Prayer
Fun fact: I think this is the third time I’ve written about eggs in a Faith Friday reflection. The first two times were about hatching eggs and caring for eggs, and this time it’s about keeping them whole.
I was restless this week as I planned an all-House (i.e. all-school) egg drop competition with our House Captain (i.e. Senior leader). The what-ifs and the minutiae of egg drop design when the stakes are high for high schoolers were not lost on me.
Like many, I was restless this week when I heard about the Annunciation Catholic School tragedy.
I was restless when I thought about a friend resuming chemo treatments.
I was restless when I heard my son was sick at college.
It’s a fairly easy assignment to fill in the blank for “I am restless when _________.” In short time, we could come up with a recent list of restless situations.
This week our Church celebrated Saint Augustine. His conversion from a life of pleasure-seeking to rightly-ordered obedience serves as a reminder that God never gives up on us. Transformation is possible with God’s grace. We know his frequently cited quote, “You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you!” Our hearts are restless to the degree that we fail to orient all that we are to God.
We also know that Saint Augustine’s story is incomplete without including the intercession of his mother, Saint Monica, whose feast day is appropriately the day before her son’s. She is proof of the power of intercessory prayer. It’s said that Saint Monica gave birth to her son, Saint Augustine, twice. The first time was physical. The second was spiritual, and through her tears, her prayers, and her fasting.
Praying for others is powerful. Even if we don’t see the results, we’re assured that no prayer is unheard, unanswered, or unused. Saint Monica exhibited this faithful trust and surrender. Prayer is the widest circle of influence we have. Think about all the people we can cover with it. Prayer is also an act of charity. It’s an outpouring of love by connecting ourselves with others through God’s (and the Saints!) intercession. Prayer is an example of living in communion with one another.
Prayer brings hope to the restless. I know I feel better after I’ve sat with Jesus to pray for others, or even pray for myself. I am grateful for prayers from those around me. Prayer exudes love. Whether we recognize it or not, turning to God for help is rooted in the love we were born with - God’s image Himself.
In a way, prayer provides a second chance. It certainly did in a big way for Saint Augustine, but also for the widow who kept bothering the unjust judge until he granted her request for justice against her opponent. (Luke 18:1-8)
Prayer gives us the dignity of being causes. God continues to out-do Himself: He allows us to share in the work of prayer. You and me - just regular ol’ Joes and Sallys - we are called to share in the powerful and important work of prayer.
To be sure, this week has brought some restlessness. May we find strength, hope, peace, and dignity in prayer as we live in communion with one another.
After all, prayer is eggs-actly what we need.