I went to my friend Pat's ordination ceremony on Saturday and cried the whole time. For anyone who hasn't been to an ordination ceremony, it's a lot like a wedding. The only difference is that the man is taking the Catholic Church as his bride and not a lady.
At one point I think he saw me in the crowded church. I had a cry rag (that's what I call my papertowels that I carry around to catch all of my tears. I cry a lot, much more than your normal person--luckily the tears are often happy!) up to my face when he saw me. He was probably surprised I was crying the way I was.
If I cried as he became a transitional deacon (it's "transitional" because he's only a deacon for the last year he's in the seminary and then he becomes a priest, God willing), imagine how much I'll cry when he becomes a priest.
Pat and I are not especially close, but I have prayed for him a lot since he entered the seminary. The "world," in general, and the devil, specifically, hates people who are willing to sacrifice so much for their faith. Good holy priests need a lot prayers to stay the course and stay strong for God.
Pat knows how much I pray for him and he knows that I always have and on the day of his ordination he asked me to please continue to do so this next year. It got me to thinking. I am a pray-er. I am known as such. People come to me and ask for my prayers.
Are my prayers any more powerful than anyone else's? Absolutely not.
So what makes my prayers "sought after," so to speak? Two simple reasons:
1) People know that I pray, and I pray a lot, and I pray all day long, formally and informally, and I ask God for things and I plead with God for mercy and I joke with Him (although I tend to pray much more for others than myself and I need to get over that and start pleading with God for what I need too). I also pray in my sleep, which I consider a true and humble gift from God. I see it as a sign I have begun to truly let Him into my heart (if I pray in my subconscious mind when I'm not really aware, He must be inside me somewhere!). I wake up from sound sleep saying Hail Marys.
2) I am 100% confident that my prayers reach God at His throne in heaven. I know it as much as I know anything else in the world. There are a lot of people who pray, but there are not a lot of people who feel like their prayers "work," so to speak, or that God "listens" to them. They pray because they are "supposed" to.
So, I've been thinking this past week that I want to put out the call to all of you. Please let me pray for you. What are your needs, wants, desires? Let me help you storm heaven with prayer on your behalf and behalf of those you love.
I always tell this to E when he tells me not to waste my prayers on him: There is no limit to the number of prayers I am allotted. I am not wasting anything. I am giving God more glory by speaking to Him--He wants to hear from us.
If you aren't comfortable doing the talking, then let me. Any of you who know me I'm never at a loss for words!
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3 comments:
I find comfort in the knowing that you pray for me.
...and I find comfort in praying for you...it really is a 2-way street. It's a way for me to stay close to people, even when they aren't close. There is intimacy in prayer. Love you!
I though I'd check out the blog listed before me and after me on the St. Blogs Parish Womens links.
You are the "before".
I can see that I have to come back and read more of your writings. My page is mainly pictures with little writing. Your welcomed to add any of my cards to your blog if you so desire. I'd appreciate a h/t though.
By the way, I do think Life is Fair....it's what you get and that's it.
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