Category: prayer

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Prayer to Consecrate One’s Autism

I have recently composed a Prayer of Consecrating Our Autism to St. Thorlak.  It may be found here. It may be obtained in Kindle format here.

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know of my devotion to St. Thorlak as an unofficial (as yet) Patron Saint of Autism. This prayer is intended as a means for someone on the autism spectrum, or a family member of someone who cannot pray this themselves, to offer one’s autism to St. Thorlak, its gifts and its challenges, so that, through St. Thorlak’s intercession, one’s autism may serve the Lord in some way.

In this time of great uncertainty, which also provokes great anxiety among many on the spectrum, it is my fervent prayer and hope that, through this prayer, the Lord and St. Thorlak may bless and guide us and show us more clearly how our autism may serve the Lord.

 

 

 

 

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Praying With Persistence And Confidence

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C):  Luke 11:1-13

“Lord, teach us to pray”.

Jesus’ disciples, seeing Him praying, make this request of Him. They do not ask this because they have never heard of prayer.  The Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament, are filled with example after example of prayer.  The disciples, as sons of Israel, would have been taught various prayers from the time they were first able to speak.  They would have seen their parents (and other people) praying at home, praying in the synagogue, and praying in the Temple.  Prayer was a vital part of the Israelite’s daily life.  Jesus’ disciples have been praying all their lives. Nevertheless, they ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Continue reading “Praying With Persistence And Confidence”

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Jesus in Capernaum

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

As we read the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, it feels like a spiritual D-Day. Jesus appears in Capernaum. He quickly establishes a spiritual beachhead, healing, teaching, and driving out evil spirits. Having liberated that place, he moves on to take the rest of Galilee by the end of our Gospel passage.

Today’s segment of that story is not long, but it is dense. It leaves us with plenty of food for thought and prayer. I will focus on three moments in this passage and offer some reflections on each. Continue reading “Jesus in Capernaum”

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All Things Work For Good

Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (A): Romans 8:28-30

“We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

All things work for good.

Really?

To many people today, that statement, taken out of its context, will seem way too optimistic. We have seen, time and time again, the evils that all too often capture our minds and wills – everything from horrifying atrocities that happen in far-off places to the mean-spirited pettiness that can afflict us where we live. When we witness terrorism, gratuitous violence of other kinds, divisions between people, childish politics, environmental dangers, economic uncertainties, and other challenges in our world, and the personal trials we all face, it becomes increasingly difficult to think that “all things work for good”. At times, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. How could Paul say such a thing, we wonder?  Continue reading “All Things Work For Good”

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The Hospitality of Silence

Seventh Sunday of Easter (A): Acts 1:12-14

“Interior noise makes it impossible to welcome anyone or anything.” – Pope Francis

Preachers often find the Seventh Sunday of Easter a challenging one. By now, they have already used their favorite Easter themes in their homilies. Moreover, this isn’t a day when much appears to be happening. We have just celebrated Ascension, and now we look forward to Pentecost. In our first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, the first Christian community has gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem for prayer. No brainstorming or strategizing sessions; no lively discussions of how best to fulfill the Lord’s mandate to bring the Gospel to all nations. They are gathered together, in one accord, in prayer. No one speaks or does anything else in our first reading. We are in an in-between time, or so it seems. In other words, it is a time of waiting in silence.  Continue reading “The Hospitality of Silence”