AFCC's Virtual Community... Our Stories, Tales, and Fables for the Wounded Healer

The pearl of Great Price

2005-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Dr Kevin Kulik

She was a simple girl,
with eyes that seemed to stare right past you.
She was almost too plain,
too ordinary to mention.....
.....but I said almost!

Sally asked me one day,
"Dr. Kulik,
do you think I should be on birth control pills?"
Not knowing much about Sally’s personal history,
I responded;
" Are you asking because you are having difficulty
with your menstrual cycle,
or are you trying to prevent pregnancy?"
She looked at me a little shyly
and said with a question
"both?"

" Well Sally,
since you are asking my advise,
I would like to ask you a few questions
before I can give you a good answer,
OK?
As your Dr. I am concerned
not only about your health
but your whole well-being.
I must tell you that the statistics
I receive from the board of health
regarding sexually transmitted diseases
scare the daylights out of me,
and I’m not the one who has to worry about them.
Women like you Sally are the ones I am scared for.
Are you aware of these statistics? "
Sally "Well, no, not really."
"Sally Do you know if your sexual partner is free of disease?"
Sally said "No, I am not really sure,
we only met recently at a bar"
( Then one of those Holy Spirit moments took over
and I went outside my comfort zone)
I said, "Sally what faith are you?"
Sally said, "Catholic"
I said, "Were you raised catholic or just baptized catholic?"
" Oh Doc", Sally said "I wasn’t raised anything,
I had the most horrible childhood."
I said, "Sally, would you like to tell me about it?"
She answered by saying "Well, I guess so."

She was referred to me by a psychotherapist

and I realized there were "issues".

She was on a number of heavy psychotropic drugs

to treat her unstable emotional condition.

She was confused, angry, and seriously depressed

and had major hormonal imbalances..

An amazing story

of abuse, neglect, and dysfunction was revealed.

You see Sally related to me that her father

would throw her down the stairs

if he lost his temper.

She said she was in therapy

because she couldn’t remember

most of her childhood

but would have some memories of abuse.

She was the last of 5 children

now at the age of 39

all still living at home in a very dysfunctional house.

It seemed that they all suffered from alcoholism,

and emotional dysfunction as well.

She was a very heavy smoker,

drinker, and sexually active.

Her sexual partner at the time

was also an alcoholic and very abusive.

She was caught up in a nightmare
and was unable to wake up.

I asked her if it would be OK
if I prayed for her
and she said "yes"
The next few minutes I said the most magical,
incredibly constructed prayer ever to be heard
by the likes of even the angels and saints.
NOT!
If you have been reading my stuff,
you know by now that just by simply praying
what is on your heart
allows God to move mountains!
No need for degrees in theology
or homiletics here,
Sally needed to know that someone
by the name of Jesus loved her,
and Jesus picked me to deliver the message!
Now unlike so many other patients I prayed with,
Sally seemed to be unmoved by my prayer
... so I thought.

About 1 month later Sally comes in
with a big grin on her face
and tells me she joined a born again church.
I asked her if she was happy
and she replied she was.
Within a short time she seemed restless again
and started to fall back into some old habits.
She asked me again what I thought she should do.
I remarked that she was unhappy
because of a divided heart.
She couldn’t have a spiritual relationship
while pursuing a sinful one.

I said to her
"Do you know that it is a very serious (mortal) sin
to have sex outside of marriage?"
"It is?" she said in curiosity.
"Yes."
Sally I would like to introduce you to your mother.
Sally said, "Oh I hate my mother!
She never says anything good about me.
As a matter of fact I don’t think she has any love for me at all."
I said "No Sally, I’m talking about another mother,
one who loves you more than you can possibly know.
Do you want a mother like that Sally?"
Sally said " Oh if it were only possible."
I asked her if she knew how to say the rosary.
and she said,
"No"
I said "Jesus gave His mother Mary
to us on the cross before He died.
Mary’s special children learn
about her relationship with Jesus
by saying the rosary
and many promises are given
to those who pray them."
She said "Promises, what promises?"
It just so happened that I had a pamphlet
with the promises printed on them,
which read like this:

FIFTEEN PROMISES OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

TO CHRISTIANS WHO FAITHFULLY PRAY THE ROSARY

To all those who shall pray my Rosary devoutly,
I promise my special protection and great graces.
Those who shall persevere in the recitation of my Rosary
will receive some special grace.
The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell;
it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.
The rosary will make virtue and good works flourish,
and will obtain for souls the most abundant divine mercies.
It will draw the hearts of men from the love of the world
and its vanities,
and will lift them to the desire of eternal things.
Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
Those who trust themselves to me
through the Rosary will not perish.
Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly
reflecting on the mysteries,
shall never be overwhelmed by misfortune.
He will not experience the anger of God
nor will he perish by an unprovided death.
The sinner will be converted;
the just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life.
Those truly devoted to my Rosary
shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful to recite my Rosary
shall have during their life and at their death
the light of God
and the plenitude of His graces
and will share in the merits of the blessed.
I will deliver promptly from purgatory
souls devoted to my Rosary.
True children of my Rosary
will enjoy great glory in heaven.
What you shall ask
through my Rosary you shall obtain.
To those who propagate my Rosary
I promise aid in all their necessities.
I have obtained from my Son
that all the members of the Rosary Confraternity
shall have as their intercessors,
in life and in death, the entire celestial court.
Those who recite my Rosary faithfully
are my beloved children,
the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
Devotion to my Rosary
is a special sign of predestination.

