I continued attending the Prayer Meeting. A few weeks after my first meeting, a leader asked me if I’d like to receive the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” I hesitated and then thought, “How will I ever know if this is real, if I don’t accept.” So, I sat in a chair and some people prayed with me. I thanked them and went home. Every night as the children were going to bed, we prayed our night prayers … a normal occurrence. I had a special prayer time after they were asleep, and my husband was at work. After the Prayer Group people prayed over me for this “Baptism of the Spirit” I purchased some books written by Evangelicals regarding this experience because I could not find a Catholic book on the subject. Every book I read said I had to repent. Since I believed I was a good Catholic, I couldn’t relate. However, the uneasiness about repenting kept bothering me. Finally, after four evenings of this uneasiness, I got on my knees and told God that I repented of everything I had ever done and started to cry. Suddenly, I experienced a peace that I never felt before. It was indescribable.
Attendance at these prayer meetings were becoming a "must." People
prayimg in ‘tongues’ just like in the Book of Acts in the Bible was no longer strange. The first time I heard it, I quickly stifled
a giggle, because it was strange. I
didn’t want to be rude. About eight
weeks later, I was doing my dishes and praying.
The children were playing in the next room. As I prayed, strange syllables came into my
mind. I was unsure if that might be the
“Gift of Tongues” that the prayer meeting people talked about. I had been invited to a prayer meeting at
Terry’s house, so I decided to attend and ask if what I those syllables in my
mind, was truly from God. I didn’t trust
myself. So that evening, after the
people were finished praying, I asked Terry.
She told some people already helping themselves to refreshments. They joined me in the living room to
pray. I sat on the couch and they began
to pray for me. I finally said the syllables
I received the previous week and the man who seemed to be the leader nodded. I’ve been praying that way for years now. Aside
from being a blessing, it strengthened my Faith. After all, the Holy Spirit knows just what to
pray.
Shortly thereafter, on a Sunday night, as my husband watched TV, I went to the bedroom to pray. As I prayed, the words, “Tell Terry I will bless her with a child.” Remember, I said that I was a reserved Catholic. These words, so distant from anything I would think about while I prayed, unnerved me. I went out to tell my husband. I knew Terry from prayer meeting, but not well. How do you share this with someone you hardly know? My husband shrugged his shoulders and said, “Do what you want.” So, I pondered the words very seriously. I couldn’t insult God, if the words came from Him, and not deliver the words to Terry. The next Sunday, I called and asked Terry if I could visit her. I drove the 25 miles and knocked on her door … truthfully with trepidation. When her husband opened the door and invited me in, I was extremely nervous. We sat down in their living room. I told Terry the words I received. They both laughed. One of them told me, “Oh Cathi, you are the third person to come to us with those words.” I was so relieved. I didn’t know Terry well, but she had been very ill with something the doctors could not identify. They had to hire a cleaning woman because Terry had absolutely no strength. The cleaning woman asked Terry if she and friends from her Church could come and pray with her. Terry started to improve, but also was introduced to a personal relationship with Jesus. Years later, they would call it Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. They had a seven year old son. This second son was born the next year.
(To be continued)
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