God speaks to everyone. The question isn’t, “Does God speak to people?” The question is, “Is anybody listening?” A cursory glance around society would lead anyone to conclude, “Fewer and fewer.”

God chooses different ways to speak to different people. He spoke to Moses through the burning bush. God spoke to many others through dreams. God spoke to many more through his angels. And, of course, God speaks to us through the woman he chose to be the mother of his Son.

There have been many Marian apparitions in Church history, but one of the most significant happened in France to a nun named Catherine Labouré. On July 19, 1830, Catherine woke up to the sound of a child, calling her to the chapel. The Virgin Mary was there and Catherine sat with her for a long time. On another occasion, Mary asked Catherine to create the Miraculous Medal, which had a special image of Mary and the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." Catherine did what Mary told her, and today the Miraculous Medal is one of the most famous Marian devotions in the world.

God spoke to Catherine through Mary. How is he speaking to you? 

There is a temptation to think, “Well, God spoke to people in the Bible, and he spoke to some saints and mystics, but he doesn’t speak to me.” Wrong.

God is the ultimate Father desperate to speak with his children. He wants to lead and guide us, console and comfort us, coach and protect us, be at our side when things are amazing and cling to our side when our worlds seem to be crushing in upon us. Our God infuses us with compassion that can put an end to hate, with generosity that can eradicate greed, and with the wisdom and courage to put our fears and sorrows in their rightful place. Most people have never met this kind of earthly father or heavenly Father, and it is past time we did something about that.

God the Father yearns deeply to communicate with you. He is the Father who wants good things for you more than you want them for yourself. He may speak to you through the Scriptures, in your heart when you enter the classroom of silence, through a devotion to Mary, or in the need of someone who crosses your path…the possibilities are powerful. Will you pause the insanity of your life for a few minutes each day and listen to him?



Feast Day: November 28

Feast Day Shared By: Saint James of the Marches

Patron Saint of: The Elderly

Symbols: The Miraculous Medal

Also Known As: The Saint of the Miraculous Medal

Canonized: July 27, 1947

Canonized By: Pope Pius XII