THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD
At the end of the day, Ahmad looked at me and said: “You know, I feel peace with you.”
I said: “I did not even talk to you. You don’t even know me, how did you feel peace with me?”
He said: “I don’t know, but I feel peace with you.”
Then, Ahmad opened his heart and told me about an amazing experience he had had 3 years ago. He said, “I was working on the Bobcat removing rubbles. I noticed a book over there. So, I turned off the Bobcat and walked towards the rubbles. I took the book in my hand, removed the dust and opened it. When I read a passage, I felt a power entered into my body. Since then, I have been liberated from a vice I had been struggling with.”
I said: “Wow, what is that book?”
He said: “The Bible.”
I said: “OK, I have a Bible in my car. Would you like to read a passage from it?”
He said: “Yes, sure.”
I said: “OK, take the book. Pray first. Then, open it and the passage that comes I will read it for you.”
Ahmad took the Bible, prayed and opened the Gospel on the second letter to the Corinthians 5:17-19.
I read: “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
I was reading this passage, and Ahmad began to cry. He sobbed. Then, he spontaneously confessed all the sins he had done in his life. I left this man purified from his old sins and I went back to my church.
That was the first day.
THE POWER OF CONFESSION
On Thursday March 8, 2007, I took Ahmad from his apartment to the Shrine project. He was in complete silence. He couldn’t work a lot because the Bobcat had a few problems.
Ahmad approached me saying: “Father, I’ve been struggling for two hours wondering whether I should tell you something or not.”
I said: “What’s up Ahmad?”
He said: “When you left me yesterday, I thought about the things I confessed to you. Then, a man shining with great light came to me in a dream.”
I said: “A man? Shining with great light? Who was that man?”
He said: “I don’t know who he was. I couldn’t look into his face because of the great light. But I saw his sandals. They were honey colored, with a strap. When he put his foot on the edge of my bed, I felt I couldn’t move.”
I said: “You couldn’t move? Was that a nightmare?”
He said: “No. It was the most beautiful night in my life. There was great peace. His voice was like thunder. His voice was like echo. His voice was like a light murmuring sound.”
In my mind I said: “Wow, these are Biblical expressions: The thunder, the echo, the light murmuring sound. That’s how the prophets experienced the presence of God. This man is speaking theology.”
So, I understood that the Lord came into his dream but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t tell him who was that man. But I asked him: “What did he tell you.”
Ahmad said: “He asked me a question. He said: ‘Why did you open your heart?’ I replied: ‘Because I felt peace with him.’ He said: “Those sins you confessed do not mention them to anyone. Stay with him and do whatever he tells you.”
At the end, the man shining with great light warned Ahmad saying: “Do not argue with him.”
I said: “Ahmad, tonight we have an Evangelical Evening in the town. Would you like to come with me?”
He said: “Yes, sure.”
So, we went together to an evangelical evening. There, each Christian would tell what Christ was doing in his/her life. Then, Ahmad began to argue.
He said: “Why do you talk much about Jesus rather than God?”
I said: “Ahmad, do not argue. Take the Bible and let God answer your question.”
Ahmad took the Bible and opened it. The passage that comes was John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
That means Jesus is divine.
Ahmad was shocked and said: “From now on, I want to place Christ as a priority in my life.”
That was the second day.
THE POWER OF THE EUCHARIST
On Friday March 9, 2007, Ahmad worked the whole day in the Shrine project. At the end of the day, I asked him: “Have you ever seen Christ’s movie?”
“No” he said.
“Would you like to see it?”
He said: “Yes, of course”.
So, we went together to a big hall with a big screen and showed him “the Passion of the Christ” movie, the one of Mel Gibson. Suddenly, the scene of Jesus in the garden of olives crushing the serpent’s head captivated him. So, he cried in a loud voice: “Stop it. Stop it. Rewind it. Rewind it. I want to see.”
I said: “What do you want to see?”
He said: “I want to see the sandals.”
So, I rewind it and made a pause.
He said: “This is the sandal I saw in my dream. It is honey colored. It has a strap.”
Ahmad understood that Jesus was the one who came into his dream on March 7. Now, of course, Mel Gibson did not choose the same sandals Jesus wore two thousand years ago. But Christ chose this image to reveal himself to the Muslim man.
At the end of the movie Ahmad said: “This is the Truth and the whole world must know it.”
After watching the movie, I had an idea to take Ahmad to the chapel. I said in my mind: “I won’t tell him what’s in the chapel. I won’t tell him about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.”
I was sure that Jesus in the Eucharist will touch the heart of those who seek the Truth with a sincere heart.
So, I asked Ahmad: “Would you like to stop in this place before we go to the apartment?”
He said: “Yes.”
So, we entered the chapel and sat down in silence in front of the Tabernacle.
Suddenly, Ahmad took my right hand and put it on his heart. His heart was beating so fast. I was afraid this man was going to die in front of me.
I asked: “What’s going on with you?”
He said: “From the moment I entered this place, I felt great exhilaration and as if someone is putting his hand on my shoulder.”
I said: “Pray. Pray”
Then, he grabbed me and said: “Did you see what I just saw?”
I said: “What did you see?”
He said: “I’ll tell you later.”
I said: “OK, now ask whatever you want in prayer and God will give it to you.”
He prayed. Then, we left the chapel.
On our way back to the apartment, I asked: “Ahmad, what did you see in that place?”
He said: “I saw a light coming out of that box (the Tabernacle). It moved left then right and then it entered into my heart.”
Now, in my mind I said: “Why did the light go left then right. I doesn’t make sense.”
I asked: “Ahmad, do you know where I had taken you?”
He said: “No. A holy place? From the moment I entered that place (the chapel), I felt that the Principle of everything was there.”
Wow, this is Theology. The Pope, after two days of this experience with Ahmad, issued Sacramentum Caritatis talking about the Eucharist as the summit of everything in Christianity.
I said: “Yes, the Principle of everything was there.”
Then, I explained to him the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples and how he gave us his Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins and for eternal life and how He is Present in the Eucharist.
He said: “Does that mean Christ was there?”
I said: “Yes.”
He said: “Oh my God, from the moment I came to this town and my life is changing through you.”
I said: “Be not afraid. God is revealing Himself to you.”
“Good night.”
“Good night.”
That was the third day.
AHMAD’S PROFESSION OF FAITH
On the fifth day, Sunday March 11, 2007, we went to the Shrine project. We sat down in the place where later on a Shrine for Our Lady would be built. We had this conversation.
Ahmad said: “Father Antonio, there is a clue that you did not give to me.”
I said: “Ahmad, this clue I know but I won’t give to you. You have to discover it by yourself.”
Then, I told him the story of a Muslim woman whom I met in the US, encountered Jesus and made her decision to get baptized. After she was baptized, she went to her parent’s house. She couldn’t sleep because of a dark presence roaming in the house. So, she went from one room to another making the sign of the cross saying, ‘In the name of Christ get out of here.’
When I made the sign of the cross, Ahmad interrupted me saying: “How is that? Make this sign one more time.”
I said: “Like this” (making the sign of the cross).
He said: “This is the sign I saw on Friday night in the Chapel. The light came out of that box (the Tabernacle) in the form of a cross and entered into my heart. The light went left then right then right straight into my heart.”
Wow, now it makes sense.
I said: “Ahmad, you’ve been here in this town for 5 days and Jesus Christ is intervening so powerfully in your life. Who do you say Jesus Christ is?”
Ahmad looked into the sky and said: “I considered him a prophet, but now, I consider him the Lord of Heaven and Earth.”
Ahmad said this in the Shrine I was building.
(In Part 3, I will tell of Ahmad’s journey)
