Friend In A Coma

A Prayer Request, And Evidence Of Spiritual Consciousness Among The Comatose

Kevin Becker, back from the almost-dead, thanks to a miracle

I had not intended to write today, because it’s Saturday, but there is news. Yesterday came the shocking information that a friend abroad I will call “Alexander” had a heart attack, is in a coma, and is not expected to survive. I write you this to ask — to beg, really — your prayers. Here’s why.

Alexander is not a religious believer. I have been praying for his healing and restoration, but even more than that, for his salvation. Even though he is in a coma, I have hope for him, and I’ll tell you why. Here is a passage from my forthcoming book Living In Wonder, which I hope you will pre-order:

One of the posthumous miracles accepted as valid by the Catholic Church for the canonization of Padre Pio was a healing in the year 2000 of a seven-year-old Italian boy on the verge of dying from a disease with a 100 percent mortality rate. Padre Pio, accompanied by angels, appeared to him while he was in a coma, and told the child he would be healed. And, inexplicably to medical science, he was.

Something similar happened to Kevin Becker, a gregarious young American I met at a church conference in 2019. As a college student eight years earlier, Becker fell out of the second-floor window of his house, landed on his head, and was expected to die. Doctors said in the event that he survived, Becker, an avid soccer player, would likely be severely disabled for the rest of his life.

As Becker lay in the hospital in a coma, hovering between life and death, his devoutly Catholic family and their prayer network kept vigil. A relative suggested that they all add to their prayer an appeal to Pier Giorgio Frassati, asking him to pray for a miraculous healing. Someone sent a prayer card image of the Blessed Pier Giorgio, which Kevin’s mother placed at his hospital bedside.

Pier Giorgio Frassati, a beatified (one step below canonization) Italian, was born to a well-to-do- Turin family in 1901. Despite his privilege, the charismatic Frassati, an avid athlete, became a crusader for the social justice. When he died of polio at age 24, thousands of Turin’s poor turned out on the streets to salute his funeral cortege as it passed. In 1990, after results of a stringent investigation of a claimed healing through Frassati’s heavenly intercession validated a miracle, Pope John Paul II beatified the young man, granting him the honorific “Blessed.”

Only one more miracle was needed to win official sainthood for the Blessed Pier Giorgio. This is why one of the Becker clan convinced the family to appeal to Pier Giorgio for help.

Kevin Becker rose out of his coma, swiftly recovered, and walked out of the hospital a few days later, tossing a football in the parking lot with his brother as their father packed the minivan.

His healing was utterly shocking to his doctors.

Shortly after his recovery, Becker confided to his mother that an “angel” kept him company during his coma. He explained that while he was under, he sensed that he awakened in his bedroom back at the college house. He saw a stranger, a young man, standing there.

“Who are you?” Becker asked.

“I’m your new roommate,” the man said, then introduced himself as Giorgio.

For the next few days, Kevin and Giorgio worked on straightening up his room. Every time Kevin would try to leave, Giorgio would stop him, telling him he wasn’t ready to go out yet.

After hearing this tale, Kevin’s mother showed him the prayer card with the photo of the Blessed Pier Giorgio, the one that had sat by his hospital bed.

“That’s him! That’s the guy!” said Kevin, who had never before seen or heard of Pier Giorgio Frassati.

I heard this story from Kevin Becker himself at a church in Austria. You would never know that he had had a sick day in his life. As of this writing, the Vatican is investigating Kevin’s case. If the Church accepts it as miraculous, the healing of Kevin Becker will be the miracle that causes the Pope to raise Pier Giorgio Frassati to the rank of canonized saints.

“You hear about miracles your whole life. And you’ve heard about this miracle, and you read about the miracles in the Bible, and you hear about the miracles all over the world,” said Geralyn Becker, Kevin’s aunt, in video testimony. “What a blessing to witness one first hand, and to be able to talk about it.”

I believe that it is possible that Jesus Christ, or one of His emissaries, can appear to Alexander while he is in a coma, and preach the Gospel to him. I also believe that Alexander is much more open to it now than in his normal life, for obvious reasons.

Our God is so merciful! He sent Pier Giorgio Frassati to comatose Kevin Becker. He sent Padre Pio to that boy, Matteo Pio Colella, who was also comatose. I hope and pray that God will heal Alexander fully from his injuries, but if not, I hope and pray that He will appear to Alexander in this liminal state, and offer Alexander mercy.

One of my favorite parts of Dante’s Commedia is Canto III of Purgatorio. In this canto, Dante and Virgil meet the Contumacious — sinners who were late to repent. Recall that in the scheme of the Commedia, the souls in Purgatory are those who have been saved by God’s mercy, but who are not yet spiritually strong enough to bear the intense light of God’s glory. They are saved, but still have to endure some purification to be able to bear the weight of glory in Paradise. I wrote once about this part of the Purgatorio:

Note that the Contumacious move very, very slowly. This reflects their spiritual condition. Because they were so late to repent, they lack the spiritual strength to ascending the mountain of purification. Here they must wait to be restored enough to begin their climb. We learn that the prayers of the living back on Earth can help them regain their spiritual strength, and progress onward. This reveals to us the connection between the living and the dead (though not the damned) in the cosmic harmony.

