Perspectives
Faith comes through hearing
By Jodie D’Angiolillo, Coordinator
Office of Evangelization
A journey: despair to prayer to faith
John thought that it was just a throw-away comment to an acquaintance over lunch when he had asked him how his evening was the night before. What he didn’t realize was that for Mike, his co-worker, every evening for the past 18 months had been an absolute nightmare.
It all started when precious Alicia was born. Mike and his wife had no idea that their newborn daughter would enter the world and suffer up to 30 seizures a day. It had taken its toll on them, and now that they were expecting another child the pressures were mounting even more.
All of this was unknown to John when he made his lunch-table query. Mike exposed his weary and wounded soul when he responded without his usual politically correct guardedness that he had had an awful night without sleep because of his daughter’s continual seizures.
“I’m terribly sorry to hear that,” John consoled him, “but you know what I would do if she was my daughter? I would pray for her healing.”
Absolutely incredulous, Mike responded, “You would? Well, quite frankly, I don’t have that kind of faith.”
Unperturbed by this seeming obstacle, as well as by the looks of outrage coming from the other people who were lunching with them for having broken the religion taboo, John continued: “I realize that if you don’t know Jesus it may seem hard because you do not have that faith; that’s okay, but you never know what God will do to lead you into it, so don’t despair.”
Desperation, however, was drawing nigh for Mike as his wife was due to deliver their second child in about two months. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to cope. A couple of days later John gave him a book to read on praying for healing. After reading it through twice in one week he returned it. “No joy; I don’t have that kind of faith,” he remarked despondently.
Once again John encouraged him not to despair at his lack of faith. He knew that Mike was a man looking for Jesus, both for himself as well as for his family, even if he wasn’t consciously aware of it yet. As such he began to pray for him and entrust him to God’s care.
Two months later Mike summoned John to his office. He listened in awe as he recounted with unshakeable faith the miraculous healing of his daughter one week prior.
As it unfolded, John learned that the day before Mike had been scheduled to take his wife to the hospital he became overwhelmed with anxiety by the reality at hand.
Then, suddenly, he remembered the book he had read on healing and decided he needed to go to a nearby church.
“All I did,” he said, “was enter the church, stand in the back, and then from the depths of my soul mutter the words, ‘Jesus, help me, particularly with this child who is so ill.’ Instantaneously I sensed Jesus there with me, praying with me, and I was filled with deep peace. When I returned home that evening my wife informed me that Alicia had completely stopped her seizures at 1 p.m. — something that had never occurred before! This was the exact hour that I had been in the church praying! And she hasn’t had a seizure since! I now realize that everything is possible! ”
No longer incredulous, Mike is now proclaiming the marvels of God who did more than he had asked or even imagined! Indeed, he now knows, as never before, that nothing is impossible for God. But who would have thought that an innocent, throw-away lunchtime remark could have been the catalyst to such faith?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, fear is useless; what is needed is trust.” (Mk 5:36)
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law