I have just received a good pathologist's report about cancer surgery that I had last week. I am truly grateful to God and the wonderful people who are caring for me. But I am experiencing a lot of confusion. Does God intervene in such matters? Some friends are convinced that all the cancer was removed because of their prayers, my goodness, and on and on. As if God singled me out for special treatment. Please help me - and others - understand about prayer of petition and its connection to gratefulness. Thank you. — Walter Hanss, San Antonio, TX

Dear Walter,

Thank you for your candid and searching question. Through your experience of cancer, you embarked on journey into the depths of your being, had an imminent encounter, face to face with Sister Death, and woke from surgery to receive the good news of your cure. Such a full spectrum of experience in a short time can be very confusing, raising many questions which will take time to fully understand. For some people this experience leads to joining a cancer survivors’ group as a tool for listening, sharing experiences, and finding the way to best express gratefulness for the gift of life.

Gratefulness is present in every prayer of petition, since prayer implies trust that God will respond with love, even if the answer is not what we expect. It can be easy to accept small gifts and quite overwhelming to accept something completely beyond our power to repay; and so truly gratefulness becomes the “heart of prayer.” May you heal fully and experience the surprise of each new day with the humble simplicity of a child, who is specially loved.

– Sr. Michaela Terrio
Sky Farm Hermitage