tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468221256591900939.post3181273343412851479..comments2022-03-29T23:10:57.371-05:00Comments on Immersed In Christ: Doing Is BelievingBrainiachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16681402620252665717noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-468221256591900939.post-80936317113663544092016-04-04T17:38:04.651-05:002016-04-04T17:38:04.651-05:00Does God in our own day give us a Peter or a John ...Does God in our own day give us a Peter or a John (as in Acts 4) to miraculously cure us along with signs and wonders worked in the name of Jesus? In my “scientific” moments of reflection, I might say no. But then I am not sure. In thinking about my childhood, I feel that He must have spared my siblings, parents, and me from serious illnesses because we were very poor and medically uninsured---perhaps because my Catholic mom and Lutheran dad were people of prayer and great faith. Maybe if we had a faith such as theirs---or even more so, a faith that could move mountains (Mt 17:20), then we too would see the miraculous cures of Peter and John.<br /> <br />But then again, perhaps not. Would miraculous cures in our times bring humanity closer to God? I wonder. If the Pharisees and Sadducees could deny the many cures of Jesus, the awakening of Jairus’ daughter in Luke 40, and the raising of Lazarus in John 11, could it be that many of the intellectually elite of today would attribute such miracles to random acts of nature that await a scientific explanation in the future. Perhaps God in His infinite wisdom and practicality has devised a better way than to zap us with a miraculous cure—one that adds more of us to His entourage of Peters and Johns. <br /><br />Several weeks ago, I underwent surgery and was surrounded by many Christ-like healers--from the surgeon, to the nurses, to the cheerful young woman who brought me my 4 and 5-star hospital meals. Obviously, the surgeon did more than simply lay her hands on me and pray, yet the skill of those trained hands did cure me; now I am healed and feel wonderful! She, along with every person whom I encountered in the hospital, was my Peter and John. Nurses are truly angels. Yes, they are paid for what they do, but everyone one of them did more than was required: Anna, youthful and exuberant, who found time to chat with me and make me laugh and even offered to go down to the cafeteria during her break to get me ice cream; Sushma, compassionate and kind, who despite her busy schedule, found the time to massage my very itchy legs with Aveeno lotion in the wee hours because I could not; and Kiley, a consummate and skilled nurse in every way, who was always there when I needed her and who told me when I left her care that she loved all of her patients. And then there was my loving spouse who prayed with and for me and who snuck in goodies from Panera and Starbucks. Surely the hand of Jesus is working through all of these wonderful people, be they baptized Christians or not.<br /> <br />Finally, all thanks to the wonderful priest who drove to the hospital from the nether lands of Frayser to anoint me before surgery.<br /><br />Pax tecum,<br />N.P.O. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com