In God's Hands: The Miraculous Story of Little Audrey Santo

by Thomas W. Petrisko

Book Overview

In God's Hands: The Miraculous Story of Little Audrey Santo From Poland, Italy, Ireland, and Arizona, from all over the world, people have flocked to Worcester, Massachusetts. They have journeyed to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1891903047
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: St. Andrew's Productions
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Another Sign for our Times

In the annals of religious/spiritual history, many such souls have existed. One has only to look (and not very hard) to find many, many people in whose lives the miraculous has occurred with regular frequency. It is unfortunate that in the 20th & 21st centuries, this is seen by so many as 'impossible' or delusional. An inspiring book that should make the open-minded pause and reflect, and perhaps discover others throughout history whose lives bear similar testament.

Thought Provoking; Raises Many Theological Questions

I read this book several years ago and found it, overall, to be enriching. The previous reviewer takes a cynical view, and that is understandable. The story told in the book is incredible and certainly very out of the ordinary. But unlike the previous reviewer I found it to be heartening and life affirming, despite the tragic story of the little girl. The essential question it raises--besides the question of the validity of the miracles mentioned in the book--is this: Does suffering have any value? Can suffering and tragedy fit within the concept of a loving God? In the Christian philosophy the answer is a resounding YES. If Christ's suffering was redemptive, then cannot anyone's suffering have some redemptive value? In other words, can someone's sense of love and faith and compassion be raised by bearing witness to the suffering of others? I believe God allows suffering in part because it can heighten our spiritual growth in ways that less painful methods do not always achieve. In mundane examples, devoted parents sacrifice for their children. They give up certain things for the sake of their children--and are usually better off for it. All of us have observed some news report about some person who sacrifices him or herself for a nobler cause or for another person. When we hear such stories, how do we feel? We usually feel a heightened sense of goodwill and possibly love. To me it is very possible that some "victim souls" exist so that their suffering strengthens the spirituality and faith of others. Perhaps Audrey Santos is one such soul. Further, even if her life seems meaningless by secular standards (she is unable to achieve anything on her own, she is unable to experience pleasure, she has no control over her faculties, and so on) her life is not meaningless on the level of its imapct on others. And by caring for her, her caretakers may benefit. The giver and the receiver both receive. In all, a fascinating story that asks deep theological questions about the meaning of suffering and the aspects of God. And it just might make you appreciate all you have despite whatever losses or sufferings you may have endured.

Five Stars... For Showing How Desperate and Morbid We Are

This was the book that finally made me decide to leave the Catholic Church once and for all. How any intelligent human being can have the slightest respect for a God that supposedly gets kicks out of the senseless suffering of a child is beyond me. It's these bizarro concepts of God that give any kind of religion a bad name and confuse people far more than they ever help them. This book is a prime example of the utter morbidity and diseased spirituality of any religion that feeds off guilt, shame, and sado-masochistic impulse. After reading of how statues and communion wafers bleed and "sacred oils" run down the walls, one can only laugh in disbelief. Those are the corniest miracles, straight out of some lame freakshow. How the Audrey people can even believe in such a stupid concept of God is very sad. This book is very very sad. It typifies a desperation that should not present, and the parents of this child should be locked up. Pure nuts. The Catholic Church should be ashamed of itself in this day and age(or any age, for that matter). The poor little child was the victim of a senseless accident--that's all. It happens throughout the world every day to thousands, and people survive such tragedies with human love and perseverance, not with plastic statues that weep blood and olive oil. Further, what kind of people traipse to this girl's bedside, believing that God will take their illnesses and sufferings and load them "mystically" onto this child's body as a prelude to their miraculous healings? How demeaning! How selfish and pathetic and desperate can you get? This poor little kid is no saint, no mystic, and no wonderworker. She is a V-E-G-E-T-A-B-L-E. People that flock to her are deluded and need to volunteer their time at some viable social outreach program AND take some classes in reality. sad. This book was very disturbing. Our world needs to educate itself if humans are ever going to overcome the scourges of deception, ignorance, and emotional illness. People are way wrong to glorify false, third-rate parlor tricks & phenomenon instead of LOVE--the only miracle the world needs. What an insult to intelligence. What an insult to God.