holds to be seen in the best visibility conditions. And as it turned out that was not the blessing or sign that God had for me, as it came later.
Someones fate concerning Heaven and Hell is based upon their choice and our prayer. Even our unceasing prayer after someones death can be previously applied at the time of their death and be the necessary part of their last minute conversion and fate. Don’t look for reasons to stop praying for you deceased loved ones.
 
RB2 said:
What you relayed is part of the problem of asking for signs from God.
This can be dangerous territory as I know of people who look to radio songs , license plate messages and bad situations as teachings/messages coming from the Holy Spirit. They lack discernment and these things are not from the Holy Spirit.

…
Someones fate concerning Heaven and Hell is based upon their choice and our prayer. Even our unceasing prayer after someones death can be previously applied at the time of their death and be the necessary part of their last minute conversion and fate. Don’t look for reasons to stop praying for you deceased loved ones.
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Thanks for replying. I’m thirsty for opinions here. No. I don’t look to radio songs, etc. I hear so many people talk about such experiences - and thinking that was a sign. I haven’t the heart to tell them how I disagree. I have considered when a rose blooms (almost out of season) in specific places.

But under no circumstance am I looking for reasons not to pray for this soul. I can’t tell you how strong the need for me to know they’re safe - with or on their way to God. (I suppose we don’t realize how much some people mean to us when they’re still with us.) I’m still having Masses said, etc. But there’s a **very strong **need to know that they’re safe - beyond anything I can describe. Instead of this waning with time, it has increased. This incident I mentioned in my original post happened so soon after my request to the Sacred Heart - it was frightful…I might have even forgotten about it - if it had occurred at another time. Thanks, for your (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
ConservativeOne said:
I’ve had what I consider to be a frightful experience today, and I hope I’ve chosen the correct forum. If not, please advise.

I’ve been told by a fellow Catholic that we are not supposed to ask for signs but I’ve been very worried about a loved one’s soul - and if they had a happy death. This morning, I asked the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a sign - quickly adding that I probably wouldn’t recognize one if I got it. MINUTES later, I was tidying an area and accidentally bumped my hand into a statue of St. Joseph - sending it flying onto the floor. I could hear pieces of it scattering - the heads of St. Joseph and Our Lord broken off. I quickly considered what St. Joseph is patron of — The Universal Church and A HAPPY DEATH.

But this statue broke…Was this a sign - in the most negative sense? I don’t want to be superstitous or “tempt” God (as the saying goes) by asking for signs. But I haven’t been able to function since this morning. Any thoughts? I’m so distraught.

Anyone? Please - no feel-good answers…And please pray for this deceased’s soul, as well as mine.
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If God wants to tell you something He’ll be sure you get the message-and you’ll know it! 🙂
 
fhansen said:
If God wants to tell you something He’ll be sure you get the message-and you’ll know it! 🙂
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Yes, I know that. So, what are you saying? If that statue (made of fragile bisque) hadn’t broken, I’d say “WOW, small miracle”…but seeing an image of the Patron of a Happy Death broken minutes after praying about someone’s passage from this life — left me in shock that remained the rest of the day. Is this a message from God? I’m shaking.
 
ConservativeOne said:
I’ve had what I consider to be a frightful experience today, and I hope I’ve chosen the correct forum. If not, please advise.

I’ve been told by a fellow Catholic that we are not supposed to ask for signs but I’ve been very worried about a loved one’s soul - and if they had a happy death. This morning, I asked the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a sign - quickly adding that I probably wouldn’t recognize one if I got it. MINUTES later, I was tidying an area and accidentally bumped my hand into a statue of St. Joseph - sending it flying onto the floor. I could hear pieces of it scattering - the heads of St. Joseph and Our Lord broken off. I quickly considered what St. Joseph is patron of — The Universal Church and A HAPPY DEATH.

But this statue broke…Was this a sign - in the most negative sense? I don’t want to be superstitous or “tempt” God (as the saying goes) by asking for signs. But I haven’t been able to function since this morning. Any thoughts? I’m so distraught.

Anyone? Please - no feel-good answers…And please pray for this deceased’s soul, as well as mine.
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I sense you are troubled about a loved one and are missing them, and are worried about them…I just…well, feel sad that you are troubled.

Your god is a god of love, and I would think that as a matter of course your loved one’s soul is at peace…

I suppose I’d look at it this way. I would do the best for my child, and love him no matter what, and you believe that you are children of your god, so…he would care so much more than a errant human for your loved one’s soul, would he not?

The rest? They happen to be coincidence, I would think. Not signs…just…well, things that happen by chance-because you were troubled about your loved one, you put meaning to something that would otherwise be seen as a simple mishap (the breaking of your statue, for example).

Funny. At work there was a family that was struggling with a loved one’s dying (there is, sadly, no hope to give this patient-the prognosis is grim)…they cannot bear to give up hope, and they and the patient are SO afraid of death and dying.

