July 1st, 2018 Prayer Changes Everything Mark 5: 21-43

When my son was diagnosed with diabetes at 5 years old, it turned our family life upside down. There were so many things I had taken for granted that I now needed to plan and be deliberate about. Mealtimes were now at fixed times. Meal portions were carefully calculated. Physical exercise needed to be monitored. Vacations required research into available meal choices and the locations of pharmacies. I began my personal research into the causes and possible cures for diabetes. Now you will tell me that there is no known cure for diabetes, but I remembered the curious case of kidnapped diplomate James Cross . It happened during the October crisis of 1970. At the time of his capture Cross had diabetes, requiring daily injections of insulin, but after being fed on a very plain and minimal diet, upon his release he no longer had the disease. A miracle! I reasoned then that there was hope for a cure for my son. Together we experimented with a variety of therapies and diets. I tried everything,… including prayer. At first I was quite bashful about this. I have to admit, that at the time, I did not have a regular prayer practice. I wasn’t quite sure what I believed about God. I put my faith in what I could see and hear and touch. And besides who was I to ask, what seemed like, a personal favour of God. Many children had diabetes. Why should my son deserve special treatment? So I went to the most faithful person I knew. I went to my mother-in-law. Born and raised a devote catholic, second oldest of a family of 17 and raised in pioneer days in Abitibi, my mother-in-law Lucie went to church every day and placed great faith in the power of prayer. “I’m not very religious” I said. “Is it ok to pray for a miracle?” I asked. Her answer? An unequivocal yes! “There is power in prayer. “ She said “It will give you strength. God hears all our prayers. Prayer changes everything.”

I thought of Lucie as I read today’s gospel passage. Not one but two people approach Jesus, looking for a miracle. They come from very different backgrounds. They approach the healer Jesus in very different ways. The temple leader, Jairus, is an important person, probably quite wealthy. He certainly has power and prestige in his community. And yet he humbles himself before Jesus and beseeches him to save his beloved daughter. He will go to any lengths for this miracle. The unnamed woman has spent all that she has on medical treatments and still remains uncured. That she is not named underlines the fact that she falls within the category of the invisible masses of people whose misery goes unnoticed and uncared for. Humility is not her problem. She has plenty of that. What she needs is courage and hope. And the conviction that she counts, that her life could be so much better and that her sickness is not some kind of punishment she deserves. She merits a cure. With hope in her heart, she steals up behind Jesus, hoping to not disturb. Hoping that just by simply touching his robe, she will come close enough to be healed.

For me what both these stories are trying to portray is that when we come seeking a relationship with God, God will respond. Both Jairus and the unnamed woman came forward. I don’t know what your concept of God is, who Jesus is to you or whether you believe in praying for some specific outcome. Some folks will say that is treating God as some kind of Santa Claus. If we are good enough our wish will be granted. I don’t pretend to know how prayer works, but I don’t believe it has anything to do with how good or bad we have been. It seems to have something to do with opening ourselves up to a wider reality. It’s about developing a relationship with a higher intelligence, an organizing element to life that is invisible to us, but yet is very real and can even sometimes be felt.

On the night before his crucifixion, though he gave his will over to God, Jesus prayed that he be spared this horrible death. (Lk 22:42.) That was not to be. Yet that does not mean that his prayers were without purpose. Prayer may not bring the outcome we desire but prayer very definitely changes something inside us. Even as he died Jesus remained so closely in relationship with God and his spiritual centre that he was able to stay true to all that he believed. He offered forgiveness to his executioners. And in so doing He laid down the model for us all to follow.

From the day I took back a practice of regular prayer my life has changed. I am more easily able to access gratitude for life’s small blessings, even in the midst of turmoil. I am more tolerant of my imperfections as well as those of others. I am quicker to let go of the trivial concerns that can sometimes capture us. My first prayers to God for a cure for diabetes were not answered, at least not in the way I expected, but they led me down the path of spiritual growth and trust that there is a mysterious Higher Power operating in the world of humans. Just like the unnamed woman, my faith has cured me, cured me of a false and superficial way of looking at life. Whether we are rich and powerful or invisible and poor this higher power seeks relationship with us. Prayer is our first point of contact. Prayer changes everything.

And one more thing about prayer. When we pray for someone else, our prayers can sometimes be felt by the person we pray for. I know this because, in a time of great sadness for me and my family, I could feel those prayers. They held me up. They gave me courage to face the next day, and the next and the next. They sustained me. We each can become the conduit for God’s love when we open ourselves in prayer. May it be so. Amen.