Sally asked "Could you teach me the rosary?"
"Of course Sally, I would love to!"
So I gave her a rosary and a booklet
and told her if she had any more questions about it,
she could ask me anytime.
Total time invested: about 20 minutes
Now let me tell you the fruit of those 20 minutes
I saw Sally about 1 month later
and she was literally glowing!
She told me she
"reverted" back to the catholic church,
was saying a daily rosary
(which she said gave her tremendous comfort).
She stopped drinking,
so she stopped hanging around bars
and gave up the alcoholic relationship,
because of that
she became sexually abstinent,
and because she liked to light up a smoke
when she had a drink,
she did not see the need to smoke anymore either!
You see how one sin gives birth to another?
Conversely one virtue does likewise!
Sally visits me regularly
and has made incredible progress
in her personal and spiritual life.

I’ll never forget the time she came in on her
40th birthday.
My staff had indicated it was her
special big "40"
so I wished her happy birthday.
She just wasn’t her usual happy self
so I said, "What is it Sally?"
She remarked "Well I guess I’m kinda hurt."
"By what?" I said
Then my heart broke when she said
"Well nobody even remembered my birthday today
not even my family and that hurts"
I prayed with Sally
and for all the hurts in her life
and then I gave her a Benedictine Cross.
Well you would have thought
she had just won the lottery!
She has worn that cross daily
now for over 5 years
as a commitment to God
and to remind her that it is He that heals
her from the foot of the cross.
She has learned that prayer changes families
and although there has been progress
within her own family,
the biggest progress
is that she now trusts that God
is in charge of her family.
She knows that she can’t change anyone
but herself.
She no longer has anxiety over being married
or having children,
she knows that she is loved.

I think of the dozens of Sallys
that walk by us each day unnoticed,
the "nobodies" of society,
that when asked how they are doing politely respond,
"fine".

( aka: feelings inside not expressed )
These are the very precious pearls of great price
that we trade for the rust and decay of the
"rich and famous".
Doctors seize the day!
Create real wealth that will last forever!

Dr Kevin Kulik practices on Long Island NY.

It is his hope and prayer to inspire the Catholic to "Be Christ" by his stories.

Share your comments:

Please participate in our community by adding your comments, ideas, or suggestions. By clicking the"COMMENTS" link at the bottom of the page you will see any comments already posted and a "post a comment" link which will allow you to post your own comments

Forward this story to a friend:

Click the envelope at the bottom of the page

Submit a story of your own:

If you ever thought about being a missionary from the comfort of your home, heres your big chance! Your story can reach hundreds all around the world. Each one of them has the potential of inspiring hundreds of people. Each one of them has the potential to... ( well I think you know where I'm going with this)

You supply the inspiration,

we supply the pulpit,

and God supplies the Grace,

to change the world...

...one person at a time.

E Mail your story right now to: dockulik@yahoo.com

Back to the AFCC homepage
http://www.afcc.net/

A Once in a Liftime letter!

2005-01-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

by Dr. Kevin Kulik

mailto:dockulik@yahoo.com

As a Doctor, I receive many letters

from patients that affect me deeply,
but a number of years ago I received a letter

that completely changed my life!

Dear Kevin, Margaret said,
I don't know where to begin...

She thought she had the flu and saw her doctor.
She was told that she had a bad case of the German measles

but there was one problem.
She was also pregnant.

She was told that the German measles or rubella

in the early stages of pregnancy

can increase the chances of birth defects

sometimes by up to 90%!
(fetuses who are infected with rubella during the first twenty weeks

of pregnancy develop what's called congenital rubella syndrome)

The picture was very bleak

and the Dr. immediately recommended
an abortion.

The poor woman now in tears
looked at the Dr. and said

"but I want my baby!"

The Dr. persisted in describing the hopeless and dark picture

that was ahead of her if she did not trust his medical advise.
She looked at him again and said

" I'll put my trust in God!"

She tried to block out those terrible words

that kept ringing through her frightened mind

deafness,
blindness,
encephalitis,
growth defects,
neurological disorders,
mental retardation,
miscarriage,
stillbirth

For almost 9 months
she would awake night after night
sweating and screaming
as her husband tried to console her
from her nightmares.

With baited breath
Margaret went into labor
and was rushed to the hospital.
The child was born miraculously healthy,

with the exception of a chest cavity deformity.

