Dear friends of Fr. Benedict,

From The Hospital #4

Gratitude

When you are severely deprived of the common human experiences of eating and drinking, of walking and talking, you can do one of two things: you can count your blessings and enjoy them or you can slip into a dangerous depression which might severely jeopardize your recovery. What is there to be thankful for? There is a whole list of things! You could be thankful that you are alive. I know this because as the physicians were working many strenuous hours to bring me back, Fr. John Lynch, who had accompanied me to the hospital, besieged them to keep going. At the end of a few minutes, I was a barely functioning human being; but I was alive!

People have asked me if I had one of those life-after-death experiences. I can honestly say no; but medically there is no doubt that I had walked in the shadow of death. It makes life very precious - all sorts of things start to fall into a profound perspective: pro-life, euthanasia, even the general question of how we treat those who are needy or incapacitated.

There are many other great blessings which we will write about tomorrow.

Let us continue to pray for each other!

Father Benedict

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God bless you, Fr. Benedict, as you recover from your accident. Our family has been praying for you since we heard on EWTN that you'd been incapacitated. The six of us--my husband and I and our four kids--have remembered you during every family prayer and your name is on one of our "prayer tiles" in our outdoor St. Francis garden. When we pray for special intentions, my husband writes the person's name on a tile and places it around our St. Francis "grotto" that has stones, a rose bush and a statue of our beloved saint. I believe he has interceded for you during your recovery. God bless you! - Maggie, Dunedin, Florida

Thank you for your words through video and person as you recover. I am in recovery too, so you are not alone. I am reading your book, ARISE FROM DARKNESS. It was a gift and what a great one. I have one hope and that is for your healing. God bless you. - Colleen, Staten Island, New York

Since a week, I could not send you a mail ("fatal error occured etc...). Now that it works, I, hereby, confirm to inscribe for the petition for the movie on St Francis of Assisi. Thank you again for the wonderful website news and for Father Benedicts daily enlightments (teachings) on sufferings. I continue to pray for you Father Benedict and the friars. - Anne, Belgium

Praised be Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ! What a joy to to be greeted by Father Benedict himself today. I have been praying daily, and checking on your progress daily, and today I received this great gift - it is like medicine for my soul. God bless you and strengthen you daily Father. I love you so much. - Susan, Concord twp., Ohio

Dear Fr. Benedict I was just surfing the web to get some news about you and found you SPEAKING! I'm so happy that I could leap this old bod over a pole vault without a pole! I've been asking God to take measure for measure all my physical or mental sufferings or discomforts from your sufferings. That's 2 months of a complainers griefs - a lot of relief for you I hope. To make you happy - listen: At ground zero of sex scandals, gay marriage by court order and Kennedy-katholicism - Boston USA - you will find St Clement Church packed to standing room with hundreds of young Catholics with deep faith. 30-40 show up on Monday nights to study Bible and plan good works. It is a brilliant Bethlehem Star shining in the darkest night of liberalism - Boston. Think about that for comfort. - Bob, Boston, Massachusetts

Dear Father Benedict, Thank God you started talking again! I was just pondering over how God had allowed three of his most faithful and wonderful speakers to be silenced (or almost!): our Holy Father, Mother Angelica and you. Please keep talking!!! With great love, good wishes and sincere prayers from a friend in Santa Barbara and a former New Yorker. - Denise, Santa Barbara, California

GREETINGS FROM JERSEY CITY: Hi! Fr. Benedict, Praised be God for this wonderful blessings, at long last we love to hear again your Jersey City accent. Thank God and we will keep our prayers for your full recovery. Our Legion of Mary Group and SFO under Deacon del Monte will always pray for you. Stay well and keep on writing on this webpage. Take Care and our best wishes. - Maria Lynn, Hermie, Wilma, Josie, Dr. Eden, Evelyn and Ariel., Jersey City, New Jersey

One day at a time, Father! We are praying for you. That means five little children and their parents. Thank you for your loving ministry to the People of God. May this experience of suffering bring you intimately close to our beloved Lord. - Katherine,San Diego, California

Send your greetings to Fr. Benedict

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