A sick friend can go through a stressful experience that raises anxiety for them and their loved ones. One way to attain peace and tranquillity in such anxious times is to reach out to God and hand over all the tribulations they and their loved ones face. Sick individuals and their caregivers require all the strength, support and blessings that they can get.
This prayer will help us with the words that express our desire to see an ill friend return to good health. The friend might be a close one or someone in our social group. They might consider us their good friend or might consider us to be just a casual acquaintance. As long as we are open to God’s will, this prayer will ensure that our hopes reach God.
Catholic prayer for the sick
Lord Jesus Christ,
You have, in your time, healed the sickly and the ill with a mere touch. I believe that your blessings exist on Earth at all times, on all beings, whether unwell or in good health. I pray that you bestow your blessings on my sick friend, so they and we can witness and recognise your healing powers.
I have faith that my friend’s plea for help will be heard by You, dear Jesus, and this test of their faith will not persist, that they will come through this illness with Your guiding presence. I only pray that You grant them the strength to endure and heal them without further pain and suffering.
I have not always taken care of the sick and the unwell in my house and my people. I did not see that helping them and sharing their burden was a means to serve You and do Your bidding.
Let this be another sign of your generous blessings and your love that continues watching over us at all times. I know that you will not turn away the plea of a sinner.
Lord, we know that earnest, positive-minded prayer is a necessary step towards a healthy and fruitful life. I sincerely hope that my friend regains their strength to be an example of the spiritual life that they are and will continue to be forever.
I have not always been supportive of the sick and have not made reparations and concessions for them in my personal and professional life. I have looked upon sickness as something that is avoidable. Make us understand that You and Your blessings are with us, in good times and bad.
I also thank you, Lord Jesus, for the good health that you continue to bestow on my family and me.
The path to good health from sickness has several decisions, some simple and some not so. Please provide my friend with the good sense and strength to take the correct decision and the patience to stand by it.
I beg you to hear my prayer. In your Holy name. Amen.
Short prayer against sickness
Dear Lord, please bestow your blessings and heal my friend. Please shower your love and affection, so all decisions are taken under your guidance and are your will. Lead them to the best care. I humbly ask this in thy Holy name, Amen.
The Word of God
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
James 5:14-16 NRSVUE
Prayer to Saint Camillus for the healing of a sick friend
Saint Camillus, you provided care for the sick and served the spiritual needs of the sick and the ill. During the turbulent times that the sick face, you have heeded their needs and strove to keep the faith. You provide a model for everyone who has ever experienced sickness, either as a caregiver or the sick.
The path and experience of sickness are fraught with pain, sorrow and self-doubt. At times, the sick and their caregivers might stray.
Jesus has a special place for you, Saint Camillus. I am confident that when I confide in you and pray to you, I grow closer to God’s divine will daily.
Saint Camillus, the patron saint of the sick, please protect my friend and give them the strength to endure and provide the same to their caregivers and everyone affected by the sickness.
St. Camillus, pray for us.
Amen.
Further reflection
Sickness is stressful. The anxiety that the sick and their caregiver’s experience can be overwhelming. Sickness and good health, we know, play an important role in human relationships and our relationship with the Almighty.
God is always with us and brings us back to good times from difficult or testing ones. During sickness, like any testing time, there will be certain aspects that will not go our way or not as we thought they would, but we must remember the plan that our ever-forgiving God has for us. What might seem like the best solution, the best medical care, the best medicine, might lead us to the incorrect path. Let us pray and have the strength to submit ourselves to God’s plan.
Sickness is something that everyone faces in their lives, and it is extremely important that we, as a community, come together and help whosoever needs it in their trying and testing times.
Caring for the sick and overcoming sickness are both stressful, and we need all the help and effort that we can get. It is important that we support and help our sickly family and friends by any and every means possible. Being ill is scary, and being ill all alone is scarier. Take some time out today, and try to spend it with the sick and the ill, show them the positive aspects of community and society, so they can be nearer to understanding God’s plan.