The relieved but nervous doctor

tried to break the tension with a joke by saying

"so, the kid won't be the

best lookin kid on the beach!"

In what seemed to feel like less than a season,

18 years came and went for this mother and her child.

Some might say that it was the end of one life,

others say it was the beginning of another.

I was told that somewhere between

highschool and college,

children flounder between

the holding on of youthful innocence,

and the falling from God's holy grace.

It is a time when there are difficult choices to be made.
Choices of worldly pleasures,
or
choices to follow the faith

passed on by our

mothers and our fathers before us.

In any event

God gives each of us

"the right to choose"

right or wrong

prior,

to making both good decisions,

and terrible mistakes.

This child would have made many
poor and potentially deadly choices,
if it were not for a

" letter"

written at this most reckless age.

You see, I received this letter in 1973

when the killing of babies

was just made legal in the United States.

Drugs, sex, and rock n roll

was the homily that society

was preaching from her pulpits.

But because of this simple letter,
"a new wind"
blew into the sails

of that developing and curious child

and corrected it's course.

If this letter seems a bit mysterious,

let me make it perfectly clear,

this letter and all that is contained within it,

is about none other than your humble author....

...me; Kev

For I am the broken fetus

fixed by faith and love

after the world said to "throw it away!"

I am the deformed fetus

who's congenital defects

were completely healed before

"this kid ever even hit the beach!"
I am the blind fetus,
who's mother patiently waited 18 years

in order to mail this timely letter;

so that God could give sight to a child

she had only briefly borrowed.
I am the mentally retarded fetus
who went on to become a doctor,
to call others to healing and life
in this culture of death.
Finally, I am the stillborn fetus
that has given life to children of my very own now,
so I might share this wonderful letter
of my mom, with them ...
... and with you!

Dr Kevin Kulik practices on Long Island NY.

It is his hope and prayer to inspire the Catholic Chiropractor to

"Be Christ" to their patients by his stories.

Share your comments: Please participate in our community by adding your comments, ideas, or suggestions. By clicking the"COMMENTS" link at the bottom of the page you will see any comments already posted and a "post a comment" link which will allow you to post your own comments

Forward this story to a friend: Click the envelope at the bottom of the page

Submit a story of your own: If you ever thought about being a missionary from the comfort of your home, heres your big chance! Your story can reach hundreds all around the world. Each one of them has the potential of inspiring hundreds of people. Each one of them has the potential to... ( well I think you know where I'm going with this)

You supply the inspiration,

we supply the pulpit,

and God supplies the Grace,

to change the world...

...one person at a time.

E Mail your story right now to: dockulik@yahoo.com

Back to the AFCC homepage http://www.afcc.net/

Bah Hum Bug! by Doc Kulik

2004-12-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

Ebenezer was visited by 3 spirits

not because he was disgusted by consumerism

but because he lacked

compassion, empathy, and good will.

I have been listening to good spiritual patients

for 3-4 weeks now groan in so many words
" Bah hum bug"

After talking to them

I realize why the world might call them scrooge

Here is what they say

The same people

who tell you that Christmas

is so important only 2-3 months earlier

are nowhere to be found the day after Christmas.

The lights are gone,

the music is over.

You would think they know

there are 12 days in Christmas

because they played that song 100 times

while we were shopping!

They tell us what gifts are appropriate

and how much we should spend regardless

of our finances.

We expect our Children

to be taught generosity

when all they are taught is to receive.

We are asked

"are you ready for Christmas?"

"What does that mean?

Does it mean that the world

is throwing the largest party of the year

and everyone is expected to come

except the birthday boy?

Lets explore the wonderful lessons

Charles Dickens demonstrated for us.

There were 3 groups of people

Scrooge was generous to after

his "conversion"

First come the 2 men

who were collecting for the destitute.

In a sense he was appeasing

the ghost of Christmas past

when He told them

that there were a great many

"back payments included"

He appeased the

ghost of Christmas future

by providing a secure financial future

for Bob Cratchet, Tiny Tim and family.

If you notice great monetary generosity

was placed where it belongs....

....on the financially needy.

However when Scrooge goes to Fred's house,

he did not bring a gift that we could see.

In fact He takes something from Fred;

his hospitality.

Yet when Scrooge accepts this gift

he gives even a greater gift back to his nephew.

Simply put,

Ebenezer was "present" to Fred.

They shared something much greater

than gold or silver.

This appeases the ghost of Christmas present.

Perhaps it's time that we stop

all the insanity

at this time of year and say to the world
"Bah Hum Bug!" .

Dr Kevin Kulik practices on Long Island NY.

It is his hope and prayer to inspire the Catholic to "Be Christ" by his stories.

