On January 24, the day after my dad's 87th birthday, a cancerous tumor began to break through the lining of his esophagus. He was rushed to the hospital, listed as critical, and given little, if any, chance to survive. I remember holding him as he convulsed and cried in pain.

We called and e-mailed our families and friends, asking for prayers --- prayers for his strength and prayers for him to be at peace. Lionel LaFrance had suffered so much already with advanced Parkinson's, and his mind had not been clear for nearly a year. Now the cancer had taken over, too.

We had no hope for Dad; his esophagus had ruptured and he could no longer swallow, his kidneys were failing, he had tumors near his heart, intestines and brain, and he had pneumonia. I didn't think there was anything in this world that could make him better again, and I wished God would just relieve him of his pain.

But all it took to make a difference was prayer, the prayers of our families and friends. So many people were offering Masses for him, putting his name on prayer chains, praying over him at his bedside. And a miracle happened.

My dad woke up. He could swallow a little bit. His memory returned. He talked of things he had not remembered in years. He sang songs, told jokes and prayed with us. He even complained about the terrible hospital food (because, of course, hospital food was not fitting for a true Frenchman!) His strength increased, and he was able to walk with a walker and eat at the table again. We had our dad back.

In my wildest imagination, I would never have dared to ask God to give us more time with my dad. I only asked God to hear our prayers and take him home to heaven so he would no longer have to suffer. But God sees beyond the prayers from our mind and mouth, and hears with compassion the prayers from deep within our heart.

Then, on June 8, Dad took a turn for the worse. We all knew it would happen, but it did not make it any easier. One final trip to the hospital and we were told there was nothing more that could be done for him. It was time to let him go. At 10 p.m. on June 17, the night before Father's Day, our Heavenly Father called him home.

The story of my father's final days may seem to be over, but his final witness of God's love is not. So many prayers were said for him, and those prayers, I truly believe, are what pulled him from the grip of death and brought him back to us last February --- not only back, but 100 percent better off than he had been. And even though having him back like that made his death that much more painful for us, it was so worth it.

Jesus tells us all we have to do is to ask, to seek and to knock. Doing so does not guarantee we will get from God exactly what we ask for. It does, however, guarantee to bring God into our lives in a way that is better than anything we ever dreamed possible.

Sometimes, as we see people go through tough times, we casually say, "I'll pray for you." Prayer is not a casual thing. Its results should not be taken lightly. What prayer did for Dad is a witness to the power of prayer. The comfort and love that came with each and every prayer gave to us the precious gift of four more beautiful months with him, months that were considered medically impossible.

But God makes the impossible become possible. The powerful gift of prayer not only brings our needs to God, it is what brings God into our lives, and lets us know that He is always with us, even until the end of time.

Therese C. Corsaro attends St. Mary Church in Palmdale.