The Mass celebrated by Father Artur Oliveira was made available online, so the touching moment was captured and shared widely.
Father Artur posted the video on his social media page in the hope that it will be an inspiration to everyone. “We must be like this boy, praying simply, with courage and with faith,” he told Catholic news agency ACI Digital. He also said that many people, including many young people, after watching the video told him that they were very moved. Some people have said:
"My faith is so small compared to this boy's great faith."
A holy interruption
According to Father Artur's testimony, young João Miguel interrupted the lecture "with complete freedom," and directly pleaded: "Father, can you pray for my godfather? Your father is on an oxygen machine."
The boy then explained that "uncle Flavio" was infected with Covid-19.
In a post accompanying the video of that moment (the moment Father Artur sat down next to the boy on the steps of the sanctuary and prayed with him), Father Artur commented:
How could I not heed this request? Indeed, in my heart, I prayed to God, saying, “Lord, this boy has surprised me. What am I supposed to do?
“I ignored what I was saying and sat down on the steps of the sanctuary. I imagine Jesus listening to this plea. And I know that He will answer. The people in the church at that time learned a lesson in faith.”
Right before the plea of young João Miguel, the priest was preaching about the ascension of Jesus. Indeed, even though the Lord ascended to heaven, He is still among us. “Even if we don't feel Him every moment, He is with us. Even if I don't see Him once, He's still with us." After praying with the boy, the priest concluded his homily and said, “Do you want a better sign than that? Jesus is among us all the time.”
The way Father Artur handled the situation is reminiscent of Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew: "Let the children come to me, do not forbid them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Mt 19:14).
Indeed, on May 27, Father Artur shared on his Facebook account the good news that the prayer of young Miguel was heard and answered by God: "Yes, a miracle happened".
On his Youtube channel, Father Artur posted an updated video of the story, with the warning: “Get your handkerchief ready!” because it was hard not to shed tears seeing the boy's love for his godfather and his simple faith.
In the 10-minute video (in Portuguese), Artur's father interviewed the boy's mother, who told how within a week the boy's godfather did not need oxygen and even was able to talk.
Father Artur asked the boy: "Why did your father get well so quickly?" The boy replied, "Because we prayed a lot and God saved us."
Who can doubt Jesus' words about little children - that "their angels in heaven do not cease to behold the face of my Father who is in heaven". The video then shows "uncle Flavio" leaving the hospital in a wheelchair and his daughter hugging him, both crying in joy.
Duc Minh, translated by GNsP
Source: https://aleteia.org/