ABC 20/20 story promoting broadcast
Man Arises and Walks -- and Says Pope Helped Him
Vatican Investigates Case of Joe Amaral, Crippled for Decades, as Possible Miracle
By ELIZABETH VARGAS and JESSICA HORNIG
March 31, 2010 -

At the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic church in New Bedford, Mass., parishioners believe the late Pope John Paul II is truly a miracle worker.

Joe Amaral is one of those faithful parishioners. He said he's always been a believer in saints and miracles. It's a faith, he says, that is reinforced by the simple fact that he's now walking.

For decades, Amaral suffered from spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine. Doctors had told Amaral and his wife, Ann Marie Amaral, that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, if not in a full-time care facility.

"The doctor said 'I'm sorry,' the connection from the brain ... that tells you to walk and to move, it was, is gone," Amaral told ABC News.

Canes and crutches were a part of Amaral's life for 30 years. His condition was further complicated by a stroke of the spine in 2003, which forced him to quit his job as a real estate appraiser.

Ann Marie Amaral is an accountant for the state. "I went to work, then I would come home and cook dinner, and clean the house, and he would get frustrated cause he couldn't help," she said.

Despite his handicap, Amaral would attend church at St. Anthony of Padua every Sunday. It was no easy task. His wife recalled what a struggle it was for him just to walk up the stairs in front of their beautiful church.

"It was difficult ... at this particular church, there's no elevator," said Ann Marie.

The head of the Amarals' parish, Father Roger Landry, said Amaral's struggle was well known to all.

"He'd work his way up the stairs -- the huge granite staircase that we have outside," said Landry. " He'd come up on those forearm crutches ... leaning forward, dragging his legs behind... and it touched me very much to see this man's great faith."

That deep faith was at the center of what Amaral and Landry say was a miracle. It began two years ago, during a Saturday confession.

"Something happened," said Amaral. "And then Sunday morning I felt different. Not physically great, but felt like a calmness and peace."

Amaral said he was inspired to increase his prayers to a spiritual hero, Pope John Paul II. "I prayed to understand God's will," he said. "I never prayed to walk."

Miracle? 'I Just Got Up'
Then Amaral got what he thought was as a sign. After he finished praying, he turned on the television -- and was shocked to see a documentary on John Paul II.

"I happened to look at the picture of Pope John Paul II and I just got up," Amaral said. "Just got up and started walking. The more I kept walking, the more [I said], 'Thank you, thank you Lord.'"

Amaral's son, David, was the first to see him walk. "It really surprised me," David Amaral said. "It wasn't... something that I thought I would ever see." Amaral said he swore his son to secrecy and walked around his house for two days, making sure it wasn't a fluke, before surprising his wife.

"I came home and he's standing there, and he's like, 'Do you notice anything different?'" Ann Marie recalled. "And I'm looking at him and, you know, who looks at their husband? You come home every day and you see him, just say 'Hey, how's it going?' So I'm looking at him, and I'm like, 'Didn't get a haircut..." It took me like 30 seconds to realize, 'You're standing there.' No crutches. He's not leaning on anything. And I was, I was stunned."

Amaral's doctors were as surprised as the family.

"I stood up and gave [my doctor] my cane," Amaral remembered, "and for five minutes, he said nothing." Physicians and therapists working with Amaral could find no precedent for a condition as serious as his reversing itself.

"I do not have a medical reason" for the remarkable recovery, Amaral's doctor wrote.

Miracle? Late Pope's Path to Sainthood
Landry said there is no doubt in his mind that John Paul II performed a miracle for Amaral.

"I've on many occasions used Amaral in the preaching here, so that all parishioners know that the miracles that they read about in the gospels didn't just happen 2,000 years ago in the Middle East... but that the same Lord who lovingly worked those miracles continues to work them here in New Bedford," Landry said.

Amaral's family said they live with the blessings of that miracle every day. And his parents, brothers, daughter and sister are certain who interceded in granting it: Pope John Paul II. Through prayers to him, they believe, Amaral's abiding faith was rewarded.

Amaral's daughter Rachel is convinced that the late Pope intervened. "It's just amazing... all of a sudden he just got up and walked," she said. "To me that's a miracle."

Amaral's case could figure in the potential conferring of sainthood on the late pope. All candidates for sainthood require proof of intervention in two confirmed miracles. Potential miracles are rigorously investigated by teams of Vatican physicians.

With the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death falling on April 2, officials at the Vatican say they are examining Amaral's case -- along with more than 240 other alleged miracles attributed to the late pope.

