Very few people can live in isolation. We generally do better when we have people around to talk to, share stories with, and support us. I feel this is especially true when it comes to faith and religion. Here, I will attempt to share my thoughts and reflect on my spiritual journey -- I know this will further strengthen my faith, and I hope this will positively influence yours as well.  - CradleCatholic2.0

Miracles Do Happen

by CradleCatholic2.0

January 15, 2009 was truly an amazing day. I remember it so clearly because I had returned home from a trip to New York City just several days before. It was the day when all 155 passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 escaped death by landing on the Hudson River in New York. The pilot wrote a book, which was recently made into a movie called “Sully.”

If you haven’t seen it, I’d highly recommend watching it. Although we all know the happy ending, it was still very interesting to watch the miracle unfold on the big screen and to learn the details of how the pilots pulled it off. I cannot imagine how scary this was for the people on the plane. Everything happened so flawlessly during the most crucial minutes; even one mistake could have resulted in a tragedy. So, with such a perfect outcome, I was quite surprised that people’s faith in God wasn’t a bigger theme in this near-death experience. Perhaps the screenwriter and the director chose to leave that to our own imagination. Regardless, I did walk away from this movie with this incredible feeling that God is so good!

For a different perspective, I am looking forward to reading “Flight of Faith: My Miracle on the Hudson” by Frederick Berretta. The synopsis of the book reveals that the author struggled with his faith growing up but eventually returned to the Church by the grace of God. As the plane was going down, he knew he had to pray, and this was his prayer: “God, please be merciful to us, for the sake of your Son. Please spare us. I trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you. Mother of God, please pray for us.”

May God strengthen our faith, so that we will remember to rely on Him in any situation. Amen.