Praying with a Person in the Present Moment

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Terry and John

pray with meHow often has someone asked you for prayer? How often have you prayed with him or her right on the spot? Doing so is a very important way to show God’s compassion. If you have never done so, here are five steps that will guide you. But don’t worry if someone says “No.” That’s OK too.

  1. Pause. Know that Jesus is with both of you. Invite the person to imagine and focus on a favorite image of Jesus. Give the person the option of closing his or her eyes. You might also acknowledge the presence of Jesus with words like, “Jesus, I know you are with us now.”
  2. Pray specifically for the person’s request: “Help my brother or sister with . . . ” Pray also for the “core” needs that lie beneath what the person has expressed. Say things like, “God, we give you everything about this situation” or “God, we give you Joanne’s unspoken pain.” If the person has requested prayer for someone else, first pray for the person in front of you. Then pray together for the person who is not present.
  3. Give the Holy Spirit permission [aloud] to do whatever is needed most. It could be physical, spiritual, or emotional healing; conviction of sin; removal of obstacles; a new home, job, or attitude; or help finding ways to deal with failure, suffering, or shame. We don’t know. God knows. So, while praying, there is no need to counsel or lecture, lest we violate a vulnerable person.
  4. While praying, watch for the action of the Holy Spirit in the person (crying, peace, release of tension, words, images). After two or three minutes, ask the person to describe what is happening. If he or she mentions something specific, pray for a few more minutes, using their experience as a guide.
  5. Thank Jesus for whatever the Holy Spirit is doing, even if you cannot see anything happening. End your prayer time by inviting the person to repeat after you each line of a prayer like the Our Father, the Hail Mary, or the Glory Be.

Excerpted from Mending Broken Relationships

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Four Avenues toward a Holy Marriage

Posted on July 8, 2018 by Terry and John

We have traveled many places. In earlier days with maps.  Now with GPS devices. But, as far as our spiritual pilgrimage goes, here are some avenues God has given us.

God brings us together as ongoing instruments of his healing love. Our wedding took place in a parish where we volunteered often. As the officiating pastor placed his hands on our heads, several large canker sores in Therese’s mouth melted away. She was so grateful that she prayed aloud. Then John followed. And there have been many healings since then. All of these have flowed from the abiding love of God for us through each other.

The presence of Jesus is our foundation, especially through prayer which includes prayer before meals, when we get in the car, when one of our children is in trouble, and even while we enjoy each other in the bedroom. But prayer is not just something we do. It flows from an intense awareness of our marriage as both a spiritual and physical reality sustained in Jesus.

Once, when we lived in the Mid-west, issues began to worsen at John’s place of employment. So, it was time to go. We turned to Jesus often with our worries, both alone and together. Each had different fears to surrender. But God intervened and our house sold in two weeks! Many more details fell into place also, without any serious conflict between us.

The Holy Spirit compels us to go beyond our relationship. The most obvious way is in caring for our children, extended family and people we serve in ministry. Every marriage presents a unique mix of gifts, and a missionary calling to support their use as a couple.  God offers a vocation to spread the Gospel within the context of a marriage vocation.  For us, this now includes writing, burying loved ones, and using our retirement to volunteer in parishes –until God shows us another plan.

The sacramental unity given in marriage is always a gift. Being one means constant healing and forgiveness, beyond all human capabilities. So, this unity often means surrender to the grace and power of the sacrament. St. Francis De Sales describes it this way in The Devout Life, “If two pieces of wood are carefully glued together, their union will be so close that it is easier to break them in some fresh place than where they were joined; and God so united man and wife, that it is easier to sever soul and body than the two.”

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Facing the Fear and Accepting the Courage to Evangelize

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Terry and John

When we even think about sharing the message of Jesus Christ, most of us become afraid. So let us look at the specific fears we might face.

  1. We fear rejection. We might somehow be devalued in the eyes of another.
  2. We fear being judged and condemned. Someone might say, “Who are you, with all of your imperfections, to speak to me?”
  3. We fear questions that we can’t answer. Our knowledge might not be enough. We aren’t experts.
  4. We fear loneliness and isolation. Our families and friends might abandon us as religious fanatics.
  5. We fear our personal inadequacy in the face of God, as we consider a new calling to evangelize.

One evangelizer/parish home visitor told us he was “scared to death.” Yet when he returned from his first experience he was dancing with joy. “You’ll never believe it!” he said. “They were so receptive. Right away, they had questions that put me at ease and helped me sharing my faith.” Then he concluded, “Thank God for my feeling of inadequacy! If I had gone in there, feeling totally in control, I would not have allowed the Holy Spirit room to do his thing. That’s who was in control the minute I rang the doorbell.”

Evangelizing takes courage, because these fears are valid. And ‘Yes,’ there are risks.  But it is the Lord who provides holy boldness which allows us to go where angels fear to tread. So take a deep breath, utter a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit and just dig in and go for it! Spread the warmth of God’s merciful love affair with each of us. What is the worst that can happen when we share the Good News of Jesus Christ … death? And what is death, except Graduation Day, the happy Alleluia Day that I welcome.

Finally, when we ask ourselves, “What is the worst that can happen?” we should also ask ourselves, “What is the best that could happen?” There are so many positive possibilities, so many promises from God as we exercise spiritual compassion. “Do not fear, little flock, for it has pleased the Father to give you the Kingdom,” Luke 12:32

 

Excerpted and adapted from The Ministry of Evangelization by Susan Blum Gerding, (1940 – 2018), who was a pioneer in Catholic evangelizing, an author, a Papal Medal winner, and our mentor. For more visit https://www.facebook.com/HolySpiritCalling/

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