Michele Kearney's Snuffysmith's Blog: Fr. Warren's Reflection: Persistence

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Fr. Warren's Reflection: Persistence

Persistence

(Luke 18:1-8)

This true story is from Woman's Day magazine. When Karen and her husband Tom found out that they were going to have another baby, they wanted to prepare their three-year old son, Michael, to be ready for a new sister. So every night they would gather Michael in their arms, and Michael would sing to his unborn sister. He sings the only song he knows... "You Are My Sunshine." He sings it day and night.

When the time comes for the birth, complications arise, and when Michael's little sister is born, she is in serious condition. An ambulance rushes the infant to a special neonatal intensive care unit. The days pass, and the little girl gets worse. Karen and Tom storm heaven with prayers. The Pediatric Specialist tells the parents that there is very little hope. Little Michael keeps begging his parents to let him visit his sister. "I want to sing to her," he keeps nagging his parents. "You must take me to see her." But children were not allowed in the ICU. Finally, Karen cannot take his persistent nagging, so she takes him to the hospital. She figures that if he does not see his sister now, he may never see her alive. So she dresses Michael in a scrub suit and goes into the ICU. He looks like a walking laundry basket. The head nurse says "No children allowed. He cannot come in." Karen picks Michael up and pushes past the head nurse. She says, "He is not leaving until he sees his sister." Michael is silent as he gazes at his tiny sister. He has never seen anyone so small. She is losing the battle to live. He begins to sing in the pure-hearted voice of a three year old. Michael sings, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray... "

After a while, the baby girl responds. Her pulse rate becomes calm and steady. "Keep on singing Michael!" — "You never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." The baby's breathing becomes as smooth as a kitten's purr. "Keep on singing, Michael... " "The other night, as I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my arms." Michael's little sister relaxes. Healing seems to sweep over her. "Keep on singing Michael." "Please don't take my sunshine away."

The head nurse with tears streaming down her face checks the dials and the machines surrounding the baby. She cannot believe the positive readings. They do not make sense. The doctors are called in. Funeral plans are scrapped. Within two days, the little girl is well enough to go home. The press called it the miracle of a brother's song. Karen called it a miracle of God's love. The hospital just called it a miracle, and could not offer an explanation.

So why did I tell you this story? Well, remember this gospel is a parable about praying always and never giving up. It is important to recognize that those are two interrelated ideas—to be consistently mindful of our relationship with God and to persist in faith. As another song goes, "You can't have one without the other."

In the gospel we have a vulnerable widow, a woman without a husband, without status, without income or security. She has no hope for justice. Her cause is hopeless, but like little Michael, her persistence triumphs. So often we forget what we read in scripture—Luke 11:5-13. "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." For anyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. All it takes is persistent prayer, which builds us up. We can count on God to hear us when we pray, to be there when we are suffering and, we can always count on God to be with us, no matter where we go. God never gives up on us. Persistent prayer is evidence of our faith, our never giving up on God.