God’s Healing Power

Crutches line the left wing of the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and are a testament to the number of people who have been healed there. Otherwise known as Mission Church, this shrine is well- known for its healing services and for the intercession offered by the Blessed Virgin Mary for those who come seeking her aid.  Fr. Edward McDonough, who served the Basilica until his death in 2008, had a special gift as an intercessor for God’s healing grace. When I moved to Boston in the late ‘80’s, Mission Church was my neighborhood parish, and I often frequented their healing services.

We all need healing of some sort throughout our lives. The desire for physical healing from a sickness or disability is the most sought-after type of healing, but we may also need spiritual healing for the sins that separate us from God, and psychological healing for emotional wounds and challenges. The New Testament is filled with Jesus’ healing miracles: the blind could see, the mute could speak, the lame could walk. And Jesus commissioned the disciples to continue his work, through acts of spiritual and physical healing: “Cure the sick…and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you” (Luke 10:9). Throughout history, Christians have testified to being healed by God through their prayers and faith. Assuredly, when we cry out to the Lord with our needs and in our pain, God hears us and is at our side. Our broken hearts can be mended, our suffering souls achieve peace, and our sinfulness cleansed.

In 2001, I returned to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica for some desired healing. I had struggled many years to conceive my daughter and desperately wanted a second child before my biological clock ran out of steam. When the priest’s hands were placed upon my shoulders, I felt a leap in my womb as the healing prayers were recited, perhaps like Saint Elizabeth felt when John the Baptist leapt in her womb after being greeted by her cousin, the Blessed Virgin Mary. I became pregnant shortly after that encounter, and my son turned 21 last week!

Sometimes, however, when a cure to our disease is not experienced, or our request is not answered in the way we desire, we can become discouraged and perhaps lose hope. Although we don’t always get what we want, these situations can be an opportunity for us to grow spiritually. I have attended many healing services over the years and have always left the church with a deep sense of peace, and a feeling of God’s presence, comfort, and love, despite not receiving an instantaneous miracle. Most healings unfold over time and may occur in ways we didn’t expect. For instance, several years ago our former pastor, Fr. Bill Schmidt, asked the collaborative to pray for his friend, Pete Frates, a local baseball player who had been stricken with ALS. Although not cured, Pete’s seven-year battle led to the infamous Ice Bucket Challenge which has raised over $115 million towards helping others with this disease experience healing.

It’s important to be patient and steadfast in our faith as we place our needs before God. If we are persistent with our prayer, God will be faithful to His Word. We read in Psalm 107:20: “He sent forth his word, and healed them, and delivered them from destruction”. And as we endure our illness, pain, or emotional burdens, we are reminded: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Our call as Christians is to trust in God’s presence and follow His will for our lives in both our sickness and in health.

I look forward to our Lenten Mission this week as I know it will be powerful, healing, and a restorative experience. Over the 3 nights, we will listen to God’s Word, learn about obstacles to healing, and have the opportunity to spend time in reflection, adoration, and reconciliation. I can think of no better way to purify my heart and cleanse my soul as I walk with Christ during these final days of our Lenten journey.