2013-07-18 14:44:15綠茶
The great power of intercessory prayer
The great power of intercessory prayer
- from "MY JUDGMENT BEFORE GOD - Dr. Gloria Polo's testimony"
[Foreword by Eric R. Dunstan]
Doctor Gloria Polo was an orthodontist living in Columbia when she was struck by lightning and had a near death experience in which she was judged by Jesus and condemned for mortal sin. Fortunately, a very pious, humble farmer who saw a picture of her in the newspaper prayed for her soul and Jesus granted her a second chance, with a mission to repeat what she witnessed not only a thousand times, but a thousand times a thousand; and that when she comes back before Jesus to be judged again, she will be judged with greater severity, due to her second chance and all that she saw while over there. Susanna Vallejo personally met Dr. Gloria Polo on several occasions and painstakingly translated her testimony from Spanish audio recordings to English and sent me this copy which I have posted on this page. Consider this therefore to be furthering the mission given to Dr. Gloria Polo.
[End of foreword by Eric R. Dunstan]
...
I yelled out, "Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Forgive me. Give me a second chance."
That was the most beautiful moment. He came down from the light; he pulled me out of that hole; he placed me on the flat surface. And he said to me, "You are going to be allowed to go back. You are going to get a second chance but not because of the prayers of your loved ones because it's normal that your loved ones pray for you. Instead, you are getting a second chance through the prayers of all those who do not know you and have prayed for you."
You want to know what was shown to me, brothers and sisters? I saw the great power of intercessory prayer! You want to know how to be in the presence of God daily? Don't pray for your children; instead, pray for the children of all the persons in the world. Don't pray for youselves; pray for all those who are suffering the same trials that you are suffering. I saw how millions and millions of flames were going up to heaven. I was shown what those little flames represented. They represented the prayers said by all the persons who were touched and moved by the news of my being struck by lightening. The news came out on the newspaper and on TV. Many, many people offered many different forms of prayer for me. The biggest gift that you can offer a human being is the Eucharist because the Eucharist is not an endeavor of man but rather of God!
You want to know why I am here today before you? I am here today because there is a saint in my country. His flame was the biggest of all flames, the biggest, the biggest of all. When our Lord was showing all this to me, I was thinking to myself, "Who is this man who loves me so much?" The Lord showed me who he was. He was a very, very poor farmer. He lives at the foothill of St. Martha Mountain, in my country. The Lord showed me a little bit of his life. The Lord showed me everything that the farmer was going through. The Lord said to me, "Look. He doesn't even have a piece of bread on his table for himself or for his family." The Lord showed me how that farmer's crop had been completely destroyed by fire. He had a few chickens left but the guerilla came and ate them. And on top of that, they were trying to recruit his older boy to serve in the guerilla. This poor farmer would come down to mass -- the Lord made me pay attention to the farmer's prayer.
When he was in prayer, he would pray by saying, "Lord, thank you for my life. Lord, I love you. I praise you. Thank you for my children." The only thing that came out this man's mouth was praise and worship. The Lord showed me how at one point, this farmer had two bills in his pocket. He had a bill worth $10,000 pesos and a bill worth $5,000 pesos. That's all he had. During the collection at mass, he put the $10,000 in the basket.
When did I ever put paper money (a bill) in the collection basket? I would only put bills in the collection basket when I'd get a counterfeit one at the office. He gave $10,000 pesos in the offering. After mass, after receiving the Eucharist, he went to the store. And with the $5,000 pesos, he purchased a piece of bread and salt. The clerk at the store wrapped the piece of bread with a piece of newspaper from the previous day. The newspaper is called the Expectator. There was a picture of me on that piece of newspaper. When he got home and he was about to put that piece of bread away, he looks at my picture that was on that piece of newspaper. He was very, very, very touched by it. He could barely read. He began reading it with great effort, "O-d-o-n-t-o-l-o-g-i-s-t." As he reads on, he cries, and cries, and cries, as though I were his daughter. At that moment, he tells out Lord, "Father, have mercy on my little sister. Lord, save her. Lord, if you save my little sister, I promise you that I'll go to the sanctuary in Buga and I will make a special promise there. But save my sister, Lord."
Can you imagine that! This poor man had no money to eat, yet he made a promise to our Lord to go cross-country to fulfill this promise for me. He was simply asking God. He was not complaining or demanding anything of God. That moved God in a great manner. Thanks to him I am here today, brothers and sisters. The Lord pointed him out to me and tells me, "That is love of neighbor."
Right then and there, the Lord gave me my mission. He gives me my mission and he says to me, "All this that has transpired, you are not only going to repeat it a thousand times, but a thousand times a thousand. And woe to those who hear your testimony and do not change because they will be judged with greater severity, in the same manner that you are going to be judged with greater severity. Be it (priests), my anointed ones, or whoever because there is no greater deaf person than he/she who does not want to hear, nor is there greater blind person than he/she who does not want to see."
