Last night before bed as I read night prayers, and then with great anticipation went to read the Gospel for today - I was overjoyed to find... Mark 5:21-43... the story of the woman, who had suffered for 12 years with hemorhaging, and with faith came up and touched his garment, and was healed! So powerful, and floods me with amazing memories of a powerful happening in my life - thanks once again to my children taking me deeper into my journey of faith!
I am using pictures of the time we went to Kansas City last March to spend some days with the Community of the Lamb - our daughter, little sister Hallel, has joined them. Maria, her two little ones and I plan to spend 3 days with them next week! I am so excited to have this mini retreat in the midst of my life! Every day the little Sisters have mass and adoration and if possible they have it there in the amazing chaple they built on the model of all of their chapels on the first floor of an old Belgian rectory - they live here and are fundraising to build a new "little monastery" in the heart of our damaged needy country!
Back to my story,which I have shared in the past... Susan now Hallel, was living in a discernment house in the Cities, and she invited me up to attend Cora Jesu - Heart of Jesus - every other week they would have this "holy Hour" - Jesus would be present in the monstrance, praise and worship music would be sung to Him, and about 4 priests were there throughout the beautiful Church on ST Thomas campus hearing confessions as this was all going on... Susan spoke briefly first sharing her love for and need for Jesus in the Eucharist! Then Fr Criag spoke and then placed Jesus in the monstrance... then something amazing was added that touched me very deeply - a scarf type altar cloth was draped around the bottom of the monstrance and hung down on both sides of the altar... we present, and the church was filled... were invited to come up and hold onto the hem of his garment and have this time of communion and healing!
Sitting there and watching those come forward two by two to kneel at the foot of the altar and to hold onto the fabric of his garment! The tears flowed! I was most touched to see a Bride of Christ - a sister for probably 20 years - come forward and spend such personal close time with her spouse! I have come to realize that to wish Hallel to come home and spend time with us for a period of time is not fair to her... It deprives her of this time with Jesus - her daily mass and Holy Hour!
The simple yet stunningly beautiful chapel they built to make this run down huge Belgian rectory in a poor section of Kansas City - their temporary home! Many hours of prayer for all the intentions of the world, and their neighborhood, and yes for our cancer journey with John took place here!
I am longing to return for my 3 days with them next week...I think that you can "see" the work of faith and love that goes on here many times a day!
John relys on their love and prayers, and knows that the prayers of the Community, throughout the world, were hugely involved in his healing! We are at peace here with our new family... we did not lose Susan/Hallel... we gained many new family members! Such a blessing to know them and to have them filling us with peace on this road of suffering...
The Lord's words to us today; " Do not be afraid: just have faith."
St Paul tells us in the first reading this amazing thought - "For the sake of the joy that lay before him Jesus endured the cross..." Hebrews 12: 1-4 Wow, this is so much what we discovered in embracing the cross - cancer/healing- the joy that we found in our healing and finding that the cross is truly the "tree of Life!"
"Your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." I just love it when Jesus speaks to us! We can be assured of His Love and Healing... we need to share with the world so that hopeless and suffering people - like this woman in the Gospel today - can know and believe and reach out to HIM!
Jesus, we are so moved by all the stories of faith that we hear and see and know. They fill us with the Truth and we are set free to love and to serve! Your Word comes to life and allows us to know that you are there to heal us as we embrace the Cross of Life - the Tree of Life! We are weak, and we need you, and depend on you to see us to the JOY of the resurrection! That Easter joy that fills us each time we come before you at mass and as we visit you... sitting at your feet and holding onto the hem of your garment trusting and knowing that you LOVE us with your life and are there with your loving and forgiving arms open wide to embrace us and bring us to the path laid out in front of us! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia!
Bless-bless, Barb
"Suffering produces a form of intospection in which the spirit penetrates to the very roots of life... Suffering deepens consciousness by emptying it of all the preoccupying and distracting objects that had sufficed to fill it. Some people acquire a sensitivity , a seriousness, an interior, and personal value as a result of certain sufferings they have undergone... Relationships between two people have an acuteness and a depth that is in direct proportion to their common suffering... In the difficulties that suffering presents, in the anxiety it causes, in the abrupt return it forces us to make into our individual and seperated self, it deprives us of every resource and every strength but those which we can find deep within ourselves." CHRIST!
Louis Lavelle (1951)
