For Wilma

An Experiment in Healing Prayer

About a half-hour ago, my partner got a call from his mom about the family dog, Wilma, whom apparently has had a stroke.

With deep respect, I offer the following prayer as a record and experiment, and I will update this story with new information as it arises.

Creator God, lover of all your creatures: I invoke for Wilma the healing and saving name of Messiah Jesus – and, with your permission, the life-giving ministry to animals of my older brother Francis of Assisi, which has brought so many of your people hope and joy.

In the Name of Jesus, I command full healing and restoration for Wilma from this moment forward. I cancel all negative effects of stroke and all other harms and injuries upon her life, including confusion, anxiety, fear, and trauma. I command life and blessing for her, that from this day forward she may become an efficacious sign of your deep and abiding peace, until she dies old and full of years.

Father of Lights, I am bold to pray this way under the authority of Jesus, who bears the Spirit of Life without measure, so that you may demonstrate your goodness and love in the land of the living. Amen.

My impulse is to say, in the strongest possible terms: “So mote it be!”

9:26 AM, Etobicoke, ON

I was contacted by my partner just now. He travelled this morning to his parents’ home, spent a good hour with Wilma. She didn’t eat this morning and can barely walk. Before they left for the vet, the family did a Blessing of Pets (presumably from a Roman Catholic Missal or the Anglican Book of Alternative Services). I’ll adjust these details when I know more.

Though Wilma will be evaluated first, it is likely she will be put down.

Among many difficult things today, its my partner’s first day of classes. I know he’s excited, but to have this cast such a pall…

11:48 AM, Etobicoke, ON

At 2:19 PM, Partner’s Mom sent me this message:

She’s gone now from this earth, but [she’s] always in our hearts and minds.

I replied with this:

Thank you, Living God, for gathering everything Wilma really is into your heart. May she, too, come to the Resurrection, when all things are finally made new.

I noted that I had my partner’s permission to run this prayer experiment, to which Mom replied, “Thank you. It means a lot to us.”

I’ll need to come back soon and do some more reflection. One thing I find odd is that I often feel called to pray for people or animals who are dying. I have seen crazy things like spontaneous physical healing many times in my past (though not necessarily sequentially related to my own prayers), so that’s always my first impulse to pray. But I’m a bit…befuddled…by the juxtaposition of feeling strongly pulled to pray for healing (with content like ‘release from sickness’ and ‘deep peace’) and the most healing outcome seems to be death. I’m almost tempted (ruefully) to say, “If you have a serious illness and you want to live, get someone else to pray!”

But then there is the honour of being an informal “chaplain” — doing what I know to do, but mostly just trying to be present and emotionally available. It’s a tension I don’t know how to resolve: genuinely longing for more skill in physical healing, but hearing that people respond to being in God’s presence (as I understand it) with them “at the hour of death.” I won’t be resolving it, not today. I just hope that both ‘presence’ and ‘power’ take on something like an even and tangible balance in my life.

Rest in peace, Wilma-Dawg, God’s Creature. You were a pain in the ass for always stealing food (and my chicken nuggets!). And you were always so stanky and anxious! But you would smile so wide when you were happy. And even though I feel like you hogged the bed, you always wanted to sleep near me when Mama and Papa weren’t around. We love you.

Good night, dear friend. See you in the Morning.

4:30 PM, Etobicoke ON