748. His Right Eye, with the Optic Nerve Completely Destroyed, Will Never Recover

💌748. His Right Eye, with the Optic Nerve Completely Destroyed, Will Never Recover

The elderly man, Andrew Bong had regained sight in his left eye, but the other eye still needed surgery. Since it was not possible to operate on both eyes at once, the doctors decided to operate on one eye first and then perform surgery on the other after the bandages were removed.

However, the doctor’s outlook was pessimistic. “Ma’am, his right eye’s optic nerve has been entirely destroyed, so it is absolutely impossible.” 

But I replied, “Yes, I understand. Even being able to see out of one eye is such a blessing. But Doctor, would you please try the surgery one more time, trusting in God’s power? I will be praying from behind. Even if he cannot see, please hear my one heartfelt request. Please.”

The doctor said, “My goodness, in a world where even real children turn their backs on their parents, how wonderful it would be if there were more devoted daughters like you. It is impossible but with your profound loving devotion, yes, I will give it a try.”

The surgery on the elderly man’s right eye, where the optic nerve was completely destroyed began right away. I did not worry at all about what would happen on his right eye. With simple faith, I prayed, “Jesus, You will surely perform this surgery Yourself and reveal Your power and glory,” and responded “Amen.” I prayed the same prayers for his right eye as I had for the left.

However, the day of the elderly man’s second surgery happened to be the same day my husband was finally returning home after long time being away in Suwon for training. Ever since we had moved, I had been constantly going back and forth to the hospital for the elderly man’s surgeries, practically living there. Because of that, I had not even had the chance to properly unpack at our new home in Sugang Apartment, where we had enshrined the weeping statue of the Blessed Mother. The house had been left unattended ever since.

On top of that, my husband had not been home either during that time, which left me feeling uneasy and deeply sorry toward my family. Even in the midst of all that, pilgrims continued to visit the Blessed Mother every single day without fail. 

Before my husband arrived, I asked sister Maria, who had previously volunteered with me in the charismatic movement, to take care of the elderly man for a while so I could visit home briefly. Thank God, she gladly agreed and after preparing enough food for him, I went down to our home in Naju.

After being away for training for such a long time, how unsettled would he feel coming home to a house still messy and disorganized with the Blessed Mother enshrined there? As soon as I saw my husband, I immediately asked for his forgiveness.

“Julio, I am really sorry. Actually, I have been staying at the hospital with an elderly man, Il-dong Bong, helping with his eye surgery and taking care of him, so I have not been home. And I have not even finished unpacking yet—please forgive me. But Julio, I have truly wonderful news. He has regained sight in his left eye! The surgery on his remaining right eye just finished so I was able to drop in for a bit.”

Even as I shared the news, I spoke carefully, worried that Julio might feel uncomfortable. But instead, Jullio’s face lit up with joy. He grabbed my hands and exclaimed, “Oh, you did great! Really, you did great! Honey, you did an amazing job!”

He even said, “The Lord and the Blessed Mother must have seen your deep devotion and love and opened his eyes. I am sure he will open both eyes soon. I will pray with you. I will handle unpacking and organizing the house so you can go ahead without any worries!”

Since my husband had been visiting Mr. Bong’s house regularly to help, he considered him like family. My strong collaborator, my husband, rejoiced as if it were his own and once again, warm tears streamed down my face. Having my husband share in my joy made it twice as great. In fact, it multiplied a thousandfold.

I entrusted the Su-gang apartment to my reliable husband and was able to return to Mr. Bong’s hospital room in Gwangju with a light heart, joyfully offering up my sacrifice and reparation. At night, lying on the narrow caregiver’s bed beside him, I held my rosary and stayed awake in prayer, never knowing when he might wake. I kept asking, seeking, and knocking—praying that the Lord would reveal His glory.

After the successful surgery on the remaining eye, I had to wait another week. Even though I repeated, “Lord, I believe,” anxiety and tension would not leave me as the day to remove the bandage approached. This was because, medically and humanly speaking, it was absolutely impossible for an eye with a completely destroyed optic nerve to regain sight.

Even though the doctor spoke pessimistically, I firmly believed, “No, Our Lord will surely grant my prayers.” With steadfast faith, I ceaselessly turned my daily life into prayers.

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

Link 👇🏻

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