What could you do to encourage someone who is feeling hurt?
by Mary Sellars Malloy“There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul” (Traditional Spiritual). I’m humming this to myself this morning as I consider the question. For a balm is something that has a healing, restorative effect.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve witnessed many varied examples of applying healing balm to those with anxious hearts, living in fear. Drive-by processions on birthdays, emails and letters to nursing home residents, concerts from the back of pick-up trucks, green and blue lights in our windows, and church bells ringing in chorus every afternoon are but a few examples.
In addition to these physical acts that help heal the hurts of this time, we who profess faith in Jesus the Healer possess the powerful balm of prayer. Our pattern of prayer—for the world and its leaders, for the Church and her leaders, for those in need, and for the sick and dying—calls for the pouring of the healing balm of Gilead upon all, including ourselves. Every day we have the power to heal the hurts by being faithful in prayer. Pope Francis says it simply: “Prayer makes miracles” (January 2016).
During the stay-at-home weeks, I’ve been encouraged by phone calls, letters, surprise packages in the mail, and surprise gifts at my door, but one of the most memorable gifts of encouragement was given to me when, at the end of a phone conversation, a friend simply asked, “And how might I pray for you?”
Mary Sellars Malloy has over forty years’ experience as a Catholic educator and lay minister. She is a frequent workshop presenter on the topics of prayer, liturgy, spirituality, the Sacraments, and the RCIA. In addition, Mary leads retreats and parish missions throughout the country. Her goal is to encourage Catholics of all ages to appreciate and to live their Catholic faith.
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Our Family Prays
Our Family Prays is a collection of rituals, blessings, prayers, and traditions to encourage and inspire Catholic families to keep prayer at the heart of their home. It is organized by the seasons of the liturgical year and includes Catholic traditions and celebrations from around the world.