One of the Contumacious is Manfred, an actual historical personage who was the son of Frederick II. He had run afoul of the Pope, and had been excommunicated. He died on the field of battle:

As I lay there, my body torn by these

two mortal wounds, weeping, I gave my soul

to Him Who grants forgiveness willingly.

Horrible was the nature of my sins,

but boundless mercy stretches out its arms

to any man who comes in search of it…

And:

The church’s curse is not the final word,

for Everlasting Love may still return,

if hope reveals the slightest hint of green.

When I first read those lines, coming so soon after the grim horror of the Inferno, I very nearly was moved to tears. This is Dante saying that God’s mercy is so overwhelming that He will overrule His own church’s authorities for the sake of saving a repentant sinner — a sinner who, with his dying breath, has the humility to ask for mercy. Manfred tells us that there is no sin, no matter how horrible, that God will not forgive.

But you have to humble yourself to ask.

I know, it’s a poem. It’s fiction. But I believe it expresses something true about the economy of salvation. It is possible to hope that Alexander is conscious at some level of his existence, as both Kevin Becker and Matteo Pio Colella were, despite their comas. And that Alexander, like those two others, can communicate with God and the communion of saints. So I ask you all to please join me in praying for Alexander’s healing, and even more, for his salvation. As I said, he is not expected to live, but his heart still beats as I write this. There is hope — a slender green reed of hope that might become the rope that lifts this child of God out of the pit.

By the way, if you want to experience some hope today, here’s a 30-minute documentary made about Kevin Becker’s miracle:

Free Speech In The Capital Of The European Union

Next week I’ll be speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Brussels. Quite a line-up:

At the very last minute, the venue that was to host the event cancelled it, under pressure from the Socialist mayor of Brussels. This was a nakedly political move. From the Telegraph:

A conservative conference in Brussels hosting Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman has been forced to relocate at the 11th hour after claims of “political pressure” from the local Left-wing mayor, its organisers have said.

The National Conservatism (NatCon) gathering was due to be held at the Concert Noble next week, with speakers also including Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe.

But Yoram Hazony, the conference chairman, said his team had been told by the venue that it had to pull the event amid “political pressure” from Philippe Close, the Socialist Party mayor of Brussels.

The conference has now been moved to a smaller forum on the outskirts of the city, outside the jurisdiction of Mr Close.

Mr Hazony, who chairs the Edmund Burke Foundation, the organisation behind NatCon, claimed people within the municipality had been putting pressure on the venue “to try to prevent a conservative conference from taking place”.

He said a representative for the venue’s administrator had told the NatCon team “they were under pressure from the mayor’s office”.

He added: “He said it was political pressure, that they don’t want this event in their city. We received very clear, repeated statements by the venue that they were under pressure and they would not be able to comply with our basic needs. And for that reason, we had to call it off a few days before the event.”

Will this even be reported in the US media? If not, well, you’re hearing it from me. This is how little regard for freedom of speech and freedom of thought exists in some precincts of the European Union — including its capital city. The mayor of Brussels treats his city like a college campus.

This same mayor, Philippe Close, gave an interview in which he was asked about the rise of Islamic radicalism in his city. Know what he said in response? “But do you think Catholic fundamentalism is on the wane? Not at all.”

Ah yes, the fundamentalist Catholics menacing Brussels. Brussels is 33 percent Catholic and 29 percent Islamic. According to 2023 statistics provided by the Catholic Church in Belgium, Catholicism is in steep decline there. But yes, please Mr. Mayor, tell us all about the threat from “Catholic fundamentalism”.

Google “terrorist attack” and “Brussels,” and you’ll see the truth about what life is like in that Islamizing city. Just five weeks ago, Belgian police arrested four jihadist teenagers and charged them with planning a terror attack in Brussels. The threat alert in Brussels remains at three out of four. It’s not because of Catholics, you may be certain.

I’m not sure now where NatCon 2 will be, but I know that the show will go on. This cancellation by the Socialist mayor, who was egged on by Antifa, makes it all the more important for us to show up and speak our minds. I believe this move by the Mayor will galvanize us, and make it even more clear to conservative voters across Europe why it is imperative that they vote against the Left in the coming European parliamentary elections.

You know where they don’t cancel political gatherings of opponents of the government? Hungary. That sh*t is what the Left does. You won’t read that in The New York Times or the Washington Post, or see it on the TV news in America. But it’s true. Don’t forget it.

The Pro-Choice Greek Archbishop Of America

Archbishop Elpidophoros considers the Theotokos to be a pro-choice model

I learned only yesterday that Archbishop Elpidophoros, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the US, is pro-choice. Lots of interesting stuff in this 2022 interview. Excerpts:

Q: The Greek Prime Minister has pledged to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you agree with him?

