Prayer - A sacred task that we can share
[caption id="attachment_3660" align="alignright" width="200"]
Blog by Sr. June Fitzgerald, OP[/caption]
Frequently, in the course of speaking with discerners, friends, family and Associates, I hear, "Sister, please pray for...." They know I am a person of faith and so they reach out and ask me to join them in prayer. Usually I ask for more information about the prayer request or the person/situation involved. Listening to their stories invites me to enter into their lives and the lives of those involved. Praying for and with others is one of the most sacred tasks we can do for each other. That is, to bring this person or situation before God in prayer and petition.
For whom and what are you praying this day?
Take a few moments to reflect on those intentions and to lift them up to God.
Recently, I asked our Sisters and Associates to pray for a family friend who was very ill. In addition to us, there were hundreds of others praying for her through the prayer chain at their church and on social media. We prayed and we waited. We supported the family and we remembered Karen and her life, laughter and the beautiful quilts she made with the work of her hands. We renewed old friendships and spent time with people we had not seen in quite a while.
Karen died a few days ago. She died peacefully, in a comfortable flannel nightgown, with her husband, children and grandchildren around her. There was no fear. Yes, they were sad but there was also hope, grace and love surrounding them all.
Did God answer our prayer? Yes, I believe God did. God invited us into Karen's last days in an intentional way. Many, who've never met Karen, prayed for her and her family. We used our spiritual muscles to lift another up to God. Perhaps we did not remove a roof to lower a paralytic into Jesus' presence but we did carry her in our hearts before God.
As I close this reflection, let us keep each other in prayer. If you have an intention you would like to share with us, you may do so by clicking here. It will then be shared with all of our Sisters and Associates. In fact, let us all pray for each other.