Share your comments:

Forward this story to a friend:

Click the envelope at the bottom of the page

Submit a story of your own:

If you ever thought about being a missionary from the comfort of your home, heres your big chance! Your story can reach millions all around the world. Each one of them has the potential of inspiring thousands of people. Each one of them has the potential to... ( well I think you know where I'm going with this)
You supply the inspiration, we supply the pulpit, and God supplies the Grace, to change the world...
...one person at a time.
E Mail your story right now to: dockulik@yahoo.com

The 2nd most powerful prayer in the world!

2004-11-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Spiritual economics 101

by Dr. Kevin Kulik

dockulik@yahoo.com

In the following verse of scripture

we see that Jesus commends the shrewd but dishonest steward.

He remarks that they are much more astute

than the children of light.

There is a sense of sadness in His words

and is encouraging the children of light

to be as shrewd

and use every available means to obtain eternal life!

The Parable of the Dishonest Steward.
* "For the children of this world

are more prudent

in dealing with their own generation

than are the children of light. *

How can we become rich?

The Church has spiritual wealth

over flowing with treasure!

How can we tap into it?

God says to simply ask and you will receive

but how many have learned to ask?
If a bank offered an interest rate of return even 1-2% higher

than all its competitors

within days the news would spread quickly.
The Catholic church offers a rate of return

"infinitely" higher than any other church

or anything the world could offer,

yet many even within Her sweet borders

fail to recognize Her gifts.

During a revelation the Blessed Mother

tells of Her sorrow because of the vast multitude of people

that simply don't ask for the many graces available to them.
Let us now explore them with the hope that this simple lesson
will cause your spiritual life to literally explode with power;

real power!

We are taught to "pray always"
but this command has dumbfounded every generation.

How do we work and raise a family and " pray always?"

Simple,...
... the daily offering.

Let us explore this most precious treasure.

It is important to note that we are commanded to
"Love God with our whole heart,

our whole mind,

and our whole strength."

Therefore with a busy schedule it is imperative that this prayer

(as all forms of prayer)

be prayed with all of our heart

if this is going to transform our lives.
God is so generous that He is willing to "count"

as prayer the simplest and smallest action

even from the most boring and mundane life

if we only ask Him to!

This is how St. Teresa, Mother Teresa, Blessed Jose Escriva

among countless others

climbed to such great spiritual heights.

Simply offer up all of our thoughts, words, actions

and even our weaknesses

of this day to Him.

Place them on the paten and in the chalice of God’s holy altar
with all the holy masses said throughout time and eternity.
Outside of our existence time really does not exist for God.
All exists in the present moment.
That is why it is critical to be

"in the present moment".
For the grace of God is only offered to us

when we need it
and that can only be dispensed

in the present moment.
A great deception of the devil has always been
to preoccupy the soul with the worries of the future
or the regrets of the past
because the soul is then deprived of its life giving grace.

The Holy sacrifice of the mass is without exception

the greatest source of infinite grace.

The grace we receive has no boundaries
and its only limit
is directly proportionate to the faith and love

in which we offer our prayer.
This is why our greatest hope should be
that someday we can offer our prayer to God with

"pure" love,
for on that day we may very well die of joy!

Mother Teresa said that to achieve great holiness

one does not need to do great things,

only to do everything with great love!
Many people have said , what if I sin?
Isn’t offering my sin like a slap in the face to God?
Scripture tells us that even a just man falls 7x's a day;
of course offer up your sin, and all your weakness as well!
He is the only one who can take your greatest weakness

and turn it into your greatest strength!

Offer those things to your hearts desire namely,

the Sacred heart of Jesus and our Immaculate mother.
While you pray you are asking Jesus

to turn your heart of stone into
His living beating heart of Divine Love.
When we remember that "Our Lady" is Jesus’ Mother

and our own mother,
we make Him our very own brother
and part of a greater family

that is so much stronger than any blood tie on earth.

This family is the Church established By Christ.
Our consecration should be prayed

for the intention of the church as well as our own.
By performing this act of consecration

with the communion of Saints,
here blossoms the dynamic power that happens each and every minute of your day.

You are offering all that you do,
down to your very breath for the intentions of the Holy Father
which allows us to be given
every grace, blessing, and indulgence of the day.

It is wise to add the routine of confession to your schedule as many large indulgences (like plenary indulgences which remove all the punishment due to sin) require this sacrament. The church prescribes that in the case of a plenary indulgence, communion, confession, as well as prayer for the Holy Father which we already perform each day, should be done within approximately a week to obtain the indulgence. By adding the examination of conscience to your daily activity each night you will begin to "know yourself" and always be prepared to make a good confession and obtain the greatest amount of grace possible for the present state of your soul. There are of course a multitude of graces, blessing, and indulgences available to us without confession but under all conditions we must be in the state of grace to receive them.

We then move to the intercession of all the angels

and the power of the Saints (Church triumphant),
we pray with and for

the suffering souls in purgatory (church suffering)
and all holy men and women. ( the Church militant)

The souls in purgatory are tremendously forgotten allies

in this battle we fight on earth.
By praying for them and asking for their intercession
they tirelessly pray for our sanctification,
especially the souls that are suffering

for the very same sins that we are now committing!
They are so grateful for our prayers
because even if they prayed a 1000 years for themselves,
they could not diminish even one moment of their purification.
This simple prayer allows you to ease them from their suffering,
while in turn they simultaneously help propel you

to new spiritual heights!