A: Mr. Mitsos, let me quote the scriptural “Render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar.” The Prime Minister has the knowledge and discernment to make decisions in a way that serves the Greek people in its entirety. The Church, of course, will express the faith, conviction, and tradition that it has expressed and practiced for ages.

The issue, you know, is not that the Church understands things differently to the state or a section of the population. The issue lies in the process and reasoning whereby the Church deliberates and decides. As hierarchs today, we cannot groundlessly insist on things, expressing opinions or issuing decisions without any explanation. In today’s world, it is not enough to publish public “affirmations” or “statements” regarding the teaching of the Gospel, while ignoring the severe criticism from those who disagree or seek to hold a conversation with us. Dialogue with other points of view has always helped the Church to deepen its understanding of the Gospel’s teaching, while at the same time compelling it to speak the language of every generation and avoiding marginalization. As our Patriarch said recently: “In authentic dialogue, there are no losers.”

In fact, I would add that, today, we theologians cannot support our views by looking to the past alone, however sacred and mighty it may be. We should also respect contemporary developments in science, medicine, and psychology. And it is a great blessing and a great advantage that experienced clergy-physicians and theologian-psychologists serve the Church today.

Wow, I guess we Orthodox have Jesuits after all. “Dialogue” my foot! We all know that’s the trap laid by those who want to change church teaching. More:

Q: Six out of 10 American women now live in states hostile to abortion. Georgia Meloni, who will take over as prime minister in Italy, is against abortion. The Holy Synod of Greece recently circulated a statement against abortion that was read aloud in churches. What is your position?

A: My position is clear, and I expressed it in an address earlier this year. I unambiguously maintain the position of our Church, which believes in the sanctity of human life, born and unborn. Abortion has been in existence for millennia, and the church has never endorsed it. At the same time, however, we also believe in the fundamental freedom of every human person. As a general rule, women bear the full burden in giving birth and raising their children, while men, otherwise directly involved in the pregnancy, do not bear the same burden. Therefore, we must support women’s right to make reproductive decisions of their own free will, while at the same time—as Church and society—adopting every action and ensuring every provision that would render abortion unnecessary and supporting a woman to choose the birth of her child.

We support safe and effective birth control, which has been practiced in diverse ways since time immemorial. What we should strive to avoid is reducing women to mere “child-bearers,” as if this were their sole purpose in life. Let us remember that the Theotokos—who, as her title signifies, is the ultimate example and model of what it means to be a “bearer of God”—willingly and freely consented to receive the “incarnate” God in her sacred womb. She exercised her freedom when she said to the Archangel Gabriel, “Behold the servant of the Lord, let it be according to your will.” In other words, she did exactly the opposite of Eve, who—while also exercising her free will—refused to obey the divine will and violated the commandment. This is why the Church Fathers refer to the Theotokos as the “second Eve.”

In America, the issue of abortion has been completely politicized. It has reached the point where many consider the sole criterion for a politician’s election to be whether or not they are in favor of abortion. When addressing religious constituencies in particular, some political platforms argue that it is inconceivable for a proper Christian to vote for a politician who supports the right of a woman to a legal abortion, even if this ensures her health and her life. It is as if the only qualification for being a good Christian or a good politician depends on one’s stance on the issue of abortion. All other principles and doctrines of Christianity do not matter; you can be a crook, a liar, a swindler, a warmonger, violent, or a misogynist, but if you are against abortion, then you are a politician suitable enough for “pious people” to support.

This politicization of Christian principles disturbs me because we must not allow the teaching of the Gospel to be instrumentalized for secular and political purposes.

The Holy Virgin Mary as a pro-choice icon. Words fail.

I must have known about Elpidophoros’s views before, because I seem to recall reading about his controversial remarks at the 2022 March For Life. But I guess I had forgotten. Some pro-life Orthodox Christians let him have it, though, after his weasel words at the march. Four other Orthodox hierarchs in the US also blasted him.

The liberal Elpidophoros — and he is certainly a liberal, and was praised as such by the exceedingly petty liberal religion columnist Mark Silk — is considered by many to be the leading candidate to succeed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Silk sees Elpidophoros as in the same liberal mode as Pope Francis. Maybe so. Non-Orthodox should know, though, that Orthodox ecclesiology is unlike Catholic ecclesiology. We have no pope, and no figure who can change teaching or practice as the Roman pontiff can in his church. Archbishop Elpidophoros speaks only for himself.

Nevertheless, it is useful to know that the senior Greek hierarch in the US, and the leading candidate to assume the patriarchal throne in Constantinople, is an ally of Western liberalism. This kind of thing is why so many Orthodox who do not at all support the Russian church’s stance on the Ukraine war nevertheless view the Ecumenical Patriarchate with suspicion.

Don’t forget to pray for Rod’s friend “Alexander”!