A Catholic Man

I chose you because I know your are a prayerful man….send this request to 15 others within 30 minutes and your life will change for the better….you will be rich! Your problems will be over!  Your family’s health will improve!  Napoleon won wars using prayer pigeons!

These type of modern prayer chains drive me up a wall.  And what makes it so much worse for me is when I receive them from practicing Catholics!  Since when do those of us that practice our faith need voodoo, or black magic or prayer chains to make things happen in God’s kingdom?  Is not God’s plan for us already perfect?  Do we tell Him, yes I belive but just in case….  let me make sure I help manipulate Your plan for my life….Because I really don’t believe and just in case…..

I know many of us are in difficult positions with financial issues, family or personal challenges and general questions concerning God’s plan for our life.  I know sometimes we feel we have to resort to whatever is available to help us get out of the maladies affecting our lives.  But as practicing Catholics we should resort more to the Eucharist and deep personal prayer to understand what God’s plan for us is. 

When we least understand is when God is working miracles in our lives. This process of discernment can only be effective when we quiet ourselves in front of the Lord.  Prayer chains are just unnecessary noise, dependence on false forces that do nothing to improve our spiritual lives. On the contrary,  as practicing Catholics we confuse those that may look up at us for insight in their faith.  By asking for special formulas we are telling them that God’s plan is not perfect and that if we don’t fulfill the chain His plan will not work!

In our Emmaus community we have a group of men and women prayer warriors that routinely stop what they are doing during the day to respond to prayer requests from fellow brothers and sisters.  Now that is a powerful force showing what community prayer can accomplish!  There are no formulas, hoops to jump through or chains…just good old fashion prayer for one in need…. 

Whenever in a personal crisis of faith or in need of a recovery of illness or when a loved one needs prayer…..write us at:  littlefloweremmaus@gmail.com.  We will show you how prayer warriors trump prayer chains every hour of the day!

                                   ad maiorem Dei gloriam

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 1st, 2012 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Catholic Family Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.