I'm not the only one who watches the news, wondering if there's anything positive taking place between the United States and Korea. Every day situations seem to go from bad to worse. This morning, while at daily mass, I was awed by the number of parishioners there. There must have been at least 70 people present. That got me to thinking of the "power of one."
I know I should have been more present to the readings during Mass but all I could think of was that if a nuclear war were to occur, how would people act differently in an attempt to deal with their spiritual life. I have often pondered that question for myself. What would I do differently. I know I have certainly been praying more directly imploring God to guide me in living a good life but when individuals don't pray themselves, what would happen if each one of us begins praying for others in need, specifically our government officials.
What will it take to divert war? What will it take for hardened hearts to be guided by God instead of greed and power? I don't know what it will take. I don't know if our governments know what it will take, and using nuclear force seems just a tad destructive, sarcasm intended.
Rather than wring our hands in a futile way, I know how strong prayer can be. Yes, many of you are of different religious faiths; many profess no religious faith but believe in Karma, a good orderly direction, and positive thoughts. So, I am writing this little post asking you to consider asking this along to your friends. My stats say my posts have reached all around the world, which is amazing. I am only one person as are you but each one of us has connections and those reach around the world.
So, while our government officials are doing what they can, even behind the scenes, I propose we begin to earnestly, consciously, intently and very directly pray, send positive thoughts to our Creator, God, to inspire our world leaders on creative ways to solve this crisis, in a peaceful rather than destructive way.
We are not isolated entities in this world any longer so would you kindly forward this on to your family and friends. Maybe we, as human beings, not politicians, just ordinary, everyday folks, have more power than what we realize. And, if we really believe in God's grace, his goodness and love for us, maybe a huge miracle will occur and war might be diverted. We have a lot to lose, everything to gain.
Thank you, each one of you! This is not a "feel good" request. Lives depend on each one of us to bring peace to this world, not war. Please say a prayer for our political leaders, then pass this post forward. Remember, the power of one!
Last week there were storms in the air with lots of thunder and lightning; my cat, Pepper is terrorized by the least little noise. I discovered the "Thundershirt" for cats so I put it on her to calm her down. I would never have believed how effective it would be. For weeks, her legs were "broken" in her eyes and she would be paralyzed in one spot; that has improved. At least she moves now! Last week she must have needed my reassurance, however, because she sat and cuddled on my lap for an hour and a half!
During this time of just holding her I thought of many things but one thing that popped into my mind was a phrase an acquaintance told me many years ago when I told her my brother in law was having heart surgery. He had not graced the inside of a church in at least a hundred years and if he would have died during surgery, how could he make it to heaven??? What theological ideas I held many years ago! Thank goodness I don't think that way now!
My friend, when hearing my concerns, simply said, "Just love him!" I looked at her bewildered, not knowing HOW to just love him. I thought of sneaking the priest in under cover of darkness, waving some sacramental magic wand over him while he was sleeping would be the best "love" that he certainly needed! "Just love him" she repeated, followed by, "no words, no actions, nothing...just love him."
Then I remembered a priest friend sharing how an older, senior priest had told him that when he went to visit a dying friend who was in bed, unable to speak, he didn't know what to do. He did hold her hand but how useless he felt not being able to "do" anything. He repeated, "I just held her hand." The younger priest simply smiled and said, "yes!"
Today, I drove a neighbor to a town about an hour away for a very serious appointment. When she got into the car she shared her thoughts and emotions at what she heard in the appointment. There was quite a period of time I just sat and listened, not even starting the car yet, while she talked and cried.
Getting back to my brother in law. Over time he eventually went to a nursing home and decided to stay there instead of going back home. A deacon friend, when he did communion rounds there, would go visit Howard and asked if he wanted communion, but always was met with "no". An amazing thing occurred after quite a bit of time as family and friends continued to "just love him;" he changed his mind and asked to talk with a priest. This change of heart was an amazing thing to see but it certainly was not on my time-line, but God's.
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| Sleeping Cat |
I often have to step back at situations and ask myself, "who's in charge here, Molly?" Sometimes I am so hell-bent-for-election on my time-line that I forget who really is in charge! So, when I have Pepper on my lap, sound asleep with her Thundershirt on and I think I am wasting time "doing nothing" I guess it really is OK to "just love her" for a while and let God love me at the same time while we do nothing during the storms of life!
Maybe "just loving him", with no words, no expectations or anything else was like a Thundershirt for my brother in law that allowed him to know that God's love was with him no matter what. After all, God really does know what He's doing!
Feel free to share this post with your friends and family! If you would like to make an appointment to discuss how challenging to "just love" someone is and want to do spiritual direction with me, I can be reached at 920.793.3530. To follow my blog see:MollyLaFond.com
So, while our government officials are doing what they can, even behind the scenes, I propose we begin to earnestly, consciously, intently and very directly pray, send positive thoughts to our Creator, God, to inspire our world leaders on creative ways to solve this crisis, in a peaceful rather than destructive way. 
