Catholics and Orthodox: Experience with Saints?

Question

Has anyone ever had an experience with a saint they had never seen or heard of before only to then come to find out who that saint was?

My brother saw the face of a bearded man one time while meditating (he was into New Age) and later (after returning to the Catholic Church) saw a picture of a saint, only to find out it was the face of the man he had seen (Saint Sharbel Makhluf, a Lebanese monk/priest who lived in a Maronite monastery around the end of the 19th beginning of the 20th century).

A friend of mine had a dream of a man in a brown robe holding a Bible with a baby standing on it, only to find out later it was Saint Anthony and the baby was Jesus. He also wasn't a practicing Catholic at the time and had never seen or heard about Saint Anthony before that.

Anyone else have stories of saints they can share?

I'm surprised that people didn't read that the question was addressed to Catholics and Orthodox. I certainly appreciate that other Christians disagree with us on this, but this question was not meant to be a debate on the topic, rather a place to simply share stories about the intercession of the saints in heaven.

Actually Miriam, the fact that there was no gospel when Jesus was a baby is the exact thing that confused my friend when he had that dream. He at first thought that maybe the person in his dream was St. Joseph (since he at least knew something vaguely about him from seeing manger scenes), but the fact that he was also holding a bible, that made him wonder who it was. That and the fact that Joseph normally is depicted with a beard and the guy in his dream didn't have one.

Makemeaspark: You make a point which is even attested in the lives of saints. Saint Philip Neri once saw had a vision of someone who looked like the Virgin Mary. He spit at it and after a hiss he saw it was actually the devil. The devil asked "How did you know it was me?" Philip Neri said "The Virgin Mary would not appear to one as vile as me."

Also, you are right. If they are truly saints their concern would be to bring us to Jesus. If one is too concentrated on saints and has no relationship with the Lord than this can be bad. However, seeing the Lord's work in His saints can help one trust that, if he worked in their lives and they were faulty people like us, we too can advance in the life of holiness with the grace of God.

Answer 1

Actually there have been quite a few times when I have smelled roses. Times when I was in danger both physical and spiritual. Especially when I was very ill.My saint is St. Therese, also called The Little Flower. When I was very ill recently and later found out I was dying, I saw a beautiful woman with a soft voice who told me to go back that I was not finished. I believe she was our Blessed Mother.

Answer 2

Forgive me but there are not two Churches brother. There is One Body and One Truth. There are severe theological divides separating the roman catholic church from the Orthodox. The person of the Holy Spirit has been distorted, the nature of sin, and the very essence of the church. The Ecumenical Patriarch speaks highly of unity, and a return of the roman church to the Orthodox would be WONDERFUL, however it cannot be done unless the romans turn to the TRUE FAITH which is held in the Orhtodox Church unchanged. Ask the monks of Mount Athos or almost anywere around the world and they will tell you that the ecumenical movement is a pan-heresy. The monks have kept our faith pure throughout the ages, they live the life of Christ and put us back on track with thier humility and devotion to the Truth. Please lets listen to them. Brother there are no other churches besides ours. This does not mean we should be hostile to the heresies we should show love however we cannot be disillusioned into thinking that we are one with them or ever should be.

Answer 3

According to Scripture, anyone who is born again by faith in Christ is a saint. Paul wrote to all the saints (Christians) in Rome:

"To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 1:7

Many other verses express the same truth:

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;" Ephesians 3:8
"...Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints," Jude 1:14

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" Ephesians 4:11-12

(See also Acts 9:13; 9:32; 9:41; 26:10; Romans 8:27; 12:13; 15:25; 15:26; 15:31; 16:2; 16:15; 1 Cor-inthians 6:1, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, plus dozens of other New Testament references.)

Answer 4

not exactly what you mean, but I did see the divine mercy immage of Jesus in an office, before I knew what it meant. I was actually going through a tough time, and for a moment it gave me a lot of comfort, just seeing it, but then I didn`t think of it again. Later my sister gave me a booklet about this devotion, and I recognised the immage right away, an knew I had to read it.

Answer 5

Well, I'm an Episcopalian and I sort of had an experience. A couple of years ago I had a cancer scare. Before I knew whether I had it or not, I went to St. Luke's church. I was praying to God, and I also asked St. Luke for intervention. When I finished, it felt like my head was tingling and I knew then that everything would be fine and it was.

Answer 6

St. Thomas More is the patron saint of adoptive families (specifically fathers) . He was an adviser to King Henry VIII of England. In 2004 my wife and I were married in St. Thomas More parish. In 2005 we went on vacation to London and visited the Tower of London where he was imprisoned, executed and buried. In 2006 we adopted our son. Coincidence? Maybe.

Answer 7

Yes indeed Chris, this very same thing has been experienced by many people with St.Pio(Padre Pio) and there are many testimonies to this among Catholics.
St.Charbel Makhluf and other holy Saints point to the fact that sola scriptora Protestants have it all wrong about canonised Saints and they have a way of showing us that they do intercede for us.

Answer 8

Don't know who the saint was or if it was a saint, but my friends had gone to the World Youth Day in Denver, CO. During mass, when the Eucharist was being passed out, my friends went to receive it, but the line was really long, so they went in search of a shorter one. Suddenly, there was a man in front of them who had the Eucharist. They were able to receive it. When they went to thank him, he was no longer there. They told me they couldn't see his face clearly.

Answer 9

I would not get to focused on persons other than Jesus. They could be a distraction that is not from the Lord.

A true saint would be concerned that you know and love his or her Lord.

Answer 10

saint means sanctifide by Christ all who know him are saints. No I have not had any experiance of a dead saint.
there was no bible when Jesus was a baby do you mean the torah.