Copyright (c) 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures

National Catholic Register Article, April 3, 2010

Massachusetts Man Cured Miraculously
Was John Paul II Responsible?

BY JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND, REGISTER CORRESPONDENT
Posted 4/3/10 at 11:00 PM

NEW BEDFORD, MASS. - Could the case of a Massachusetts man be used to advance Pope John Paul II toward sainthood?

Thought there have been hundreds of cases reported of cures possibly attributable to John Paul's intercession, one of them might involve a New Bedford, Mass., man who experienced healing after praying to the late Pope.

The Portuguese-American man sought to overcome the suffering and isolation that accompanied a worsening spinal condition. Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, accompanied by severe arthritis, forced him to give up his work as a real estate appraiser trainee and finally put him in a wheelchair.

By 2008, Joe Amaral had become increasingly depressed by his inability to meet the needs of his family, especially his aging mother. Yet he sensed that a spiritual crisis was at the heart of his struggle: after five years in a wheelchair, he still hadn't fully accepted God's will for his life.

"Joe is a man who has sought to serve his family. But he was 47 and sat at home, while his wife worked and his kids did their own thing," recalled Ann Marie Amaral, his wife of 25 years. "He rarely complained, and tried to do what he could. When I'd come home, I'd notice that the house had been vacuumed. I asked how he managed to do that, and discovered that he did it on his knees."

Yearning to overcome his sense of helplessness, Amaral, who is now 49, used his solitary hours to pray to the late Pope John Paul II, seeking his intercession. He also began to meditate on the story of Jesus healing the paralytic, recounted in Mark 2:1-12, and pondered the Lord's words:

"Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" - he said to the paralytic - "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home."

In early January 2008, Amaral felt called to repent of his inability to follow the late Pontiff's example and fully embrace the physical suffering that constrained his life. Amaral went to confession at his New Bedford parish, St. Anthony of Padua, and as he spoke with the priest, he felt a palpable sense of warmth course throughout his body.

He went home, and continued to pray to the late Pope and meditate on the chaplet of Divine Mercy. A few days later, he felt called to stand up and walk. He began to move about the house, feeling stronger with every step.

He placed a call to his pastor, Father Roger Landry, but the two played phone tag for several days. In the meantime, Joe rejoiced with his family.

'Something Holding Him Up'

His mother was the first to hear the news. She had stopped over that day, and he asked her, "Do you believe in miracles?" She said she did. And when he got up and began to walk unaided, she broke into prayer and began to cry. His son, a teenager who cared deeply for his father and often assisted him with daily tasks, was jubilant at the news.

Then Ann Marie returned from work. She was thrilled by the spectacle of her husband moving about the house, but worried that it was a temporary improvement. Two years later, she has accepted the great blessing of his spiritual healing.

"He told me that he doesn't feel he was cured, in the sense that all his nerve endings were healed and his back was normal," said Ann Marie. "Instead, something is holding him up and keeping him from falling. The feeling that someone is guiding you, and keeping you strong is an act of faith."

Joe soon began to visit his friends and relatives, confirming the truth proclaimed in the story of the paralytic. "I have been healed so that you might know the Lord's power to forgive sins," he told them. His witness has strengthened the faith of his many relations, but also of the parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua.

For years, members of the parish had watched Joe use forearm crutches to drag himself up the aisle to receive holy Communion. The painful spectacle led churchgoers to urge Father Landry to make the building handicapped accessible. But the parish couldn't afford the $200,000 price tag for the structural changes that would allow wheelchairs inside.

Amaral could have gone to another parish, but he loved the faded grandeur of St. Anthony's, where Portuguese fisherman had long come to worship. Now the parish shares in the hard times of that declining industry, but Amaral, who immigrated to the United States from Portugal when he was five years old, clung to it as his spiritual home.

Joe still had not spoken to his pastor, Father Roger Landry, when he arrived at St. Anthony's soon after his healing. Father Landry was talking with a parishioner, when he caught sight of Joe and noticed that something was different. Father Landry continued his conversation for a moment longer, until it dawned on him that Joe was standing and walking freely.

The pastor rushed over to Joe, who told him what had happened. The two embraced, and soon the whole parish knew that something truly extraordinary had occurred in their midst.

Since then, Father Landry has forwarded all the documentation related to Joe's case to Rome, where it will be added to several hundred cases that attribute miraculous cures to the late Pontiff's intercession.

