Shortly after entering the seminary, I started to keep a list in my breviary (prayer book) which had names of people that I would pray for each day. I remember telling my grandmother one day, in passing, that she was on the list, that I was praying for her each day. Somewhat surprisingly, she brought that up on more than one occasion when I heard her talking with others. I think she felt honored to be prayed for each day. My grandmother did not really practice any form of faith, at least as long as I knew her. I am not even sure that she was ever baptized. At times, she was a little outspoken about her view of Christians, that they tended to be hypocrites, to which I responded one time to her: “There is always room for one more.”
I believe, however, that my daily prayers for her did have an impact. As I was nearing the time for my diaconate ordination, my grandmother was not in very good health. She expressed that she wanted to stay alive long enough to see me be ordained as a deacon, and thanks be to God, she was there. Much to my delight she was also able to be there for my ordination to the priesthood, and it was clear that she was very proud of me. Of course, my grandmother was always going to love me, but I think the prayers I offered for her each day had a way of softening her heart, such that she grew more and more open to Christianity. My grandmother died shortly before I celebrated my first anniversary as a priest, and just one day before her and my grandfather would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. I hold on to the hope that her openness to the faith in her final years would have put her in a much better position to make the decision to accept Jesus at that final moment of her life.
We all likely have people in our lives that are a little like my grandmother. We have family members and friends who are far away from the practice of our Catholic faith in particular, or Christianity in general. Some from our families may have been raised Catholic, even practiced for many years, only to have fallen away. We can become discouraged about this, and it is indeed a point of great suffering for many, especially parents whose children have stopped practicing the Catholic faith in which they were raised.
We are always looking for the perfect plan that will bring these people back into the regular practice of the faith, but it is not so simple as following an equation that will yield the right answer every time. We should be making efforts, to be sure. But we must never forget that the first step, and accompanying every step, is prayer. In the Book of Psalms we read: “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Ps 127:1)
Next weekend, we will have cards in the pews on which you will have the opportunity to write a name of somebody for whom you would like to commit to pray, asking the Lord to soften their hearts, that they might be open at some point to receive the invitation to accept the faith for the first time, or to return to the practice of the faith. If you are comfortable, you can even tell that person that you are praying for them each day. You do not need to tell them that you are praying that the Lord will get them back to church, just that you are praying for them. We can never underestimate the power of our daily, fervent prayers for others. Whether they be a blood relative or simply a brother or sister in Christ, this family that is the Body of Christ will always be strengthened through prayer for one another, and the Lord, who desires their presence with us far more than we do, will be doing His work of tilling the soil of their hearts, so that, in due time, the seed of invitation planted will yield fruit.
Father Alford