Brothers and sisters, this is not a threat. On the contrary, this is a God who is so in love with us. He's letting you use this mirror, this very mirror, because he does not want you over there in that hole like I was. He wants you with him. But we must allow ourselves to be transformed by God. May the Lord keep you and let's pray one for the other. God bless you. This little girls is the miracle that God gave me, with burned ovaries and all. Her name is Maria Jose. Say hello, daughter. God bless you.
☆★
《我被雷電擊中》譯者序
王念祖
前年(2011)年中，康宜姊開了數百公里的車程，從休士頓到達拉斯，交給我“Struck By Lightning” 這本書，請我看看，是否願意翻譯。我一看書名及簡介，雖然沒有依我平日的性子斷然拒絕，但我緊皺的眉頭，與不屑的表情，已經回答了她。熟識的朋友都曉得我是個「理論派」的教友，在信仰上，我只對聖經及比較學術或理論性的東西感興趣，對其他「超自然」的事物則是抱著不置可否的冷漠態度。因此，雖然近十年來，我努力回應文字事工的召叫，也做了相當多的翻譯事工，但我對「瀕死經驗」這類屬於私人啟示性質的書，一直抱著抗拒。認識我數十年，又是領有專業執照，常在各處舉辦「九型人格」講習會的康宜姐，非常了解要如何對待我這塊頑石。她又以慣常的口吻說：「你祈禱吧，看看天主是不是會感動你。」這是我從慕道時期就聽慣了她講的話。當時我因「高齡」失業，被迫提早退休在家，本應很是空閒，但因為我正在忙於「活水編譯小組」的事工，對她的勸言，也就充耳不聞。
去年二月，在忙碌了幾個月後，終於將「肋未紀詮釋」一書的翻譯初稿交出後，我突然感到無所事事的輕鬆，就心血來潮的開始整理混亂不堪的書桌。夾雜在幾本厚書與其它雜物之間，我發現這本已被擠壓的折了角的小書，原來康宜姊走後，這本書早被我遺忘在這裡，而我竟渾然不知。略帶愧疚的我隨意流灠著內容，但潛意識中我其實是要想找到些讓我可以理直氣壯的拒絕康宜姐的理由。剛從聖經詮釋學與舊約人名、地名的英文名詞中跳脫出來，這本英文小書讀來當然格外的輕鬆。在跳躍的翻閱中，我快速的略過了屬於「奇蹟」的部份，只對作者成長經驗的故事感到興趣。當我讀到Gloria Polo在自己經濟富裕後，勸告母親離開她那頗為不堪的父親時，她母親的答覆讓我的心緊緊的收縮起來。這個長期受到丈夫羞辱的母親說：「…如果我丟下他，誰來為他祈禱，讓他得救？…」我反覆的讀了這句話幾次，我想到，二十年前，當我每次在慕道班挑戰神父，譏笑天主時，就是有許多不顧我有多麼頑劣，而不願丟下我的兄姊，不斷的在為我祈禱，讓我得救。康宜姊當然也是那群總是被我當面嘲諷為「婆婆媽媽」的女人之一。我知道，每次當她說：「你祈禱吧」，都是她在為我祈禱。
我原先估計翻譯這本書，大約只要三四個星期，但是因為在翻譯的期間，不斷有些雜務纏身，讓我沒有辦法全力以赴。從去年二月，一直延續到七月，我才真正完稿。八月中，突然傳來母親辭世的噩耗，讓我極度哀痛。九月初，從台灣奔喪返美後，我在完全臆想不到，沒有主動尋求的狀況下，接到一個極佳的工作機會，於是在「退休」一年半後，我又奇蹟式的重返職場。這時，我多年研習的信仰「理論」似乎全都失去了效力，無法為我厘清這悲喜混雜的情緒。這接連的生命變化，像乍響的巨雷擊中了我，卻又讓我在全身灼傷，胸口敞著大窟窿之後，存活了過來。於是我又重讀了一遍這本「被雷電擊中：死亡、審判、與悔改」。這一次，我沒有略過任何屬於「奇蹟」的部份，而是再三的咀嚼。我領悟到在信仰的生命中，我們都必定會，也曾被雷電擊中。但常常我們被雷電擊中，卻毫不知覺。我們死亡，是因為我們面對審判，仍不知悔改。
李若望神父為這本書做了最好的註腳：「雖然“奇蹟”不應是我們信仰的基礎，但“奇蹟”的發生，可以補強“經驗主義”的人們所需求的見證。也可以讓人們感受到，只要相信，必有奇蹟相隨。體會一下發生在這位主角身上的奇蹟，更重要的是在奇蹟之後，所產生的果實。」
