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Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Weak prayers in the mean streets

The news of the judge's decision not to review Terri's case, which would require the reinstatement of her feeding tubes during the process, grieves all of us. These prayers keep coming into my heart. Somebody help me, please, to re-form them in real faith:

Please, Lord, let Your victory over sin and death be shown NOW, by restoring Terri's food and water. Let the banner of faith in Jesus Christ be made temporally glorious to the eyes of the fallen world, which makes it easier for me to carry it.

Please, Lord, show the world the wages of sin. Let Michael fail in all he does, disturb the peace of his family and friends. Let his name be made a badge of shame and dishonor for all his family to wear. Teach them, visit upon them the punishment of his sin.

The second one I can easily refute even while it rises to my mind. Vengeance is clearly not mine, and I must forgive. That first one, though, is stuck in my brain.

2 comments:

Roz said...

I can't shake the association in my head between Terri's plight and the crucifixion. I'll repost some of my thoughts from a comment on Amy Welborn's blog.
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Was it the Father's will that Jesus suffer horrifically, be unjustly put to death, that his mother and disciples go through their grief? Well, yes. God's ultimate intention only became clear later.

I am not saying that I think this is anything but an act rooted in mercilessness and sin. But I'm reminded of the prayer to St. Michael which my parish recites after the close of Mass -- ". . . cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls."

It is souls that Jesus died to save, not bodily lives. Terri's soul, I presume, is safe in the care of her Lord. The souls of her ex-husband, his girlfriend and children, the lawyers, the judges, and all of us fall under the claim of Jesus to to receive Him as Lord over all. Let's pray for everyone involved to receive the grace to respond to that claim wholeheartedly.
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I don't know, Therese. I'm sure it's right to do everything possible to keep this act from being carried out. But I am curious about what might be God's higher purpose.

nightfly said...

Therese - hi. I pinballed over from Dawn Eden's blog. That quote from Paul was in Colossians; I have a post up back at my page on it, in fact. Glad your apps didn't crash your PC, and thanks for your work here. It's a good reminder to us of the admonition "Be angry, but do not sin." (And now it's my turn not to be able to find chapter and verse!) Sometimes I forget to pray about/for a situation or a person because I'm too busy hissing out words I learned at the hockey rink.

 

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