614. A Nun Asked for Prayers from Me, Who Was in Pain That I Could not Open My Eyes or Speak
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The Chapel of the Blessed Mother of Naju 12, Najucheon 2-gil, Naju City, Jeonnam, 58258, South Korea
The Blessed Mother's mountain Singwang-ro 425, Dasi-myeon, Naju City, Jeonnam, South Korea
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Since there was no one to help me at St. Josephโs Hospital, my husband, Julio, stayed with me instead of returning to Naju. That day, my suffering was even more intense; I writhed in pain on the bed, unable to open my eyes properly or speak. Then, a nun who appeared to be around 60 years old, came to my hospital room, requested counseling with me and asked me to pray for her.
Wanting to pray for her but unable to move my body, I felt so sorry that I did not know what to do. At first, I almost thought, โOh, a nun asks me for prayers, even after seeing me in such pain.โ At that moment, my husband said, โSister, I am sorry. Julia is in such severe pain right now that she cannot move or speak. She is barely conscious. What should we do?โ
The nunโs expression immediately darkened and she said, โI understand,โ as she prepared to leave. At that moment, I had a feeling that the nun might give up her religious life. โOh, how much must that nun have suffered to ask me for prayers while I am lying in bed, unable to move a single finger due to pain? Even though I cannot do it, the good Lord within me will work through me, an unworthy one. Let me pray for her.โ
With this thought, I raised my hand, which barely moved, to try to call her, practicing Semchigo as if I were loved by the nun. But no sound came out, so I signaled my husband, Julio, with a glance to call the nun for me.
Unable to balance my body, I barely managed to grab the hem of the nunโs dress and began to pray. However, I felt as though I needed to place my hand on her chest to pray, so I gathered all my strength and placed my hand on the nunโs chest. Unable to speak, I prayed inwardly, when suddenly, to my surprise, my chest began to hurt as if it were being pierced by a sharp knife.
At that moment, my mouth opened and I asked, โSister, it seems like there are many grudges in your heart. Your chest is hurting now, right?โ The nun, with a stern expression, replied, โNo.โ At that time, I had spoken with many nuns for counseling but most of them concealed their true feelings. Then, the Lord would reveal things to me or open my mouth, and when I said, โYou are like this and that,โ they would finally confess of themselves saying that it was true.
This nun was one of those cases. The moment I said, โSister, you have deep wounds in your heart but it seems like they are being healed now,โ a strong smell of creosol and alcohol suddenly filled the entire hospital room! I was so surprised that I said, โSister, it seems like Jesus is healing you. Do you smell the disinfectant? Its smell is a grace of healing.โ
Still, the nun replied with a stern face, โI do not smell anything.โ At that moment, my husband opened the bathroom door to go inside and the smell of creosol and alcohol was so strong even in the bathroom that Julio said, โWow, the alcohol smell is really strong. It is so intense that it stings the nose.โ So I said, โSister, please go over to the bathroom and check.ย
No one has cleaned the bathroom, yet the smell of disinfectant and creosol is overwhelming, is it not?โ
Only then did the nun say, โYes, there is a strong smell of disinfectant,โ and she began to cry, saying that something was rising hotly from her chest to her throat.
In fact, the nun had smelled the disinfectant from the beginning but because she said there was nothing painful in her heart, she claimed she could not smell it, concerned about saving face and how others might perceive her. As I smelled the strong scent of disinfectant during prayer, I gained the strength to speak and was able to pray for the nun and exchange a few words with her.
My personal reflection note with Mama Julia๐น๐ย
Link ๐๐ป
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMn-IyINZ8oGN8Jv4M0-pozcdF67tEqzlPkk4s0EZKdnOdEw/viewform?usp=sf_link