We Never Know 'Who' We Could Be In The Presence Of written by: Kallah Michael Joseph

I would like to share with you a very special experience I had years ago. My late husband, Joseph, was very interested in the Civil War. He studied and visited many battlegrounds. He asked me one day if I would join him on a trip to Virginia to visit a battleground there. It was about three hours away.

After traveling a few hours, the car I was driving suddenly lost power. I was unable to pull off the road before it completely stopped. Within a a few minutes a car came and stopped behind our car. Out stepped a very tall, handsome man, a Virginia State Trooper. He came and asked what seemed to be the problem. When I told him I did not know why there was no power, he said he could help. He went to his car and got a set of jumper cables and got the car running again. He told me to drive down the road for a mile or so and take the first exit on the left. There was a big garage there and someone who could help with the problem.

We did so and within an hour the car was fixed and we were on our way. I said to Joe, “I think the trooper was St. Michael!” Joe asked why and I said before we left home I quietly asked St. Michael to protect us and help us have a good trip. That was all I said in my brief prayer!

Sometime after that, I was on a bus trip with Eesha and our group traveling to Marian Apparition Shrines all over Europe. Our first stop was in Belgium at Our Lady of Beauraing. After an afternoon service, Sr. Jerome and I went for a walk around the grounds. We came to a very small chapel-a St. Michael’s Chapel that had 24-hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Inside were only a few benches and an altar on which rested the Holy Monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. Above the altar was a painting on the wall of St. Michael. When I saw the painting I nearly lost it. The face was the same face as the Virginia State trooper! I explained to Sr. Jerome my excitement and took many pictures. When I came home I told Joe what I had seen. He told me to show him the pictures when developed as he remembered him well! When he did see the pictures, he said, “Yes, that’s the same man!”

It was not long after that I went up to The Place on a Sunday afternoon. I was in the kitchen talking to Br. EJ and telling him my experience with the Virginia State Trooper. I showed him the picture I took in Belgium.

At that very same time Sr. Francis came in after a trip to Maryland. She was very excited as she told us on her way she was stopped by a state trooper for speeding. She said he was very kind and nice and just told her to slow down and be careful. Then she looked over my shoulder and saw the picture I was showing Br. EJ. She gasped and ran out of the room!

In a few minutes she returned with the same picture she had taken in Belgium of St. Michael. She said it was the same state trooper who stopped her for speeding. Yes, it was the same man!!!

Wow! We never know 'Who' we could be in the presence of and how my brief prayer could be heard and answered in such a beautiful and helpful way.

Thank you, St. Michael!