When it’s someone’s birthday, you give them a present.  So what would a mystic possibly want?  If Cora Evans were still alive today and hosting a birthday party, here are some ideas for a present.  

A stenographer pad and pen: in her first Letter Lesson, she described herself as merely a reporter for Our Lord.  She also noted that St. Aloysius must have deemed her a “foreign correspondent,” someone reporting on heaven from a distant land (i.e. earth).  Given that she described herself in a humble yet humourous way, I think she would receive the gift of a steno pad and pen with a laugh.  

A Holy Hour: Cora filled her Letter Lessons with instruction on prayer.  Did she teach for her benefit, or merely because she was told to do so?  A recipient of great spiritual gifts, she did not consider her visions only for herself.  They were for the Church and the world.  That Jesus might win more souls to His Sacred Heart!  If Cora were hosting her birthday party, she would take every guest by the hand and bring them to Jesus to introduce them.  

A Crucifix: One of Cora’s favorite devotions was the Stations of the Cross.  It tied into her mission and spirituality so well: the mystical humanity of Christ.  It is because of Our Lord’s mystical body that we partake in the Eucharist.  Because of Jesus taking on flesh—He was no ghost—He could suffer.  A crucifix would also remind Cora of the Blessed Mother.  Cora sometimes prayed the stations in reverse so that she could walk home, so to speak, with Our Lady as she walked home from the crucifixion. 

Tell Stories to Your Children About Jesus and the Saints: Carrying Cora’s mission on to children would be a great birthday present to her.  The mystical visions she received from Jesus’ life (chronicled in The Refugee from Heaven) had a great effect on me: they reminded me that the apostles and saints were people.  In a personal way, reading about St. Peter in Refugee made him more relatable to me.  The saints we read about and hold in high esteem shared the same baptism as us, the same sacraments, and have their own share of concupiscence, just like us.  Also like us, they had their grace-filled triumphs and face-plant failures.  These are important lessons for all of us, but they can be especially helpful for kids as they grow and mature.  

Bring a Party Game of Pious Imagination: Cora’s Letter Lessons closed with practical tips for growing in holiness.  Anything and everything could become a reminder of something spiritual.  In short, there are so many mundane things during the course of our ordinary days that could be used to draw our minds to God.  What if, in Cora’s pretend birthday party, someone brought a list of topics and phrases?  And the game was to connect the topic/phrase to something from our Catholic faith? 

Write a Letter to a Friend and Encourage Them in the Faith: A real letter—with paper, an envelope, and a stamp.  Cora recommended doing this in general, but suggested in her first Letter Lesson that the sick and the difficult should come to mind first.  In a very minor way, handwritten letters are incarnational.  That is, they’re a physical item that brings the heart of the writer to the recipient.  

Write a Plan for a Well-Ordered Life: Cora wrote that St. Aloysius spent considerable time with her in getting a spiritual routine in place.  This is a struggle for many of us at least in some way.  It would delight Cora if we presented her with our plan to make Jesus the most important way we spend our time.  I choose those words carefully; I have often thought that I put Jesus at the center of my life.  If someone logged the hours I spend with him and the hours I devote to other activities, I fear the balance would be severely not in my favor.  For those in that situation, try creating a schedule for the day/week that includes time for prayer.  And ask St. Aloysius for help!

Cora Evans prayed at the foot of the cross, and felt Jesus take her hand.  “I felt a friend clasp my hand in theirs and as I gazed upon that friend, his hand was clasped by another friend’s hand, and so a living chain of friends were formed which seemed to encircle the earth and [You said] into my soul—'Make the chain longer.’”   By getting closer to Jesus, we become closer to the communion of saints and to the Church on earth.  When we grow in holiness, Jesus’ mystical humanity becomes stronger in us and it has a ripple effect to those around us.  Any gift for Jesus delights Cora.  

Servant of God Cora Evans, pray for us! (and happy birthday!)