The Power of Prayer

Today, my family and I conclude a novena to Saint Peregrine.  After receiving some alarming news in regards to my mother’s health we pulled together and sought refuge in God and one another as we anxiously waited for results to come confirming things one way or the other.  We joined forces and together we sought God for comfort and an audience.  We brought to him our pleas and joined forces with Mother Mary and Saint Peregrine to help us intercede for our petitions.  Prayer has always been a struggle for me.  This doesn’t mean that I don’t pray it just means that sometimes I pray with a very doubtful mind.  A doubtful mind that sometimes tells me that I am really doing nothing of consequence when I pray.  Yet, things happen when I pray, things that always shut my skeptic mind and prove to me that prayer like Jesus said, “moves mountains.”

The day after my trip, I received some news that knocked the wind out of me- that brought death back into my realm.  I felt this great impotence so I got down on my knees and I prayed.  Then I found a Saint Peregrine Novena and recruited my siblings to join me in prayer.  All three of us, were experiencing the same level of anxiety and fear of the unknown.  Yet, as we prayed guiding ourselves with the beautiful prayers of the novena - things happened. 

For one, the worry and fear was lifted and we waited trusting the will of God.  We were able to enjoy the present moment.  This freedom from worry enabled us to enjoy our mom and while the first days after the bad news were hard- the power of prayer gave us positive dispositions and courage to confront things as they came.

Two, it brought my family closer.  We were able to share our pain, our anxieties and to encourage one another.  The novena joined us in supplication, together we begged God for a miracle.  Yet, the prayers that went with the novena also had portions were they focused on us accepting the will of God, on letting go and trusting in Him alone.  Together we implored God to listen to our petitions, but we also learned to have faith in Him.  We learned that we had to trust in his divine providence.  Every day (unrehearsed) we shared with one another a way we felt God’s presence.  For example, my sister came into my room to share with me that when she was speaking with her mother-in-law, her mother-in-law told her that her son had just brought home a statue of Saint Peregrine.  Her mother-in-law didn’t know we were praying for his intersession.  Saint Peregrine is not a very popular saint so the mention of his name in conversation made us smile knowing the saint was with us.

I am a big believer in lighting a candle for my intentions.

Three, it moved the focus from the diagnoses to God.  I thought of the many saints that died happily knowing they were going home.  I thought of heaven and things didn’t seem as hard (though the separation would be) because death was defeated on the cross.  As Catholic’s heaven is our destination and the promise that we will all be reunited gave me hope.

Prayer is not just about getting a yes reply to our petition.  Prayer is a journey that helps us at all times focus on God.  This focus feeds us with courage, hope and perseverance.  And if we are saints with joy in the will of God.  While I joined my siblings in prayer, I had this epiphany that prayer does more than reach God with our desires, it helps each of us attain sanctity.  What happens internally while we pray can be as important as the answer to our prayers.  Yesterday, we got positive news about mom’s medical exams, on Friday we get the results for the rest of the tests and hopefully she will be in the clear.  Now we need to visit Saint Peregrine and thank him for his intersession!