"Given the numbers, I don't know if Joe's case will play any role in the cause of John Paul II's canonization," noted Father Landry.

"But here at St. Anthony's, Joe's story is a continual reminder that the Lord's healing power did not expire at the Ascension. Jesus continues to work miracles in response to faith. I am moved every time I see Joe walk up the aisle and solemnly genuflect before the tabernacle."

Some parishioners have asked, "Why did the Lord hear Joe's prayers, but not mine?" noted the pastor. "I remind them that the Lord didn't heal everyone in Palestine. The first purpose of suffering is to prompt others to become good Samaritans who assist those in need. The second purpose is to help those who suffer to unite themselves ever more to Christ's redeeming love, turning the curse of human suffering into a divine caress."

Ann Marie Amaral has additional explanation for her husband's healing. "Maybe he was chosen because he's not afraid to tell the world, 'This happened to me so that you might have faith.'"

Indeed, these days, Joe uses his newfound physical strength to affirm a profound truth he has experienced in a radical way.

"This has nothing to do with me; it's for the great glory of God. I'm hoping people will realize that God's mercy is in the confessional. He gives us tribulations and suffering, but he also gives us his mercy."

Joe Amaral still can't drive, and residual nerve damage around the spine leads him to approach physical exertion cautiously. But he is happy to be on his feet.

"Something is holding me up," he said. "My legs keep moving, and while I walk I pray. God gave me this suffering to decrease what I have in the world, and increase what he wants."

Joan Frawley Desmond writes from Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Copyright (c) 2007 Circle Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

'20/20' to spotlight New Bedford man's story of faith, recovery
By DON CUDDY
doncuddy@s-t.com
April 02, 2010 12:00 AM

NEW BEDFORD - In 2003, New Bedford resident Jose Amaral was referred to a neurologist for chronic back and leg pain. The neurologist's report was comprehensive and its conclusion was succinct.

"Essentially his spine is a mess," the doctor wrote.

Diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a degenerative condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves, Amaral had undergone two back surgeries. Pain was a constant, and moving around was possible only with the aid of forearm crutches.

Yet Amaral, a man of deep religious conviction, never despaired. "I prayed to God to increase my faith," he said. And his prayers did not go unanswered.

Today Amaral, 49, regularly makes the 40-minute walk from his home to the Stop & Shop on Kings Highway, volunteers at the food pantry at St. Anthony of Padua Church and visits the elderly in their homes. He attributes this new freedom to nothing less than a miracle.In January 2008, Amaral prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, then looked over at Pope John Paul II's picture in his bedroom. A spiritual exercise, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy records the revelations received about God's mercy by St. Faustina Kowalska.

"I decided to get up and try to walk around without my crutches," he said. "I just walked back and forth, and I didn't stop - and I've never stopped since. My strength came all at once."

His doctors, his priest, his wife, Ann Marie, and children, Rachael, 22, and David, 15, were all amazed. There was no medical explanation.

It seemed a miraculous recovery.

The Rev. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Anthony's, subsequently wrote to the Vatican in support of Pope John Paul II's canonization, relating Amaral's healing through the intercession of the late pontiff.

Amaral's story will go national this evening as one of three segments on ABC's "20/20" dealing with miracles and the road to sainthood in the Catholic church. Anchor Elizabeth Vargas came to the city in early February to film the story at the Amaral home and at St. Anthony of Padua Church.

The show will air at 10 p.m. on ABC.

"I'm no Brad Pitt, so I try to avoid cameras," Amaral joked Thursday. But his relatives in New Hampshire, Vancouver and his native Portugal are excited about his appearance, he said.

In the show, he talks of his experience and is shown lifting his 15-month-old granddaughter Alyssa, something he once believed he could never do.

ABC scheduled the episode for this evening because it is both Good Friday and the fifth anniversary of the death of John Paul II.

"But it's also a fascinating story about sainthood and about real people whose lives were changed dramatically through their beliefs," said Bridgette Maney, an ABC publicist.

A recent study disclosed that 80 percent of Americans believe in miracles, a number that encompasses all denominations.

"I believe in God's mercy," Amaral said of his remarkable turnaround. "The message is trust in God and all that he gives us."

ANCHOR STORY
Cured New Bedford man to appear on '20/20' Good Friday special: Miracle submitted to Pope John Paul II's cause for canonization

By Kenneth J. Souza
Anchor Staff, March 26, 2010

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - Watching Jose Amaral confidently stride through the majestic nave of St. Anthony of Padua Church, his beloved home parish, it's hard to believe he once had to struggle with forearm crutches to make his way a few feet up to the altar to receive holy Communion.

