When a Mother Prays

When a Mother Prays

He knows my name, He knows my every thought, He sees each tear that falls & He hears me when I call...are not only words to a Christin song, but words to live by, definitely words to remember. Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter, we belong to God! Scripture tells us very plainly, “before you were in your Mothers womb, I knew you.”

We came into this world because God choose each of us, choosing us personally to possess physical life and, hopefully, eternal life. One day, a day already decided, we will return to Him. We will stand before Him, giving full account for the life we choose to live. Grace will be the deciding factor on how we will be judged. Grace is freely offered throughout our lifetime. The question will be whether or not we possess the appropriate grace He has provided or we will stand before Him still full of ourselves, having rejected the grace He so willingly wants to supply.

The battle is the same for everyone, there are no exceptions, to accept the grace God provides, or to continually reject His call. You did not choose to be born, God choose you. It can seem unfair at times. After all, if I had no say in being born, how can I, in the end, be held responsible for an entire eternity. “Why is life so hard” is a common thought that rises to the ear of God on a daily basis. If God really choose you, if God really wants everyone to return to Him full of grace, what strategy is most likely to succeed? The real question becomes, “how much am I responsible for?”

Let's start with how effective certain prayers can be, especially when asking God to provide mercy and grace for those we love. The Church teaches The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, The Rosary & The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which includes powerful intercessory prayer for every person who has ever lived, is living or will live, are fully loaded arsenals against the attacks of the enemy. They use prayers that include: “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, haver mercy on us.” “Lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy.” “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world; Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” These prayers, literally prayed thousands of times each day, throughout the entire world, are more than enough to have the ear of God. Praying these prayers on behalf of others can be likened to setting off an A-Bomb in the heavenly realm, where principalities and powers war over each soul on a daily, if not a minute by minute, second by second basis. And, yes, yours and my soul are included in this battle. We do not pray “deliver us from evil” because it's a nice way to end the Lord's Prayer!

We must be honest about where the world now stands regarding matters of faith. We find that 'Politically Correct' thinking has pushed Christian principles, otherwise known as morality, so far out of sight that most families are now split about how important something as simple as church attendance really is. Church attendance is now at an all time low. It is now estimated, without proper faith formation, 44% will leave their faith to follow false notions. Young adults have decided it's not necessary to stay connected to their Church. This is common in both Protestant and Catholic churches. Well, what does God think about this “I get nothing out of church attitude?” As one person so aptly stated, “I sure hope there is a Purgatory!”

This particular concern is common to everyone, as literally all families experience the disappointment of having a child that chooses to stop attending Church. There is not one family exempt from this all-to-common occurrence. The truth is, when children make bad decisions, it undeniably affects the parents, especially a Mother, causing a heightened worry that doesn't seem to stop. A common reaction to a child leaving the faith is the Mother will find herself praying for that child non-stop. The question to be considered is, even when it seems these prayers are accomplishing nothing, what are they really accomplishing in a world we cannot even see? Does God take notice? Is the scripture true about the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man availing much? Is the scripture true about “if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our own children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?” What about those scriptures that tell us to “cast our cares on Him (Jesus) because He cares for us” & what about Jesus Himself exhorting each of us to “come unto Me, all you who are heavily laden with worry & I will give you rest?”

Children that leave the faith typically want nothing to do with Church and some will even take an atheistic approach, as evidenced by a t-shirt that reads, “you can't stop atheism.” The result of children making these type of decisions always leaves a Mother with a new, unfamiliar fear, because when a child makes bad decisions, she hurts. If a child honestly understood how every bad decision affects their Mother, would they behave differently? Mothers experience a real gut wrenching, many tears, many prayers offered type of pain. This hurt, this fear, this PLEASE GOD, IF YOU'RE REALLY THERE, I NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW look is that of desperation. The eyes, the body language both say in unison, “My child is in trouble & I have been praying non-stop.”

We've all seen it. The please tell me he/she is going to be alright look is unmistakable. The voice inflection is replete with sounds of worry. Watery eyes begin to form & they are only held back because we think tears won't help. Her look is such that she is pleading for help. The battle has grown so intense that she wonders is she will be able to hold up much longer. Deep within this struggle she wants to be assured God is aware of her need. She wants to “let go” and simply trust God to work everything out, but she finds letting go, placing the entire matter into the hands of God, is much harder than you think. It feels as though she is taking one step forward, toward God, but actually taking two steps back, as her faith begins to wane. Is God even listening seems to be her most dominant thought.

In times like this, we seek comfort from friends. However, just like the friends of Job, who came and sat with him in silence for seven days & seven nights before they spoke, friends can and do say the wrong things. They too are desperate, wanting only to help. Friends often attempt to use words that they have previously heard themselves, thinking they are providing some level of comfort, wrongly thinking there must always be an explanation, as though there is an answer to everything. Job's friends told him, “let's figure this out, you must have done something wrong to have incurred all this affliction and heartache.” They were only trying to help, but they were dead wrong. Job had done nothing wrong. Friends may say something like this, “I know it's hard to understand, but this must be God's will, and, somehow, He will work everything out in the end.” This statement carries partial truth, in that it states specifically in Holy Scripture that “God causes all things to work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Make no mistake about it, God intervenes for our sake. He must, or we would all be lost.

