Even in traffic, we can become a channel of grace.
Dear Friend, Todayâs Pause+Pray invites us to pray for those around us. For about seven years, I commuted into Manhattan every day. One to one-and-a-half hours each wayâoften in bumper-to-bumper traffic. People used to ask what I did during that time. Honestly? A lot of podcasts and a lot of prayer. I prayed for family, coworkers, friends, and the people in the cars next to meâstrangers who I would never meet. I prayed theyâd feel loved, that their burdens would lift, that theyâd find joy.
Prayer connects us. It joins our hearts to the hearts of others to the heart of God. At Franciscan Media, our reflections and prayers are little sparks that form that invisible thread of spiritual solidarity. St. Francis said, âWhat we are looking for is what is looking.â Prayer draws us to the One who sees and knows us. If that resonates with you, help us share that grace every day. |
Ela Milewska Director, Franciscan Media |
Saint of the Day for June 18: Matt Talbot (May 2, 1856 â June 7, 1925) Listen to Venerable Matt Talbotâs Story Here Matt can be considered the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism. He was born in Dublin, where his father worked on the docks and had a difficult time supporting his family. After a few years of schooling, Matt obtained work as a messenger for some liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively. For 15 yearsâuntil he was almost 30âMatt was an active alcoholic. One day he decided to take âthe pledgeâ for three months, make a general confession and begin to attend daily Mass. There is evidence that Mattâs first seven years after taking the pledge were especially difficult. Avoiding his former drinking places was hard. He began to pray as intensely as he used to drink. He also tried to pay back people from whom he had borrowed or stolen money while he was drinking. Most of his life Matt worked as a builderâs laborer. He joined the Secular Franciscan Order and began a life of strict penance; he abstained from meat nine months a year. Matt spent hours every night avidly reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. He prayed the rosary conscientiously. Though his job did not make him rich, Matt contributed generously to the missions . After 1923, Mattâs health failed, and he was forced to quit work. He died on his way to church on Trinity Sunday. Fifty years later, Pope Paul VI gave Matt Talbot the title venerable. His liturgical feast is celebrated on June 19. Reflection In looking at the life of Matt Talbot, we may easily focus on the later years when he had stopped drinking for some time and was leading a penitential life. Only alcoholic men and women who have stopped drinking can fully appreciate how difficult the earliest years of sobriety were for Matt. He had to take one day at a time. So do the rest of us. Venerable Matt Talbot is the Patron Saint of: Alcoholics
Recovery from Substance Abuse and Addictions
Sobriety
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Living into Death I have encountered people who donât recognize their physical and emotional pain because theyâve never had the opportunity to experience it deeply. Having worked with St. Francisâ life and his Canticle is that itâs all a beautiful, complicated mess, and itâs all OK, and itâs all full, and itâs not superficial, and he didnât glibly welcome sister death. He didnât add that stanza until he was close to death. This isnât just something that he wrote out. This is something that he lived into. And I pray for myself that I live into this depth of presence and experience. âfrom Franciscan Mediaâs Off the Page
with host Stephen Copeland, featuring Darleen Pryds, PhD |
Prays for All Reflect I have promised to pray for many. Usually they faced illness or sorrow. These are heavy-duty prayers. But my requests can also embrace the happy, healthy people in my circle of care. Pray Your world is wonderful,
O Lord of heaven and earth!
Because of your infinite generosity,
I have friends.
I call down your blessing
on them,
name by precious name.
I thank you
for those whose name I share:
spouse, children,
parents, cousins.
May your sun
shine on them this day.
I also thank you
for the cashier,
the teller,
the server,
the mechanic,
the mail carrier,
the dentistâŠ..
I praise you
for filling my life
with those
who help me
live it well. Act Whether I am driving, walking, cooking, computing, or doing Godâs work in any way, I will thank you for those around meâeven those on a screen. Today's Pause+Pray was written by Carol Ann Morrow. Learn more here! |
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