During my years in Caledon (2010 - 2020) I had befriended a very special priest in one of the neighbouring parishes. The only way he could take a day off on Monday was if I filled in for him with the Archdiocese of Toronto in terms of hospital calls for the Anointing of the Sick (articles 1499-1532, Catechism of the Catholic Church).
This one particular Monday had just arrived. It was 3 in the morning! I received a phone call from the archdiocese about someone requesting an immediate anointing as the relative was at the point of death.
I crawled out of bed, put on my Franciscan habit, didn’t even do my hair, and half asleep, but attentive enough to drive, I head towards the hospital where upon arrival was shown to the room of the man in question.
When I walked into the room, I saw that he was attached to a breathing apparatus and unconscious, surrounded by his family. His wife filled me in on the current prognosis. He had developed several tumours in his brain and he was now unresponsive.
So I proceeded with the official prayers of the anointing of the sick. I was still in a bit of a haze at that hour in the morning, but nevertheless, when it came time for placing my hand in silent prayer on his head, I remember praying something to this extent: “Lord, this is your son. If he’s not ready to meet you yet and if he needs to repent before coming to you, please, have mercy and give him another chance. Raise him up.” And that was it. Nothing I could see immediately happened, but I left it all with the Lord. After spending some time just listening to his family, I left them in peace assuring them that should they need us (a priest) to not hesitate to call.
A week passes. It’s Monday again and my priest-friend’s day off and my day to fill in. Phone rings. It’s the archdiocese again. Hospital call. This time it’s 3pm. I ask for the details and they tell me it’s the same man from the prior Monday. I thought; "Wow, he’s in worse shape than a week ago? I better get there quick!"
So I rushed to the hospital, only ten minutes away by car, and again traced down his room. When I got to the entrance of the room I saw his name posted outside, but when I looked in, the first bed was empty, followed by a curtain and then the second bed. I could see from the entrance a man sitting upright in that second bed with glasses on scrolling through an iPad. I thought I had the wrong room, but when I walked in to check, his wife, whom I had not immediately seen, saw me and leaped up from her chair behind the dividing curtain, and she immediately took my hand and said,
“Father, father, the doctors said it was a miracle.”
I said, “Sorry? Wait. Is that your husband?” looking at the man on the bed who still hadn’t seen me. She beamed out a smile and said, “Yes! That's him! They don’t know what happened.”
So, overjoyed by the Lord’s goodness, I went in front of his bed and he finally realized I was there, and very joyfully greeted me.
“Oh hi father. Thanks for coming and sorry about last time. I couldn’t quite greet you.”
When he said that, I thought of how he truly had no idea in what condition I had found him in last time. And he also had no idea concerning the truth of the Sacrament and that our Lord had just done something incredible for him.
Through the Epistle of Saint James, the Lord revealed to us his instructions when a sick person (or somebody on their behalf) asks for a priest.
“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders [presbyters] of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" James 5:14.
The Lord raised this man up and he didn’t even realize it. I am a witness to it.
So I said to him, “Yes, you know, today is an even more special day because last time I couldn’t give you the Eucharist, which is God’s treasure, beyond any other treasure…” and I went on to explain to him the preciousness and grandeur of the Lord’s presence therein. “But,” I said to him, “You know that if we need to go to confession before receiving our good God within us, you also have an opportunity to do that today. Would you like to go to confession?” His eyes gleamed and watered at the same time: “Yes father! It’s been forty years!”
His wife exited the room, he made a profound and beautiful confession, and when his wife rejoined us after, I gave them both Holy Communion -- the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the Lord made this promise in the Gospel of Saint John: "The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" 6:54.
I am sure many of you will ask, "Well, what happened to him after? Did he leave the hospital? Did he completely get healed? Did the cancer come back? Was it even gone in the first place?" and a number of other questions which I do not have the answers to, but I think that would miss the point entirely. What I do know, is that Lord indeed had mercy on this brother of ours, raised him up from the brink of death, and gave him an opportunity to repent. He took that opportunity a week later, went to confession, received the forgiveness of all his sins, and received the Bread of Life. What has happened to this man since then, only the Lord knows. The Lord Jesus is risen indeed, and he alone can work these wonders. Let us thank Him and give Him praise.
P.S., did you notice both calls came in at 3pm? What do you think that means? The hour of mercy is a grace for all of us. May his mercy always be with you and your family.
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