Prayer Opportunties

09-19-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Charlie Goraieb

Dear Friends,

For those of you who were not at our parish this weekend or didn’t quite get the announcement that we priests made at the beginning of our homilies, two of our Sisters discovered three hosts discarded among one of the pews. I am sure that you can imagine our deep sadness. To make it very difficult for someone to do that again, I want to ask everyone who receives the Holy Eucharist on the hand to please take one step to the side and consume the host in the presence of the Minister. Thank you for helping us to do what we can to prevent another desecration of the Blessed Sacrament.

On Labor Day weekend the Gospel was about Jesus healing the man who was deaf and dumb. When I read one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus healing the sick or casting out demons, I view the passage on various levels. We can be sure that the depiction of these miracles are historical events— they actually took place just as described. But we must also be mindful of God’s continuing desire to heal and deliver us. Because the Spirit which empowered the Lord to perform these miracles is as present to us today as it was 2000 years ago, we too should expect to see the Spirit’s healing power at work in our midst. We are not simply passive observers of past historical events but present participants in Jesus’ ministry of healing and deliverance.

A few weeks ago, some people who have helped establish healing ministries in one of my previous parishes approached me to see if they could offer their gifts to OLMC. After prayer, consultation and discussion, we agreed that starting in October, we would inaugurate an inner healing and deliverance ministry in our parish. If you (or someone you know) has been struggling with debilitating emotional or psychological wounds, this would be a good opportunity for you to bring those issues before the Lord.

The members of the prayer team are not therapists-that is not their expertise. They are men and women of faith who are experienced in praying with others in a peaceful, non-invasive, yet faith-filled way. They understand the difference between a mental illness that requires professional care and a spiritual wound that can be brought before the healing power of the Lord. They are also experienced in praying with those who are undergoing spiritual warfare, which often masks itself as something else.

Beginning in October, this Prayer Room will be conducted in the church and will be available two nights a month (the first and third Wednesdays), open to anyone seeking inner healing or deliverance. Further details will be in a future bulletin.

A second option that will be resuming is the opportunity for prayer for healing of any kind to take place after the 9:00am and 11:00am Masses on the first Sunday of the month, beginning in October. I understand that this was offered for quite a while and then in recent years was paused. These are parishioners

who simply want to pray with anyone in need of prayer. A third option that we want to offer are evening Healing Services that would include a time of praise and song, the Word and then an opportunity for all present to pray for those who have needs. I have been involved in these healing services for at least 10 years and have seen a great deal of fruit. It is very humbling to see the Lord at work performing healing signs and wonders. Reports from those who received healing are stunning testimonies to what can happen to us if we simply ask the Lord in faith. Our first Healing Service will be on Tuesday, November 9th at 7pm in the church.

Love,
Fr Charlie Goraieb

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