“The reason for my coming here is entirely due to Providence.” As soon as she starts talking, Kristin circumscribes the subject matter of her testimony. Through a series of events, she gradually recognized the hand of God at work in her life. A mother and a professional counselor, committed in a prayer movement, she reviews her life under the light of what she calls, simply, ‘Providence’
My coming here is due to Providence
“My coming here is entirely due to Providence”, says Kristin repeatedly and without hesitation. Her statement does not refer to a carefully crafted project but a to series of facts which she did not plan. On that particular day – 8th September, the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – she had traveled to Switzerland to meet a priest with a view to create a prayer movement based on the devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ. The priest gave her his support. On her way back home, she chose to go to Mass to give thanks. As she was leaving the church, a woman turned up to talk to her, then walked with her to her home, and on the way they discovered how their stories intersected. One told her journey with the Precious Blood whilst the other mentioned the souls in purgatory and the shrine at Montligeon. “It all happened on the same day, just like that.”
Kristin humbly admits: “These are things you can’t plan for. They just happen.” In her view, those strings of events bear a signature: “It’s the hand of God.”
Saint Rita, the initiator of a vocation to prayer
When asked about her spiritual path, Kristin, who was born in a Catholic family, remembers the day when she was asked to choose a saint. After some research, some reading and some comparisons, a name clearly emerged: Saint Rita, the saint of lost causes. “I did choose her but actually I realize she chose me in fact.”
In Paris, as she had walked into the Saint-Rita Chapel, someone suggested her to go to Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs , a church reknowned for its evening prayer sessions for the sick. At first, she attended them on behalf of her child who had been suffering for a long time. Then she got committed on a larger scale. “I witness improvements, people beginning to be healed or sometimes fully healed.”
Kristin’s life is a series of encounters with Saint Rita, through churches, chapels, statues… ” This communion with Saint Rita opened my eyes on the Communion of Saints”, she says. Also, through the Passion of Christ, she discovered the power of the shed blood, which she describes as “healing”.
Prayer connects our hearts, lives and souls
Over time, prayer became the focus of Kristin’s life. Yet, she admits that “it took a long time for [me] to understand the power of prayer.” This realization occurred out of the concrete experience of praying with other people for other persons.
She describes what she calls a ‘prayer movement’. “I started to become aware of what it meant to be part of a community which unites us in our hearts and spirits and which creates a commitment for both our lives and souls.” Little by little, she was able to see unexpected fruits. People for whom she was praying would call her to tell her that they had had a favorable outcome or were feeling better. Kristin takes no personal credit in this. “I realized how vital it was to talk about prayer.”
Prayer, she adds, “is not only for those we love, because God asks us to pray for people who harm us.” In that instance too, she mentions unexpected reconciliations, which she received as the fruits of her prayer.
The Precious Blood of Christ and Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory
When asked about the connection between the Precious Blood of Christ and the prayer for the souls in Purgatory, Kristin takes the time to clarify that she is “not an expert but I understand that we have inherited the original sin.” Therefore, the blood of Christ represents the price of our salvation.
Christ gave his blood to reopen our access to the Kingdom of God. However, as she reminds, sin estranges us from God. Judging our neighbor may seem to be a minor sin, yet it is still a sin. “We are judging others all the time, for the most petty things, sometimes even without meaning it.” Such lucidity leads to humility: only God sees everything and judges fully. In that perspective, Purgatory appears to be a place of purification, with the Precious Blood of Christ making the way possible. Thus, for Kristin, praying for the souls in Purgatory and honoring Christ’s sacrifice are part of the same process, although not at the same place or the same time.
Mass, a place of communion with the living and the dead
Kristin recalls Mass with peaceful intensity. “I believe Mass includes all the elements I’ve been talking about.” The Passion of Christ, the Resurrection, the Precious Blood, as well as the promise of eternal life are all contained in it. She is particularly moved by the moment of consecration. “When the priest raises the host, I offer all the souls to Jesus. Souls in purgatory, those on earth, those yet to be born, and even those who could not be born.”
In this way, Mass becomes a place of universal communion. It denies neither suffering nor inner struggle, but opens up a perspective. “All we have to do is let Jesus into our hearts.”
