Praying For the Sick and Developing Childlike Attitude

Introduction
James gives us today his famous text on anointing the sick. The sick person is the responsibility of the community. “I was sick and you visited me,” says the Lord of the true Christian. In our difficult pastoral setting, the sick are not given all the attention they deserve by the community, particularly the poor and the lonely. Sickness is a very sensitive moment in a person’s life, when a visit in the name of the Lord will do a lot of good.
“Christ’s reception of children cannot be regarded as a recommendation of infantilism or a vain search for primeval innocence. He recommends the adult attitude which acknowledges limitations and accepts dependence upon God with interdependence between people… The child, who acts with all his being, in simplicity and innocence, is in the final analysis more human and more integral than the thinker who becomes entangled in arguments and in worry about motives.”

1 Reading James 5:13-20
Beloved:
Is anyone among you suffering?
He should pray.
Is anyone in good spirits?
He should sing a song of praise.
Is anyone among you sick?
He should summon the presbyters of the Church,
and they should pray over him
and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another
and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
Elijah was a man like us;
yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,
and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.
Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rain
and the earth produced its fruit.

My brothers and sisters,
if anyone among you should stray from the truth
and someone bring him back,
he should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.

Responsorial Psalm 141:1-2, 3 and 8
R. (2a) Let my prayer come like incense before you.

O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;
hearken to my voice when I call upon you.
Let my prayer come like incense before you;
the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.

O LORD, set a watch before my mouth,
a guard at the door of my lips.
For toward you, O God, my LORD, my eyes are turned;
in you I take refuge; strip me not of life.
R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.

Alleluia Matthew 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

Commentary:
Parents of little children must take special note of today’s gospel passage. I have come across parents who attend the Sunday Liturgy, leaving their little children at home under the care of other family members. “They are too young to understand the Mass,” or “They will become a nuisance at the Mass,” they say. It is true that our Liturgies are not often child-friendly and children do have a short attention span. However, Jesus is very clear in his pronouncement today: “Let children come to me and do not stop them.” Let us not underestimate children’s capacity to absorb spiritual realities. Sometimes they manifest exceptional mystical heights of understanding of godly mysteries. Even if some of them do not, why prevent the sacramental grace from touching them and blessing them in ways that shall bear fruit in the long run? The touch of God never fails to change lives.

Ministers in the house of God shall also take note to make the liturgical celebrations more child-friendly. Failure to do so would be blocking their easy access to the heart of Christ.

Blessing
Let us never forget the sick and the infirm! In them we visit and care for no less than the Lord Jesus himself. May God bless all the sick and you who visit them; the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!