4
4Horsemen
Guest
Two Stories of Merciful Love – or Belief and non-Belief
The White Deer
Once there was a pious couple who had a pious daughter. Although the daughter had forgotten God for a time, she had the great pleasure of a glorious welcome back into the arms of the Catholic Church.
Eventually, her father passed away, and due to the circumstances of his death in the nursing home-- on the night of his passing there had been an intense electrical storm knocking down trees and wires—the daughter wondered if the storm may have been a sign from God that she, along with her mother, should stay for the duration of the night. She already had intuitively known that her father would not be waking up the following morning, even though he didn’t look or act like a dying man that fateful night and had only been in the nursing home for a few days. He hadn’t had the last sacraments for some time, but the mother and daughter prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Ignoring her own impulses to remain, she and her mother hurriedly made it to the car in the drenching rain and drove to her mother’s house where she stayed the night. Early the next morning, they were awakened by the doorbell. A gentleman from the nursing home had come to report the death of her father. Without the least bit of surprise, yet unhappily, the daughter made funeral arrangements.
Fast forward to a few years later . . . Each spring for the past three or four years, a white deer would come near the yard where the mother now lived with her daughter and her family. It stayed only a short time, usually around the 26th of June, the day which the father had passed away. It was not significant to her at the time.
However, one day in spring when the white deer suddenly appeared, the daughter took videos of it. Being a child of God who happened to look for signs, she questioned God if the deer was some kind of sign. Lately, she had been distressed over her father’s death, especially since her mother had told her about a dream she had that was frightfully disturbing. Her mother dreamt that her husband was killed by someone at the nursing home. Ordinarily the daughter wouldn’t have had any interest in illogical, fanciful dreams, but it was on her mind that her father’s death certificate marked the time of his death at 3:00 A.M. which she learned is called the “witching hour” after seeing a movie about a girl named Emily Rose.
There were other signs as well. Her father used to always find money on the ground and come home proudly announcing a new find like it was a treasure. The daughter incredibly began finding money on public sidewalks and parking lots where there hadn’t been a cent minutes earlier.
Filled with curiosity and great longing, the daughter begged the King of Heaven and earth that if it would be for His gracious pleasure, He would allow her to understand if there was truly a meaning of the strange white deer. After all, the deer never ventured into the yard. She quietly made a pact with the Heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit on Divine Mercy Sunday which happened to fall on her birthday that year, that if the deer should come right into the yard up close, she would believe that it was a sign from God that her father was all right and safe in His care.
Fast forward again . . . Time passed. No white deer could be seen. Then on June 9th her young child’s birthday, the daughter had been traveling and when she arrived home, the sitter cried out excitedly (although she knew nothing of the circumstances) that a white deer was right in the yard close to the house. Then the daughter realized why the deer came on her child’s birthday–as a reminder of her request on her own birthday which she had already forgotten.
Coincidence?
A believer friend said, “God showed familiarity imparting a special blessing.”
A non-believer friend said, “That wasn’t a deer; it was a goat.”
The White Bird
Sometime later, the pious daughter’s mother passed away. It was June 10th. Because of her own trials and sufferings with a devastating illness, the daughter was unable to care for her mother and it was arranged that she would go to a nursing home. Eventually, the daughter was released from the hospital and came to her mother’s side. She died after family said good-bye.
Nonetheless, after a few years, the daughter began to have fears about her mother’s passing due to family circumstances.
Fast forward to a time in spring . . . Strangely, a large white bird was at the stream below the hill, but the daughter had no concern about it being there. The following year, though, after much emotional toil wondering if her mom was safe in God’s arms, the daughter made another pact with God. This time she asked God directly if He would bring the white bird back (it was an egret) perhaps on somebody’s birthday. She prayed about this especially on Divine Mercy Sunday at the 3:00 P.M. hour. Birthdays came and went. But the daughter held out hope.
Then one day, on June 10th, the date of her mother’s death, the big white bird came directly to the house from behind some large oak trees. It circled the house three times coming right up to a large window before it flew behind the trees. It was a sight to behold. Yes, it was the egret. The daughter had done some research finding out that its habitat was in the south, whereas she lived in the north.
For several more days the egret flew in large circles in the back yard of the house. In fact, it flew until June 26th the date of her father’s passing when it made sweeping gestures and few immediately to the East. The daughter knew it wouldn’t be back, at least this year. And it hasn’t been back.
Believer friend: You trusted in God and had hope as well as faith. But, you also had love and love is the key to God’s heart.
