Praying for the Sick
At every mass during the intercessions, we pray for those in our parish, or otherwise known to us, who are sick.
Sometimes, I think, praying for the sick is misunderstood. There is a danger that we might see prayer – not only prayer for the sick, but any kind of intercessory prayer – as some kind of almost magical request for hoped for outcomes, whether for ourselves, for other individuals, or for more general matters such as world peace or relief from poverty.
But this is indeed a danger as it may lead us into serious error. Seeing prayer in this way is really a way of putting God to the test – we might appear to be saying to God, “Let’s see if you can cure my loved one’s cancer.” And if the cancer is not cured, then presumably we must conclude that God has failed.
But we know that this is wrong. When Jesus went into the desert – that time which we remember especially during Lent – one of the devil’s temptations was that Jesus should throw himself off the top of the Temple. In Luke 4:12 we read that “Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’”
So, if prayer is not about magic, or putting God to the test, what is it about?
I think it is about two things. First, intercessory prayer changes us, the people doing the praying. Theologian Mike Higton wrote that this type of prayer is “a process in which the person praying learns to stand towards situations in the world as God stands towards them.” In the context of praying for the sick we are trying to enter the love and tenderness towards the suffering person that God feels towards them. That means leaving behind our self-centredness which might really be more about our sadness and distress at the risk of losing a loved one than it is about the person who is ill.
Second, this way of praying will, we hope, motivate us to do something about the suffering of the other person – visit them perhaps, take them a gift, help them to get the best care, for example. But it is not about challenging God to do the things we ourselves are not prepared to do. Prayer is not sub-contracting!
So, when we ask for someone to be put on the sick list for prayer during mass, we must truly try to put ourselves in God’s shoes, as it were, and see the person in the light of God’s love, and maybe ask ourselves what we can do to help comfort them or relieve their suffering.
Notices
Please be reminded that our Brigade will be launched in September, please pick a form at the back of church or speak to Susan, our children’s champion.
The Day Two Training of Brigade Volunteers is on this Saturday 10th August from 9:00am to 4:30pm, at the church hall. It is not too late to join the volunteers. Please contact Susan if you want to volunteer.
Please note that Foodbank is currently on break.
Please support the church generously through your giving at www.stanselm.co.uk/giving