A Story of Healing at Holy Spirit 2024 in St. Paul

by Christen Cota

I am a Pastoral Associate at a parish in Kansas City, MO and have been in ministry for over 30 years. While I have never been connected to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, I am familiar with it. I registered for the Holy Spirit 2024 Conference about three months before it took place. Before sharing a testimony about what happened at Holy Spirit 2024, I need to share some personal background information. I have been extremely hard of hearing for close to 20 years. Then about 10 years ago, I lost all hearing in my left ear completely. I remember a former doctor describing my left ear as dead.

On October 15, 2024, during a staff meeting, I suddenly lost the remainder of my hearing in my right ear! It was gone. Four days later I had a workshop to help lead. Colleagues and attendees were supportive, but I was so overwhelmed. My brain hurt and was exhausted from having to work so hard to hear. I missed most of what was said. I was missing the discussion in the room, people sharing their stories, people looking to me for guidance. I could not minister to them in the way I was used to. I had two big fears… First, that my autistic son would grow so frustrated when trying to communicate with me that he would give up and not even try. Second, that I would have to give up ministry; which was not only a calling and a gift from God, but also a large part of my family’s livelihood. Later that week I drove to Minnesota for the Holy Spirit 2024: National Leaders Meeting & Conference.

I have struggled, truly in the core of my being, to believe that Jesus loves me or more accurately to believe that I was worthy of his love. I have been blessed to be in ministry for a long time and I’m confident that the Holy Spirit has worked through me to share this very message with too many people to count. I knew this message in my mind and through my studies, but for whatever reason it was a doubt in my heart that I carried deep within me. It was time to finally let it go. Lord, Jesus forgive me for limiting your amazing love by my doubt! The second thing the Holy Spirit put on my heart was healing from the pain, disappointment, and hurt caused by others within and outside the Church. My heart has been so heavy and broken by the division within our Church, by the attacks and close-mindedness from all sides. I needed forgiveness for allowing it to rob me of my joy in the Lord. I also needed to forgive the institutional Church that doesn’t always recognize, and sometimes actively denies, the charisms given to me from the Holy Spirit. I had partially closed the door to the gifts the Holy Spirit had given me, which includes the charism of prophecy.

These were the things on my heart as I approached a prayer team. By the time I got to them I was sobbing. They asked what I wanted them to pray for, and they began praying over me and laying hands on me. As we prayed for the Lord to take the burden of doubt and shame away, they prayed and asked if there was one incident in my past that I thought was the root of this distrust in my worthiness of God’s love. One came to mind so I said, yes. As soon as I did, I felt a weight lift from my chest. I heard a voice as clear as can be in my right ear say, “Christen, my beloved, you have always been loved and will always be loved. I created you. Wondrously and beautifully, I created you, and I love you.” Praise be Jesus Christ! Thank you, Jesus! I suddenly began to have an image in my mind that showed my hearing loss as symbolic of me not being able to completely hear and trust God’s words of love. I began to pray out loud, asking the Lord if it was his will, to heal my hearing so that I could continue to bring his healing to others. As I continued to cry, I was filled with a joy I could not describe; and I think I even started to dance!

The gentleman praying for me on my right noticed a change in me and asked if I was hearing their words. I was in a room filled with music and hundreds of people praying out loud, and I suddenly realized I could hear more clearly what the prayer partners were praying. Praise Jesus Christ! Thank you, Holy Spirit! I believe. I believe. I believed in that moment and Jesus healed! My greatest joy and desire was for others to believe in the healing power of God. I wanted to go forth with confidence and the ability to continue in ministry, but I knew that some would credit the improved hearing in my right ear to the steroid shots that I had received the week before. As the prayer partners continued to pray over me and offer praise to the Lord, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to ask the prayer partner on my left to speak his prayers directly into my left ear. Remember the left ear has been dead for over 10 years. Praise be Jesus Christ! I could hear every word he said in my left ear. Thank you, Jesus Christ!

It is only through the Grace of God that such powerful healings can occur, but it is through the grace of your generosity that Pentecost Today USA is able to host events such as the Holy Spirit 2024 National Leaders Conference and upcoming Holy Spirit 2025 in Houston and the Nine Year Novena ahead of Holy Spirit 2033.

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