At about this time last year, you revealed that you had a parathyroid tumor. How was that treated, and how is your health now?
I probably went to physicians in my area 11 times for different physicals. They did all kinds of tests. They kept diagnosing pneumonia, virus this and that, and I just didn’t get better. So I went to the Mayo Clinic and had exhaustive testing, and they did diagnose a parathyroid tumor.
As it turns out, it seems that was false. What it ended up being, of all things … [was] two things: chronic sleep deprivation and acute vitamin D deficiency — which, by the way, is an epidemic in northern climates. Most physicians still don’t know about it and still don’t routinely test for it. You wouldn’t believe how sick it can make you. The normal way to get it is sunlight. UVB rays stimulate your skin to synthesize what they call vitamin D.
Living in a northern climate, we have hardly any sun for six months. I have to take supplements, which they gave me in massive doses, and got my levels up. I’ve got the sleep deprivation pretty well under control, which made me feel incredibly better within about a month.
Did you learn anything new about suffering through this sickness?
Yes. I can still hear my grandmother’s voice saying, “Offer it up, Johnny.” And that was kind of standard teaching in those days.
The teaching hasn’t changed, but I think in many cases it hasn’t been presented to succeeding generations, and it really is at the very heart of the faith. …
One of the things I learned was my incredible weakness. I’ve always told people this: Don’t think I’m any better at this than you are. I may know the theology and I desire to be pleasing to God … but it’s not easy. It’s much easier to talk about it, but when you’re in the midst of it — when your spouse dies, when a child dies, when you get cancer, when you lose your job in the worst economy in memory, when financial difficulties close in on you — it’s easy for preachers to talk, but it’s another thing to live through the pain of the moment.
In August you will be preaching in Buffalo with what you say is one of your most powerful presentations ever on the person and power of the Holy Spirit. What makes it so powerful?
Especially in these times, I felt that people not only need education in the faith — we’ve always tried to do that — but they also need inspiration.
I find that there is a lot of — I don’t want to call it quite hopelessness — but there’s a lot of distress out there around our country and around the world.
The remedy is the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit we have been given is no cowardly Spirit. He’s the Lord and giver of life. What I want to do is take a synthesis of the Church teaching on the third person of the blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit; I want to incorporate that into the present moment.
It’s going to be very, very relevant. It’s going to concern things that are going on today in our country. I’m going to incorporate some of the Church’s social teachings into this conference, especially components of it that deal with economic things, the danger of socialism. … I’m really looking forward to being with the people again. I’ve missed them.
I’ve heard you say that when you first were ordained many fellow priests told you that you couldn’t preach the way you do, “hitting people between the eyes with the word of God.” Yet, you pack auditoriums and receive mailbags full of letters. Why has your bare-bones, hard-hitting way been so successful?
From before I was ordained, I knew I was called to preach. My superiors confirmed that. It’s basically the only thing I’ve ever done. … If I wanted to tone it down, dull the edge of the sword, I couldn’t if I wanted to.
From the very beginning, in general, I’ve had a great, great reception and response from the good Catholic people. I know there are some who, of course, are on the other side of things, and they hate me as much as the good folks love me. I’ve never been so conscious of being loved or hated as since I’ve been a priest.
You know, I think that’s what the truth does. If you present the truth clearly, unambiguously, it will elicit radical responses one way or the other.
A great passage from the Gospels is where Jesus said, “You think I’ve come to bring peace? I have not come to bring peace, but division that will separate a house of five, three against two and two against three.” People will probably scratch their heads reading that, but it’s the truth. What does it mean? What brings division? Truth. …
Those who are ill disposed, those who are confirmed in sin, they react negatively. They’ll behave violently. Those who are well-disposed will react positively. And so that’s why it elicits such strong emotions. I’ve had death threats multiple times over the years — many times.
People can’t understand: “Why do you have security at events?” Well, the FBI told me I better take it seriously, because they do. And it’s because of the truth.
(source of image)
Fr. Corapi's website. For more information about his talk in Buffalo on August 15. He is a favorite of my mother and her friends, and they are planning to attend.
Fr. Corapi's Conversion Story - Condensed Version
Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT)
SOLT Ministries
No comments:
Post a Comment