The Power of a Simple Prayer

When we are facing the storms of persecution from an unbelieving world we can find the insight of a simple prayer all that supports us in our faith. Remember there was a time when there was no Bible. The first three hundred years of Christian history did not have the luxury of the fancy cross-referenced Study Bibles with maps and concordance we have grown accustomed too. There was only the Creed and the preaching of the Apostles and other ordained ministers. There was the Eucharist, baptism and receiving of the Holy Spirit (confirmation). The very authority in which Jesus gave the Apostles to forgive sins, heal the sick, raise the dead and turn bread and wine into His Body and Blood was what sustained a fledgling Church. This Church eventually conquered the greatest empire of their time. That Church soon after collected the known writings of the apostles and compiled what we know today as the Holy Bible made up of 74 individual books.

Today, that Church awaits the selection of a new leader. Be sure to pray for the Cardinals this week as they enter the Conclave at the Vatican. This is a very important time in the history of the Church. The prayer of the Church is powerful. It changes bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. It changes us from sinners into saints. When we say the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be, let us realize the power these prayers contain. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the ultimate prayer. We not only get to hear the Word of God, we literally take that Word of God in the Eucharist into ourselves.

Now, take Rosary in your hand. Every one of those beads has a prayer connected to it. Make each one of those prayers count! Any thought of “mindless repetition” will go out the window. In the Creed, we profess the very core of our faith. That very core is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the Our Father prayer, we make seven petitions; three to God and four for ourselves. In the following three beads we ascend to God by asking for an increase of faith, hope and love. Then we walk through the very heart of the Gospel message. We meditate on the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now you may say at this point that the Hail Mary prayer is quite repetitive. Try reading through the Psalms of the Old Testament. It is amazing how may calls for deliverance the psalmist makes. All the while the psalms contain the history of the nation of Israel and the mighty works of God in their midst. Think about the Psalms of the Old Covenant. Compare that to the Psalter of the New Covenant. It all comes to fulfillment in Christ. The “seed of the woman” from Genesis 3 crushes the head of the serpent! Such a simple prayer, but WOW the power it contains!

Ave Maria!

Praised Be Jesus Christ!

Jesus and Mary, protect and save the unborn!