However, just because God continually works things out for good, doesn't mean He is pleased when we make bad decisions. The truth is, God calls all of us, even those who want nothing to do with Him or His Church, to be holy & He calls us to be saints. Why? Why is holiness, becoming a saint so important? The fact is, without holiness no one will enter heaven. The process of being holy or becoming a saint is a continual pursuit by God toward everyone, which is why we have a constant voice from within that strategically asks you, who am I...what am I doing here & where am I going. This inner voice confirms the reality of holy scripture that says, “God has placed eternal life in the heart of everyone.” Another scripture says it like this, “deep calls unto deep.” Simply put, it is man's spirit responding to the call of God. It is God's way of reminding you, it is He who gave you life. Yes, He choose you!

Knowing this, it is easy to see why the Catechism instructs us regarding the duty of mankind, which is to know, love and serve Him. This is God's desired goal for every human being. Scripture tells us exactly how to achieve this goal, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us (saints both living and dead), let us also lay aside every hindrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

This sounds simple enough, when we hear or read the instruction. However, we still battle our sinful nature. Therefore, God helps us to work it all out. Despite the difficulty, we are still called to be saints. Because Jesus explicitly calls us to be “yoked together with Him” & He tells us “the steps of a righteous man are ordered of God”, we can be confident every prayer we pray is heard by God. Not one prayer, especially when praying for God to provide grace and mercy, goes unheard.

For those who show no interest in having God in their lives, Jesus is always right there, wanting to help, waiting for the next decision to be a Godly decision. All of heaven rejoices when one sinner chooses to lay aside selfish desires and willingly takes up their Cross to follow Jesus. You know this already, yet it is good to remind ourselves, “life is not for sissies, as it provides many crosses to carry.” What Jesus wants us to do is depend on Him to help you carry all the difficulties life offers. In layman's terms it's called a win win.

Again, the truth is, Jesus calls us to be saints. There is not one person in heaven today that is not a saint. It would behoove all of us to use what is called a Godly Filter: Jesus, what would you do? Jesus how do you want me to speak; Jesus how do you want me to behave; Am I acting Christian when I swear, drink too much, speak ill of others in gossip or slander; Jesus is it ever ok to speak half truths, covet, complain, lie, cheat, steal, engage in fornication, live with my girlfriend or boyfriend; Jesus, how concerned should I be when I engage in these sins & choose to be my own filter instead of using Jesus as my guide?

How many of life's troubles could be avoided if we used the filter of God for every decision we make? How much hurt, how much anxiousness, how much depression, how much pain could be avoided if we just choose to truly and honestly live the Christian life? How much would life change if we would care more about pleasing God than pleasing ourselves, or thinking it's necessary to please others? How much would life change if every decision we made was influenced by the teaching of The Church?

And what if, in all things, you use the filter of love? You simply choose to use the teaching of the Golden Rule every time you make a decision. We are always going to treat others the way we want to be treated, that's going to be our filter, our direction for every decision. You have to admit, even if Christianity were not true, even if Jesus really isn't the answer to every question, every problem life offers, life would be much better if we choose to live a Christian life. Holy Scripture says this about living a Christian life, a life of love, about the benefits of applying the Golden Rule, about preferring others before yourself:

*And above all things, put on love, because love binds everything together in perfect harmony.

*And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

*Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

Now let's return to a Mother's heart, a heart that is unmatched by anything in the entire universe, a heart that God Himself placed at the very core of her being. Let's couple a Mother's heart with that of Mary. Let's combine a Mother's prayer with that of Mary's prayer. Mary pray for us now & at the hour of our death is what we ask of her. Do you think this request goes answered? Jesus performed His first recorded miracle, when Mary asked Jesus to fill the jars with new wine, even though He first responded with, “it's not yet my time.” Just how powerful a prayer is it when a Mother asks something of God? What if we asked Mary to fill the hearts of our children and loved ones with the freshness of the Holy Spirit? What if we asked Mary to continually intercede for all of mankind, that she would ask that the Holy Spirit come upon everyone with the necessary grace for salvation. Let's also be reminded of the words Jesus told His disciples, “if you being earthly know how to give good gifts to your children, think of how much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.”

How powerful is God's love when coupled with the love of a Mother and the love of Mary, the Mother of God? Write this in stone, every child that has been prayed for by a Mother will one day understand how important, how powerful, what God thinks when a Mother prays. Because of these prayers, every child will come to understand what love is capable of.

All of life, good times and bad are captured in song. This particular song was penned because someone understood what love can do. If these words, coming from someone human, can have such impact, how much more could they mean if we were to apply the words of this song, giving praise to God, because He told us, “cast your cares on Me, because I care for you.” To think these words penned in song were a tribute to how powerful human love is. How much more capable is the love of God, when we ask for His help. Scripture says so clearly, that type of love, coupled with faith, can literally move mountains.

When a Mother Prays – A Child's Response

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful (Mother/Jesus)
You're the one who held me up, Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through...through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me, Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am, Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand so I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful (Mom/Jesus)
You're the one who held me up, Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through...through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
You lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me

How many will stand before God eternally indebted for the grace they will receive because 1) Jesus paid the ultimate price, because 2) Mary will honor our request to pray at the hour of our death & because 3) a Mother wouldn't stop praying?

I honestly believe when a Mother reaches to the heavens in prayer, on behalf of their child, all of heaven takes notice. Just like when God spoke to Satan, “have you noticed my servant Job” and all of heaven watched as the trials of Job unfolded before their eyes, all of heaven is waiting to explode in praise every time God extends mercy on behalf of a human Mother and a heavenly Mother...Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death, AMEN!

Let us take the advice of Jesus Himself, “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

May God bless every Mother who prays!

To any child that find themselves reading this note from God, go thank your Mother, as it will please Almighty God & cause all of heaven to explode in praise.