I know many people who love the Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series of novels, including Julie at Happy Catholic, whose recommendations are always worth taking, but I have been so enthralled with Terry Pratchett’s Discword series, I’d neglected Harry Dresden. Harry Dresden is a Wizard, and his office door reads:
Lost Items Found, Paranormal Investigations.
Consulting, Advice, Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment
Yesterday, in talking about the list of folks I pray for (which I keep in my breviary) Buster teased, “you should put yourself in the phonebook like Harry Dresden, only make it, “Anchoress; Professional Pray-er. If your life’s a horror-story, bring it to her Oratory!”
The thing quickly descended into dementia and bad puns as Buster riffed, “you can be like that Sham-Wow guy: “She’s got yer Jesus, she’s got yer Mary! She’ll chant you a p-salm on the pcheap! Rosaries at a nominal price, by the bead or by the decade! If you think you’re too great a sinner, if you think you can’t pray, she’ll say ‘I-con!’”
Of course, it’s a joke, and I am by no means a “professional pray-er” (those would be our our monastic friends and many, many many others, both Catholic and non-Catholic) but I did get into the joke. “I could have Billy May screaming at people in my ads,” I said, “She once was lost, but now is found! You need a saint? She’ll give you a saint a day, thousands of saints! All kindsa devotions, and no hidden fees. Is your life a big stain? She’ll get that stain out, ora pro nobleach!
Fun having the kid home from school.
But, on a more serious note, because I know so many of my readers really are heaven-stormers of the first order, people willing to pray whenever a need is known, (and particularly if you keep a prayer list of your own) I’m asking you to please remember to pray for Elizabeth, a 29 year old woman, who has just learned she has an inoperable brain tumor, and faces a very tough road.
This is where I would incorporate the helpful prayers of of our friend, John Cardinal O’ Connor, who also had a brain tumor.
Let us pray.
May 20th, 2009 | 1:58 am | #1
Being new to much of Catholic practice, I was impressed to find the number of people who’ve made a vocation of near full time prayer. From the lady with MS and a family to care for who picks up the basket of intentions and then types and prints them out to the little old ladies who pray daily for others, most of whom they may never meet, just wow.
With so much of this world being the way it is, it is always nice to see those who insist on acting as it should be.
May 20th, 2009 | 8:08 am | #2
Buster is a treasure (as is your older son!) ~ give him a hug from me and wish him a happy summer, full of fun and lots of music!
You and your family are in my prayers on a daily basis, although I am nowhere near the “professional pray-er” you are!
Quick update about my student…his mother has come out of the coma and is talking some. I was so relieved that this 19 year old didn’t have to make the awful decision to have her taken off of life support. And prayers for Elizabeth with the brain tumor.
May 20th, 2009 | 8:11 am | #3
I’m still learning to pray like a good Catholic. I pray the rosary daily, most days I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and then I have a personal devotion I do every evening along with a gospel reading.
I go through periods when my prayer feels dry and rote, but that usually passes.
Another problem I have, which is hard to explain, is that I don’t think my prayer is turned outward enough. I tend to pray for things I want (please lead my daughter to Christ, etc). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t ask God for a Mercedes. I know if I do that He’ll just give me a $2,000 per month car payment.
Its just that I don’t think my prayer intentions are turned towards others the way they should be. I’ll learn though, practice makes perfect.
All that said, I’d like to make a request for prayer support. I just found out I have to have cardiac bypass surgery next week and I’m pretty anxious. I’m going to Mass this morning and planning to get Anointed.
Blessings to you all-
DaveW
[Getting anointed is a good idea, Dave, and You're in my prayerbook, now. Believe it or not, you're about to be given a great opportunity to learn about "outward" prayer, and not just because you'll want to pray for your surgeons and nurses and family. My experience is that when you're going through a time of great anxiety and worry and fear, that's the BEST time to pray for others; it uses up that energy for something good, and (like giving to a charity when you're down on your own luck) has a way of expanding the soul in generosity. Perhaps make young Elizabeth your "special" prayer case? -admin]
May 20th, 2009 | 11:49 am | #4
If you could, would you please remember my co-worker’s family in your prayers? Her 4-year-old grandson caught his foot in the stirrup of a donkey that ran and dragged him before his parents could stop it. He died Sunday.
[Awful! I will remember her family. Also, I have a 9 year old boy who is dying and his treatment w/ stem cells does not seem to be helping. His name is Tommy, if anyone will pray for him. - admin]
May 20th, 2009 | 2:05 pm | #5
Yeah, Buster is a hoot. As a nurse, I can say than patients who are prayed for do better; certainly their families do. And those of us in the trenches are very much aware of how much a “wind at our back” influences the quality and outcome of our care. There are just SO many variables.
There’s a particular bit of advice to pray for someone ELSE who needs what you do. This is not to negate praying for your own needs; that is also crucial. But praying for someone else who needs the same thing has a special kind of synergy.
Praying for others and ALSO for one’s self reinforces the web of interconnectedness. I am convinced that the world stands on this.
I hold with Flannery O’Connor on the principle of discipline, commitment, and habit, regarding our work and our prayer as well. Individually, mot of us are very small, but our commitment amounts to something much larger.
May 20th, 2009 | 7:32 pm | #6
I agree with Julie on the Harry Dresden series, though Sir Terry Pratchett is hard to beat. Though he is in need of prayer too since he has been diagnosed with alzheimers.
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