The Irish have a saying, “May you never bury your children.” In the natural order of things, it is usually the children that should bury their parents. Hence, it is the most difficult and devastating thing any parent can experience when they bury their children. That is why when children become sick, parents will do everything and anything for their children. 

During his life on earth, Jesus knew this reality. Hence, much of the healing he did was on sick children upon the intercession of their parents. 

That is why three things we should remember when parents have children who are sick:

1. The power of prayer. In the spiritual realm, there is such a thing as Spiritual Authority. The bishop has spiritual authority over his diocese; the parish priest has spiritual authority over his parish; the owners have spiritual authority over their property; and parents have authority over their children. Thus, the prayer of parents for their children is very powerful. Never mind if the children are even in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s. When it comes to prayers, we are reminded by the words of Christ to pray unceasingly.
2. Why my child? A parent would ask God, “Why my child? Please spare her or him and let me take the sickness myself”. In moments like this, trust the Lord. We might not know why but surely he has a plan.
3. Avoid occultism. Indeed, when one is sick, we will do everything and anything. Avoid the occult. There is a spiritual realm that we do not want to get ourselves involved in. Our faith and the Church have enough help in the form of Sacraments of Healing like the Mass, Confession, and Anointing of the Sick. It also has sacramentals like blessed water and blessed salt. 

We always pray for those who are in need of healing of body, spirit, and emotion. We should be comforted by the fact that Jesus knows the difficulty of having a sick loved one, especially children. Further, let us ask the intercession of Mama Mary, as she knows what it is like to lose a son.