A Few Holy Cards in the Pocket

I am not one of those people who have to be texting or talking on the phone every two or three minutes. No, I am OK with a quiet moment. But, there are times when a routine, becomes, well a routine. For example, I take our dog for a fairly long walk each day (Cuddles is shown in the photo). It helps the both of us stay slim and trim (hardly, but it helps some). But, there are times when looking at the little stinker sniffing at the grass can get weary. Other times, I may find myself feeling weary is when I am in a long line someplace or when I am sitting waiting for someone "staring at the four walls."

Prayer

My dad used to spend hours walking around Hyde Park on his police beat. He had such a gift of gab that he would often strike up a conversation with people around him--he was great with strangers. But, he did have his introspective moments and I can remember him encouraging us to pray. He often carried a Rosary with him. But he also encouraged prayer for those around you. You pass by a cemetery, "say a Hail Mary for the dead." You hear an ambulance, "say a prayer for the injured." You see someone poor or suffering,"say a prayer for them." In this way, he was never very far away from God and always encouraging us. No doubt his mother and father encouraged him and their parents encouraged them.

I've tried to follow my dad's advice. Prayer is something that gets easier as you get older--it seems that you just need so much more. If you are like me, you feel that "the Good Lord" has your number. If for a moment, you ever start to think too highly of yourself and say, less highly of others, something happens to knock you down a few pegs. Some would call that superstition, I call it fact.

When you really think about it, your challenges in life are probably no greater than most folks. At least that's the way it works with me. Most of us would rather have the problems that we know than change places with others and take on theirs. But at the same time, I often feel a little desperate in my own life. Like Saint Patrick, I'd like to ask God to surround me from all sides, to protect me and my family. "Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me..."

Holy Cards

I found a very nice way to help me feel more connected to the Man upstairs. I've gotten into the habit of having a few holy cards in my coat pocket. In those moments where I need to connect at any part of the day, I take out a card and say the prayer on it. Every so often I go to the Catholic book store and pick up a new card and switch them around. They laminate these now, so you can keep them in your pocket without ruining them. I've got a Saint Brigid, a Saint Patrick and an Angelus card and a few cards I got from new priests that memorialize their ordinations. The cards are like a text message from God. Beep-beep, God's calling. Pull out the card and pray.

I read the Saint Brigid one most often these days. "...May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious, and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world..."

St. Patrick's Day is Coming Up

We are less than a month away from St. Patrick's Day and I thought I would make a quick mention of the great Saint's prayer and tell you about a recent encounter. I have posted portions of the prayer here before.

I was visiting a Catholic store a few weeks ago and met up with a woman whose son had gone through school with one of my older kids. Her son had been a nice enough boy when I knew him, but I had heard from my son that he had gotten into some trouble with drugs. I knew next to nothing about what was going on, but you could see there was pain in this woman's face. The woman herself is a wonderful person and devoted mother and wife.

I asked her whether she had seen the St. Patrick holy cards and I pulled a few off one of the shelves. I mentioned that I had learned an appreciation of St. Patrick because of his prayer and his life. I liked the fact that there is a desperation in St. Patrick that comes out in the prayer. I think its message is especially strong for those who are in desperate need. In the prayer, St. Patrick asks for more than help, he asks to be surrounded by Christ from all sides.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me.
Christ below me, Christ above me.
Christ at my right, Christ at my left.
Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height.

I bought a few cards and she took one for herself as well to read after I left. I also showed her a St. Brigid card that I had bought there before, which has a prayer that asks for God's help in finding peace. She seemed interested in both cards and I hope the prayers would help her. Both prayers are wonderful.

I have been in situations like the one that she is going through where there seems to be no good answer and you have to just ask the Good Lord to hold you up and surround you with His love and protection. We parents are meant to be protectors of our children and often we are, but the one thing we cannot protect them from is their own self destruction. I think many of us who know this woman would view her as an especially devoted mother. May God protect her and her son.

One version of Saint Patrick's Prayer/BreastplateLorica.