Do Not Stop Praying for You
Paul is explaining to the Colossians that since he met them he has not stopped praying for them. It has become a part of me for the last twenty years and a part of my prayer life for that long, too. In 2004 I entered the seminary at the age of fifty-one. I knew I had a calling to become a priest. Even to this day I would have to say I can define the calling with words but in my heart, I knew God was leading me in this direction.
My brother is a priest and when I told him about my thoughts of becoming a priest, he said better you than me. You see he did not like studying and I was setting myself up for three very intensive years of study. But I knew there was more to being a priest than just study. It was to serve God’s people. But which people? I had no idea where God would put me.
My next thought was I better pray for those people. I better pray a lot because they will be stuck with me. They will need all the prayer they can get. Before I entered the seminary, I started praying the nine-day novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A novena prayer is offered for nine days. After the first nine days I thought I better to continue to offer this prayer. I never did stop. To this day I offer the Sacred Heart of Jesus novena for the intentions of all the people I am serving, have served, or will serve. Just like Paul in the first reading I will never stop praying for all of you. When people ask me for special intentions, I include them in this novena. We cannot imagine the power of prayer.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen