All Planned Out
"She can help you if you pray to her," I told my almost six-year-old son, Anthony. It was May 11, 1998, and we were standing in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother in our church. Anthony's small voice recited the "Hail Mary" as I prayed a "Hail Mary" in silence with tears running down my cheeks.
The tears were with good reason. Almost two years before, Anthony had been diagnosed with a disease that had no known cure. He was so young, so hopeful, and I wanted so much to help him.
That disease, a debilitating form of arthritis, had taken over much of his body and he often ran high fevers and was anemic. Sometimes Anthony was unable to walk at all from the swelling and pain in his ankles and at other times he limped from the pain in his hip.
To my surprise, four days after we had said our "Hail Marys" a box arrived in the mail from the Lourdes Center in Boston with six bottles of Lourdes water. I had no idea who had requested that it be sent, but it was postmarked on the very day that we had said our "Hail Marys"! Was this the answer to our prayers?
A few days later, I watched with an overwhelming feeling of hope as Anthony and his brother Francis poured Lourdes water over each of Anthony's joints, praying a "Hail Mary" for each joint. Anthony immediately began to be cured of his incurable disease. Within two weeks he was no longer anemic and within a year and a half, he was off all medications. Finally, in April of 2002 our prayers were answered - in a letter written by his physician. Anthony was declared "free of arthritis."
On May 11, 2002, Anthony walked down the aisle to receive his First Holy Communion. I reminded Anthony of the May 11th four years earlier when we had said our "Hail Marys" and the Lourdes water had been mailed. With the complete faith in miracles and trust of child, Anthony said matter-of-factly, "Mary probably had it all planned out."
This story was related to me by Anthony's mother, Paula L.
Love,
Cheri
The tears were with good reason. Almost two years before, Anthony had been diagnosed with a disease that had no known cure. He was so young, so hopeful, and I wanted so much to help him.
That disease, a debilitating form of arthritis, had taken over much of his body and he often ran high fevers and was anemic. Sometimes Anthony was unable to walk at all from the swelling and pain in his ankles and at other times he limped from the pain in his hip.
To my surprise, four days after we had said our "Hail Marys" a box arrived in the mail from the Lourdes Center in Boston with six bottles of Lourdes water. I had no idea who had requested that it be sent, but it was postmarked on the very day that we had said our "Hail Marys"! Was this the answer to our prayers?
A few days later, I watched with an overwhelming feeling of hope as Anthony and his brother Francis poured Lourdes water over each of Anthony's joints, praying a "Hail Mary" for each joint. Anthony immediately began to be cured of his incurable disease. Within two weeks he was no longer anemic and within a year and a half, he was off all medications. Finally, in April of 2002 our prayers were answered - in a letter written by his physician. Anthony was declared "free of arthritis."
On May 11, 2002, Anthony walked down the aisle to receive his First Holy Communion. I reminded Anthony of the May 11th four years earlier when we had said our "Hail Marys" and the Lourdes water had been mailed. With the complete faith in miracles and trust of child, Anthony said matter-of-factly, "Mary probably had it all planned out."
This story was related to me by Anthony's mother, Paula L.
Love,
Cheri
posted by Cheri Lomonte at 3:18 PM
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