The Power of Prayer

 Last week I started a novena, my first of twenty-seventeen and it concluded yesterday.  Last week, I was browsing through Facebook feeds and a post announced the beginning of the Saint Anthony of Padua novena to end yesterday on his Feast Day.  I felt it was a godsend because I had a very particular intention that required special prayer.  After starting the novena I realized that it must have been an old post because Saint Anthony’s Feast Day is not until June.  Yet, I felt like this saint was asking me to pray with him so I continued my novena.  Yesterday, it concluded and yesterday was a day that was of crucial importance in deciding the fate of my family.  It all sounds very dramatic, but after years of fighting for a personal case we got our verdict and we won.  I can’t go into specifics because I have to protect and respect the privacy of my family.  Anyway, this week my mind has been so occupied with the trial, being a witness for my first time, but most importantly the verdict.  Yesterday, before we headed to court I pulled my family together, we lit a candle and together we prayed that justice would triumph and that God would have the final decision in the matter.

A few years ago I went to Our Lady of Angels Cathedral and I knelt before the image of Saint John Paul II and lit a candle asking for his intercession in this matter.  A miracle occurred after that which I can’t share without violating my family's trust.  That was the first big step in our case.  Then yesterday another miracle happened that continues to baffle me in regards to the power of prayer and intercession.  Sometimes, I can be so doubtful about matters of faith.  A priest told me it’s ok to have these doubts that everyone has them.  Then moments like this happen when things cannot be explained logically.  An old post led me to pray a novena which ended the day that my family faced a huge struggle.  This Novena gave me so much hope and strength.  So strong I felt that there was no room for anxiety, just this supernatural trust that justice would reign that God would make the final decision.  I’ve had many experiences where prayer has been an instrumental part, where God shows me how actively present He is in my life; even so, it still shocks me.  I still get dumbfounded by His omnipotence and His ability to listen to me.

While we drove home we all gave credit to God and His ability to make miracles happen.  We thanked His Mother and all the saints that we have prayed with throughout this time.  We reflected on “The Parable of the Persistent Widow” because we were that widow who wouldn’t give up and like her our persistence paid off (smile).  Yesterday, marks a new beginning where finally a cloud has passed, a heavy burden has been taken away and the future looks bright.  Everything in this world is imprinted with God’s presence, with His magnificence; but, a lot of the time I am still blind to this truth.  Nevertheless, at moments like these when things can only be explained by His involvement, by His penmanship my faith increases and those doubts that trouble me lose strength.  Do you have any experiences where prayer has been answered in miraculous ways?  I do (smile).