Unity with Christ and the Church

When we hear the siren of an ambulance we always pray a Hail Mary and a little prayer for the person that is ill, which goes: "God, please help the sick". This is something we do with the children every time. Their little ears are so trained to the sound of the siren that sometimes we only notice that they are praying even though we did not even notice the ambulance passing by. It is a great way to ask for the necessary graces for the person in need. There was a period in which my daughter used to ask why we had to pray for the sick. We would tell her that we prayed for healing. 

On our way to mass today we saw an ambulance, and my children immediately started to pray. However, after the Hail Mary, my daughter did not say the usual prayer, but instead she said: "Jesus, please help the person to come to the Church". There is something beautiful about this, and it shows how she has a grasp of something fundamentally true and important. The person is first and foremost needs to be reconciled with God and the Church; we all need to be spiritually sound, in communion with the Church. Physical health and healing are only of secondary importance.

Dominic Savio captured it with such eloquence as one of his resolutions made at his First Communion: "Death rather than sin". I will stay united with Christ and his Church rather than commit even a venial sin. In fact, detachment from sin is a minimum requirement for each and every Catholic. I cannot claim to be a Catholic and take delight in what is sinful. Yes, sin is inevitable, but it cannot be wanted for its sake.

The siren or the church bells will once sound for me, and I would like someone to have taught their children to say a little prayer for me. If it be God's will then for my physical healing, but most importantly for my union with Christ.