A Healing Miracle by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

 

Rich K.

Rich K was in a coma in intensive care for seven days, completely unresponsive. Years earlier, after a painful experience with the Church following his son’s suicide, Rich had stepped away from Catholicism.

During those long days in the ICU, Rich’s wife, Delilah, asked me to come and anoint him. I visited Rich at his bedside, signed him with holy oil, and prayed the Rite of the Anointing of the Sick. Members of several faith communities—including Oakwood Manor and Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community—faithfully held Rich in daily prayer.

A few days later, Rich came out of the coma.

Delilah later shared what happened next:

“I have to tell you what Rich said today. I told him that you came in and anointed him with oil, and he said, ‘Oh my goodness—I’m Catholic again!’ Then he proceeded to tell his nurse all about you and how wonderful you were. It reminded me of the Bible story where Jesus heals the man with leprosy and he runs away, leaping with joy. Rich was like that all day—loving everybody and everything.”

The following Sunday, Delilah added with a smile:

“He thinks so too—he even turned off sports this morning and watched church on TV 😇.”

To me, this is a healing miracle—not only of the body, but of the heart and spirit. It is a powerful reminder that God’s grace reaches us even in our deepest pain, and that love, prayer, and sacrament can open doors we thought were long closed.

Thanks be to God.

A Prayer of Healing and Returning Grace

Holy and Tender God,
Source of life, mercy, and unending compassion,
we thank you for your healing presence
that meets us in hospital rooms,
in moments of despair,
and in the quiet places where faith has been wounded.

We thank you for Rich’s life,
for the breath that returned,
for the joy that awakened,
and for the grace that rekindled his spirit.
We thank you for Delilah’s loving faith,
for communities who prayed without ceasing,
and for the sacrament of healing
that carries your promise of wholeness.

Healing God,
reach into every heart that has stepped away in pain,
every soul carrying grief, anger, or unanswered questions.
Remind us that nothing—
not loss, not doubt, not time—
can separate us from your love.

May your Spirit continue to restore
bodies, hearts, and relationships.
May joy leap again where sorrow once lived.
And may we trust, always,
that your grace finds us—
again and again—
when we least expect it.

Amen.