I have a sense that…the answer to…countering the culture of death through pro-life action, and probably even to addressing the issues in our own personal lives…is somehow caught up in PRAYER…which, after all, shouldn’t be so surprising, when you stop to think about it!
Somehow there is a relationship between prayer and hope…and that’s recently come to the fore for me as I read the comments of Fr. Joseph, MIC, in the Summer, 2024, issue of Marian Helper: Inspiration and news from the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.
I had somewhat forgotten that 2024 has been declared as the Year of Prayer by Pope Francis, leading up to the Celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope in 2025. Fr. Joseph, MIC, (who is in fact Fr. Mark Baron, MIC, as explained in the notes at the bottom of his comments) recounts his ‘call’ – since January of this year – to emphasize prayer in his personal life and his ministry as Director of the Association of Marian Helpers.1
He closes his comments with an invitation, saying that, even though the Year of Prayer is half-way through, to ‘…take advantage of the graces the Holy Spirit is offering to us during this Year of Prayer for the upcoming Jubilee.’ Adding a challenge to, ‘…open our hearts to the Holy Spirit…to allow our lives to become a prayer to God…’ and, interestingly, he combines it with a request to renew our sense of ‘…awe and wonder in Jesus’ true presence in the Eucharist.’ He concludes,
Think about the fire that God wants to set ablaze in our hearts. Please join me in this call to faith, in this call to prayer, in this call to transformation, in this call to holiness.2
The invitation caught my attention and piqued my interest. Having been caught up in the grip of my own ongoing struggle to fathom the call from Our Blessed Lady, as she has appeared at Medjugorje, to ‘pray from the heart,’ prayer has become a focus of my life, as well. My problem is that, as a very word-oriented person, who processes my world cognitively, it is difficult for me to get a handle on what to ‘pray from the heart’ really means.
So, I betook myself to check out the reference Fr. Joseph, MIC, made to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to see what it has to say about prayer. I found it gripping. As always, the Catechism brings the teachings of the Church into sharper focus in what I find to be very understandable language…that, well, actually, speaks to my ‘heart’…that place in my being that is beyond my mental faculties of understanding.
Under the heading, Prayer in the Christian Life, it says, “‘Great is the mystery of the faith!’…This mystery…requires that the faithful believe in it,…celebrate it,…and live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.” (CCC 2558)
It terms prayer the ‘gift of God,’ saying, “‘Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or requesting of good things from God.’” Adding that ‘…humility is the foundation of prayer.’ It is when we acknowledge that we, ‘…do not know how to pray as we ought,’ that we are ‘…ready to receive freely the gift of prayer.’ It concludes that, ‘Man is a beggar before God.’ (CCC 2559)
There’s so much more contained, even in the 1st few paragraphs, but suffice it to say, I will be using the Catechism as a reference point for prayer over the rest of this Year of Prayer.
The Year of Prayer is to prepare our hearts…and minds…for the Jubilee Year of Hope, which connects prayer with hope in a profound way. If we are to counter the culture of death we need to be purveyors of hope, as Stephanie Gray Connors points out in a recent article in BC Catholic.3
Saying its not necessary for Catholics to be demoralized by the onslaught of Canada’s ‘extreme’ euthanasia regime, Connors, being originally from Abbotsford, BC, where she is visiting for the summer from Florida, is a pro-life apologist and urges that using logical argument and compassionate action are effective ways to counter the culture of death that we, as Canadians, find ourselves so immersed in.4
She adds, citing quotes from Victor Frankl, a psychotherapist who survived a Nazi Concentration Camp, that those contemplating ending their lives prematurely need to be offered hope…and meaning. She says hope starts with the foundation of prayer.5 And, we must find meaning to want to live.
I think that, when we explore the various means of countering the death-dealing culture of abortion and euthanasia that continues to proliferate across Canada, focusing on either political activism or educational approaches cannot succeed without a strong, solid foundation in prayer.
So, perhaps there needs to be a coordinated effort…within what remains of this Year of Prayer, then, reaching on into the upcoming Jubilee Year of Hope, to ground our proposed actions and efforts in deepening our own personal prayer lives, and adding corporate prayer that is focused and intentional to pray, not only for ourselves and our efforts, but also for the purveyors and perpetrators of abortion and MAiD. How much, they, too, need to find a sense of meaning and hope that they would no longer see death as an answer to what ails the lives of individuals because they face suffering or challenging circumstances.
Life is never without its challenges, tragedies and triumphs, finding hope and meaning must be, as Fr. Joseph, MIC, concludes, recognizing Jesus in His REAL Presence…for us, as Catholics, in the Eucharist, and, for others, in being in His Presence in that profound meditative or contemplative stance of personal relationship with the Living God.
Jesus gave meaning to suffering and gave us the hope in something more beyond this life. We need to find ways of offering hope…and life…to not just those contemplating MAiD or abortion, but to those who are promoting and proliferating death in our Canadian political, educational, social and healthcare landscapes.
We need to come up with new ways of addressing the issues…not continuing to rely simply on tried-and-true activities alone.
That’s my take on it. Prayer is the answer…to what ails our society when it comes to the culture of death that permeates our response to challenges and suffering that we are bound to face in life…because we live in a fallen world, rife with sin, and brokenness, that leads to despair and death.
How do we become greater or better purveyors of hope and life than the anti-life forces we contend with?
How’s your prayer life doing?!? Can you add more prayer for yourself, and join with others, for a greater impact and effect on…the whole world?
1, 2 https://images.marianweb.net/archives/flip/mhe/Summer_2024/2/
Ending Our Life Well 