How Loud Do Our Prayers Need To Be?

My church has a Sunday nite Mass during which we're invited to share our prayer intentions with the whole congregation during the Prayer of the Faithful.  For those non-Catholics, that means that in addition to the Priest reading off a list of prayer intentions, he takes the microphone and walks down the aisle and invites people to come out of the pews to share their own, personal intentions.

Over the weeks, I've noticed something.  When prayers are offered up for countries, conflicts, people and places far removed from our parish community, the people respond faithfully, but somewhat dispassionately, "Lord, hear our prayer".

But when one of our own prays for one of their own - a father/mother, aunt/uncle, sibling, cousin, best friend, neighbor - there is an infusion of energy and commitment to "Lord, hear our prayer".  Even if we personally do no know an individual offered up in prayer, our connection with the congregant sitting with us is enough to bring passion into our response.  Our voices get louder.  We stand up a bit taller.

So it got me wondering....Does it make a difference to God which prayers we say with more conviction?  What happens to the prayers we acknowledge out of obligation but whose issues, locations, politics seem far away from our own?  The ones to which we respond in almost hushed voice.

Are we loud enough when in comes to offering up poverty, war, terrorism, crime, natural disasters, famine, genocide...?

How can our prayers become as passionate about those issues, as they are about the ones closest to our own homes and hearts?

Life is Like an Ant Farm...or Maybe a Rabbit Hole

At least some days it feels like it - to me.  It's the experience of living in a tight, well-constructed little world in which I'm running hither and yon, only to end up in the same place I started.

But more than that, I often feel like I am doing it all at the amusement of God / Great Creator.  In fact, I feel pretty certain that the Ant Farm I live in actually sits on his desk, where S/He derives great pleasure from watching my frenzied little self.


This past month, however, I felt more like I fell down the rabbit hole.  Within a period of four weeks, multiple people from my past, the majority of whom I had not seen in over two years, suddenly reappeared.  Well...let me clarify that (since it sounds like Scotty beamed them all up in my living room one morning).

I've stayed in touch with many of these folks via phone, text and emails.  But it's been years since I've spent a couple of days with them sitting together in conversation, enjoying a meal together.

Thanks to a combination of holiday visits and a national conference, I had the opportunity to reacquaint myself with a number of people with whom I've known for many years.  It was disorienting...and embarrassing.

THEN                                                                                           NOW
=====                                                                                         + 30 lbs
Director in a Nat'l Organization                                         Unemployed
Leading                                                                                      Looking
$$$                                                                                                       -$
Confident                                                                                 Uncertain

Thank goodness for good people, though.  They didn't bat an eye and treated me like we'd just spent time together last week.  It made me miss them all the more when it came time to say goodbye.
Not to mention the fact that I'm back in the Ant Farm....