Someone who can relate

Last Sunday after Mass, I thought to myself, "I wonder if there is a Saint that I can ask to pray for me who had what I have (Ulcerative Colitis or UC)."  Because after all, we are all connected in the mystical body of Christ.

I started googling and came across someone who had UC that has been declared as "Blessed". (In the Catholic Church, there are several steps to being declared a Saint.  Here is some info on that.)  Anyway, I found this guy named Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago.  Here is more info on his life story.  Pretty neat guy.  By the way, he's the first lay person in the history of the U.S. and second person in the Western Hemisphere to be declared Blessed.

While I didn't find someone that had been declared a Saint that had UC, the Lord led me to Blessed Carlos Manuel.  He knows what it's like to suffer with UC, and he's been declared Blessed, meaning that one more miracle attributed to his intercession is needed in order for him to be declared a Saint (layman terms: he's in heaven and we can ask him to pray for us!).  So, I thought, maybe I could ask him to pray for my healing. How awesome would that be?

With that said, I ask for your prayers, and I also ask you to ask Blessed Carlos Manuel to pray for my healing.

Regardless of whether the Lord heals me or not, I know that His grace is sufficient and he will always give us what we need.  It is a blessing to know that we do not struggle alone, no matter what we go through, and no matter what crosses we bear. 

As Father said at Mass last Sunday, we should look for the goodness in our suffering.  I don't know about you, but I know that's about the last thing I think of most days when it comes to suffering.  It can be a rough journey, but one blessing and source of goodness I see from my "cross" is that it helps me to slow down in life and be grateful for the little things.

So keep praying, and may we remember that God is in control.