It is also important to include all Holy men and women

as these living souls

require tremendous grace to support the battle they fight
" against principalities and powers".
Now that your prayer has gained

incredible power and strength
we use this power to ask God

for our own personal help,
namely for the remission of our many sins and weaknesses,
for the sins of our family,
and of the world.

Each thought, each action of our day

now acts to expiate our sins,
to bring us to new life instead of sin

through the Blood of the lamb.
We also become an intercessor

for all the people of our family
and even the sins of the world.
Is this not the plan that Jesus had for us?
That we are to share in the redemption of the cross

by offering ourselves as
a living breathing sacrifice?

As our prayer is purified

we become more and more like our crucified savior
and share in the redemptive plan and life of the Father!
Jesus said

"take my yoke upon you for my burden is light." MT 11:30
What could be easier

than simply offering up the very same joys, and sorrows today
that were wasted and meaningless yesterday?
This is the simple way to Sainthood!
No need for hair shirts here,
each moment contains within it,
all that is needed for our salvation and our perfection!
We indeed do not become "Christlike",
but as Mother Teresa said,
we "become Christ"
when we pray and suffer for sinners.
We do this by doing what Jesus asked of us;
to pray for the conversion of sinners

and the salvation of souls.

In conclusion,

there is an old saying

that if you want something done quickly,
give the job to a busy person!
The same is true for our prayer.
As we grow deeper in our relationship with Christ,
more and more people will ask for our prayers.
It is virtually impossible

but for the grace of God

to honor all those request.
Therefore as part of our prayer
we might include the intentions of
all those people and things

that we have promised to pray for.
This can be an incredibly powerful part of our prayer
if our intention is pure and focused.
We become a prayer warrior for so many.
As part of our New Years resolution each year
we might write down

and keep in a special place,

as many intentions as we can remember
including all the people we have ever met

or will meet in our lifetime.
Won't it be consoling to know that every single person
that has ever made our acquaintance
no matter how casual

has been blessed,

simply because we met them or will met them!

The world will indeed be a better place

because you are in it! You become a great light in the darkness!
You also are praying for your future friends,

possible children, and spouse!
When you encounter difficult people and circumstances

they have already been prayed for!

Sound far fetched?
Hardly!

God promises to give us everything we pray for,
and He means everything

as long it is good for our soul.

What could be better?

Get radical!

Pray "outside the box"

and

instead of wishing

for a miracle in our life,
we will be living

the miracle in our life !

Ps. In case you are still wondering why this prayer

is called the 2nd most powerful prayer,

it is because it is 2nd of course to the mass.

As a matter of fact this prayer

was originally created as a prayer

for people to say during the offertory of the mass

which makes it part of the

#1 most powerful prayer there is!...
the Mass!

When you pray this prayer at the offertory of the mass you will find that it takes exactly the same time for the priest to complete the offertory!

Try it!
This is your prayer from the heart, your offering to God,

however you may want to use the

following form:

Eternal Father , I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of your most dearly beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, I offer to you this day, all that I am, all that I wish to be, and all that you want me to be! I offer all of my words, thoughts, actions, and weaknesses of this day, through your merits and sufferings in union with this mass and all the holy masses said throughout the world today and throughout time and eternity. I unite myself to your most Sacred Heart and to the Immaculate Heart of OUR sweet mother Mary. I unite myself with and for the intentions of your most holy Church. Especially the Holy Father, so that we may be given every grace, (+ make the sign of the cross+) blessing and indulgence of this day. All the angels and saints( especially my guardian angel and the St I venerate today), the suffering souls in purgatory( especially), and all holy men and women. For the remission of my many sins, the sins of my family, and the sins of the world. For the salvation and conversion of all sinners, and for all those people and things that I have promised to pray for, by the power of your most Holy Spirit.
Amen

Peace!

Kev

Dr Kevin Kulik practices on Long Island NY.

It is his hope and prayer to inspire the Catholic to "Be Christ" by his stories.

Share your comments:

Forward this story to a friend:

Click the envelope at the bottom of the page

Submit a story of your own:

The little things make the Big difference...Catholic style!.. by Dr. Kevin Kulik

2004-09-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dockulik@yahoo.com

"Its the little things that make the big difference"
Back in the 80’s that was a slogan by one of the

“Big ” practice builders.
Most of these new age, humanistic, corporate American, or whatever you want to call them “slogans” use to drive me crazy.
However, this one took on a new meaning for me

You just have to read this!

