I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. —Psalm 30:2

Mass Readings: Isaiah 65:17-21/John 4:43-54 

God’s Ways of Healing 

I thought I knew what suffering was, until I stood at the graveside of a 4-year-old girl and looked into the face of her mother. She kept returning to the small pink, open casket to stroke her daughter’s hair one last time. For months before the child died, our entire parish community, along with thousands of Caring Bridge followers, had pleaded with God for a miracle like the one in today’s Gospel. 

All Our Lord had to do was say one word, and this little girl could have jumped up from her hospital bed. So why didn’t He? I grappled with this question for many months, and finally brought it to our pastor. He told me, “Sometimes Jesus heals people with miracles. But sometimes He heals them by bringing them home.”

Prayer: Lord, help me to trust in Your divine will, especially in the hardest of times.