Prayer

Hello from my heart to yours....

 

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven."  Matthew 18:19

 

If someone told you that by changing one thing about your relationships with people would guarantee that your lives together would significantly improve... wouldn't you at least want to know what it was?  Well, there are probably many "one thing's", but today the "one thing" I'd like to tell you about is the practice of praying together. 

 

If you tend to devalue spiritual matters.. this may sound ridiculous... but the unity that grows between people who pray together forms an intense powerful connection.  This especially holds true for married couples as you have a partner for life to pray with.... praying with your children also creates an everlasting bond... and imagine the possibilities if you pray with your friends... the love that grows between you can be as strong or even stronger than a family tie.

 

When I worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Capitol in Tallahassee, I lived with an old woman named Ernestine... it was only supposed to be for the 2 month session, but I loved living there and decided to stay and she allowed me to stay in her house for as long as I wanted.  She was an old southern Baptist who was very active in her church... In the fall, she took a yearly trip to Georgia on a bus with her friends from the church to see the "colors" of autumn... I drove her over to meet her group and before she got out of the car she took my hands and said, "Pray with me... Oh Heavenly Father, watch over this little girl while she is alone in my home... and watch over me as I journey with my friends to see the wondrous beauty of this season that You have created for us... I ask this in Jesus' name... Amen" .. 

 

Of course, it wasn't the first time that someone had asked me to pray with them, but it is a moment, that even now, almost 30 years later, I recall as if it were yesterday.... 

 

The Catholic church has a slogan that says... The family that prays together, stays together.  The saying  comes from interpretations of the Book of Proverbs regarding the Virtuous Woman and from the Book of Ruth which has parallels .. It is not an actual Proverb that can be found in the Bible however. This Slogan was first used by the Roman Catholic Family Rosary Crusade led by Father Patrick Peyton. The crusade began in 1942 and the slogan was apparently first broadcast on March 6, 1947 during the radio program Family Theater of the Air. .. (just a little trivia....)

 

We tried this in our home when we were in college... we would sit with my abuela and crack up ... she wanted to do the rosary in spanish.. we wanted to do it in english... my brother would race through the Hail Mary.. the other would laugh... she'd make us start over... we'd roll our eyes... she'd roll her eyes ... and  finally ... she'd shake her head saying... "Haci no se reza el rosario" (This isn't how you pray the Rosary) ... however, in retrospect... it was a lovely 20 minutes where we all came together and prayed...  

I do say daily prayers... alone and with my 3 boys... it helps that I still have a little one because he will call the older ones in to pray with him... and I pray with some of my friends... mostly my "church" friends... oh wait, yep, just dawned on me as I write this, I pray with the ones I KNOW will pray with me... and I have prayed with strangers because they have asked me to... but I would love to say a little prayer every once in awhile with some of my other friends...  it's just that it's almost creepy to just walk up to them and say, "Let's say a little prayer together" ... ok...I am totally LOL right now envisioning the reaction on some of their faces... 

 

great... now I'm laughing and in rambling mode.... and I apologize.... how are you going to take me seriously when I say, "Pray Together" ?

 

Maybe if I give you some examples of people who pray together in public and in groups..... the easiest to envision are the people in your church or temple... now, think of the sports teams that huddle together in prayer before a game... or the Legislature that starts its sessions with an "interfaith" prayer...... or the people who offer their prayers on Facebook on a "group" page like "Pray for Bella" 

 

and now ... imagine how much easier it is to hold your spouses hand... you boyfriend/girlfriend's hand... your mother/father's hand.... your child's hand... your friends hand... and just say a little prayer together.... WE can do it because we are loved beyond measure and are cherished blessings to the world.... 

let us Pray with the world's people....

 

May you be blessed with all things good,

With Love,

Elena