Years ago, in seminary, one of my brother-seminarians from North Dakota gave me an image of prayer. It occurs to me to tell this winter story in the midst of the heat wave that has most of the U.S. in its grip.
Imagine yourself in those years, some 25 years ago or before. Cell phones were not yet common.
Now imagine the deep winter months in rural North Dakota. The temperature can dip to 30 below and blizzards and snow-squalls can set in quickly. What if you are driving from one town to another and you car breaks down? Sometimes it is forty miles to the next town. If it’s 30 below with wind or blowing snow, walking even a short distance can kill you.
All you can do is wait for help to drive by. Remember there are no cell phones, this is rural North Dakota, and, especially in bad weather, help might not come for a long time. With a broken down car, no heat, and the temperature so cold, death could come soon.
How will you survive?
Candles.
My North Dakota friend told me that his mother often asked him in winter as he would leave in the car, “Do you have candles with you?!”
People in that region, in those years, and I suppose some today as well, used to carry a box of votive candles with them in the car, and some matches too. On frigid day, if the car broke down, or got stuck in the snow, lighting even one candle and cracking the window just slightly (for ventilation), could mean the difference between life and death.
Just one candle, maybe two, could warm the car enough to stave off death. And Catholic votive candles were the perfect choice.
What are votive candles if not a symbol of our prayer, our hope in God. They also are a burnt offering, and an memorare of our prayer burning before God.
And if one candle can save a life, how about one prayer?
In most cases the full power of prayer is hid from us here. But I suspect one of the joys of heaven will be that we will see what a remarkable difference our prayer really made, even our distracted and poorly executed prayers. Perhaps someone in heaven will come to us and say, “I am here because you prayed.” Perhaps we will see how our prayers helped avert war, turn back violence, save children from abortion, and convert hearts. We will know that our prayers helped open doors, brought blessings, and contained damage.
Just one prayer. Just one candle.
Do you have candles with you? Have you prayed? You never know, you might save a life in this cold world.
Here is a sermon I preached at the White House about five years ago on the power of prayer.
By the way, here are some rather humorous responses of the President
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD59D22qwpg
My very good brother (he’s my brother because I pray for him), former President George Bush knows that you were reaching out with a form of preaching more familiar to the Baptist community. It’s an act of love to speak in familiar ways but also in truth so to put your audience at ease and to instruct appropriately. I grew up in the Protestant world, so I know what he was saying – and you know what you were doing too. 🙂 Thank you for reaching out. Peace to you.
Thank you for this message. It is easy to get discouraged when what seems to be required of us is years of prayer for a single intention.
Yes, indeed
Inspiring message of prayer. Inspired me to write more on my blog: http://www.calltoholiness.us/?p=228
Posted your great video too!
Thanks Monsignor!
God Bless,
John
THanks, good post and lots of room for reflection.
And in these especially busy times (we are moving!) I have to remind myself to take that time to spend with Jesus. Thank you for a most timely post. I needed to hear the power of prayer, of one lighted candle tonight.
God bless you.
Epistle 204
My some ideas of “the homily” of Msgr. Charles Pope are here below:
Firstly, in the homily, Msgr. Charles Pope talked about use of candles in US.
According to Msgr. Charles Pope, use of candles is similar to use of mobile phones, at the same time use of candles and mobile phones are similar to use of prayer’s power which can help us to survive in blizzards, for instance.
Secondly, now permit me to discuss some problems to clarify further the homily hereafter:
In Vietnam, majority of Vietnamese people don’t use candles but electric torches, especially in rural areas at night.
In Vietnam today, there is about 50% population using mobile phones, that is, there is about 45 million of mobile phone sets to be used in Vietnam today.
The most mobile phones are used to “hear” and “speak” to each other.
Separately, candles often are used in Catholic churches and Buddhism pagodas in Holy Days.
As far as I’m concerned, I think that light of candle is light of God. Therefore, when I burn a candle to pray means I saw God or I hope that I will see God.
Likewise I believe that when Msgr. Charles Pope has my mobile phone number, Father will telephone to me.
My mobile phone number is 0912101342./.
I thank you for mentioning those prayers which are not of the “highest quality”, as it were. I try to pray whenever I think about it (usually for those Holy Souls who touched me in my life) but a lot of the time, I cannot remember concentrating on or even finishing the prayer. My hope is that all of my good intentions somehow translate into a small whisper which will help someone be released from the painful ecstasy of Purgatory. Peace and God bless.