The Power of Prayer

This is going to be a very long read, so before you begin, I suggest you grab a cup of coffee and find a comfy chair. It’s a tapestry, and those take a while to unfold. Ready? Great.

This story began in 2022, in response to Father Wade Menezes (from EWTN) who came and spoke at Saint Joseph (our parish) during Advent. One of the things he did was to lead those attending his talks in praying the Rosary. I remember kneeling, Rosary in hand, and feeling so blessed to be surrounded by those of the faithful, including my Husband. This was followed by a six-week lecture series in the Parish Hall on the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. During this informative series, Father Sam (our pastor) encouraged those attending to consider becoming a part of a small study group on the Eucharist. Not only were they looking for people to lead a small group on this journey, but also people willing to open their homes to complete strangers to form these groups. While Hubby and I are not leaders nor Catholic teachers, we did have a home with a dining room that would accommodate 10 people easily. So we signed up to host this next phase in our journey.

That is when we met Ed, our group’s leader. He and his wife are Traditional Catholics, attending the Latin Mass each Sunday at our parish. Our group was small, only 8 of us, three of which were traditionalists, two Catechist instructors. Ours was a very opinionated group. We met weekly to discuss what it means to believe in the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Individually, we read a chapter in our Study Guide, and then came together as a group to share our thoughts. During this, Ed told me about a book and gift shop nearby that had a good many books on the Latin Mass as well as copies of the Douay Rheims version of the Holy Bible. For those unfamiliar with the Douay Rheims, it is the original Latin to English translation of the Catholic Bible. The New Testament was published in Reims, France, in 1582; the Old Testament was completed 27 yeas later, published in 1609.

On a Saturday afternoon in March, Hubby and I went to the book store Ed had recommended. I was so excited! Floor to ceiling wall to wall books. There were the most current Sunday Missals in accordance with Vatican II, as well as 1962 Missals in keeping with the pre-Vatican II changes. There were books on the devotion to Mary, books written by various Popes, Church Fathers, Saints and so forth. There were also statues, Rosaries and little booklets. As I stood in line at the register, with my Douay Rheims Holy Bible in hand, a simple rosary with a tiny bag to keep it in caught my eye, so I grabbed it. Hubby made a face. It’s not like I have a shortage of Rosaries in the house. There are several in the bedroom, and at least one in all the other rooms in the house. We don’t need anymore rosaries. But something pressed upon my heart that day – get a rosary. Keep it in the car. Not in your purse, not in your pocket, but in the car.

I thought God must want me to pray the rosary while surrounded by the beauty of Yellowstone. We were in the midst of finalizing our plans for a spring visit. So I put the rosary in the car, “as requested”. While in Yellowstone, I did pray the Rosary as part of my morning routine. Yet I knew there was more to the Rosary than a trip to Yellowstone. So I kept it in the car.

A group of us have volunteered to create a Eucharist Experience unlike any other – with emersion videos and rooms people can walk through to experience the Stations of the Eucharist from Creation to the Mass. This has been in the works for a while and has been both exausting and rewarding. Often when we have gotten together to work on this project, we also pray together. It was nice to have my Rosary handy. Yet I knew there was more.

A few weeks ago, Nicki (an amazing women who volunteers for everything) asked people to help her after the Masses to get more volunteers for the Eucharist Experience that will be presented at the Parish Hall from September 29 to October 22. Hubby and I said we would be more than happy to help recruit people after the 7:30 morning masses on Sunday.

During one of those after mass recruitments, a women came up to the church and stood just outside our parish gift shop. She looked frazzled and distraught, pacing about and wringing her hands. Finally she came up to the volunteer table to ask when the gift shop might be open. (Like nearly everything Church-related, it’s run by volunteers. As it happened, they were on a break). Upon learning that the gift shop would not be opened for 2 weeks, this woman began to panic.

She wasn’t a very good Catholic, she explained, having moved away from her faith. But her sister was devout. Her sister had suffered a massive stroke during the night, and was now in the hospital. This woman had come to our church, hoping to get a Rosary that she could take to her sister. She didn’t know what to do.

“I have a rosary. I’ll give it to you.” I said, hugging her. “It’s in my car.” As I rushed to the car to retrieve the Rosary, it was pressed upon my heart “Now you understand, my child.” I swear, it was a voice from above.

The women wanted to pay for the rosary, but I wouldn’t let her. I told her it was meant to be with her, to pray for her sister. All these things – beginning with Father Wade’s Advent lecture, and all the rest, lead me to that moment outside our parish gift shop with just what this women needed.

The sister has recovered. Praise be. Listen to God. Let Him guide you, for through you Miracles can happen. The woman came looking for me. She wanted to pay me twice for what I had done by giving me two rosaries. One I will carry with me in my pocket, the other we will keep in the car. What happened had nothing to do with me, but with each thread of this tapestry woven by God.

---

Let me become His light in the darkness, doing His will all the days of my life.