Dear Parishioners:

It is good to be back home. I want to thank all of you who offered prayers, sacrifices, flowers, gifts etc. for me. You have no idea how much I needed them and how much they helped.

There was a time during this illness that I believed that I wasn't going to pull through. A combination of drugs and the not so subtle influence of Satan was pulling me into a depression. I saw no way out of the depression and thus no way out of the illness. I saw no value in the suffering and no purpose to what was happening. I can say that it was the most fearful moment of my life.

But thanks be to God and the wonderful parishioners of STM. It was the strength of your prayers and love that reached beyond physical limits and into my heart and soul. You pulled me through and I will be forever grateful for that gift. I am now on the mend and with God's grace I should be back to normal within a few weeks. Many, however, are not so sure what normal is for me.

But what can we learn from all this? Perhaps it is a greater trust in God's plan and His grace in our lives. We never know just what God has in store for us. But we do know that whatever it is, God can and will go through it with us. Suffering, when we make it Jesus' suffering is redemptive and can win grace for oneself and others.

One person told me of a conversation that was filled with rumors and wonderings about what was going on with me. Finally someone said, "Maybe this is why Fr. Bill hates gossip so much." Perhaps that is the lesson. Another told me of one day here that you could just feel the presence of God when they drove onto the campus.

In the spiritual life, we cannot do anything without faith, most especially in prayer. Christians have true supernatural faith, based on the promises of Jesus, through the revelation of God's Word. Faith means giving substance to, or substantiating, the things hoped for, the things that are not seen (Hebrews 11:1). This faith is not inherent in human nature. In terms of salvation, it is God's grace freely given (Ephesians 2:8).

What is an adequate basis for the prayer of faith? We can say what it is not. It is not the evidence of outward circumstances. Elijah prayed for rain when there was no rain in sight. Six times came the report that the sky was cloudless (I Kings 18). Regardless, Elijah insisted that rain was on the way. It was-in torrents. Yet, there was no external confirmation for that belief when the prayer of faith went up. This is belief and trust in God, in spite of appearances. I can't tell you how important that statement is, to believe and trust in God in spite of appearances. It looks like this person you are praying for is unconvertible. It looks like that cancer is irreversible. It looks like that child of yours is going to be an alcoholic, and nothing is going to change it. All the evidence goes against what you want. To believe in God despite appearances is what triggers the miracle. Not to rely on your faith, but to rely on God. There are a number of people who believe when probability is in their favor, but faith acts when the probabilities are minimal. That is why faith is so uplifting; it carries optimism within itself.

If we can learn this lesson we will all have more trust in God and in His will. Thank you again for helping me see more deeply God's love for me through you.