The Power of Prayer

One should never underestimate the power of prayer as a response to situations in our lives. To use a simple definition, prayer is our love joined to God's love, and that love visits the person for whom we are praying. Even if people do not know that we are praying for them, the power of prayer is still communicated at a spiritual level. We often sense that something is happening even when no words are spoken (e.g., when someone is angry at us, or when something painful has happened to a loved one). This is the level at which prayers have their effect. Even if we never tell the loved one that we are praying for him or her, that person senses it at a profound level. We are embracing that person in our love and God's love and love always brings healing.

We only have to think of St. Monica who prayed for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine, for decades. She never gave up hope, and her prayers led her son to a powerful conversion. We have to have the same persistence and trust when we pray for someone whom we love.

Furthermore, we might begin to think that we should be "doing" something and not just praying. There are times that we should be very active in our response (e.g., using tough love with someone who is drinking or taking drugs), but many situations demand a patient response. We cannot force conversion; we can only invite it, and prayer is an invitation to the loved one to choose life and love.

Our loved ones should be able to see that being a Catholic is something that has transformed our lives.

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