Importance of Prayer

I was talking to my spiritual director yesterday about prayer. Since I'm praying for a miracle of healing for my brother John through the intercession of Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni (I blogged about it here.), I've been thinking a lot about the prayer of petition. Father said something interesting. God responds to our needs and our prayers in one of three ways.

• First, there are some things He will NOT give us no matter how hard we pray for them.
• Second, some things He will give us whether we pray for them or not.
• And, third, some things He will only give us IF we pray for them.

That sounds pretty simple on its face, but I think it offers serious material for reflection. During this coming third week of Advent, when my husband and I will end our novena to Blessed Vincenza (And probably begin another of thanksgiving.), I plan to reflect on what Father said about prayer. I know how much I want John's healing, but I have also seen the powerful impact of John's situation on the lives of those around Him. What if God's will is not John's physical healing, but his spiritual? How will I respond? How will John respond? I call him every night to pray the novena prayer with him and I know God will use those prayers powerfully. I hope it is to give John a miraculous healing and provide the miraculous cure that Blessed Vincenza needs for her canonization. But God is not a vending machine who must answer the prayers in the way I want. So these last two weeks of Advent invite me to watch and wait in prayer with eyes wide open to see how the Savior will come to bring the good news to our family.

A Novena for Healing: To Christ the Great Physician through the intercession of Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni

I have a personal request for all my readers today. Will you please pray for my brother John? John is a retired Baltimore County police officer who had a stroke two years ago at age 54. It left him with an almost useless left side and his condition was complicated further when he contracted a disease called transverse myelitis. John is in constant pain and so far little has helped to relieve it. Doctors at Johns Hopkins pain clinic tried a temporary implant to send electric stimuli to block the pain, but it didn't work so they scrapped plans for a permanent implant. Meanwhile, John continues to suffer.

I recently came across a Blessed who is in need of a miracle for canonization and whose story is so full of providential connections to John that I decided to make a novena for his miraculous healing through her intercession. My husband and I will begin it this Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent. We will pray the daily rosary and the Prayer below asking Blessed Vincenza to intercede for John's complete healing. What a grace if through her prayers John could have his left side restored like the man with the withered arm.

In case you're interested in why I chose this Blessed, her name in religious life was the first attention-getter because John lives on Vincenza Dr. But there are other similarities. Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni was one of twelve children, only three of whom lived to adulthood. We also come from a large family. My mom had eleven full term pregnancies and several miscarriages with ten children living to adulthood. Blessed Vincenza founded an order to care for the sick and infirm and devoted her adult life to praying for and serving them. I know she would be touched by my brother's difficult circumstances because she chose to found an order to help people like him. Finally, Blessed Vincenza was found dead November 11, 1855. I wonder if she too was the victim of a stroke. She was 53 almost the same age as John when he was struck down, and her death year was 100 years before John’s birth. John, like Blessed Vincenza was found in his room, not dead, but too late for the clot-busting drugs that might have prevented so much damage.

I wondered when I read Blessed Vincenza's story in my Magnificat whether all these connections with John could be just random coincidences or was Blessed Vincenza inviting us to seek her intercession? I determined to ask my family to begin praying for John’s cure through this Blessed’s prayers before the throne of God. What a grace if his cure should be the miracle needed for her canonization. Please join us in this prayer for John from December 3 to December 11, the vigil of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you can add the daily rosary or at least one Hail Mary, I would be so grateful.

Here is a healing prayer approved by the church for those seeking a miracle. Since it's written in the first person I've put the original words in parentheses, and included the proper third person construction.

Prayer for a Creative Miracle
(Through the intercession of Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni we pray):

God of all creation, you who spoke a simple command and brought forth light from the darkness, I call upon you now to send forth your miracle-working power into every aspect of (my) John's being. In the same way that you spoke unto the dust of the ground when you created humankind in your own image, I ask you to send forth your healing power into (my) John's body. Send forth your word and command every cell, electrical and chemical impulse, tissue, joint, ligament, organ, gland, muscle, bone and every molecule in (my) his body to come under complete and perfect health, strength, alignment, balance and harmony.

It is through you that (I) John lives and moves and (have my) has his being. With every breath (I) he takes, (I) he lives under your life-giving grace. I ask you to touch (me) him now with the same miracle-working power that you used when you fashioned (me) him inside (my) his mother’s womb. As surely as you have created (me) him in your image and likeness, you can also recreate (me) him now and restore (me) him to health.

Please fill (me) John with your healing power. Cast out all that should not be inside of (me) him. I ask you to mend all that is broken, root out every sickness and disease, open all blocked arteries and veins, restore (my) his internal organs, rebuild (my) his damaged tissues, remove all inflammation and cleanse (me) him of all infections, viruses and destructive forms of bacteria.

Let the warmth of your healing love flood (my) his entire being, so that (my) his body will function the way it was created to be, whole and complete, renewed in your perfect health. I ask this through (the intercession of Blessed Vincenza Maria Poloni)  to my Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.