One day I was in my office, it was a cold dark March evening.
(sounds like the beginning of a good murder mystery)
It was getting toward the end of the night and I really wanted to leave because there was supposed to be a great speaker at my Church that night beginning a Lenten retreat.
To my surprise my assistant told me that a new patient was coming in. She seemed pleasant enough but there was something strange about her.

Did you ever meet someone who was smiling on the outside
but crying on the inside?
Well this was Betty.

I proceeded with my exam and made small talk.
(I use “small talk” to try to open the door to discern where the patient is physically, mentally, and spiritually.) On a good day and with the grace of God it takes a few minutes of small talk to evaluate them, but I could not quite read her but something told me,

Betty was in the
“Danger Zone.”

After I completed her visit I felt compelled to ask her,

“Betty is everything ok?”
“Is there anything else I can help you with?’

With a big smile she made a joke and said
“What could be wrong?

I just had a really bad day today that’s all."

Doc "Do you want to talk about it?"

Betty " No, not really. I’ll be fine."

Now Doc’s here’s why it’s important to pray for guidance and discernment every day. The Holy Spirit will guide you and work through you even when your not sure what is going on with your patient if, you are simply an “open vessel.”

What happened next surprised both of us!

Something was "gnawing at my spirit" and to my surprise I did something I usually never do,

(and I don't recommend this very often)

I crossed over the Doctor/Patient relationship
and asked her if she would like to go to the

Lenten retreat that night.

To her surprise she said yes!

You see Betty hadn’t been to Church in about 20+ years. I learned afterward she had been involved with “organized crime type people” and that she lived a very colorful life to say the least.

My next surprise came when she joined my Church after the mission, and started becoming heavily involved in the various ministries there.

My final surprise however left me in humble thanksgiving and praise for the power of our almighty God.

You see after a number of years Betty became so involved in our Church that one day she was actually giving one of the talks

on an annual retreat in our parish.

She began to share her life story and how it was going down hill for many years because of her lifestyle.
She continued "One night I contemplated suicide
but because that night my chiropractor asked me to go to church

with him it never happened!"

You see the message that night was exactly what she needed

to hear to change her life!.

We have been friends ever since and yes she is also, still a patient
and never lets me forget what I did for her.
It would be easy to bask in the glory of this victory. However, I have come to realize that sometimes, when we are fortunate, and we cooperate with God's grace , He allows us a small peak into His Great plan. You see I believe nothing is a coincidence and that every good we do for someone acts as a stepping stone toward their ultimate salvation. I just happened to be fortunate enough to be one of the last of many stepping stones in Betty's life.

It would be like if someone set up thousands of dominos
when you came to visit and they gave you

the privilege of pushing over

the final piece to experience the magic of their handiwork!

(ROM 8:28 We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.)

So lets evaluate this from a Chiropractic and spiritual point of view.

1) First off I did very little, practically nothing.
I simply had a desire to be open to the Spirit

2) God through my seemingly insignificant act of obedience saved a life, a soul, and the hundreds she has touched ever since her “conversion.”

3) God truly takes the little things...
... and makes the big difference.

So Get Uncomfortable!!!

Offer your little loaves and fishes
and let our God take the ordinary...
... and make it extraordinary!

Peace!
Kev

Dr Kevin Kulik practices on Long Island NY. It is his hope and prayer to inspire the Catholic Chiropractor to "Be Christ" to his patients by his stories and those of other Chiropractors around the world.

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Mother Teresa coming to a practice near you.....by Dr. Kevin Kulik

2004-08-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

“Want to be successful, have unlimited potential, and have the most exciting personal and professional life you can imagine,?”

Now this time its for real and if you want to know how
you’re going to have to simply read on!

Have you done the seminar thing, spent a fortune on practice building, gimmicks, newsletters?

Still feel there might be something missing?
Good, there is hope!!!

The reason you feel something might be missing
is because probably there is!!!

You see most of us have bought the illusion that if we become good doctors, learn enough practice building techniques, tell enough people about our philosophy, our lives will be filled with “chiropractic Nirvana”, and we’ll live happily ever after. ( NOT!)

If you’re like me though, you might feel a tiny little knot in the pit of your stomach, and your Catholic roots might feel just a little bit separated from your professional life. You see I learned the Chiropractic philosophy really well. I listened to all the tapes, went to lots of lectures, read books, practiced on my friends, family, and basically anything that had a spine. My health care classes were so polished that you could wake me up in the middle of the night and I could recite a fresh and exciting workshop without skipping a beat.

Without sounding too bold, I was really good at this stuff,
but then it happened!

I had just finished, what in my opinion was my “pinnacle performance” in terms of a chiropractic lecture. The accolades were still hanging in the air. The last patient on his way out felt compelled to remind me once again:

“That was really a fantastic talk doc, nobody ever told me that before!”

After he left, I sat quietly in a now empty room thinking to myself, why do I still feel empty, why do I feel different this time?

Mentally I was on top of my game,
but there was a spiritual void lingering in my soul.

