“Lord, Help My Unbelief,” Are Miracles and Intercessory Prayer Real?

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Over many years I have read countless theological explanations of what intercessory prayer is – the prayer in which we ask for personal help, guidance, and help for others. Sometimes, we ask for miracles, the help that finds its way through scientific and natural explanations of phenomena. And we wonder: Do miracles really happen or are they the result of a natural coming together of phenomena we do not expect? Why else do they break through all the reasonable, and practical explanations of what has happened?

I’m on the side of the believers. You first have to have faith to believe in prayer, much less miracles. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and thinking on intercessory prayer lately – the kind of prayer in which we ‘petition’ or ask God for answers. These prayers go something like, “Please God, remove the cancer, make my friend well again,” or, “Please God, let peace prevail in the Middle East; comfort and save the children.” In cases of personal desperation our knees are inflamed as we kneel for hours begging and crying to God. Constance Fitzgerald, the Carmelite nun who is a theologian of prayer, writes that when we ask God for help and even a miracle, we are really ‘accompanying’ the persons in need, and this is a grace in itself. Along with accompaniment, we are asking that the person or situation be ‘restored’ to wholeness or completion. Isn’t this what God wants? Along the way, we will encounter, perhaps, an ‘impasse,’ says Fitzgerald. The cancer gets worse, the war and its deaths increase. What now? Did God not hear our prayer? For many people, this is proof that God does not exist. They argue that a benign and loving God would not permit evil to happen in life or a loving God would intervene where there is intense suffering. 

This is where mystery comes in. Writer Gerhard Lohfink says that intercessory prayer often does more for the person praying than for the petition requested. You might not realize it, but God is sharpening your faith and your compassion when you are praying for an answer. So, when we come to the impasse of a prayer not being ‘answered,’ what do we do? Death, disease, war are natural results of the human condition. As faith-filled people we stand against these terrors; if we can, we fight them in any way possible and we cannot lose hope in our prayer.

But we must remember something that all the writers I have read on this topic are very clear about:“God does not interrupt any physical chains of causality.” Prayer Takes Us Home, p.40. In other words, God cannot break into the trail of evil someone is following to plan a war or to kill innocent people and force a change of mind. When all the elements of a disease take over a loved one, God does not interfere with our plans and efforts for healing. And God is there with that suffering and our prayer and our efforts and our love and our pain. When we pray for these intentions, God is made more palpable, more visible, more comforting. 

Now, if God does not interrupt the ‘chain of causality,’ by imposing his will, are miracles for real? Yes, miracles can be for real. In fact, they are required by the Catholic Church for the canonization of a would-be saint. Sometimes, a miracle is not well known or popularized. Everyday people can experience a miracle as the result of prayer. A miracle breaks through the channel in place – whether a terminal illness, a proposed plan to hurt others, a conversion to goodness, you name it and yes, a miracle can break through, and goodness prevails. Some great thinkers in theology have opined that a miracle was destined to occur anyway; it was part of God’s ‘plan.’ The normal course of illness was going to be deterred; the war ended; the conversion inspired. Some miracles occur without any intercession of a person praying for the miracle to occur. These theologians tell us that we, as hopeful pray-ers, see a miracle as an answer to our pleading. Still, others say a miracle is a bona fide reality, and an anchor of faith, a direct intervention, prayer or no prayer. The question remains: Can any of us change God’s will? No. But neither can we explain the miracle. This is where faith comes in. It is always helpful for you to believe a miracle can happen to you or a loved one or even a nation. In that process, grace works in your heart, and you are led to take and believe whatever is given you. 

Reflection

The father of a young boy threw himself at the feet of Jesus and pleaded, “If it is possible, for you to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus replied, “All things are possible for one who has faith!” The boy had been mute for many years as he was possessed by the evil one. He was given to convulsions and frothing at the mouth. The father’s pleading prayer has become the essence of Christian teaching about faith and even, miracles. He cried out: “I do believe. Help my unbelief.” The boy was cured.

Prayer is essential for miracles or any peace of mind and soul. It cultivates our soul toward an openness of God’s will even if it is not the miracle we want. For this week, you might want to reflect on the lovely passage of the story of the father and his son who was healed by Jesus. It is in Mark 9:24.

Ask God for the grace to widen and deepen your belief wherever it is needed in your spiritual life.

I remember all of you: Every time I pray. For some of you I have only an email name and it looks like many of you are far away, in other countries. What an honor for me to reach you. Let’s pray for each other!!