|
U p F r o n t
By Karl Keating
|
|
|
|
NEAR the copy machine we have a large bulletin board. On it are posted prayer requests: petitions for the light of faith, for a cure, for eternal repose. The requests come to us by letter, e-mail, and phone. They go up one by one, without fanfare, and are remembered in our Masses-we usually have two a week at our offices-and in our morning prayer.
I paused at the bulletin board a few days ago, read the notes (some typed, some handwritten), sighed at the weight of suffering and loss, and thanked God that so far I have been spared the trials that so many others are put through.
Let me share a few of the prayer requests with you. I have omitted surnames and have compressed some of the petitions.
"One of my best friends on the Internet, Richard, finally lost his precious daughter, Katie, to cancer. She suffered for over two years, and we always were so hopeful that God would allow her to be healed. She was only 12. Katie once told her dad, 'God let me have cancer because I can handle it.' Richard's life has really turned into submission to God during her illness, and his witness is instrumental in bringing family back to the Church. Katie deeply touched the lives of her doctors, nurses, and many friends-and even many around the world who never met her. Please pray for her soul, in case she is not quite in heaven, and for her family. Richard's wife, Sue, never seemed ready to accept God's will whatever it might be. Richard trusted divine mercy. Katie left an older brother, Jimmie, who must be truly mourning her departure."
"My brother John, 44, has taken a serious turn for the worse, and I need to be there. He has been struggling with a brain tumor for several years and the chemo has wrecked his immune system. Now his lungs are failing because of an infection the doctors can't diagnose. He is on a respirator in intensive care, and the doctors are not optimistic. Don't worry about remembering this intention specifically. I consider it included whenever you pray for the intentions recommended to you."
"My mother had a massive stroke, and I've been traveling two-and-a-half hours north to stay each week to visit her at the hospital. Please keep her in your prayers."
"Please pray for the recovery of Dillon, a sixteen-month-old baby boy who was found by his older sister floating in a swimming pool in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and was revived by firefighters and emergency hospital technicians. He is in critical condition at Sacred Heart Hospital."
"Please put my grandmother's sister, Pansy, on Catholic Answers' prayer list. She died yesterday of Alzheimer's disease."
"Please include my mother, Lucile, in your prayers. She died Good Friday."
"For Michael and his wife, who is not Catholic-for peace, understanding, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit."
"Please pray for Stephen, whose wife Leslie and their two children are becoming Catholics, that the Holy Spirit may inspire them to embrace the Catholic faith."
"Please pray for Cathy, a young woman who is inquiring about religion and is being evangelized by a Catholic couple and a Protestant sect. May God grant her discernment and a burning desire for truth."
These are representative of the requests we receive. Most people ask for prayers for the ill or the deceased, but many requests concern those who are investigating the faith or who have fallen away from it.
Our staff is happy to be able to offer prayers on behalf of our readers, and we ask that, in turn, you remember our intentions in your prayers.
We invite you to send prayer requests to Terrye Newkirk's attention: by letter (Catholic Answers, P.O. Box 17490, San Diego, CA 92177), e-mail (tnewkirk@catholic.com), or phone (619-541-1131 ).
The best advertising is word of mouth. When you're searching for an auto mechanic, a gardener, or a baby sitter, you don't turn to the classified ads. You turn to your friends. You ask them to make recommendations.
So it is with reading matter. We have found, for example, that when we review and recommend a book, orders for that title skyrocket. At first this surprised us, but then we realized that our readers trusted the advice of our reviewers.
That speaks well of our reviewers, but also of our readers, who demonstrate plenty of savvy when it comes to selecting reading matter about their faith. (They read This Rock, right?)
We would like to find more such readers-more people like you-and ask that you help us. Please consider giving This Rockas a Christmas gift to your closest friends (all 200 of them).
Gift subscriptions are $29.95 for the first one and $24.95 for each additional subscription ordered at the same time. This special rate is good for orders placed through December 24, 1996. If you wish to order by credit card, please call our toll-free order line: 888-291-8000.
|
