PRAYER WORKS

Worried about the effects of typhus on his Oblate family in Canada, Eugene notes in his diary:

September 2: Letter from Fr. Guigues, from Fr. Telmon, from Fr. Aubert and from Fr. Bermond. Fr. Molloy is feeling better. Upon the arrival of the statue of Saint Joseph, which I had sent to Bytown, Fr. Telmon initiated a solemn novena. Not only the Fathers of the house, but the religious sisters and all the people of Bytown invoked the saint with trust and both Fr. Molloy and the five religious affected like him with this wretched typhus found themselves instantaneously better.

At Longueuil Fr. Brunet was slightly affected. It’s to be hoped that this will be nothing, but our Fathers will be called to render their service to Montreal. May God preserve them as I request him every day in offering the Holy Sacrifice for them.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 2 September 1847, EO XXI

REFLECTION

” Prayer is a person’s greatest power!”   (W. Clement Stone)

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1 Response to PRAYER WORKS

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Lay Oblate says:

    Eugene was fully aware that prayer helped, remembering back to when he founded the congregation. He had been close to death when his youth group all prayed for his healing. Once he began to recover he realized that he could not do it alone and he wrote to like-minded priests, inviting them to enter into a very specific way of living and being – which as we know included prayer, living prayer…

    Like Eugene, I truly believe that we are incapable of healing ourselves. My experience is that it has always been God who has kept me safe and healed my various wounds, those of my heart and those of my body… It takes the prayers of others, and often the support and love of many others…

    A few weeks ago I was verbally assaulted by someone I have known for years. I was terrified at the time but soon began to realise that something within him, within his heart was broken. A group of us began to pray for him because we could only imagine the pain within him. I began to notice that fear within me was receding and love increasing: for him and the many around us who suffer in that way. Compassion born out of love – the kind that Jesus had for the people who had crucified him.

    Prayer, leads us; this being in the presence of the Beloved invites us to see others through the eyes of our crucified Saviour… giving birth to compassion and ever-deepening love of all…

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