Prayed Over by a Stranger
QUESTION/COMMENT?
Hello! I wanted to share with you what I experienced recently and if you could give me your thoughts about it, I would greatly appreciate it.
Last December, we were on the Vegas strip, my husband and our two boys. We were waiting for the Bellagio fountain show to start. Earlier that day as we visited the Valley of Fire and the Hoover Dam, I was crying out to God silently. I was saying " Jesus, I wish I could talk to you face to face." I kept saying that to myself that day. You see, Mr Romero, my marriage is crumbling. My husband's had an affair for the past two years and the reality of it I just found out in last year. He blamed me mostly for driving him to an affair. I begged him for us to get counseling - we ended going to two sessions only. The counselor suggested individual therapy for my husband to address the issues/experiences he's had since childhood leading up to our marriage. Again, I had to beg my husband to do that. He's met with the counselor three times but I cannot really get anything else out of him. My husband has also been diagnosed with depression and anxiety; is on medication right now which he says seems to keep him calm. His full-time work and schooling adds to the stress of our failing marriage as well. However, we have both agreed that suicide is not the answer. He is cold and distant from me; tells me he's not comfortable talking to me and thinks leaving our marriage is the best way to go. I can tell my husband is hurting so much but he refuses to think we can salvage our marriage.
That's why that day in Vegas, I felt myself falling more and more into despair. As we were nearing the Bellagio hotel, I was telling God, " I don't know if I can do this anymore; I need Your help!" After a few minutes of waiting in front of the fountain, a young lady came up to us and said to me that God had told her to look for a woman wearing a blue jacket on the Strip and to pray for her. I was stunned. I was wearing a blue jacket and the first thought that came to my head was, " Who is your God?" After what seemed like a long moment, I said yes and if she could pray for my family. She asked for a specific intention and after a long pause, I said, "for healing." She asked my name and if she could lay her hand on me which I consented to. Then she started praying. I don't remember her exact words but when she mentioned " Lord Jesus", I was very happy she was praying to the one, true God. When she left with her group, I couldn't stop crying. My husband seemed indifferent; he chuckled, "Only in Vegas." I told him I needed that prayer and that I had asked for it. But he didn't understand and that hurt me a lot. He coldly asked if I was okay but did not try to comfort me. Instead he turned his back to me and watched the fountain show with our kids. My husband is a fallen-away Catholic and says he doesn't believe "in any of that". He said he has denounced God and he has also refused my request to pray together so I could pray for him. He has said aside from being angry with me and other people, he's also angry with God. I am constantly praying for my husband's reversion and repentance. About 30 minutes after that encounter, I finally was able to stop crying. With the days that followed, I felt strengthened and sustained. Since then, I have not fallen into despair again like in the past or felt completely hopeless, even when I tried to. I am grateful to God for sending that lady to me because He knew I needed it. After that long backstory (thank you for your patience), was it okay that the lady laid her hand on me while praying? I don't recall ever feeling her hand on me. Maybe she just let it hover near me. Was it wrong of me to let her do that?
Thank you for your time,
God bless you and your ministry!
ANSWER!
In the future don't let a stranger lay their hands over you or put their hands over you. This is a sign that the person has authority over you. The only person that has authority to pray over you is a Catholic Priest, your natural Father and your husband. Anyone else that would like to pray for you should not put their hands on you, that is found NO WHERE in the Bible or in Tradition. The reason for this is that if the person is an occultist or has diabolical baggage they could transfer their diabolical baggage to you.
More than likely nothing happened to you because God protected you because you were crying out to him.
The best thing you can do for a lost soul is:
1) Instruct him about the Catholic Faith - most fundamentally, its a relationship with JESUS.
2) Pray for his conversion everyday, especially offer your Holy Communions for him at Sunday Mass.
3) Pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy for him at 3 pm everyday.
4) Be a good Catholic example and role model for him.
5) Be joyful, a joyful Catholic Christian is a contagious Catholic Christian.
Ultimately, he has to open his heart, God does not force his love on anybody. God is a perfect gentlemen, HE knocks at the door of our heart and we have to let him in. God is not a rapist, HE doesn't force his love on anyone.