When You Are Sick
by Mary Ann Halloran
When Mike and I were still young, and we only had one child (way back when), we went to the emergency room in the wee hours of the night because he could hardly breathe.
Long before that, when Mike was a child living in Rhode Island, his mother took him to the Lahey Clinic in Boston to find out what he was allergic to since he had chronic breathing problems. He found out he was allergic to many things, including dust, cats, and ketchup.
His younger sister had to find a new home for her cat, Muffy. She was very sad.
I had seen Mike’s physical reaction when a cat got anywhere near him. His eyes would start itching and running, and he would start sneezing, and his nose would get stuffy. We knew a cat was around even before we saw it.
And where does the Lord call Mike as an adult? To a big dust bowl where the wind blows fiercely at times, The Lord’s Ranch.
Praying for healing
At some point, Father Thomas gave a teaching on the scripture Sirach 38:9-12:
“My son, when you are ill, delay not, but pray to God, who will heal you: Flee wickedness; let your hands be just, cleanse your heart of every sin; offer your sweet-smelling oblation and petition, a rich offering according to your means. Then give the doctor his place lest he leave; for you need him too.
After that night at the hospital (he was not admitted after they got his breathing aided), Mike said, “I think I need to go through Sirach 38:9-12 carefully and do each step.” So he set out to do that.
Step 1 - He prayed to God to heal him.
Step 2 - He went to confession to cleanse himself of his sins.
Step 3 - This was a big one for him. “Make a rich offering according to your means.” Mike took this seriously.
We didn’t have many possessions. We lived in one room. However, he had a stereo that he had brought from Rhode Island and decided to give it away. He also wanted to give away some of our favorite wedding gifts. This was harder on me, but I could see he felt strongly about it, so we gave some gifts away, including a big double sleeping bag, which we both liked—that was a tough one.
Well, Mike was healed! He has lived on the Lord’s Ranch for 48 years through many dust storms and with different cats around. Our oldest daughter was given a kitten when she was young. This furry, long-haired cat named Junior lived with us for 16 years. Junior would sometimes be outside, but would also spend a lot of time inside with us, bringing in all the dust and pollen from outside. Mike had no watery eyes or any other reaction.
Our youngest daughter had two cats that lived inside our house all the time. When she got married and moved away, we kept her cats since she and her husband went to Japan for his work. One of her cats died, but the other cat, who is very old, is still alive and living with us. Again, Mike has no allergic reactions.
And Mike can eat ketchup with no problem.
The Lord miraculously healed Mike! We still thank God for this grand healing.
I recommend that, when you are sick, you follow these steps in Sirach and give God a chance. You may be healed! If not, you still get spiritual cleansing and blessings from following the steps, and as verse 12 says, then give the doctor his place.
God bless,
Mary Ann / Mother Hen