I thought to myself, “you know if I spent as much time, energy, and enthusiasm talking about God as I do about chiropractic, I could do so much more than just heal bodies.”

What normally would have been the average chiropractor’s
“dream day”,
only became empty and frustrating.

You see I didn’t know it, but my heart and my practice were divided. From my first day in practice, I tried to bring God into my work but I did not feel that the 2 were one.

On one hand there was the “chiropractor” that was enamored with the Chiropractic/ American dream who lived one way. Then, there was “the man” who knew all this was going to pass away one day.

Was I going to give Chiropractic the “flower of my youth” by teaching her philosophy and just quietly being a Catholic man in the background?

Was I really prepared in my heart of hearts to
stand before my maker on judgment day?

How many people did I bring to chiropractic and how many to the Lord?

I soon realized that this “wounded healer” needed to grow
in new directions and ask our Lord for his help.

Amazing how God really does prepare your heart for His work when you ask…
…meeting Mother Teresa.

One day, I was asked to go to the profession of one of Mother Teresa’s sisters’ by my mother. ( I didn’t even realize it but, I didn’t have an invitation!) I soon realized why she wanted me to go as we drove through the worst part of Harlem in New York City. I saw a police officer and asked him for directions because I was lost. His response was, “you sure are lost”, and advised me to get on the road and head on out of there as soon as possible! When we finally arrived, there literally was a “sea of people”. So many in fact that I realized that there was no chance of meeting Mother Teresa. After realizing this, I finished attending mass and decided to head out and get an early start back home, when all of a sudden the Mother Superior of the local house spotted me. She came over and began talking to me, and said,

“Would you like to meet Mother Teresa?”
I immediately gave a response
that to this day still causes me to cringe in embarrassment
I said “ well sure, if she’s not too busy “

Now, you have to imagine all the people trying to get her attention. They wanted her autograph, a touch, or a simple glance. She was all the way over on the other side of this huuuuuge hall, and I felt that there was no way that this woman could ever make it over to me before Christmas! However, this serene little house superior calmly made her way through the crowd, she bent over and whispered in Mother Teresa’s ear. I saw Mother Teresa look up and begin moving through the crowd right toward me! She extended her hand and put my hand in the hand of my bride-to-be and began to speak to us and instruct us (this in itself is a whole other story).
As her eyes pierced my soul, she spoke to me in a way that made me feel like we were the only people alive at that moment. When she finished speaking I asked her to bless my hands as I was a chiropractor.
She said that “I will bless them if you can agree to one condition,

every time you lay your hands on a patient
you see them as if they were Christ.”
Without realizing the magnitude of this request
I immediately responded,
“I will”.

When I returned to my office the following week my heart was excited with my new found energy, but reality soon began setting in as I found it difficult to cross over and to bring God to my patients.
(now don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking full blast, bang em over the head type evangelical stuff here, I thought that I would start by perhaps interchanging “universal intelligence” with “God”
and see how that went for starters).

Well, the “reader’s digest” version of this was,
“It stunk!”

The patients started looking at me a little on the weird side and I felt like I was wearing an invisible sign with the word “quack” written all over it. (We have enough difficulty trying to enlighten and educate patients about Chiropractic yet alone God!) After all, a quack is nothing more than a fake, and I really wasn’t being me.

So, I thought to myself, I would just quietly pray over my patients as I work with them. This actually was a great grace for me.

Doc’s, I bet each and every one of you sense the brokeness within your patients. Those who can’t forgive, those with rage, those who struggle with depression, alcohol, infidelity, self righteousness, and the list goes on and on and on! You know as well as I do that this is where disease and illness really have their roots. The body is affected by the mind, and mind by the spirit!
How many of you have seen some of your patients posture bend as if they were carrying the “weight of the world on their shoulders”?

Or the patient that refuses to let go of their
“ self pity,” “anger,” or “unforgiveness;”

they almost never get well!

If you want to move to the next level of healing and blow the roof off all your expectations of a rewarding practice and life, start praying for your people!

I believe there are no coincidences in life and God sends exactly the kind of people that need to be in your practice! Not only for their welfare but for you as well!

Some of you may use the initials “PTC” in your practice. It stands for “present time consciousness”.( being present completely to the patient you are with) Well, I was beginning to learn a new technique called “PPG”, “practicing the presence of God”. It was a bit difficult in the beginning, kind of like introducing a whole new procedure, but once you got into the swing of it, it started to become routine.

This dramatically prepared me for
the ministerial practice that awaited me.

You see there is another slogan that we are taught in chiropractic,
“You can’t sell what you don’t own”, NYCC class of 1981.

Well you can’t talk about your relationship with God unless you actually have one( now please don’t feel that you need to be “canonized” before you try this, God takes even a mustard seed and makes use of it ! I am a perfect example!)

You get the kind of patient’s you are attracted to.

Very shortly by God’s grace I had an “ivory soap” practice. Remember the commercial for ivory, it’s 99.49 percent pure?

