Covered in Prayer in the Aftermath of Violence

After a family member recovered from a violent attack, Pam Spano reflects on what she learned about prayer, trust, and patience.

During this past summer, a family member of mine was the victim of an assault and needed surgery. We were all devastated by this senseless and violent act. We all responded in different ways and one of them was prayer. 

Calling on people of prayer  

My immediate response to what happened was to call on people of prayer. I contacted everyone I could think of to pray for the victim and our family. It was important to me and it was a great comfort to know that prayers, Rosaries, and Masses were offered for the benefit of the person who was attacked, as well as family members.  

As the days passed and surgery was scheduled, those prayers sustained us and I felt our whole family covered in prayer. The comfort and joy (yes, joy!) I felt got me through this part of the ordeal. The gratitude I felt toward the people who prayed for us is something I won’t forget. It filled my broken heart with healing love. 

The aftermath of violence  

At the beginning of the incident, our family was in shock and also angry at the criminal who did this. There is a photo of that person and a police report was filed. At first, revenge was on all our minds. I just didn’t want the person to be caught, I wanted them to suffer. I hoped they were injured as well, and that they were in pain.

As the shock wore off, I just felt numb. My focus shifted to my loved one and their recovery. I don’t want to waste my time thinking about someone who has probably done this numerous times in the past and will probably continue this behavior in the future. As of this writing, no one has been caught or charged with the crime.  

I watched my loved one become disheartened. Recovery was slow, but progressing as expected. I too, became impatient, but I couldn’t imagine experiencing it. A friend of mine reminded me that my loved one’s healing would be carried out in God’s time, not anyone else’s.  

One evening, while praying the Rosary, I burst into tears. I feared for my loved one’s overall long-term health. I blurted out, “Jesus, I trust in you!” over and over.

I feared that I didn’t. 

Prayers answered  

Then one evening, my loved one expressed a huge milestone in their recovery! My head and heart began to spin with happiness! I had prayed for my loved one at Mass that morning. I had spoken with people who had been praying for recovery (the majority of them had never met my loved one) and was assured of their continued prayers. There was no question in my mind that that milestone came about due to the prayers of the many who prayed for my loved one.  Jesus, I DO trust in you! 

Lessons learned  

As things calmed down and my loved one returned to their regular routine, I began to look back on the whole experience and wonder what I learned:  

• The prayers that covered my loved one, helped me more than I realized. My faith was strengthened in ways I hadn’t imagined.   
  
  
• “God’s timing” taught me patience and trust and to unite my will with God’s. 
  
  
• My friendships with those who prayed for our family was strengthened and my admiration for their faith increased. 
  
  
• I saw my loved one go through this ordeal with quiet strength, dignity and determination. There was no talk about revenge (the only one I knew who didn’t), only moving forward to get on with life and to heal. It was extraordinary to witness. 
  
  
• I learned that praying the daily Rosary (after a long absence of discontinuing the habit) gave me comfort and hope. 

If you are going through anything remotely like this, reach out to those who you know who pray and let them cover you and your loved ones in prayer. 

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Copyright 2024 Pam Spano
Images: Canva