The Power of Prayer and the Universal Church
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In the fall of 2002 my wife and I decided we wanted to try and grow deeper in the
Faith and in our prayer life. Up until that point we gad both faithfully subscribed to the
monthly publication Magnificat which had not only deepened our prayer life but also
enhanced communication between us by enabling us to discuss the daily readings and
writings of the saints. My brother, a priest, suggested the use of the Liturgy of the
Hours. I had always admired those who prayed the Liturgy faithfully.
The Liturgy of the Hours, Divine Office, or Breviary is a book of the universal daily
prayers and readings of the Church. It is divided in a way as to sanctify each major
“hour” or time of the day. It is most often prayed by priests but is growing popularity
among the laity as well.
On a recent youth retreat I experienced in a concrete way the power of the
universal prayers of the Church. I had organized and lead this group of twenty-four
youth and four adults to what for many was their 6th Youth 2000 retreat. After an
intense day of prayer, fellowship, and adoration we returned late to the high school
gymnasium we were calling home for the weekend. The boys preparatory school
which housed the gymnasium was located in the southeast area of Columbus, Ohio
about one half hour from the retreat site. The travel time for this short pilgrimage was
doubled as Columbus found itself in the midst of the worst three day snowstorm in
fifty years. After arriving “home” at midnight we proceeded to engage in some
strenuous sports-like activity until 2am. I finally convinced everyone that it was time
to get some sleep and proceeded to turn out the lights.
At that time of the night I was extremely tired yet at the same time I had a deep
desire for prayer. I grabbed my Liturgy of the Hours and walked out into the brightly
lit hallway. With my back against a trophy case I sat down and began my evening
prayer. After a short time of prayer I noticed movement to my left coming through the
large steel double doors. Before me stood a cold, tired, homeless man with a kind
face and snow covered tennis shoes. I sprung to my feet instantly with a fatherly like
instinct to protect my flock. The conversation started simple enough but I soon
discovered that my new acquaintance had some problems mentally. This was
confirmed when he showed me a card with his name and picture issued by the Health
Department to help him obtain cheap bus fare and the like. I thought of Mother
Theresa. Was this Christ in disguise? Regardless, I could tell this man was cold,
probably hungry, and did not want to harm anyone. I positioned him on the floor with
his back to the trophy case while I went to the discuss the situation with the other
adults. Just inside the gym I could see the outline against a red exit light of
motionless bodies propped up on one arm, wrapped in sleeping bags staring at me.
Some of the senior guys had been watching the whole episode. I felt slightly
relieved. I discussed the situation with them and another chaperone. We decided to
help Roderick in any way we could. He must have experienced a slight tinge of fear
as I returned with three teenage young men of considerable size. We introduced
ourselves and assured him that we wanted to help and would not turn him back out
into the cold. He told us he needed some money to get a working apartment down
the street close to a job he was interviewing for on Monday. We collected some
money and threw together a bag loaded with snacks, drinks, and Catholic literature
and prayer cards. I grabbed my shoes and keys and the five of us jumped into the
van. We dropped him off five blocks away near the apartment. He thanked us and
we promised to pray for him. It was now a little after 3 am., the hour of Mercy. We
prayed for Roderick and all people in his position as we drove back towards the
school. The guys crawled back into their sleeping bags on the hard gym floor. I
returned to the spot where both I and Roderick had sat earlier with our backs to the
trophy case. I returned to my prayers and began the intercessory part drawing my
evening prayer to a close. This was the third intercession, “In your goodness have
compassion on the homeless and help them find proper housing.” I quickly ran into
the gym and plowed into the sleeping bags startling their inhabitants. I read the line
twice to the guys who had went with me and we all praised God.
Prayer is powerful and I truly believe that, but unified prayer in the Church as the
one Body of Christ is extremely powerful. I imagined all the priests and laity
throughout the world praying that intercession not knowing that their prayers would
help Roderick on a cold winter night in Columbus. I also felt a sense of belonging and
responsibility to be faithful to my prayers because there are many, many Roderick’s
out there who need my prayers. The prayers of the Church that night united through
the Liturgy of the Hours enabled us to be bold enough to do God’s work and will.
Was Roderick actually Christ in disguise? We may not know for sometime but we
can trust that Christ was present in him, us and in the prayers of His Church.
Real Life Rosary Copyright 2003