For years he would make sure to enter the historic New Bedford church through the Bullard Street side entrance, so there would be fewer stairs to negotiate and easier access to his preferred pew near the statue of Our Lady of Fatima during Mass.

When it came time to receive holy Communion, Amaral would make the difficult trek down the aisle - going as far as his strength would allow, dragging his feet behind him - and then slide into a front-row pew until his wife and family could assist him back out the closest exit.

"Parishioners have found it impossible not to notice and admire Jose's deep faith," noted his pastor, Father Roger J. Landry. "Since St. Anthony's presently has no handicapped access, he had to leave his wheelchair in his van. But he has always done so without self-pity or complaint because, he said, God and the beauty of St. Anthony's were worth the extra effort."

Back in February 1980 Amaral, then 19, was diagnosed with spinal stenosis - or a narrowing of the spinal column that compresses the cord and nerves - accompanied by arthritis.

"When I was 19 years old, I hurt my back," he said. "Since then I've always had back problems. In 1984 I had my first surgery. The doctors at the time told me if I didn't have the surgery, I'd be paralyzed by the age of 30. So I had it done. I felt better, but not 100 percent."

Admitting he "did things I probably shouldn't have done" such as going back to work earlier than recommended by his doctor, Amaral relapsed in 1997 and by 2000 things started getting worse.

"By 2003 my left leg got numb and I went to a neurosurgeon and he told me I had severe nerve damage," he said. "He basically told me my spine was like a train wreck."

Soon he was wheelchair-bound and could only walk with a cane or forearm crutches.

After two more unsuccessful surgeries in July 2003, Amaral underwent a complex cervical fusion procedure in January 2004 that didn't yield any better results.

"The damage was already done," he said. "My doctor described it like having a 'stroke of the spine,' where the connections from the brain to the spine just weren't working."

A devout Catholic and man of faith, Amaral had accepted God's will for his life, realizing he would never walk or work again, and took the opportunity to renew his relationship with God through prayer, reading Scripture, and meditating on his favorite book, "My Imitation of Christ."

And despite his disability, he made a point of faithfully attending Mass at his home parish of St. Anthony of Padua, even though the historic structure lacked the convenience of handicap accessibility.

His special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima wouldn't keep him away from his pew of choice; after all, he knew the fastest way to Jesus was through his mother.

"What did she say at the wedding at Cana?" Amaral asked. "Do whatever he tells you."

But things began to change on January 26, 2008.

After experiencing a short stint of depression fueled by his mother's recent cataracts operation and his inability to see her on a regular basis, Amaral went to confession before Mass that day and expressed remorse for having a hard time accepting God's will for him. He felt his disability was making it difficult for him to be a good husband, father and son to his family.

"My mother used to come to my house everyday and I had a scooter and I used to go see my parents," he said. "Well, my scooter wasn't working and she couldn't drive, so I was home alone during the day from 7:30 in the morning until about 3:30 in the afternoon, five days a week. That's when the depression started in a sense, because I knew my mom and dad needed me."

Amaral had also coincidentally been reading the Gospel passage Mark 2:1-12 that day about the incident where Jesus cured a paralytic man first by absolving him of his sins, then by curing his physical paralysis.

"That afternoon I went to confession so that Jesus could heal me of my sins," he said. "Something happened during that confession that I cannot explain, but I felt different."

Later Amaral heard during Mass that his parish would be sponsoring a trip to New York to see Pope Benedict XVI. He secretly wished and prayed that he would be able to join his fellow parishioners on the pilgrimage.

After Mass, his wife Ann Marie immediately asked him if he'd like to go on the trip and they made the necessary arrangements with Father Landry.

Filled with anticipation for the papal trip, Amaral settled at home that night in front of a statue of St. Anthony; a pamphlet for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, on which he regularly meditated; and a photo of the late Pope John Paul II, to whom he often prayed for intercession in his life.

"My wife and son had gone out to see a movie, and I remember the Bruins weren't playing that night," Amaral said. "So I turned the TV on to EWTN and they were playing the movie 'Witness to Hope,' about John Paul II. I always believed what Pope John Paul said about divine providence and I can remember him saying: 'Be not afraid. Don't be afraid of what you need to do.' That hit home with me."

