Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Hymns of praise and thanksgiving
David …. sang to the Lord the words of this song after the Lord had rescued him from the clutches of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, Lord , my strength, Lord , my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, my saving horn, my stronghold! Praised be the Lord , I exclaim! I have been delivered from my enemies. The breakers of death surged round about me; the menacing floods terrified me. The cords of Sheol tightened; the snares of death lay in wait for me. In my distress I called out: Lord ! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears. Sal 17
There was a bit of confusion in the house that evening when I received the call from Cristina: the children were playing, the voices of their parents were intertwined and I could hardly understand her words a bit strange, pronounced by a low voice. Then, suddenly, I realized: Isabella, her granddaughter, just few hours after being born, had contracted a serious infection of blood poisoning and she was exposed to serious risks. There was so much to pray, involving all the family members, to ask to the Lord to vigorously protect from the evil that his creation, yet so small. The prayer request quickly passed from family to family. We all remembered the sweet smile of the young mother, Paola, confident and calm when she was preparing for her new motherhood and our hearts suffered because we have been aware that she was caught in anguish. Then, days of prayers followed, those of innocent children as well as the ones of the adults which have been more partecipative. Messages of alternate content were received by Nicola, the young father, who every day was sending to us an e-mail covering the news of Isabella and renewing the request for prayers, with a persevering faith. My answers were corresponding, because I knew that the Lord is our liberator and savior, and while I was writing, I was already foretasting the joy we all would have felt when Isabella could have returned home being healed, where the brothers were waiting. That day has arrived and now Isabella is growing well: sucking more milk from her mother and Christina is talking me about her bright eyes, curious about the world. The prayers, which were of supplication, have become now of praise and thanksgiving. Help us, Lord, to keep alive in our hearts the memory of the healing of Isabella and to offer a testimony about.