How to Pray for Others

  If you are part of a Christian fellowship group, you probably receive many prayer requests. We all have many people to pray for--family, friends, neighbors, etc.. We all have many things to ask God for. And He wants us to come to Him with all our petitions, both large and small.
  But when we pray for others, the most important thing to pray for is the spiritual health of the person. God's Word says:  "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)  What good does it do if a man is healed of cancer but goes to hell when he dies. Or if he gets a job, but goes on living a life apart from God.
  In the Gospel of Matthew, some people brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. Jesus first said to him, "Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven."  Then, after the scribes protested that Jesus dared to forgive sins, Jesus told the paralyzed man, "Stand up! Roll up your mat and go home."  And the man stood up, totally healed. In this Jesus was showing that the spiritual state of a person is more important than the physical state--the health of the soul is more important than the health of the body.
  So when we pray for someone, or ask others to pray, let's pray about the spiritual state of the person first, then for their physical or temporal needs.

Life is a series of "Hellos" and "Goodbyes"

  I did not write this, but it expresses the thoughts that often come to me.

    "Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our life. It seems that there is no such thing as clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction there is an awareness of its limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness.
  Joy and sadness are as close to each other as the splendid colored leaves of a New England Fall to the soberness of the barren trees. When you touch the hand of a returning friend, you already know that he will have to leave you again. When you are moved by the quiet vastness of a sun-covered ocean, you miss the friend who cannot see the same. Joy and sadness are born at the same time, both arising from such deep places in your heart that you can't find words to capture your complex emotions.
  But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us."
Out of Solitude, Henri J.M. Nouwen

In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again....You are sad now, but...your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you."  John 16:16-22

Is Abortion the Solution?

If killing babies is the answer to problem pregnancies, poverty or unwanted children, then the natural progression is to kill all those people who are problems or a burden to society--the disabled, the infirm, the mentally incapacitated, the very sick elderly. Then we have decided that killing is the acceptable solution to a problem.

Is the United States A Christian Country?

  Our whole society--our laws, our customs, our culture--are based on Christianity. We were established by Christians. Our country is based on the Judeo-Christian worldview and set of values. If not, we might be like the orthodox Muslims who oppress women and believe in evangelizing through force. Or the Hindus who don't believe in helping others because they believe each person has to live the life they were given. Or the Buddhists who believe reality is not real.
  According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 70.6% of the American population identified themselves as Christians. The same study says that other religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism) collectively made up about 6% of the population. People who say our country is not a Christian country have not studied our Constitution; or read our Declaration of Independence; or bothered to read the writings or the history of our founders.
  Yes, our people come from or are descended from many different countries and races. Some of us are of other religions. We welcome that. We are free to practice any religion that does not harm others or take away their freedom. But those who choose to live here must live as Americans, following the laws and values of our culture. We are "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

God's Will or My Will

When we are baptized, we accept Jesus as our Savior and receive the gift of salvation. When we are confirmed, we reaffirm our faith in Jesus as our Savior and also accept Him as Lord. 

To proclaim Jesus as Lord means that He is Lord—King, ruler; the “boss”--of our lives, our time, of what we do.

This does not happen overnight.  It's a process where we willingly submit our will to His will; what we would like to do to what He wants us to do (insofar as we can discern). One of the members of my prayer group said that he realized that he had been asking the Lord to bless his plans rather than asking the Lord what His plan was.

In practice this means that I can’t just do what I would like to do, what I feel like doing, or what I am interested in.  In the use of my time, I have to seek the direction of the Holy Spirit.  This is done through daily prayer and quiet time with the Lord. It's also very helpful to have a spiritual director--either one specifically trained in spiritual direction or a spiritually mature person; one who has been following Jesus for longer than you.

 

Will we do God’s Will perfectly, each and every day?  Of course not!  Will we make mistakes, go off in the wrong direction or get involved in things God does not want us to be involved in?  Of course. We pray about how God wants us to use the time He has given us and then do the best we can.

The following is a prayer of Thomas Merton that I think best expresses this.

 

           My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself;

and the fact that I think that I am following your will

does not mean that I am actually doing so. 

But I believe that the desire to please you

does in fact please you;

and I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it. 

Therefore will I trust you always,

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me;

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. 

Thoughts in Solitude

The Culture of Death

If killing unborn babies is the answer to problem pregnancies, poverty or unwanted children, then the natural progression is to kill all those people who are problems or a burden to society--the disabled, the infirm, the mentally incapacitated, the very sick elderly. When we think it's acceptable to kill unborn babies, we have decided that killing is an acceptable solution to a problem.

An Advent Reflection for Mothers

  As women, our preparations for Christmas are not for ourselves, but for others—the baking, shopping, cards, decorations, etc. are to make others happy.  These preparations are usually not done peacefully and joyfully.  We have to fit them into our already busy schedules.  This causes us to be tired, harried and aggravated.  We worry that we won’t get done in time.

  It’s a good time to stop a moment and think about how it was for Mary as she prepared for Christmas.  I’m sure she was not peaceful and joyful at nine months pregnant riding on a donkey.  We know what it was like to ride in a car at nine months pregnant.  The road to Bethlehem was not smooth; lots of potholes and delays.  She was probably cold, tired, hungry and thirsty.  Maybe Joseph was not very patient having to walk the whole distance with a pregnant wife (remember he was not a saint yet).  I’m sure Mary worried that she wouldn’t get to Bethlehem before the baby was born.

  So when Advent seems rushed, when we are tired and irritated and wonder if it’s all worth it, when time for “Advent meditation” is nonexistent; don’t feel guilty.   Think about Mary.  Her Advent journey was to bring joy and peace to others too.