I could understand why…the fear of the unknown…we don’t know what we will face, if anything. So…what do you say? What do you do to convey that while the staff will make every (and I mean EVERY) effort to make the patient’s last days on earth as comfortable as humanly possible, there is nothing more to be done? The family reads this as the staff “giving up” on the family…and nothing could be farther from the truth…

Yes…death, and dying. Such a distressing topic…and yet, such a fascinating one, too…because we don’t know what will be, you know? I wonder all the time…I suppose because of the nature of my job?
I’ve seen enough of death to-well-make me wonder if there is no “there” there…but then, again…who knows?

Sorry for the rambling…and I fear I haven’t answered your question…not at all…probably handed you more to question if anything…but…I’ll just leave it at that.

I do hope you find peace in your heart concerning your loved one. Just-well, think of all the lives this person touched while they were alive…and the times you shared, you know? That alone is something to cherish.
 
ConservativeOne said:
Yes, I know that. So, what are you saying? If that statue (made of fragile bisque) hadn’t broken, I’d say “WOW, small miracle”…but seeing an image of the Patron of a Happy Death broken minutes after praying about someone’s passage from this life — left me in shock that remained the rest of the day. Is this a message from God? I’m shaking.
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My point is that you don’t seem to know what it meant and that if God intended to send you a specific sign or message about something, He’d wouldn’t leave that kind of doubt.
 
Fear comes from another source, peace comes from God.
The fear you are feeling isn’t of divine origin.
Let it go and don’t see this as a sign from God.
If you knocked the statue…well you are distressed and unsettled anyway at the loss of this person, and accidents tend to be more common at such times.

My Dad died. Shortly afterwards my sister accidentally crashed a car into her son’s house;
and another sister fell, broke her foot, damaged her knee, and only immediate surgery helped prevent total loss of an eye. I could list a few other events that followed Dad’s death, and these were signs only of the shock of Dad’s death.
 
phoenixrrt62 said:
…
Your god is a god of love, and I would think that as a matter of course your loved one’s soul is at peace…

I suppose I’d look at it this way. I would do the best for my child, and love him no matter what, and you believe that you are children of your god, so…he would care so much more than a errant human for your loved one’s soul, would he not?
…

I do hope you find peace in your heart concerning your loved one. Just-well, think of all the lives this person touched while they were alive…and the times you shared, you know? That alone is something to cherish.
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You may be an atheist by conviction but not in spirit. A thoughtful and moving post, and your gracious acknowledgement regarding our perception of God as believers is true…that we trust in the love of the God we proclaim.

I hope the OP won’t remain distracted from this by stressing over the fate of a loved soul. Jesus made it plain in Matthew 25 verses 31-46, that he judges souls on whether or not they lived lives of practical kindness. If the deceased loved one genuinely lived acts of practical kindness, however small, then he welcomes them…so perhaps our worried friend can remember these kindnesses and find peace.
 
You certainly won’t get a feel-good answer from me.

Since you were *not *told through a private revelation ahead of time that the double decapitation would be the sign you are looking for, it is safe to assume it was *not *the sign you were looking for. We know this because Biblical prophecies and approved private revelations always give specific details ahead of time so that the sign will not be missed or misinterpreted.

Just to back up my point: what made you think the *breakage itself *was the sign, rather than the places where the heads ended up? Or why did you interpret this as a sign of an *unhappy *death given that decapitations are quick and relatively painless? See, you can attach significance to just about anything - when the sign is not spelled out beforehand.

Glue the heads back on and take it as a sign you need to be more careful when tidying up 🙂
 
Perhaps you could “battle” this fear by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet or other such devotions to God’s Mercy through Jesus. I would also recommend The Devotion to the 7 Sorrows of Mary or even St. Bridget’s 1yr and 12 yr prayers. These offer relief and hope.
Maybe you could pray the Prayer of St. Gertrude:

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen”

Jesus promised that He would release 1000 souls from Purgatory each time this prayer was said with love and devotion to His Sacred Heart.

I will keep your loved one in my prayers tonight when I say these.

As for looking for signs, I would not put too much into that. I have had experiences where I wondered if God was trying to tell me something. But I leave it to God to make sure I get the message the way He meant. See the difference? Maybe the devil made the statue break to crush your hope. Maybe God let it happen so in your faith, you would turn to find strength in God alone, and not signs. (Score God +1 more point, devil-0 (still))

Leave it in God’s pocket, He’s up all night anyway.
Peace.
 
I thank you all for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I will try to address each of your good replies by name.

“His Little 1” - I’ve tried St. Bridget’s Prayers - years ago - never been able to complete the year. And yes, I’m acquainted with the other prayers you recommended.