Amaral felt a pervasive sense of peace over the next few days. Then on the following Wednesday at just about 3 p.m. - the hour of mercy - as he was beginning to pray his daily Divine Mercy Chaplet, he once again looked over at the photo of Pope John Paul II and felt the irresistible urge to stand up and walk.

"I just got up," he said. "I didn't hear any voices or anything - I just got up and started walking. The more I kept walking, the more this exuberance came over me. There were a couple of times before where I could walk for a short period and then it would go away. But I knew this time it was different. Those times before my legs were shaking, and I didn't feel that this time. The more I walked, the stronger I felt."

Amaral's wife, Ann Marie, said she was initially stunned and then thrilled when she first learned about his miraculous cure, although she remained concerned about a potential relapse.

"I had seen him stand and walk before, but it never lasted long," she said. "He would walk a little bit and then five minutes later he'd be disappointed. So I was wondering if this was another situation where he'd be back in his wheelchair. Of course I was happy, but I was also worried for him and didn't want him to be disappointed again."

But Amaral was never concerned about his cure being either temporary or permanent - either way, it was God's will.

"I wasn't afraid, because I think I had finally accepted it," Amaral said. "Even right now, if something were to happen and I couldn't walk again, I'd say 'OK, that's how it is.' I accept whatever God gives me."

After telling other family members and friends about his miraculous cure, Amaral walked into church on February 2 to share his good news with his pastor, Father Landry, who immediately asked him to write about his experience.

"As I was taking off my vestments after Mass, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Jose walk erect into the sacristy and stand before me with a smile broader than the Braga Bridge," Father Landry said. "He told me the story of how the Lord - through, he believes, the intercession of Pope John Paul II - healed him. I then asked him to write the story up so that I could share it with his fellow parishioners as well as send it to the postulator of Pope John Paul's cause in Rome."

Two weeks later, Amaral walked into his doctor's office and left him speechless for five minutes. After examining his patient, the doctor was baffled, noting although he still exhibited symptoms of his disease - numbness in his legs, pain in his neck - he could offer no medical explanation as to why Amaral was able to walk.

Amaral's miraculous recovery and, more specifically, the prayerful intercession of Pope John Paul II also caught the attention of the ABC News show "20/20," which is devoting a segment of its upcoming April 2 Good Friday special "Becoming a Saint" to telling his story.

The hour-long special, hosted by Elizabeth Vargas, will also focus on the recent canonization of St. Damien of Molokai and delve into the eventual canonization of Servant of God Father Emil J. Kapaun.

According to Richard Gerdau, segment producer for "20/20," they first heard about Jose Amaral's miraculous recovery through a newspaper article and felt it was a compelling story that needed to be told.

"We saw some polling data that suggested about 80 percent of Americans believe in miracles," Gerdau said. "The whole show is centered around ordinary Americans of diverse backgrounds who have all experienced miracles."

"My understanding is there's 250 miracles now being considered in Pope John Paul II's cause for canonization," Amaral said. "No one has contacted me from the Vatican and I think they're looking at many different cases. Are they going to use me as one of the examples to make John Paul II a saint? I don't know. But I know I'm one of 250 being considered."

While he believes the intercession of Pope John Paul II was the catalyst for his miraculous healing, Amaral also stresses that it was through his healing in the confessional that his physical cure was made possible.

"To me, this was more of an inner miracle," he said. "You first cleanse yourself inside and it goes back to the confessional. I never prayed for the strength to walk so I could have a good job. I always strived to increase my faith, hope and charity so I could become a better husband, son, and neighbor - in essence, a better Catholic."

Now more than two years after experiencing the inexplicable, Amaral admits he often feels more pain than he did before, but it's all worth it because he's now able to walk and do so much more. He's an active member of the parish Knights of Columbus council, he volunteers for the weekly food pantry and soup kitchen effort at St. Anthony's, and he's also involved with the Men of the Sacred Heart and the Legion of Mary.

"I help out wherever God leads me," he said. "I believe going to confession was a key to my spiritual healing which then led to my physical healing. I believe God's message to all of us is this: pick up your cross and accept God's will for your life - whatever that may be - and only then will you experience the peace that surpasses any understanding."

The Lord's Healing Power
Fr. Roger J. Landry
The Anchor
Putting Into the Deep
February 29, 2008

The Lord worked many miracles of healing in the Gospel. He did them as a response to faith and in order to buttress others' faith in him, in his words, and in his saving deeds.

