Warren, MI. When someone is in the hospital and approaching death, the stark reality of eternity can make them very open to receiving the mercy of Jesus if they haven’t already. It’s also an opportunity to evangelize family members who are there to support their loved one and possibly say goodbye. Not to mention sharing the gospel with any other patients that we might bump into while we’re there. We thank God that Br. John was present to provide prayer and comfort to all who he encountered.
The following report comes to us from Br. John from our Society of Evangelists in Warren, MI:
On Sunday, I went to the hospital with Angie to pray for her friend who is near death. (Angie is one of our students in the live School of Evangelization and is doing great.) Seeing this as an opportunity for sharing Jesus with the family and friends in the room, we called on other friends who themselves are experiencing great physical suffering to intercede for us.
First we prayed a Divine Mercy chaplet after giving a little background along with its promises and miracles. Then we added simple intercessions explaining God’s great love and mercy to console the patient and family. We sang songs of praise with and without the guitar and the room was filled with an atmosphere of peace, joy, and much thanksgiving. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Praise Jesus!
On the way out as we were recounting how the Holy Spirit was using us and pouring out so many graces, a man sitting in the lobby asked about my guitar and if I could play. I said, “not very well” and “only Christian songs.” He said, “Go for it!”, so I pulled out the guitar and played “Blessed Be Your Name”. He liked it very much and we started to talk about God. I asked him if he went to church around here and if he needed prayer. He just came out of the ER and was in intense pain from falling down the stairs. I said a prayer for his pain but there was no improvement so I wanted to pray again. Unfortunately he had to go but was so thankful for the music and prayers for him and his family.
Praised be Jesus Christ!