The Unbelievable

Sathya Sai Baba tells us that if we surrender to the Lord, He is obliged to protect us. Does His protection and love stop with the individual devotee? It appears that His promise of protection also includes the devotee’s whole family.

For the past 10 years, I have seen His love and grace spill over into the lives of my children, and recently I witnessed this same expansive love reach out to touch the lives of my parents.

How many times have I read about Sathya Sai Baba’s miraculous healings, never realizing that some day one of them would involve my father. After all, miracles are something you read about, but they never hap-pen to you.

In October of 1984, my father found out that he had cancer of the colon and liver. It seemed like an unfortunate time to receive news of impending death. My mother and father were going to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary in a few short weeks. We had planned a Mass and reception for family and friends. It was to be a time of joyous celebration.

The doctor told them to postpone the operation until after their anniversary. It took great strength for my mother and father to go on with the celebration, even though Dad’s illness was terminal. Some-how they would manage, and they did. Their strength came from their deep faith in God.

A few days after their anniversary, Dad’s colon became blocked and emergency surgery was performed. I call this divine timing.

As mother and I sat across from the surgeon, we so very much wanted to hear that the news was hopeful, but the prognosis was not good. My father had cancer in the small intestine, abdomen, and colon, as well as in 50 percent of the liver. The colon was so inflamed and cancerous that he had to give my father a colostomy. His death was only a matter of time.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year passed. Dad’s health went from bad to worse and his large form shriveled. He couldn’t eat, and lost 46 pounds. My mother was so depressed she lost 35 pounds from worry.

I constantly called on Swami for courage to help my parents through these troubled days. I prayed, if it was His will, for him to please heal my father and give my mother the strength she needed.

My parents are devout Catholics and feel very close to Jesus. They could not under-stand my relationship with Sai Baba nor the concept of “God in human form” being someone other than Jesus. When I spoke about Sai Baba, I could see the fear in their eyes, especially my father’s. So I remained silent. They actually knew very little about Baba or my trips to India.

The day after my parents’ wedding anniversary in November, our son Craig departed on his first trip to India to see Sai Baba. We were so happy for him. On Christmas Eve, Craig received our first letter and we received his— again, divine timing. We told Craig about his grandfather’s operation and cancer. He was upset and wrote a note to Swami, asking Baba to help his grandfather.

On Christmas Day, Craig had a first-row seat, and, as Sai Baba approached him, he held up the note. Sai refused the note but made vibhuti [sacred ash] for Craig and gave him padnamaskar [the opportunity to reverently touch His feet]. Padnamaskar symbolizes surrender to the Lord.

Craig sent some of the vibhuti home. It arrived mid‑January. After taking the vibhuti, Dad’s weight stabilized. They used the vibhuti because I told them of its miraculous power to heal. What did they have to lose. They were desperate.

One afternoon in January, I was meditating, mostly talking to Baba. It seems as if I heard Him say that Robert and I should come for a visit in March and November of this year, 1985. I replied, “But Sai, my father is dying of cancer. How can I come in March?” The voice replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of your father.” Immediately, we arranged to get airline tickets for a flight leaving on March 1.

In February, my father received a phone call from his doctor. The doctor called without my father initiating any prior contact, which is unusual. The surgeon suggested that Dad have another operation to reconnect the colon and reverse the colostomy. My parents prayed and decided that he should have the second operation.

This time, after surgery, the doctor was so hopeful that he was smiling from ear to ear. He said that the colon was so much better. He had removed the cancerous tumor and reconnected the bowel. As far as he could tell, everything in the liver, intestine, and abdomen looked benign. A few days later, this was confirmed by the tests. The doc-tors were amazed! They were further astonished by Dad’s quick recovery after four hours of major surgery. We took Dad home in one week, three days before we left for India—again, divine timing.

At Prasanthi Nilayam, Sai Baba gave us an inter-view. I held up my parents’ picture and asked, “Sai, did you cure my father of cancer?” Baba patted me on the shoulder and replied, “I sure did!” I will never forget the thrill of my Divine Father telling me that He had cured my father.

It’s hard to believe that a few short months ago my 76‑year‑old father was so close to death. This summer he looks great and is playing 18 holes of golf four times a week. The comparison is unbelievable, but Sai Baba makes it believable.

He changes the unchangeable.
He cures the uncurable.
He loves the unlovable.
He could only be God in human form.

~Rita Bruce
Source: Sanathana Sarathi, February 1986