He will not let us down!
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
We can always count on Jesus Christ. I make this statement without reservation, because I know it to be true. People tell me, they pray and pray, and nothing happens. Jesus does not heal on our command, but He does heal. He often uses other people to heal us. He uses doctors, spouses, priests (the confessional is a big place of healing), deacons, even strangers, but He will do something. He won't let us down!
"In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him." (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 2621)
"Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and He himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. The "spiritual battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer." (CCC 2725)
God wants to heal us, He won't let us down ... but, unfortunately, we often let Him down. When we let Him down, we are not ready to receive the healing He provides. "The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick." (CCC 1421)
The Sacrament of Penance is key to healing. A penitent who seeks to repent and convert to a life of persevering faith, trying very hard to sin less or sin no more, will find that prayers are answered more frequently. Prayer isn't difficult. It is not necessary to recite psalms or other printed prayers, rather prayer is asking God for help just as you would ask your best friend. Just relax, be yourself, acknowledge that you are far from perfect, that you often haven't been the greatest friend of Jesus, and ask to be heard, and describe your needs. Then thank Him... with a lively expectation that He can indeed heal us. Tell Him that you love Him - but be honest. If you sin then you do not love Him. If you try to overcome habitual sin, then there is hope for you but if you still sin, you do not love Him enough. Don't give up. Keep trying to do better. He will help all those who ask for help in spiritual improvement.
We can pray to God in the Name of Jesus. We can ask God for help via Mary, the Mother of God, asking her to intercede for us. Likewise, we can ask our favorite Saint for intercession, and what most people forget, we can ask our deceased loved one or family member in heaven to intercede for us. We can even ask the souls who are in Purgatory to intercede for us, because they will see the promised land.
There is hope for everyone who repents. Everyone can get to Heaven but it depends how we live, what we do, and how we treat other people.
May God give you Peace!
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
2010, rev. 10/10/2023