Monday, May 30, 2011

The Gift of Healing

God is nourishing my gift of healing. I have been learning from several people blessed with this same holy gift. I listen, I pray, I give myself over to God, and I wait for Him to send those to me whom He wishes me to lay hands on. Recently, two new people have been brought to my attention. I was called by a good Catholic friend who knows of my gift, to pray over a young woman in need of spiritual healing because of a situation in her life. I truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit when I prayed with her. I do not know the outcome of the prayer, but, I know God heard the prayer, and that whatever the outcome, she knows that God loves her and she is in good hands. I made it perfectly clear to her that He is the divine healer, not me. I told her I am only the vessel through which He chooses to work. I never deserve nor want recognition or praise. God is the one to whom all glory is to be directed.

The second person I was asked to pray over is a young woman who suffered from an accident in Italy that left her unable to walk and in very much pain. I have not gone to pray with her yet, but, if God chooses to use me in this case, then may His holy will be done.

Already one woman was healed of cancer by God, through the prayer and laying on of my hands, and a priest was healed of a nasty illness. Either one would attest to this. But, I do not ask them to shout it out. Only to thank God for His healing. I was only a conduit through which He chose to send healing power. Another woman was healed of very upsetting anxiety she had been suffering for months due to a personal situation in her life. We prayed over the telephone and she immediately felt the burden leave. When she was thanking me, I again reminded her that it was only God who needed the thanks, not me.

Each time I attend Holy Mass I continue to lift in prayer Fr. Antonio, Karim, Charbel, my new friend from Lebanon and a few others who need healing from God. These are the ones whom I desire most to receive God's mercy and love through His spiritual and physical healing. Every time the sacramental gifts are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I offer the healing prayers for them at that very moment. This is a powerful time. Christ enters in and becomes one with us, once again, as He did at the Last Supper. He reminds us of His promise to be with us always, until the end of time. This is when I ask Him to heal those who are close to my heart.

Monday, May 2, 2011

A Baby is Saved

Tonight I attended a baby shower. You might think this is not unusual. However, this baby's mother, Samantha, was originally going to abort her baby. Samantha is only 19 years old. She had a previous abortion. The father of the baby is the same one who fathered the other baby who was aborted. He wants Samantha to abort this one, too. He doesn't love her. He abuses her sexually, verbally and emotionally. He merely uses her for his own sexual pleasure, as is evidenced by the fact that he doesn't want anything to do with the life he has created with Samantha.

Samantha comes from a broken home. Her own mother lives in Wyoming. Sam was living with her sister and her father until two months ago. At that time, when she was considering abortion, my friend Barb found out through someone who knew Samantha's
mother, that this girl needed help. Barb called Samantha and lovingly counseled her about the life growing within her womb. Barb is a sidewalk counselor and has had some success in talking women out of having abortions in the past. Samantha was willing to listen. Barb also got on the phone and called many of her pro-life friends and asked them to get as many people as possible praying for Samantha to change her mind and to carry the baby to term. She lined up a couple of people willing to adopt the baby as well. Samantha agreed to think about it. She was afraid that her father would beat her up if he learned that she was pregnant.

A couple of short weeks later, Samantha moved in with a very loving family who agreed to let her stay with them for awhile while she got her life in order; including cutting it off with her abusive boyfriend and making important decisions for herself and her unborn baby. This family showed her a lot of love and support.

Through many continued prayers and the love and kindness showed by this family and the Catholic community that supported her, including the youth group she joined and made friends with, she decided to move out west to Wyoming and be with her mother for support. She also decided to keep the baby herself and be responsible for the life she is carrying within. She's not yet ready to take the leap of faith and return to her Catholic roots, but, she has now had the example of this wonderful Catholic family to remind her of God's love for the rest of her life.

Tonight they held a baby shower for her. She's been living with them for two months. She received gifts from some people she hardly knew, including myself. She received loving cards and gifts from members, both male and female, of the youth group, from the religious sister from our parish, and from relatives and friends of the family who took her in, and from Barb. We ended the shower by praying a decade of the rosary together, and by offering prayers for Samantha's welfare and safe travels to Wyoming. Not only did she receive material gifts for herself and her baby, but, more importantly, she received gifts of love and prayer, far greater than she would have ever known, had she decided to take the path she originally planned to take when we all first heard of her. Thank you, Jesus, for surrounding Samantha with your love and protecting her with the prayers of the community whom you placed her in.