Power in Prayer

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,

who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.


Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,


and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

JUNE 20, 2017 —One of Africa’s worst conflicts may have finally ended through a rare type of diplomacy. On June 19, more than a dozen armed groups in the Central African Republic signed a peace accord. Yet they did not do so through an official negotiator. Rather a religious group in Italy used what it calls a “spiritually inspired” method – building empathy and compassion – to help forge a truce. This diplomatic feat was achieved by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Roman Catholic lay group that works quietly and discreetly around the world to end conflicts. It puts prayer at the heart of its mediation. Its efforts have been so successful that the United Nations formally signed an agreement on June 9 to cooperate with Sant’Egidio in ending other conflicts. Its president, Marco Impagliazzo, says the group’s success lies in being seen as a neutral party that relies on patience and shared values to create trust between foes. (Christian Science News Monitor) 

Christians pray.  It's what we do. If you do not pray then you are a nominal Christian at best.  The thing that amazes me is those times when we get what we have prayed for, we are amazed, we are pretty much speechless.  The evidence of the power of prayer is all around us and it seems to remain invisible to us.  The fact that the sun rises and you are able to hear the birds sing is the result of someone asking God for this.  Does that sound fanciful? Surely, the sun rises and sets in accordance with the laws of the universe.  True, but the fact you are there to see it may be because a prayer warrior somewhere prayed for your well -being and that load of bricks on the fiftieth floor of the office building did not plummet to the ground while you walked over the exact spot that they would have landed.  All of us owe a lot to those who faithfully pray every day.  

Prayer is not our attempt to twist God's arm so as to force Him to give us what we want.  This is how pagans from ages past tried to control their gods.  We who worship God whose fingerprints are on everything and everyone in the universe have no need to twist His arm.  Mother Angelica says it best when she said, "Our prayer, no matter what it is, is asking God, "Do you love me?" and His answer, no matter if it is "Yes" or "No" or "Wait" is His affirmation that He does love us."

So, become a prayer warrior.  Pray for others and get out of yourself.  Your trust in God means that He will meet your needs, not necessarily your wants. He wants us to ask and he longs like a loving Father to give us what is best for us.  When you pray you don't change God, you change yourself. 

Answers To Prayer

What do you think is the definition of prayer?  Is it when one of God's children approaches the throne of grace and asks for something that they need?  Perhaps it is not that, perhaps it is when we simply immerse ourselves in God and tell Him how much we love him?  Is prayer when you pray for a friend undergoing surgery that he is returned to health?  Prayer is all of these things and more.  Mother Angelica said something once that I have always remembered. She says, and I am paraphrasing here that prayer, no matter what kind of prayer is asking God if He loves us and his answer to our prayers is always; "Yes, I do."  But what about His answers to prayer? Does God actually take the time to listen to what you (I mean you personally) have to say to Him and then take the time to respond?  The answer to this is yes, God answers all prayers. Every prayer that we send up to heaven is carefully considered in the light of what will be best for us and for our salvation. God wants all of us to be with Him in heaven. If you pray for something and this something will be of value in the goal of getting you into heaven the answer will be "Yes" one hundred percent of the time.  If what you want does not aid in your journey, the answer will be "No." We all like when the answer is yes and we all are mighty disappointed when the answer is no. But there is a third answer to prayer that is probably the hardest one of all and that answer is "wait."  Let's face it we live in an age when the push of a button will get us whatever we want at the moment we want it. The word "wait" has very little meaning in our life and we have the devil of a time dealing with it. But God knows best what will help us and what will hinder us and He answers every prayer with one of those answers. The wait response is sometimes why prayer appears to go unanswered.  We want what we want when we want it.  God wants to give it to us when we are ready to receive it. So trust in God to know what is best for you.  Keep praying, keep asking for sure but remember that God will do for you what it takes for you to make your ultimate goal and that goal is eternal life in happiness with Him in heaven.

During this season of Advent, the nights get longer and darker until the Light of Christ arrives in our lives on Christmas day.  May the light of Christ guide you to Him this day and may the example you give in your life bring your family and friends with you.  

The Convert A Catholic Challenge is still open. There must be some reason why you are not a Catholic, tell me about it, make your best case, who knows, you may "save" me yet!  You can start by making comment below or send an email to michaeljspoula@outlook.com

Wars and Rumors of Wars - A Call to A New Crusade

Once again Islam shows its true nature and over one-hundred innocent people are senselessly murdered in the name of the moon god. I know Pope Francis tells us that Muslims worship the same God as we do. Be advised that his pronouncement on this issue is not an infallible statement so it is okay for a good Catholic boy like me to dispute albeit softly and respectfully this statement. I have no doubt that the vast majority of the followers of the prophet are decent human beings that are horrified at the senseless bloodshed perpetrated in their name in Paris. My criticisms do not target the vast majority, although their silence makes them somewhat less innocent. The average man on the prayer rug should be joining with the rest of the world in acclaiming horror at the bloodletting terror that was unleashed in Paris, Beirut, and I understand that there was a suicide bombing in Turkey yesterday as well. Yet these is nothing but silence from the vast majority of Muslims.  

We in the United States have tasted the cup of jihad because blood has already been spilled in our own land on September Eleventh in New York and at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and at the hand of an unbalanced jihadist officer who shot fellow soldiers.   ISIS has changed the game by sending their foolish and ignorant suicide bombers to cities outside of the sphere of their influence.  I am afraid that here in the United States some misguided follower of the prophet will someday soon release more spores of hate and more Americans will become victims of the moon god. 

Are the jihadists actually the tools of God? Are their presence among us signs that the Apocalypse is upon us? In our readings this week at Mass we hear Jesus speak of the end times.  I think our pastor made a good point in his homily when he said that no matter what happens, no matter what disaster may strike in our lives, God is always with us, Jesus is there to comfort us and Jesus has already won the ultimate victory.  

We CAN defeat radical Islam without a doubt.  Force of arms has its role to play but I believe that we can do more good by mounting a crusade against Islam.  I am not speaking about taking up arms but relying on a powerful weapon that has defeated many of the opponents of God, that is prayer. God only needs to move his hand against ISIS and they will be routed!  I am inviting all Christians, Catholic and Protestant to pray to the Lord our God and begging Him to move His mighty hand and save us from the hands of the followers of the moon god.  

Catholics...Awake!  This is a call to arms.  Arm yourself with the Rosary and pray for peace.  We all know how powerful prayer is and how supremely powerful the Rosary is.  Let us pray.