Waiting for a Miracle: A Letter to Saint Jude and a Match Made in Heaven
Waiting for a Miracle: A Letter to Saint Jude and a Match Made in Heaven
By Gabriela Flores
At age 37, I asked God for something that seemed impossible to me: to meet a single man, open to marriage and children, who welcomed my faith, my intensity, and my passion for life.
This is the story of how God answered my prayer, and had always planned to answer it. Indeed, God’s timing is perfect. In our waiting, God purifies our heart’s desire and allows us to prepare for the gift He so wants to give.
Two years ago, I was in a relationship with a good man. Yet in my heart, I heard God’s message: ” is is not what I desire for you. I want to give you more.” How could that be? He seemed to be the perfect match: a missionary, an artist, a free spirit—just like me. But God’s message was loud and clear. In a month, the relationship was no more.
A time of desolation immediately followed. I was tempted to think God had forgotten about me and my desire to form a family. I took refuge in my Bible and prayed over passages of hope and love from the prophet Isaiah (43:1,4-5; 51:3,12).
I used this time to prepare my own mind and heart. I went to therapy to cope with anxiety, attended a retreat on forgiveness and reconciliation, and went to daily Mass. In the words of my spiritual director, I was “actively waiting.” It wasn’t easy seeing my heart’s desire go unfulfilled according to my time frame.
I realized there was a chance I was called to live as a single woman. I was deeply sad, but I knew God’s plans for me were greater than I could imagine. So I decided to be open to both possibilities—married or single life. “Holy indifference,” as my spiritual director called it. I found new ways to love and live to the fullest, turning to my family, friends, students, and work.
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Eventually I started to date again, this time prayerfully, listening to God’s voice in my heart. When the pandemic hit, limiting my social life. At 37, I was still praying for a husband with whom my heart could feel at home, a man of faith called to marriage and fatherhood. It seemed an impossible petition.
I decided to pray a special Novena that came from the bottom of my heart and took the form of a handwritten letter I placed under my pillow. The letter was addressed to Saints Jude and Joseph.
It began, “Dear Saint Jude and Saint Joseph, you are holy men, close to God. I am in an impossible and desperate situation; therefore, I reach out to you, Saint Jude. Saint Joseph, like a father, please teach me to listen and understand God’s signals and act on them as you did.”
After that, I wrote all the qualities I was hoping for in a husband, folded the letter, and put it under my pillow. Every night, I remembered the letter and called out in prayer to both my intercessors, still striving for “holy indifference.”
A month later, I had to take a trip to Mexico City and reached out to Marco, an old colleague and friend who lives there, to reconnect. He picked me up from the airport, and it was as if time had never passed. I felt at home with him: nothing to hide, underplay, or pretend.
We picked up our friendship right where we left it. I was traveling alone and he took care that I was safe. We had breakfast at Chapultepec Lake, visited art exhibits, had coffee and tacos, laughing as we remembered old times.
At one point I noticed Marco making check marks in the air and wondered what it meant. He was still single at age 46. When I asked about his life plans, he said calmly, “I do want to be married and have kids, but I’m not afraid to be single.” He said he was waiting for someone special, and the check marks were his way of saying I was ticking all his boxes.
By the end of my trip, we had more than a friendship. Marco met the description in my letter to a tee. We had a heartfelt conversation and he asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I said yes.
Today, amid the backdrop of the pandemic, our bond is growing stronger. We pray and plan our future together; we know we are each other’s gi from Heaven and are thankful to God every day.
The wait was worth it. I waited in faith, and God gave me time to prepare my heart, mind, and spirit. It wasn’t easy, and I felt discouraged more than once. Yet God is generous and His timing is perfect. My heart had to be ready to receive the gift of Marco’s heart. We will be forever grateful to Saint Jude and Saint Joseph.