www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer Woes, trials, and a prayer for mercy

Dear forum members,

I know I am not the greatest person that ever set foot on the Byzantine Forum, but I would be very grateful if you could say a prayer for my wife and myself.

We are in the midst of big changes--in two weeks' time we will be moving to St. Louis, halfway across the country, and it seems like every possible disaster is hitting us right at this moment.

From car trouble and thieving mechanics to health trouble and a crappy insurance company, we are passing through the fire right now to a somewhat uncertain future.


Lead kindly Light,
Amid the encircling gloom;
Lead Thou me on.
The night is dark,
And I am far from home;
Lead Thou me on.

Keep Thou my feet--
I do not ask to see
The distant scene;
One step enough for me.

I was not ever thus,
nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose
And see my path, but now
Lead Thou me on.

I loved the garish day,
And 'spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will;
Remember not past years.

So long Thy Pow'r
hath blest me; sure it still
Will lead me on.
O'er moor and fen;
O'er crag and torrent 'til
The night is gone;

And with the morn,
Those Angel faces smile
Which I have loved
Long since, and lost awhile.

--John Henry Cardinal Newman, stranded in the Mediterranean in 1833

May Christ our True God and the Holy Theotokos calm the sees of trouble and set you safely on a peaceful shore. May God grant you health, long life, and peace for many blessed years.

From a sinner gravely predisposed to passions and sin.

Saint Claude De La Colombiere: An Act of Hope and Confidence in God


My God, I believe most firmly that Thou watchest over all who hope in Thee, and that we can want for nothing when we rely upon Thee in all things; therefore I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon Thee.

People may deprive me of worldly goods and of honors; sickness may take from me my strength and the means of serving Thee; I may even lose Thy grace by sin; but my trust shall never leave me. I will preserve it to the last moment of my life, and the powers of hell shall seek in vain to wrestle it from me.

Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents; let them trust to the purity of their lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the number of their good works, the fervor of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very confidence lies all my hope. "For Thou, O Lord, singularly has settled me in hope." This confidence can never be in vain. "No one has hoped in the Lord and has been confounded."

I am assured, therefore, of my eternal happiness, for I firmly hope for it, and all my hope is in Thee. "In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped; let me never be confounded."

I know, alas! I know but too well that I am frail and changable; I know the power of temptation against the strongest virtue. I have seen stars fall from heaven, and pillars of firmament totter; but these things alarm me not. While I hope in Thee I am sheltered from all misfortune, and I am sure that my trust shall endure, for I rely upon Thee to sustain this unfailing hope.

Finally, I know that my confidence cannot exceed Thy bounty, and that I shall never receive less than I have hoped for from Thee. Therefore I hope that Thou wilt sustain me against my evil inclinations; that Thou wilt protect me against the most furious assults of the evil one, and that Thou wilt cause my weakness to triumph over my most powerful enemies. I hope that Thou wilt never cease to love me, and that I shall love Thee unceasingly. "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded."

In the Lord Jesus Our Savior,
+Father Archimandrite Gregory, who is praying for you!

LT:

Be assured, my brother in Christ, of my continued prayers and concern for both you and your wife.

In Christ,

BOB

BTW: You're not the least who has entered here either. Remember that God made you as a one-of-a-kind original and He does not make rejects, seconds, or junk!!! Heads up!! When rough things happen it's a call to remember that we are to turn to Him in all things--the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, and the glad.

LT,

You are soooo intuitive :p . Just kidding, my brother.

My prayers for the two of you in your move westward and, as a welcoming gift to St. Louis

Tridentine Indult Mass parish [archstl.org]

Many years,

Neil

Prayers for the present situations facing you both.

james

May the Lord God, direct your steps, and lead you always safely in his paths. May he help you during this time of change and transition, peace, health, and every blessing for many years!

(p.s. the Cardinal's hymn has always been a favorite of mine.)

