I held hands with the Lord

She was a Catholic nun who held my hands during prayer. 

They were strangers holding hands during the Our Father at Mass.

Take a moment and notice what your hands do today.

He was a homeless man who prayed with me on the street.

I was holding my own palm after reception of the Eucharist.

We hold Jesus in one another every day.

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Relax! You are safe.

Things that appear ugly and scary might really be conduits of delight.

I'm watching plump bees zip from pink-purple flower to pink-purple flower, hovering and circling in a muted dance.

Having just finished breakfast on an outdoor patio at a beautiful resort, I hear only birds who join each other in song. Some tweet with low voices and others emit high pitches.

The bees are far enough from me to evoke no fear in me this quiet morning as they go about their work of gathering the raw ingredients for honey.

The sweetness I will taste in future is a result of these dark creatures, who are capable of stinging. And in different circumstances, they would drive me to fear.

I marvel at the Creator who puts them here to remind me of lilies in the field that neither toil nor spin, yet God provides for each one of them.

And God provides for me. 

Don't be too busy to pray for a life

I began my day like I usually do, turning to the Magnificat for the prayers of the day.

I discover that it’s the feast of St. Angela Merici.

Which leads me to remember that it’s my daughter’s birthday! This saint offers me an annual reminder. And 38 years ago today, my eldest was born.

And then I remember that today is also the Life March.

Oh, God, what a privilege it is to give birth. And I pray that in honor of my daughter today that God would help one woman to choose not to go through with an abortion planned for today. Let a child live today as a birthday present for me and Sarah.

And that thought leads me to ask God to make it two children. Well, then, why not 10? God is all powerful and able to give help when we ask. Next I remember Abraham, bargaining with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

“What if there were 20?”

God, would you spare a child for each of the 38 years my daughter has been alive? It’s not too much to ask you, oh Almighty God, because you can choose to offer assistance, just as you knocked St. Paul to the ground to get his attention. Let a baby’s father, or grandparent, or some other influencer offer the assistance or encouragement these mothers need to carry their children to term.

I pray for these women and children now, God, and thank you for hearing me. I look forward to meeting them some day, perhaps in heaven.

And God, while I’m here, can I ask for an early birthday present of 62 lives, and another 62 lives when my birthday comes around?

An invitation:

Will you join me today in praying that a child would be spared from abortion for every year that you have been alive?