A life founded on prayer

Some years ago I met a marvellous Carmelite lady in the Holy Land and we became friends.  One of the things that impressed me about her was that from time to time she would remind me by email ‘I am praying for you’.  She loved to stress the importance of prayer.  Gradually it dawned on me that she really thought it was the most important thing in life.  And gradually it dawned on me that this should also be a basic principle for me – only it wasn’t.  Of course I did pray, but I hadn’t really absorbed the lesson in the depth of my being that – especially in any worrying situation beyond my control - prayer is the first and most important thing.  The fact was that I began by worrying and stressing and talking to others and only then got down to the prayer.  Gradually I learned to go straight into prayer and then to rely on the Good Lord to work in that situation.  The thing is, when you do get this embedded in your system, your stress levels decrease and peace begins to spread in the depths of your being.  I had to learn to unsay the thought ‘The only thing I can do is pray’ and absorb the thought ‘the first thing I must do is pray’.   

Intercessions:

Cancer: Brian Davis, Bernard (and wife Angela caring for him), Jacqui, Theresa K, Fr Jon Bielowski (Plymouth Diocese), Catherine, Alex (43 with five children)

Illness:  Katy Keeling

Siena, Elara – sick children

David OCDS – housebound

Sophia – blind infant

Grace – troubling ailments, job difficulties, family (deceased mother and health of father)

Lucia – Overwhelmed by weariness

Mark – brain infection

Michael – youngster with occult influences

Defence of the unborn and the elderly

RIP Roy Seymour, Richard Parker, Sue Burton, Wojtek, Joy Smith OCDS, Dr Alan Rodgers