Barbara Frey's Witness
In June of 2000 I was at the board meeting of the Center for Hispanic Studies in Austin. At lunch one day, we got to talking about God and the miraculous. Bishop Frey, formerly bishop of Colorado and Dean of Trinity seminary, told of a miracle witnessed by his wife. As he started to speak of it he affirmed, "My wife does not lie, she does not lie." He then described how his wife had seen God miraculously feed a large number of people from a modest quantity of tortillas without the tortillas ever decreasing in supply. I received this in a positive way, and later, I called her and asked her to relate the miracle that she had witnessed. Here is her written testimony, sent to me and dated 9/7/00.
One of the most powerful experiences of God's grace and charity in the old fashioned sense of that word happened on a dusty barren hillside in the outskirts of Juarez, Mexico. I was visiting the community of folks called the Lord's Food Bank gathered together by Father Richard Thomas, S.J. The people were celebrating eucharist, followed by a shared meal of rice, beans, guacamole and tortillas. From my vantage point I could see men, women, kids, coming from every direction, wending their way up the hill to receive a plate of food. Most of these folks lived in card board boxes, many were without shoes and wore the only clothes they owned. It seemed like an unending stream of the "poorest of the poor" yet they were celebrating with joy and gladness, holding tiny pictures of Jesus, singing songs of praise and thanks. As I stood watching, each person got a plate of food and two tortillas from a very modest sized box which did not diminish as several hundred people walked by. I was unaware as I was keeping my eye on the tortillas, that Fr. Thomas had gathered the kids to pray for the guacamole to be replenished by God and it was! Avocados are just as pricey in Mexico and guacamole is a special treat. And for the finale some little boys arrived pulling a wagon piled high with sweet roles and doughnuts. "And they all ate and were satisfied." (Matthew 14:20) Avocados and tortillas, one replenished, one undiminished, and God's power manifested.
