Love is Thicker than Blood

Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney loved children. They tried to have a baby, but a baby never came.

They heard Fr. Solanus loved children too, and could do wondrous things. So, they went to the Capuchin monastery and talked to Fr. Solanus. "Father, please pray for us so we can have children."

Fr. Solanus asked them, "Do you love God?"

Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney said, "Yes, of course, we love God."

"Do you go to Mass regularly?"

"Oh, yes," Mr. Mahoney said, "every Sunday."

"That’s good," Fr. Solanus said. "I'm sure you will raise beautiful children." But Fr. Solanus said nothing about praying for them to be cured. So, they asked again.

"Fr. Solanus, would you pray for us to be healed so we can have a baby?"

Fr. Solanusleaned toward the couple and said, "God always answers our prayers, but sometimes the answers are not what we think they should be."

Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney were very disappointed. They wanted a miracle. They wanted Fr. Solanus to heal them so she could have a baby.

But, Fr. Solanus told them, "You are going to be the miracle for children who are already born, but need a mother and father like you."

Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney didn't know what to say. But Fr. Solanus just smiled and said, "This is what God wants you to do."

And he wrote a phone number on a piece of paper and gave it to them. "Call these dear people, and God will work a miracle and give you a child."

When they got home, they picked up the telephone and called the number. It was an orphanage. Hundreds of boys and girls lived there and they all needed mothers and fathers.

Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney then understood what Fr. Solanus meant when he said, "You’re going to be the miracle for children."

So, Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney began adopting children, baptizing them, loving them as their own -- and teaching them about God, and how HE adopts US into HIS family.

Blessed be God, in all His designs!

Discussion Questions for Children

  1. Why did Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney come to see Fr. Solanus?
  2. What kind of miracle did Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney want Fr. Solanus to pray for?
  3. What did Fr. Solanus want to know about their lives?
  4. Did Fr. Solanus pray for the miracle they wanted? Why?
  5. What did Fr. Solanus tell them, and what did he give them?
  6. What did Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney discover about God's will for their family?
  7. Did God give Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney the desire of their heart? How did God do it?
  8. How do you think Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney felt when they heard they were going to be parents?

Advanced Questions

  1. Why do you suppose it's not God's will that every married couple can conceive children?
  2. In difficult situations, how does this story suggest we might discern God's will for our lives?
  3. When we pray for specific things, what are the different ways God may answer? Why might our prayers be seemingly ignored?
  4. Childbirth has often been described as a medical miracle. But, in what ways is adoption a miracle?