July 2022

This month we focus on the power of intercessory prayer.

Miracles.  Everyone needs them at one time or another.  Big ones, small ones, they happen every day.  But, if we’re not looking, we fail to see them.  Have you ever bought something— a car, for instance— that you thought no one else had in a particular color?  Then, the more you drove your car, the more you noticed others like it?  That’s the way it is with miracles.

When you acknowledge one, your awareness grows and, before long, you begin to notice the miracles happening all around.  The more you talk about them, the more you’re asked to be a prayer partner for healing, justice, finding employment, peace of mind, and other concerns that cause great distress in everyday life.

Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatsoever, it shall be granted you by my Father in heaven.  Where two or more are gathered in my name, there in their midst am I (Matthew 18:19-20).

The beauty of united prayer is that we don’t have to be together in one particular place.  We can support the cause from wherever we happen to be, at whatever time we happen to pray.  Moreover, we can tap experts in the field— our saints— for their intercessory power.

My two all-time favorites are St. Jude and St. Anthony, though I call on the former only when there’s a serious dilemma regarding our kids or grandkids.  St. Anthony, on the other hand, is more of a confidante: a lifelong friend with whom I dialogue throughout the day.  I call on him anytime someone needs a favor and especially when I’ve lost something.  Sometimes, too, he helps me find treasures that I didn’t even know were missing, like the chaplet prayers and the miraculous responsory that I’ve come to cherish (Lanoux, “Si quaeris miracula,” July 23, 2010).

July mailing (English & Spanish)

   

   

How to pray with the saints from Hallow by Cate von Dohlen (Lightly edited)

Identify a saint who inspires you.  Choose a saint to pray with that you’re drawn to.  When we need protection, we call on the holy Mother Mary to blanket us in the peace of God’s love.  When we lose something, we call on St. Anthony to find it.  Saints become patrons through an affiliation with a place, event, occupation, or miracles that happen after their passing.  There are many topics of which saints are patrons— from pencil makers (St. Thomas Aquinas) to writers (St. Frances de Sales) to cyclists (La Madonna del Ghisallo).

Draw meaning from their life or their words.  Once you have a saint you identify with, find a prayer they wrote during their lifetime, or read about a holy event in their lives and meditate on the words of the prayer or image of the event.  Similar to the practice of Lectio Divina, see what stands out to you during this time or season in your life.  Slow down and spend time with the saint you’ve chosen to pray with.

Speak and pray openly with them.  Talk to the saint as you would a friend.  They know what it’s like to be human— to struggle, to laugh, to love, to sin, to seek forgiveness.  We can turn to saints as friends journeying in faith with us.  Share with them what’s on your mind— the prayers you need— and ask for the wisdom and/or comfort you require at the moment.

Let them lead you to holiness.  As you pray more and more with the saints, let their model of holiness transform you.  You don’t need to live like them or make the same vows of poverty or chastity but, with their guidance, you can replicate their prayer practices and live a life of peace, love, and service to God and others.

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Blessings 2022…  August 2022…  December 2022…  Journey’s light…  June 2022…  Kiss of God…  May 2022…  Mourning joy…  November 2022…  October 2022…  October saints…  Presence…  September 2022…  Sight…  Sitka’s St. Michael…  St. Michael prayers