Hello Everyone,
 
My name is Michael, a parishioner of St Veronica’s. I grew up in the catholic faith right here in this church. I went to St. Veronica’s elementary and was an altar boy throughout my childhood years.
 
As I grew into a teenager and started high school, I see now that that was a real fork in the road in my life and I know clearly now that I took the wrong road. That road lead to many years of darkness, addiction and separation from the church and God.
 
It was about 10 years ago that I found myself in a real bad place…..
 
Nothing was going right for me, everywhere I turned something bad was happening, financially, emotionally, physically……the walls were crumbling around me. I felt I had no value, no self worth, really no purpose for being alive. One night after a really bad day, I went to my room, closed the door and buckled to my knees with my face to the floor. I cried out, Lord if you are real and you can hear me…Please I need you now! Come to me……I remember sobbing harder and deeper than ever before and I pleaded, if you come to me now…Jesus I am yours.
 
After that I remember going to bed as I was so drained emotionally and physically. A few weeks later I went to visit my sister who lives in Barrie. I enjoy visiting with her and her family and also enjoy going to the mall and checking out stores we don’t have here in our city.
 
On this trip however I found myself in a Chapters, walking up and down the aisles not knowing exactly what I was looking for until I came across the religious section where the bibles were. I knew deep down this was what I was looking for and I chose one from the shelf, walked to the front of the store and purchased it. A strange feeling had come over me that for the first time in my life, I now possessed something of real value.
 
 When I got out into my vehicle, I remember just opening the bible and started reading and it was like my soul was starving for the word of God. When I arrived back in the Sault I continued to read each day and couldn’t get enough.
 
About a month had passed and I remember coming home from night shift at work. I rushed into the house as I had to go to the washroom and when I did, it was all blood. I knew something was not right and I immediately went to the emergency room. They did some tests and I remember hearing the doctors voice saying we need to get Michael Murphy up to intensive care right away….it was then that I knew something was indeed wrong.
 
When I arrived up in the intensive care unit the doctor was there waiting for me and said Michael you are sick boy. He went on to say that the average person will have in their blood stream between 300-500 units of toxins. Between 500 and 1000 is considered high and if those levels are over 1000, you are probably here in the hospital as something is going on with you. He went on to say that right now the toxins in my blood were 65000 and they had to work quickly so my organs didn’t go into failure.
 
 I remember calling home and saying don’t worry everything will be ok but I need my toothbrush, change of clothes and my Bible beside my bed. I was in intensive care the entire week had many concerned people come visit. Then a specialist came to see me and said that I had the doctors scared, as my levels had jumped up to 90,000. Then she looked at me and said but you are not scared….. I immediately examined my emotions and realized I wasn’t in the least scared……I actually had a real peace within me and I knew the protection of the Lord was upon me. I had never felt that before.
 
 About midweek, Dale a friend of mine had come to visit and I will remember him coming for the rest of my life. When he arrived he was kind of unsettled and he said this is odd but, I was leaving to come to see you today and for some reason I just could not come without this…….and he reached into a bag and pulled out a bible. He then said, isn’t that weird? I said not at all and I reached over and grabbed my bible telling him of how I came to possess it. It was this moment that the Lord had created to let me know that He was with me and through all these years he waited for me but now it is time
to allow Him more deeply into my life.
 
The very next day my levels started to improve, they went down to 60,000, then 35000 the next day and then 20000, They sent me home on Sunday as my levels had returned relatively to normal.
 
Looking back on that experience I now see that my old self died in the hospital bed that week and a new life, a new fervor, a new person emerged with the Joy of the Holy Spirit and filled with Love from God.
 
Still to this day the doctors do not know why or how that happened me, but I do and I thank the Lord Jesus each day.
 
How has my life changed?
 

1. I am happy and have a real peace within me

 

2. I don’t worry or stress over anything because I know that God is in charge.

 

3. I want to help people in a deeper way, those who are seeking purpose and direction and don't know where or who to turn to.

 
 I want to end by wishing the very best for you and your family this Christmas season and may this great day be a new beginning, for you to seek out the one who longs so deeply to have a real relationship with you…….and invite Him into your Life.
 
Brothers and Sisters, call on Jesus Christ.

Mike is a member of the parish leadership team and can be reached at [email protected]