The Prayerbook made for you!
Do you need someone to pray with you? For you? The prayerbook above is meant for you!
How did this happen? (This is the hardest post I've composed over the last four years!)
In 2014, after much introspection, I realized a need for more consistent personal prayer in my life. Prayer with God needs to happen in good times, meditative times, times of discernment as well as times of need. A year ago I failed in most of those areas by being hit or miss. On cue, God sent my son to me with a book about St. Dominic and the rosary. A year of growth started in earnest as I devoured the book. As I wrapped up the first year of work, I noted progress in many areas and several continued shortfalls.
Prayer from others literally kept me upright following our two 2014 miscarriages. Since then I made it a point to let others in need know I will pray for them as well. The opportunity to pray with others had two incredibly powerful moments this past year. One with close friends as we prayed over their sick child in the ICU. The other was with a co-worker recovering from a heart attack in a different ICU. In the second case it was special as we prayed with his wife and another friend from work.
I know God was listening, and I am grateful he supported full recovery for both requests. I don't want to sound crazy, but God's grace was so present in each moment I was shaking afterwards. The realization God was amongst us in those moments, tending to his children, left me feeling rather meek.
This year I wanted to be more consistent in fulfilling prayer requests as they came in. So I picked up a spiritual diary to catalog the requests over the next year.
I publicly announced this year's prayer campaign on St Dominic's feast day at John Paul's baptism. Current requests recorded so far include needs of friends for their parents, the manager of a transmission repair center fighting liver and pancreatic cancer, young men discerning their future vocation, our school's success at its mission, a friend's child with the same risks my wife had in pregnancy, a young priest at his parish, a new widow and her family, and two co-workers with heart ailments to mention just a few. I also have some for people who never asked, but just have an obvious need for someone to requests God's intercession on their behalf.
Each night I review the prayer requests, hold it close, and pray for those inside.
Prayer is the only thing I can do for most people I know in need. I have no worldly riches, and little spare time in my days to travel and be with the many I know in need.
So you can see, this prayerbook is for you. Please help me direct my prayers to God to help you, and I what I pray will be our collective journey to sainthood in the Kingdom of God.
-ehw
P.S. Reply to the post, shoot me an email or better yet give me a call! I'll add you to the prayer rolls!