Found this posted in the comments of the Pelianito blog (pelianito.stblogs.com). This is a barn-burner of a talk on prayer and healing:
This video inspired me, and I followed her advice tonight. I saw a dear old soul who was terrified by her heart palpitations. After giving her medication, she mentioned Jesus. I asked if I could pray for her and she eagerly agreed. (Praying out loud, from my heart, still gives me the shivers, but I get better at it as time goes by). I laid my hand on her heart as I prayed, and she clutched my hand with both of hers like it was a lifeline. When I finished, I said, "Now we're prayer partners. I'll pray for you; please pray for me." To my astonishment, she said, "Right now?" I said, "Sure!" She laid her hands on my head and prayed the most precious prayer. Just think - I got prayed over by someone who was at that very moment sharing in the suffering of Christ! I practically flew back to my car. This was an important reminder of something I've seen Protestants and charismatic Catholics do. When we tell someone we'll pray for them, and they show appreciation for the offer, strike while the iron is hot and say, "How about right now?" If there was ever a day for boldness in prayer, this is it!
I usually go out at morning break from the hospital to but my regular daily cigar, which I smoke with avid joy. The other day the guy ahead of me bought three scratch card lottery tickets. My attention was drawn to him since it seemed to me had very little money to spend on such things, his dress was very rough and he clearly wasn't working. So when I passed him on the way out of the shop rubbing his lottery tickets with great excitement I prayed for him to the Lord that he might have a big win. But at one I felt Jesus smiling and saying, '..and so , Padraig you think this would be a good thing?' Of course this gave me immediate pause, for why should financial riches necessarily be a good thing, not just for him but for anyone? I have never prayed to win the lottery for myself , knowing it to be a double edged sword that could lead to hell, so why was I praying for this poor man to take a similiar spiritual risk? The answer of course is I was being spiritually lazy. I think that is why big bold things often don't get answered like me I suspect we are often being a bit idle and thoughtless in what we ask for. If on the other hand I had looked on him with eyes of pure love as Jesus and Mary would have done I would not perhaps have tried to dump a lottery win on his poor head. "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss." [James 4: 3) You sometimes ask and receive not, because you have asked badly; either without faith, or you have requested things not fit for you, or you have not persevered;" St Basil Pray can be such a puzzle. Padre Pio for instance had a black sheep in the family whom no one ever, ever talks about. She was his sister who was, apparently a case. Padre Pio prayed and sacrificed for her his whole life with apparently no visible result I suppose we don't always get everything signed and sealed. But I like the way Jesus smiled when he set me straight. God is very great and we are very,very small. He also has a good sense of humour.