Non-believer friend: It was all a coincidence.
The White Deer
Once there was a pious couple who had a pious daughter. Although the daughter had forgotten God for a time, she had the great pleasure of a glorious welcome back into the arms of the Catholic Church.
Eventually, her father passed away, and due to the circumstances of his death in the nursing home-- on the night of his passing there had been an intense electrical storm knocking down trees and wires—the daughter wondered if the storm may have been a sign from God that she, along with her mother, should stay for the duration of the night. She already had intuitively known that her father would not be waking up the following morning, even though he didn’t look or act like a dying man that fateful night and had only been in the nursing home for a few days. He hadn’t had the last sacraments for some time, but the mother and daughter prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Ignoring her own impulses to remain, she and her mother hurriedly made it to the car in the drenching rain and drove to her mother’s house where she stayed the night. Early the next morning, they were awakened by the doorbell. A gentleman from the nursing home had come to report the death of her father. Without the least bit of surprise, yet unhappily, the daughter made funeral arrangements.
Fast forward to a few years later . . . Each spring for the past three or four years, a white deer would come near the yard where the mother now lived with her daughter and her family. It stayed only a short time, usually around the 26th of June, the day which the father had passed away. It was not significant to her at the time.
However, one day in spring when the white deer suddenly appeared, the daughter took videos of it. Being a child of God who happened to look for signs, she questioned God if the deer was some kind of sign. Lately, she had been distressed over her father’s death, especially since her mother had told her about a dream she had that was frightfully disturbing. Her mother dreamt that her husband was killed by someone at the nursing home. Ordinarily the daughter wouldn’t have had any interest in illogical, fanciful dreams, but it was on her mind that her father’s death certificate marked the time of his death at 3:00 A.M. which she learned is called the “witching hour” after seeing a movie about a girl named Emily Rose.
There were other signs as well. Her father used to always find money on the ground and come home proudly announcing a new find like it was a treasure. The daughter incredibly began finding money on public sidewalks and parking lots where there hadn’t been a cent minutes earlier.
Filled with curiosity and great longing, the daughter begged the King of Heaven and earth that if it would be for His gracious pleasure, He would allow her to understand if there was truly a meaning of the strange white deer. After all, the deer never ventured into the yard. She quietly made a pact with the Heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit on Divine Mercy Sunday which happened to fall on her birthday that year, that if the deer should come right into the yard up close, she would believe that it was a sign from God that her father was all right and safe in His care.
Fast forward again . . . Time passed. No white deer could be seen. Then on June 9th her young child’s birthday, the daughter had been traveling and when she arrived home, the sitter cried out excitedly (although she knew nothing of the circumstances) that a white deer was right in the yard close to the house. Then the daughter realized why the deer came on her child’s birthday–as a reminder of her request on her own birthday which she had already forgotten.
Coincidence?
A believer friend said, “God showed familiarity imparting a special blessing.”
A non-believer friend said, “That wasn’t a deer; it was a goat.”
The White Bird
Sometime later, the pious daughter’s mother passed away. It was June 10th. Because of her own trials and sufferings with a devastating illness, the daughter was unable to care for her mother and it was arranged that she would go to a nursing home. Eventually, the daughter was released from the hospital and came to her mother’s side. She died after family said good-bye.
Nonetheless, after a few years, the daughter began to have fears about her mother’s passing due to family circumstances.
Fast forward to a time in spring . . . Strangely, a large white bird was at the stream below the hill, but the daughter had no concern about it being there. The following year, though, after much emotional toil wondering if her mom was safe in God’s arms, the daughter made another pact with God. This time she asked God directly if He would bring the white bird back (it was an egret) perhaps on somebody’s birthday. She prayed about this especially on Divine Mercy Sunday at the 3:00 P.M. hour. Birthdays came and went. But the daughter held out hope.
Then one day, on June 10th, the date of her mother’s death, the big white bird came directly to the house from behind some large oak trees. It circled the house three times coming right up to a large window before it flew behind the trees. It was a sight to behold. Yes, it was the egret. The daughter had done some research finding out that its habitat was in the south, whereas she lived in the north.
For several more days the egret flew in large circles in the back yard of the house. In fact, it flew until June 26th the date of her father’s passing when it made sweeping gestures and few immediately to the East. The daughter knew it wouldn’t be back, at least this year. And it hasn’t been back.
Believer friend: You trusted in God and had hope as well as faith. But, you also had love and love is the key to God’s heart.
Non-believer friend: It was all a coincidence.
