|
Alan's report on the Sept 16 Healing Mass at St. Mary Magdalene
The Good News
The
rain fell all day. You had to want to be somewhere bad enough to face
the slick roads and poor vision. I had seen 1000 God seeking Latinos
brave the “Tormenta” six weeks earlier to know that rain couldn’t stop
a move of God, so I was in anticipation.
We had adoration at 6:00 with
wonderful praise music on piano, guitar and voice. People slowly came
in. I recognized very few of them. Hardly any of the people who served
last month were there, nor were the same people there to be ministered
to. It seemed we shocked many with our first charismatic Healing Mass in August, ran some off and caused a lot of new, hurting, curious to come for a first time experience. Five priests were serving at this
September 16 service. Three were from our Diocese of Tyler, TX: Father
Kelly, Father Dunne, Father Snider. There were two from Houston: Father
Phi and Father Greg, plus Lam Nguyen who also ministers. We had a
small crew to work with. Many people went to confession. There was no visible anticipation in the air. The mass was not particularly profound.
The sound was weak. The lights were weak. Taking photos were difficult. We knew a lot of prayer had preceded this
evening, but you couldn’t sense anything special other than there were
five priests on the altar. I and another man from the Charismatic
Prayer group served as greeters and ushers. It was like a small country
church service. Nothing fancy. If this was to be a “Night of Miracles” as we had billed it, it would have to be all by God's doing.
Father Phi’s homily was sweet. I was able to record it. (Click here to listen) He said no one was there by accident. God planned for each of us to be there. Father Phi read four testimonies from the last healing mass. Many this
night had put prayer requests in a basket in the back. The basket was
brought to the front at the end of the offering and placed below the
altar. Father Kelly and Father Mark both assisted in the readings at
communion.
After coming back from communion
I knelt on the hard floor behind the last pew and prayed. I reminded
God that we had been praying for weeks. I stretched my hands out over the sanctuary and invited God to come do His work among us.
The mass was ended. We could have all simply gone home “in peace,” but
we transitioned into the healing time. I blew off the concern over not
getting good photographs. I decided that God didn’t need photographs.
There weren’t any taken at all the famous events in the Bible and we’re
still talking about them thousands of years later. God had other plans
for my hands.
The priests lined up across the front with their assistants holding bowls of oil. We read a special healing prayer. Father Phi introduced Lam Nguyen who had come with him last month from Houston too. Lam spoke words of knowledge about people in the room with
specific ailments that God was going to heal right now. Each of the
priests received a person to anoint, then they were passed on to a
prayer team member for further ministry.  Right away people started going down on the floor in the
spirit. Every priest had it happen, a lot. The floor was running out
of places to stand. I was glad I had decided not to take pictures. I
was able to be in the middle of all the anointing and prayers and feel
the sprit flowing. I helped many people to the floor and guided them
around other bodies. I stood behind large men and frail women. Even
Father Kelly was prayed for and fell to the floor.
Lam was calling specific people over to him to be prayed
for and gave them individual words of knowledge. He seemed to sense
who was going to be slain in the spirit and needed special guidance and
support in ministry. There was a very strong anointing at the altar and
many on the support team were praying in tongues and raising hands over
people.  It was assumed that people would go down. I never sensed
that people were being pushed. When I was prayed for by Phi at the end
I didn’t feel that way at all. People were just overcome in the
spirit, went weak and melted to the ground.
There was no one being miked, except the two boys providing worship
music. They were not directing folks to sing along. There were no words
projected on a screen. We didn’t even have modesty cloths to cover the
women. They were touched, many were crying and they just went down. It
was good to be in the presence of the Lord. The Holy Spirit was
everywhere.
I asked Lam if he prayed for many of the Spanish speaking folks who
were there. He said although we didn’t have ministers who spoke
Spanish, most of them received the gift of tongues when he prayed for
them. Until the last person was prayed for, some of them back at their
seats, they needed people to assist and minister support. 
I’ve been back in Texas for almost six years. I’ve not seen
anything like this since we lived in Tulare County in 2003. We go to a
Protestant Church full of ministry families and we’re not seeing a move
of the spirit like this. Something is happening.
I learned in my RCIA class two years ago that a Sacrament is an ourward
sign of something that was happening on the inside. There was
definitely something happening on the inside of people that night that
was evident by what was happening on the outside. The Laying on of
Hands is one of the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. The hands
represent the Holy Spirit coming upon us as God and his angels lay
their Holy Hands on us. The Holy Spirit was on all. God is moving.
He’s stirring the waters of life. In a doom and gloom era in our
world, this is truly Good News.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it
was in the beginning, is now and every shall be. World without end,
Amen.
Healing Masses are held the third Thursday of each month at St. Mary Magdalene in Flint, TX.
See the Calendar for details |
