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Your prayer matters to God — So make it count!

August 12, 2018

“In my sufferings I make up for what was lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” This statement is a heresy – right? Well no, it’s not. It is the teaching of St. Paul which appears in his Letter to the Colossians (1:24). What it indicates is that God takes our prayers, our sufferings, our offerings, and our work seriously. Our efforts are not simply extras, or works that are unimportant to God, works that make us feel good about ourselves but have no impact on our relationship with God or others. In fact, St. Paul says that our efforts can make the difference for someone's salvation, for the success of the Church, for a blessing on a life or a project.

Christ’s work is all about salvation, that is, uniting God’s children with Him and allowing us to once again receive God’s grace, God’s love, God’s compassion in our lives. Without the Cross there is no salvation. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus wants us to participate in this action of salvation. Our efforts, prayers, sacrifices, offerings, our good works and acts of charity, are joined to His act of sacrifice and are offered to God for the sake of salvation. Joined to the work of Jesus, our prayers matter, our sacrifices can save souls. What does all this mean? It means that, with God, no good work goes unrewarded. Not only that, our prayers for the living and the dead (Council of Trent) impact their salvation. But prayer also impacts our good here on earth. So, let’s make our prayer, our sacrifice, our good works make a difference for the ones we love – the living and the dead.

The most perfect expression of prayer is to join with Jesus in His sacrifice made present in the Mass. Going to Mass and offering those we love, our needs, special intentions, and the needs of the parish and the Church, is a great prayer. All of us should go to Mass on Sunday, but if it is possible we should try to go to Mass more often. Those who can should try to be there every day, to pray for themselves, but also, and maybe more especially, to pray for those we love who maybe can’t go themselves, or have fallen away, or who are in need. Yet we can’t all go to Mass every day so all other forms of prayer, fasting, sacrifices, good works, acts of generosity, daily prayers, also link us to the sacrifice of Christ.

It is important to know that God takes you seriously and that your part in the offering of Christ is important to God. Our prayers can save souls. Your prayer might make all the difference. So, make it count!

With this in mind: I would like to announce a new initiative. Every first Tuesday of the month at 7pm, beginning with the Feast of the Guardian Angels (2nd October, 2018) we will celebrate a “Mothers” Mass. (The 8:30am morning Mass will continue to be celebrated). I’m inviting, especially, all mothers, to join in a Mass of intercession to pray for their loves ones, especially their children, but also the needs of their families and marriages, the parish, the Church, and your personal intentions. Why mothers? Because Mary was the one who followed the Lord most closely and she is the one who intercedes and mediates for everyone. That’s what mothers do. Mothers standing and praying beneath the Cross of the Altar with Mary – what can be more powerful than that?

 

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