My son, when you come to serve the LORD, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, incline your ear and receive the word of understanding, undisturbed in time of adversity. Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not; thus will you be wise in all your ways. Accept whatever befalls you, when sorrowful, be steadfast, and in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold and silver are tested, and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and God will help you; trust in him, and he will direct your way; keep his fear and grow old therein. You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall. You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost. You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. You who fear the LORD, love him, and your hearts will be enlightened. Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken? has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed? Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth.
REFLECTION
Accept whatever befalls you, when sorrowful, be steadfast, and in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold and silver are tested, and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation.
The test!!! My dad became sick with flu-like symptoms. Eventually, he was having trouble walking. My brother took him to the emergency room. After he walked into the ER, he couldn't walk anymore.
By the time I was able to visit my dad he couldn't move his arms or his legs. I had holy water with me and I blessed his legs and hands. We prayed a rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet together.
A young doctor who had practiced overseas noted my dad's symptoms and talked to the charge doctor to test his blood again. The test results confirmed that my dad had Guillain-Barre syndrome. They began to treat him with the antibodies.
My dad was improving for several days. They even had him walking. My family went to Mass to thank God for sending the young doctor who helped heal my dad.
Thinking the crisis was over we were preparing to bring my dad home, but he had a relapse. They had to keep him in the hospital for another week and continued to infuse him with the antibodies. Finally, they released him to a rehab facility to reteach him how to use his hands and feet. He was totally helpless. Someone had to bathe him and feed him until his body would make its own antibodies. This took three months for him to relearn how to move his body.
My family prayed rosaries and went to Masses to pray for my dad's recovery.
In the third month of his rehab, I went to visit him. It was humbling for him to practice walking and doing simple tasks like a toddler. We encouraged him to persevere. Keep doing the exercises so his muscle memory would return. He finally returned to normal.
Praise God! He walked out of the rehab facility.
Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth.
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