On Mondays, we're back to the Joyful Mysteries (text, video). These mysteries, especially the first three, emphasize Jesus as man. We know God is a personal God (not a "force" or "nature" or something like that), but it can be easy to forget. Jesus, however, was born just like us, grew up just like us, had a normal life like us for nearly three decades. It's easy to picture Jesus as a person.
Now, bear with me, because I'm taking the long way around the block to make a point, but I remember an old XKCD comic about "crazy phenomenon," and how they would be used to make a profit--
The thing is, that 5th row isn't accurate; he's talking about magic, not prayer. If magic worked, it'd be like a kind of strange physics, where saying certain words or making certain gestures caused unnatural events. But prayer isn't magic; prayer is having a conversation. You can't command God with prayer; He's not a genie.
If I dropped a ball, and it floated upwards, we'd have to do some serious re-thinking of the Theory of Gravity. But if I asked you to throw me a ball and you didn't, that doesn't prove anything other than you decided not to throw.
When we pray for a miracle, we're not commanding an unthinking force to bend reality to our will. We're asking a person to help. We can't see God's plan and can't understand his purpose, so all we can do is ask.
And so, as always, we ask in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Lord God, we thank You for all the ways You have blessed and assisted us in our lives. We humbly ask You today to bring healing to all who are sick.
Many sick people must fight against their illnesses for a long time. Lengthy battles with illness can lead to feelings of great discouragement. And while it seems like it's been a long time, Amelia is still only at the beginning of her metachromatic leukodystrophy. You can help sick people who are discouraged in their battle with illness by giving them hope and bringing healing to them.
We ask You to heal all the sick, and we particularly ask You today to bring healing to all sick people who are struggling with discouragement in their battle against illness.
Help us to grow in friendship with You each day, even in the midst of suffering. Help us to make our relationship with You our top priority in life
And I especially ask in this novena to cure Amelia of her metachromatic leukodystrophy.
Lord, hear our prayers!