One miracle with a particular Lenten theme took place in a packed house in Capernaum. A paralyzed man on a stretcher was brought by four of his friends to Jesus. Finding no way to get into the house, they climbed up on the roof, opened it, and lowered their friend in the midst of the crowd before Jesus. It was obvious to everyone why the paralyzed man and his faith-filled friends were there, to ask Jesus to cure the paralysis. But Jesus had an even greater and more important healing in mind. "Child," he said, "your sins are forgiven."

After many of the scribes began to murmur that Jesus was blaspheming, since only God has the power to forgive sins, Jesus, in order to show his identity and power to forgive sins, said to the paralyzed man, "Rise, pick up your mat, and go home." He got up, lifted his stretcher, and walked out the door, to the total astonishment of the crowd (Mk 2:1-12).

That miracle came to life in an overwhelming way about a month ago, when the Lord miraculously healed one of my parishioners, Jose Amaral, 47, of the various ailments that for years have rendered him crippled.

Joe has long been well-known and loved by the members of my parish, who have found it impossible not to notice and admire his deep faith. Since St. Anthony's presently has no handicapped access, Joe has had to leave his wheelchair in his van and use forearm crutches to get up the stairs into the Church as well as to come down the long aisles of the Church, dragging his feet behind, to receive Holy Communion. But he has always done so without self-pity or complaint because, he said, God and the beauty of St. Anthony's were worth the extra effort.

On the feast of the Presentation, as I was taking off my vestments after Mass, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Joe walk erect into the sacristy and stand before me with a smile broader than the Braga Bridge. He told me the story of how the Lord - through, he believes, the intercession of Pope John Paul II -healed him. I then asked him to write the story up so that I could share it with his fellow parishioners as well as send it to the postulator of Pope John Paul's cause in Rome. Here's some of what he wrote:

When I was 19, in 1979, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, which has since then been a source of great discomfort and pain. I also have had for years arthritis all over. In February 2003, things got worse. I collapsed at work and was diagnosed with Cervical Myelopathy, which is a stroke of the spine. The neurologist and neurosurgeon both said that there was considerable nerve damage. Throughout the past five years, I've gotten progressively worse and have had to have five surgeries on account of these conditions.

"On Saturday, January 26, I prayed over the entry in the booklet 'My Meditation on the Gospel.' It concerned the passages in Mark 2:1-12 and Lk 5:17-26 when Jesus cured the paralytic. You remember the story: Jesus first healed the paralyzed man of his sins and then cured him of his physical paralysis.

"That afternoon I went to confession so that Jesus could heal me of my sins. Something happened during that confession that I cannot explain, but I felt different...

"Later that night I was sitting in my chair at home and meditating on the experience in the confessional. I looked over to the picture that I have of the late great Pope John Paul II, and I asked him to help me to understand God's will and plans for me. After I had said this prayer, I turned on the television to EWTN and what was on but the movie 'Witness to Hope,' the visual biography of ... Pope John Paul II. That is when something came over me that is very difficult to explain. I just kept remembering the late Pope's words, 'Be not afraid!'

"Sunday through Wednesday I felt different. I was very calm and began to walk a little better with my forearm crutches, but I didn't say much about it to anyone. On Wednesday afternoon about 3, I was praying the chaplet of divine mercy, and I looked over at Pope John Paul II's picture. I decided to get up and try to walk around without my crutches. I was able to do it, for the first time in years! I have not felt this good since 1979. ... Every day I feel stronger and I am standing the straightest I've ever stood in 28 years. Thanks be to God!"

Joe says that he believes there is no coincidence that the miracle seemed to begin in the confessional and finish with the chaplet of divine mercy, for he is convinced that the greater healing he received, like the paralytic in the Gospel, was the healing of his soul. He believes that the astounding cure of his condition is meant to be a sign to people in 2008 of the Lord's power and desire to heal us above all of our sins.

He also believes that Pope John Paul's intercession was linked to this greater experience of the Lord's mercy. He notes that the late Pope several times wrote about the importance of confession, showed it by hearing confessions in St. Peter's, and promoted it through inaugurating Divine Mercy Sunday. He also says the healing warmth began to be felt in the confessional as he discussed with his confessor the inspiring example and intercession of the late pope.

Last week, Joe met with his doctor, who was totally astounded, as were the members of his staff. Dr. Conroy told him that there is simply no medical explanation whatsoever for how Joe is walking again or how his various other conditions, like his severe Carpal Tunnel syndrome, seem to have totally disappeared as well.

The age of miracles, in response to faith and to buttress faith, is obviously not over. The greatest and most common of all occurs in the confessional.