Somewhere a Bird is Singing
Recently we went to our bookshelf and glanced at the lined up volumes of Profiles of Healing, an encyclopedia of global healing traditions edited by Brad several years ago. Each book tells the story of a healer, shaman, or medicine person through their transcribed words. Brad pulled one off the shelf, Hands of Faith: Healers of Brazil. Half the book is about the life of healer Otavia Alves Pimentel Barbosa. The other half tells the story of João Fernandes de Carvalho.
When Brad opened up the section on João, before reading any words he suddenly felt a wave of energy come over him that made him feel dizzy. It was so powerful he was unsure if he would be able to read the book. In some ways this experience was not a surprise because João was an extraordinary healer and human being whose unwavering faith, deep love, and natural humility left an indelible mark on Brad’s life. Even after the book project was completed and though they were separated by thousands of miles, Brad and João continued to share a strong kinship and live in each other’s hearts. We think and talk about him often and when we do, it renews our faith and provides a deep feeling of peace and joy.
João received his gift for healing when he was very young. He would pray and receive prescriptions for medicines. Thousands of patients came to see him and were cured. When jealous doctors and greedy pharmaceutical companies got wind of his abilities, they threatened João who had to flee with his family to the countryside. Even in the face of danger and hardship he continued to use his gifts to help others for the rest of his life.
João witnessed numerous miracles and supernatural occurrences, yet he only agreed to have a book about his life written if it was the smallest book that emphasized the purity of his faith. As João said, “I was not a spiritualist and I did not practice any school of healing. I did not have a crystal ball, an amulet, deck of cards, or any strange objects. I had only a Bible, a rosary, and my faith.”
There is so much more we could say about João’s life, but we’d like to share the story that appeared when Brad opened the book, in João’s words:
“There was a ranch that was owned by a very rich and powerful man. What was unusual was that the man never lived there. I finally decided to talk to him and find out what was going on. He told me that there was a moaning sound that came from his backyard, and they were unable to stop it. The family had even tried praying for most of an evening, but still the moans continued.
I invited him to go to the ranch with me that evening, but he was too afraid. Instead, I brought some friends. They arrived with guns. I brought only a book entitled Jesus Is the Way. There was an old and tall tree in front of the house, and we stayed under it. At around ten o’clock in the evening, a huge bird started moving the middle branches, and my over-anxious friends fired their guns at it. Next, we went inside the house, and the moans began. As hard as we tried, no one could find their source. I started praying. I prayed a prayer similar to the one Joan of Arc spoke as she was burned. This is what I said:God, our Father, who is power and goodness,
Give strength to those who pass through trouble,
Give light to those who seek truth, and put compassion and charity into all men’s hearts.
God, give the traveler the guiding star, provide consolation for the afflicted, and rest for the ill.
Father, may your goodness cover those whom you created and may hope touch those who suffer.
Permit your comforting spirit to bring forth peace, hope, and faith.
God, you are a ray, a flame of love that can burn our earth.
Let us drink from your fertile and infinite fountain.
Dry our tears, calm our pain.
Let us be one heart and one thought that reaches you as a shout of love.
Our arms are open. Oh goodness! Oh beauty! Oh perfection!
We desire your compassion.
God, give us the strength to progress so that we may reach you.
Give us the pure charity, the faith, the reason.
Grant us the simplicity that will make our souls a mirror that reflects your image.
The more I prayed, the farther and farther away that moan sounded. I continued praying until the moan could not be heard, and it was never heard again. The family came back to the house and found, to their delight, that a bird sang near their house every evening. They told me about this bird and its special song. I went to hear it for myself one evening. As I walked in the woods toward the house, the bird came to me and sang its song. It sang it in back of me and then it sang it in front of me. The bird then gave me a spiritual gift. It filled me with a mystical fluid that helped my faith grow even stronger.”
These inexplicable events may tempt us to desire more understanding of and access to supernatural power and magical influence. Yet João’s non-ordinary life had nothing to do with such mastery or spiritual elitism. His many entries into mystery are familiar to people, just like C.M.C., whose hearts are open to a huge love, a love that breaks through all boundaries of reason and rationality.
João’s son, Tadeu, a professor of mathematics, scientist, and writer said this of his father:
“My father never claimed to perform a miracle. He also never interprets anything that happens… He is a good vessel because of his purity and goodness. His interior light guides him. Please realize that his special experiences weren’t the most important part of his life. What was most unique was that he cured over 50,000 people and opened himself freely and completely to them. He never received any material compensation for his help. That is the most important aspect of his life. He does not want to be remembered as a healer, as a magical person, or as a saint. He only wants to be remembered as a simple person. Perhaps the most precious gift he gave us was the understanding that we are nothing more or less than a small stone in the world and that we must love each other and thank God everyday.”
João’s children learned one simple lesson from his example: Each of us is no more important than a single, small pebble. If you reach for the “power” of the universe, spiritual or otherwise, your heart space constricts. The life of João shows us another way: Be small and love beyond the scope of earthly measure. Make a new year’s resolution to be for giving, for loving, and for each other.
Thank you, João, and Happy New Year to everyone!
– The Keeneys December 31, 2018