Apollos - It wasn’t where the statue broke or landed. Most statues break at the head. I try VERY hard not to be superstitious. It’s not the breakage - It’s the timing. I pray / talk daily while facing an image of the Sacred Heart - not just formal prayer. I talk to Our Lord, confident that He listens to my requests as much as formal prayer. It was the timing - just minutes after asking for a sign - and my adding that I wouldn’t recognize a sign if I got one. Nor am I worthy of one. When St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, broke, this seemed too blatant - a sign one can’t help but recognize / fear.

And, Trishie, Phoenix and all whose names I may have missed - I know that fear does not come from God. Confusion, fear and doubt come from the devil. But haven’t we all seriously needed the answer to some request? Did I get that answer? (Be careful what you wish / pray for.) I have no peace in my heart, my mind, my soul. I can’t go about my daily life assuming that they’re at peace now, etc. We don’t know. We know God is merciful - but, as Catholics / Christians, we are taught that He is also Just. We read here so often that fewer souls are saved than we assume. It’s frightening when it hits home, and we don’t know. It’s hard to put it out of mind until we’re sure they’re safe. And without knowing (which isn’t my right, perhaps), there are no words for what I’m experiencing. God bless you all - and please pray for me and my deceased loved ones.
(sorry for running on)
 
Praying for you and the repose of the souls of your deceased loved ones
from today’s Liturgy of the Hours:

Prayers and Intercessions
Christ gives eternal salvation to those who come to God through him: he lives and intercedes for us for ever. Filled with this belief we give him praise and honour and humbly beg him:
– Lord, remember your people.

As the sun is setting we call on you, the Sun of righteousness that never sets:
may all mankind be bathed in your light for ever.
– Lord, remember your people.

Uphold the Covenant that you sealed with your holy blood:
sanctify your Church and make her pure.
– Lord, remember your people.

Remember, Lord, your people:
your people, in whom you dwell.
– Lord, remember your people.

Guide travellers on straight and peaceful paths:
may they arrive safely where they are going.
– Lord, remember your people.

Accept, Lord, the souls of the deceased:
give them forgiveness and everlasting glory.
– Lord, remember your people.

…

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

Amen
 
Thank you all for your prayers.
I’m commenting here only due to a sudden happening just now - once again involving religious images. I’ve decided to erase the details I’d just typed and just say that it seems there IS something (coincidence or sign?) going on here. Something - as if to get my attention. All this - just when I’d come to terms with the initial happening of this thread. Once again, I’m not given to superstition - knowing that it’s a sin. I don’t know how I can emphasize that. I hesitate even posting this for fear you might think otherwise. But while trying to keep a level head, I’m also wondering if I should be looking at some things as “signs” / “guideposts” versus coincidence - as if certain “coincidences” might be the only way to get our attention. Perhaps, that’s the best way to phrase it. Has anyone experienced this and questioned what’s happening?
Please keep me and my loved ones in your prayers. Thanks, and God & Our Lady bless you all.
 
ConservativeOne said:
Thank you all for your prayers.
I’m commenting here only due to a sudden happening just now - once again involving religious images. I’ve decided to erase the details I’d just typed and just say that it seems there IS something (coincidence or sign?) going on here. Something - as if to get my attention. All this - just when I’d come to terms with the initial happening of this thread. Once again, I’m not given to superstition - knowing that it’s a sin. I don’t know how I can emphasize that. I hesitate even posting this for fear you might think otherwise. But while trying to keep a level head, I’m also wondering if I should be looking at some things as “signs” / “guideposts” versus coincidence - as if certain “coincidences” might be the only way to get our attention. Perhaps, that’s the best way to phrase it. Has anyone experienced this and questioned what’s happening?
Please keep me and my loved ones in your prayers. Thanks, and God & Our Lady bless you all.
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If it’s that important to you, pray for confirmation-asking for a specific sign, sort of like Gideon did. Otherwise, no one (human, anyway) can resolve this for you.
 
ConservativeOne said:
I’ve
But this statue broke…
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so what?
why would you even look for a negative sign much less interpret a common coincidence in such a dire way?

why would any CAtholic ever fear their own death, let alone that of a loved one, if they truly believe in God’s love and mercy? The only thing to fear is your own sin, and the way to eradicate that inclination the sin is the same as the way to deal with the death of a loved one: prayer. You don’t need a sign, as Christ said, he IS the sign. What you need is simply to rely on the standard Catholic practice of prayers for the dead, specifically the Mass and offer your intention with every Mass you attend as well as aks for Masses to be said for your loved one.
 
puzzleannie said:
so what?
why would you even look for a negative sign much less interpret a common coincidence in such a dire way?

why would any CAtholic ever fear their own death, let alone that of a loved one, if they truly believe in God’s love and mercy? The only thing to fear is your own sin, and the way to eradicate that inclination the sin is the same as the way to deal with the death of a loved one: prayer. You don’t need a sign, as Christ said, he IS the sign. What you need is simply to rely on the standard Catholic practice of prayers for the dead, specifically the Mass and offer your intention with every Mass you attend as well as aks for Masses to be said for your loved one.
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Excellent post.
 
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