Learning to be Quick to Listen

The lives of great leaders and celebrities are often defined by their final moments, but for the saints, death is simply the beginning of a new chapter of work from heaven. This is especially clear in the case of stigmatists , whose bodies continue to exhibit miraculous wonders long after their death. These wonders, known as bodily incorruptibility , serve as a testament to God's continued work through His saints. We can see this divine action in the lives of St. Clare of Montefalco , St. Rita of Cascia , and St. Teresa of Avila , all of whom continue to intercede on behalf of the faithful from their place in eternal life. St. Clare of Montefalco, who died in 1308, provides a particularly powerful example. For her canonization, the Catholic Church was presented with 35 proposed miracles, from which six were chosen as " beyond all doubt ." The most remarkable of these was the discovery of Jesus' passion imprinted on her heart during an autopsy. A cross, a scourge, ...