Well God made it easy for me because he knew that I was “Polish”.

Just about everybody that came through my door was Catholic.
Soon, I was taking care of the Dominicans, Josephites, the Ursulines, Diocesan priests, even a Bishop! It was real easy to talk about God to all those folks and I felt like my time had finally arrived,
“but I felt that there was more.”
You see we were talking and sharing, but that little ache in the pit of my stomach was still there. When you’re open, God will take care of everything and so he sent me a patient named Mary( changed the name thanks to HIPPA!.) She stood about 5 foot nothing and was about 87 pounds soaking wet. She drove about an hour to see me because she was Catholic, and she wanted a Catholic chiropractor. After a great exam, some philosophy, some sharing of our faith, and a fabulous adjustment, she looked at me with this big grin on her face, and she said

“Are you finished?”

Being a little curious I said,

“Is there something I missed?”

Smiling the whole time she said,
“I’m not leaving here until you pray over me.”

I said “Mary, I pray for my patients while I work on them.”

Mary said, “so you’re saying you prayed for me then?”

Doc: “that’s right.”

Mary: “ well what did you say?”

Doc: “What do you mean?”

Mary: “I mean what did you say in your prayer?”
(I was getting a bit embarrassed and nervous at this point, but this little old gal was being summoned by the Holy Spirit to push me out of my comfort zone (remember the chiropractic comfort zone?).

Doc: “well I kind of asked God to bless you and heal you.”

Mary: “kind of? Somebody told me that you pray.”

Doc: “yeah, but not out loud!”

Mary: “Why not?”

Doc: “I guess I never wanted anybody to feel uncomfortable.”

Mary: “Doc, I don’t know about anybody else but God does not make me feel uncomfortable.”

Doc: “Well Mary, how about if I pray over you next time since I am really getting back up with patients now”.

Mary: “Ok but, I want twice as much next time (LOL).

Now Mary was back and after her adjustment the next time she sat at the edge of the table and closed her eyes and said,
“I’m ready.”
I laid my hands on her shoulders and I asked the Holy Spirit to help me pray over this woman. I spoke softly for about a minute, but I definitely did not feel the “Red Sea part in the middle”. But, there was a nice quiet sense of peace in the middle of a hectic day.

Mary said, “see that wasn’t so bad.”

The next time Mary came in, she ended her visit in exactly the same way. I said, “again?”

So her response to me was, “do I only need one adjustment doc?”

The point was quite clear and little did I know I was learning all about this wonderful spiritual healing technique called prayer. (Sometimes a single prayer is a powerful tool, like the many times I have prayed with a patient that has lost a loved one, other times repetitive prayer may be indicated for a variety of reasons) Just as we chiropractors get to know our patient’s spines, the Holy Spirit teaches us about the ills of the spirit by ongoing discernment and prayer. Essentially, I would simply ask God to let me be and say, exactly what this patient needed to experience and hear, and then I would let God do the rest.

Docs, if you thought chiropractic healing was awesome, this blows everything you can imagine away. Soon patients just seem more receptive (Hmmm, I wonder if maybe I was just more receptive and maybe more at ease about being myself with my faith).
Patients began telling me that they got more out of their treatments emotionally and spiritually than when they spent an hour at their psychiatrist. It was not unusual to see patients with a hardened heart, have tears rolling down their eyes after a prayer or a hug. Broken marriages were being reconciled. The grip of unforgiveness being broken. Fallen away Catholics were coming back to the faith. All this being done in the quiet of the exam room, often times without even my staff knowing about it (you don’t really have to be loud about what you are doing, in fact I find the more subtle you are the more effective it is for your patients). Finally, that little ache in my stomach was lifting.

You see, I forgot to tell you something.

Mother Teresa she said something that haunted me and quite honestly alluded me until then. She said,

“You are not called to be like Christ, you are to be Christ! ”

To me it almost sounded blasphemous, but I finally knew what she was talking about. You see when you are either counseling or praying with a patient and you are giving your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole strength to that patient, the world seems to just fade away and only you, your patient, and God are present. As you “get out of the way”, God can use you as an “empty vessel”, by filling you with grace that flows from Him through you to your patient. It’s almost like you’re not there (as a matter of fact, he can’t really use you and fill you too easily if you are already filled too much with yourself).

Is not that what the priest does each and every time he offers the Holy Sacrifice at the mass?
He stands in for Christ as a “conduit” a “mediator” between God and his people. I soon realized my purpose
(No, it was not to see as many patients
and make as much money as possible!).

Each and every one of us has been baptized as
Priest, Prophet, and King!!!,
and I was beginning to know what I was born to be!!!.

Stretch your practice and your life.
Discover “ who you really are”!
You are going to live much longer than your title,
“Chiropractor”
Exercise the divine being that lives within you.

Jesus is calling you to be the

“King’s kid”

that you were meant to be.

He feels so strongly about it, he bet his life on it!

Peace

Kevin Kulik D.C

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