Even Today, Jesus Heals

By Susan Giuliano

Do you think that healings and miracles are only found in the Bible?  I am here to tell you that Jesus is alive and well, and that He performs miracles daily! The very fact that He gives us another day is proof of this.

Despite countless health issues, a house fire, and even a lightning strike to our home, I am here to witness to the glory of God, Who has healed me and restored my eyes to see, my legs to walk, and my home to be better than before, so that I may serve Him with joy.

After repeated hospitalizations and several surgeries, I found myself lying in a hospital bed in my home, facing immobility, vision loss, and declining health, with diagnoses pointing toward further limitations and restrictions. Sadly, my favorite nursing job came to an end due to these health issues. I became totally dependent on others for food, drink, and assistance with basic needs, including the bathroom, shower, and everything else. I was a nurse, independent, and someone who enjoyed helping others. I was not used to being on the receiving end. This was hard.

During this time, my family and St. Max community came together to support me. They brought the Holy Eucharist and scrumptious meals for us. They prayed with me, listened to me, spoke words of comfort, shared Scripture verses, and helped get me to appointments as I could no longer drive.

In the midst of these trials, I had to make a decision. Would I become bitter or better? Once I chose to surrender, I found myself spending more time with Jesus, and with that came a deep sense of peace. I began watching Mass online and Adoration livestreams, listening to Catholic podcasts, music, and participating in Bible studies. My prayer life expanded to include praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and other prayers.

As Philippians 3:8 says, “I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, that I may gain Christ.” More time with Jesus led to more peace.

In Matthew 7:7–8, we are told, “Ask, and you shall receive.”

One day, I felt the Spirit calling me to attend Mass and a healing service. For several years I attended these monthly Masses with healing services and prayed, “Lord, please heal me.” I depended on the kindness of family, friends, and even strangers to meet my daily needs. In the beginning, I felt discouraged. I asked, and nothing seemed to happen, yet I was reminded that God always heals something when we ask. It may not be what we expect, sometimes other things may need to happen first before we are ready to receive what we are asking for.

I will never forget what happened on July 30, 2013, at a Mass and healing service. That night, I was asked, “Do you want to be healed?” What a bizarre question. I was told that some people do not want to be healed. I said, “Of course I do. I would not have been attending all these healing Masses for all these years if I didn’t.”

As they prayed over me, I suddenly felt a snap. I feared I had re-ruptured my hamstring. Suddenly, warmth flowed through my body. I got up and started leaping, running up and down the aisles, crying and laughing, “Jesus healed me!!!”

Three hundred people were in attendance that night and witnessed God’s healing love. I left behind my scooter, full leg brace, and crutches, and walked to my car. I was one of six people who experienced healing that evening.

Several months after my healings, I was at a concert at Keehner Park when someone approached me and cried out, “Why did Jesus heal you and not my husband who was holier?” In that moment, I prayed, and the Holy Spirit blessed me with the words: “He got it right and got to go home! I get a chance to stay here and try again.” I knew those words were not my own, because they brought a sense of peace and gently diffused the situation. Remember, we are meant for heaven, and heaven is meant for us. Our time here is short. Our home is heaven.

Even today through the great mercy and graces of God, Our Father, Jesus continues to bring healing into my life. While I still manage ongoing health challenges, I see them as an invitation to draw closer to Him and spend more time in His presence. Through every trial, His grace continues to work in me.

I truly know all this can be attributed to the prayers of my family, friends, and faith community that were lifted up to Our Lord. He heard and answered them, so that I could rise and try again. In the rising, I am blessed in countless ways, serving Him in faith, hope and love.