The Power of Prayer

~~~ 1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59 ~~~ 

~~~ Psalm 1 Chronicles 29:10BCD, 11ABC, 11D-12A, 12BCD ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 19:45-48 ~~~

My house shall be a house of prayer...

Judas prayed before leading the Israelites into battle.
Later they collected their spoils and sang hymns to God.

“who is good, whose mercy endures forever.”

Judas did not enter into battle before he had prayed.

...Give this army into the hands of your people Israel; 
make them ashamed of their troops and their cavalry.
Strike them with cowardice, weaken the boldness of their strength, 
and let them tremble at their own destruction.
Strike them down by the sword of those who love you, 
that all who know your name may sing your praise.

These are strong words of prayer...
words that might be good for us to begin praying in our own time.

Perhaps the words of this ancient prayer can be directed
against the evil forces at work in the world today.

Pray that they would loose their boldness
 and disregard of human life.
Pray that they begin to fear their own destruction.

The house of God, we call church, must
be the place where our sole purpose is to pray.
A place to give God glory and praise.

Strike them down by the sword of those who love you, 
that all who know your name may sing your praise.

Strike them down Lord, through the power
and strength of the prayers of we who love you.

Is not prayer a more effective way to destroy our enemies?

Judas and his men immediately went up the mountain
 to restore the altar in the sanctuary.

There was much joy, a time of great
rejoicing and thanksgiving.

They made all things new in the sanctuary.
When all was completed all the people celebrated with song and dance.
They also humbly prostrated themselves
and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success.

Judas declared this day of completion be forever
marked with celebrations of joy and gladness.

My house shall be a house of prayer...

The Lord's house shall forever be a joyful house of prayer.
Always giving praise and thanks for the goodness of God.

We can join together in the power of our prayer
against the evil that exists in our world.

Blessed to come together in prayer
 in the house of the Lord.

Our prayers can bring about peace.
~~~Pray~~~

Is Your Faith Deficient?

~~~ Memorial of Saint Monica ~~~

~~~ 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13 ~~~ Psalm 90 ~~~ Matthew 24:42-51 ~~~

Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person

and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.

This single verse, which St. Paul wrote, is fitting 

for this feast day of Saint Monica.

Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine, 

models what it means to pray night and day.

She prayed beyond measure for her son.

She prayed for not only the conversion of her son,

but for the very saving of his soul.

Her fervent prayers were in hopes of remedy 

the deficiencies of his faith.

She drew from the depths of her own faith

 in order to replenish her son's lack of faith.

While we do not believe that we can be saved by proxy,

she never let her frustrations overcome her faith.

Sometimes, as a mother, all you can do is pray for your children.

Prayers that somehow God will lead them on the right path.

We pray that they will come to recognize the role 

faith plays in their life.

Monica could have easily become frustrated.

She could have given up hope for her son to ever believe.

Her example shows us that your prayers are never wasted...

there is never a time when your prayers are no longer necessary.

Stay awake!

For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.

Physically we need to have our sleep to function, 

we cannot 'stay awake'.

It is our heart...our soul that must remain awake.

You must keep your heart awake, open to receive

 the Lord when he does come.

This is a daily task, you cannot put this on hold.

You cannot wait for a better time.

Monica did not give up even after Augustine was an adult.

She no longer had influence over his daily actions,

but she did have influence over her prayers for his soul.

Stay awake...for yourself,

but also Stay awake for your loved ones...

Stay awake for those who need your prayers of faith...

Pray for the one who 'Stays awake' for you.

We must never underestimate the power of prayers in our life.

Saint Monica, teach us to live in a deeper faith.

Prayers Bless those for whom you pray,

but prayers also bless the one who prays.

~~~Peace~~~

Someone's Answered Prayer: is You

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Queen Esther is a good example for how we are to pray.

She literally threw herself at the feet of God and prayed for him to intercede.

She purposefully made herself vulnerable.

So often we want to appear strong not only before our friends but also before God.

We cannot grasp the meaning of relying solely upon God.

Esther prayed for God to put the right words in her mouth.

How often do we ask God to give us the gift of his words?

I would guess not very often.

If we do ask God for his words to be spoken by us...

we must wait and listen attentively with an open heart.

The homilist today offered something for us to ponder.

He said, "Have you ever thought that you might be the answer 

to someone's prayer?" 

We tend to expect God to be the one to answer our prayers, but it could very well be another person. God uses all ways to answer our prayers.

We are part of the Body of Christ, therefore it should not come as a surprise

 that we could be used by God to answer another's prayers.

When I stop to consider that possibility it brings me joy.

It brings me to joy to reflect on how God might use me to respond to another.

He might use me as answer without my even knowing...

that is even more beautiful.

In Esther's prayer she also recalls precious memories from her childhood.

"...As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you."

She returned to something that had made an impression on her as a young child.

Could this have contributes to her child like prayer before God?

Often when we are in stress we revert back to behaviors from our childhood.

They are automatic, almost reflexive and they often bring us comfort.

Finally Esther ends her prayer in a most beautiful way.

"...turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness."

Who thinks to ask God to transform one feeling into another?

This is not about conversion of heart;

this is about turning water into fine wine.

This is about turning the bread into his precious Body...

the Eucharist turns our brokenness into wholeness.

Esther gives us a model for how we should pray, not just in time of crisis, 

but on a regular basis.

I invite you to read this passage from the book of Esther

keeping in mind how you can imitate her form of prayer.

Esther is an example of a woman who has a strong faith in the power of prayer.

Pray first and then everything else will fall into its proper place.

Lord, grant me the unwavering trust in the power of my prayers.

You are the answer to someone's prayer today.

Let it be through the power of prayer.