If you get offended by my talking about my personal prayer life, skip this over. You may not think prayer helps... but WHAT CAN IT HURT?
I realized that many people prayed it would change course and not hit Florida. It hit the Bahamas hard, and it's not for us to question God why. I suppose He has His reasons. But, now it has skirted the coast of Florida and Georgia, causing some wind and rain and possible flooding. And there's the possibility it hits SC, NC, VA. However, I know it could have been SO MUCH worse had it hit Florida the way it was first thought. It could have been total devastation and loss of life. What else could have turned that hurricane away from the mainland? WHO ELSE could have? No one on this earth, that's for sure.
It irks the hell out of me that people, even some supposed friends, make fun of me and others for "sending thoughts and prayers". They make fun of it and scowl at it as if it has no merit. Well, I think they're dead wrong, and no one will ever be able to change my mind.
When I got out of high school, in spite of my 12 years of Catholic school, I turned away from the church. Not because of anything specific other than I was buying into the bullshit that it didn't do any good. I know some of you still believe that. That's on you.
When we moved here, the parish was doing house to house visitations, the way they did when you were a kid, the priest comes into the house and blesses it. Father Dougherty, the pastor, saw me outside doing yard work. He asked if I felt it unusual, being the only Protestant in my row of houses. I sheepishly said I was Catholic but fallen away. He smiled, blessed me anyway, and went to the next house. I thought of it often and my "little voice" kept telling me to go back to church.
Shortly thereafter, I was invited to my next door neighbor's daughter's wedding. At the reception, you were not allowed to clink glasses to get the bride and groom to kiss. You and your whole table had to get up and sing a song with "Love" in it. So we got up, and I led "What the World Needs Now". My neighbor, bless her soul, Anita Conrad, said Lou and I should join the choir because she thought we could sing. She was also in the choir. So we did. And then, figuring it was a church choir, I should probably come back to the Sacraments. The following Holy Thursday, I did. Went back to church and who was giving the homily at Mass but Father Dougherty. In his homily, he said, "Come home. Come home to the Church. Come home to the Sacraments. If you haven't confessed in a long while, come to me. There will be no sermons, no yelling, no judgement." So the following week, after Easter, I did. I went face to face as I learned to do at West Catholic. I was petrified! (I should add that Lou also returned to church.)
The good Father was gentle. He said, OK, here's what we do. I will say the commandment, and you tell me if you did it. I was instantly at ease. He laughed when I said he could skip 5 (killing) and 6 (adultery). He made it SO easy to come back. And that was in 1993. I've been back ever since.
Which brings me to the reason I so completely believe in the power of prayer. In time, the choir director changed, and one of the following pastors fired her. Dr. Lucy Carroll went to the Carmelite Monastery, and a few of the choir followed her. "The Rogue Choir", also known as the Monastery Mice. We started singing there in 1999 and were there till 2017 when the sisters took in 11 new nuns and do their own singing now, as the Masses are all Latin.
We sang every year at the Novena of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. One year, Lucy hurt her ankle and couldn't drive. She had to go every night as organist, and asked me to drive her. So I did. Earlier that year, my brother lost his job, and my father was getting very ill with complications from the Parkinson's Disease which robbed him of his ability to walk and talk. It was very difficult to watch him decline, and even more difficult for the love of his life, my mother.
So, I figured I'd make this Novena worth it. I prayed every night of the nine nights that my brother would find a job soon, and then asked the good Lord to take my father so he wouldn't suffer any more. I felt awful that I actually prayed for my father's passing.
The Novena ends on July 16th, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The following week, my brother found a job. And on July 19th, my dad went to Heaven. If that doesn't make you a believer... I don't know what does.
So ever since then, through good times and bad times, rough times and easy times, wellness and illness, predicament after predicament, I prayed and prayed. And learned that God has His own timetable. That He answers ALL prayers, but that sometimes the answer is NO. And that HE knows what's best for you, even if you get mad at Him. He's the guy you can ALWAYS go back to because He's always willing to forgive you, no matter what you did, no matter how bad you think it was. He's willing to forgive you, even when you think you're not good enough for forgiveness.
So YES. I believe in the power of prayer. I always will, because I've seen it. If you don't want to believe, fine. It's not my job to judge. The Lord said it, and I believe it, and that's it.
