Sick Priest

Sick people ask for prayers. They go to healing masses and healing priests, hoping to find miracles and be cured. When we are troubled we go to priests for advise, guidance, strength. We ask for their help. To pray for us, believing that their prayers are more powerful than ours.

But what happens when the priest is sick himself? Where does he go for strength, for healing and praying over?

The priest that always greets me a beautiful morning and includes me in his daily prayers is sick. A few times in the past, I went to him for guidance. A few years ago, I drove all the way to Batangas to cry on his shoulders. Edmund and I had a telephone argument that afternoon over some petty thing, how Ford EDSA lounge should be cleaned. I was so offended by some of his words and I just couldn’t stop crying. I did not want to come home because I did not want to see him. I thought of flying to my sister’s house in San Francisco but I didn’t want my children to think that the best way to solve an argument is to fly away. So instead, I looked for this priest who was assigned in some far away town in Batangas at that time. It did not help that I had a very bright driver. I told him many times that we we’re looking for this big church and he just kept on driving, not following my instructions, we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, puro talahib, extremely dark, at 9 o’clock in the evening.

When I found him, I spent an hour crying a la Ondoy.

Now, I found out he is sick of lung cancer, stage 3.

I was devastated and confused. Why? How? Why (again?).

How does one reconcile with the fact that the disciples of the church are humans and they get sick too. But what about the power of prayers?

I pray for Father J’s good health and long life. He’s in his mid 40s and is a dedicated priest who truly cares for his flock.

Please join me in wishing him full recovery. Thank you.