Dear Latin Trad,

Actually, I think that you are one of our most valuable posters!

Please be assured of my prayers for you dear brother in Christ (and fellow New Yorker;) )...the evil one is throwing all these curveballs your way to challenge your faith. If you weren't good and holy and faithful to God, the evil one wouldn't care to bother you.

Do not despair, however, GOD WILL NOT abandon you and your wife if you put your trust in Him.

I pray that St. Michael the Archangel will protect both of you each and every day against the forces of evil, and that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Mother of our God will keep you and your wife in her maternal loving care, and that she will ensure that in the end, all things will work out for good, and that you WILL get through this!

With love in Christ,
and prayers for you,
Alice

Prayers LT, but, really, the prayers should be for the Yankees, losing their number one fan...

Gaudior, tongue firmly in cheek...

I will uphold your family in my Rosary today. In the meantime, here's a prayer attributed to St. Anselm that you may find comforting:

HAIL, O holy Cross, our strength.
Hail, O adorable Cross, our praise and glory.
Hail, O Cross, our help and refuge.
Hail, O Cross, consolation of all the mournful.

Hail, O Cross, our victory and hope.
Hail, O Cross, our defense and our life.
Hail, O Cross, our liberation and redemption.
Hail, O Cross, our sign of salvation and bulwark against the enemy.

May the Cross be for me always hope of my faith.
May the Cross be for me resurrection in my death.
May the Cross be for me triumph against demons.
May the Cross be for me mother of my consolation

May the Cross be for me rest in my tribulations.
May the Cross be for me support in my old age.
May the Cross be for me healing in my illness.
May the Cross be for me protection in my nudity.

May the Cross be for me consolation in my life.
May the Cross be for me solace in all my difficulties.
May the Cross be for me balm in my tribulations
May the Cross be for me medicine to my infirmities and protection against all my enemies. Amen.

Thank you all so much--you people are great.

I will be back soon with an update on how things are progressing.

BTW--one word of advice: Don't be surprised if the service center at a large and "reputable" car dealership LIES to you, and tries to STEAL from you, and DOESN'T FIX YOUR CAR ANYWAY, 2 weeks before you are moving 1,000 miles away.

In Christ,

LatinTrad

LT,

Relax and have faith. Though us Bosox & Cubby fans should talk.

You'll look good in Cardinal RED.

james

LT:

You, my brother, posted

BTW--one word of advice: Don't be surprised if the service center at a large and "reputable" car dealership LIES to you, and tries to STEAL from you, and DOESN'T FIX YOUR CAR ANYWAY, 2 weeks before you are moving 1,000 miles away.

________________________

One of my favorite preaching examples concerns trust. When someone says "trust me," a child puts up his hand and walks along-usually, and hopefully, the person being parent, trusted adult, etc. When someone says "trust me," we adults usually put one hand over our wallet pocket because we have had one too many dealings with a car salesman, insurance salesman, door-to-door casket salesman, etc. That's why when God says "trust Me" we have a difficult time and have to become again like a little child.

Auto sales and service--LOL, rolling on the floor, fighting back tears:

You say "reputable." Do you mean positive or negative?

You say "lies to you." And????? I thought that was part of the "fun" of dealing with these guys and gals.

You say "tries to steal from you." And????? I thought that also was part of the whole game.

You say "didn't fix your car anyway." Isn't this the usual way this game is played. I always ask for the used parts to be put into a cardboard box in my trunk so I know if they did anything.

I may sound cynical, but I'd rather be beaten with a garden hose than deal with or for a car. Sorry in advance, brethren, for perhaps a bad Christian example, but there are few things as tough as dealing with auto dealerships or getting service-especially under warranty--in my experience. My son recently had $600.00 worth of "service" that amounted to using new bolts to put the damaged parts back on his car.

I'm sorry for your bad experience. After it is all done and you've sorted it out, you might find it funny because unless you can come to laugh at this kind of stuff you'll become bitter--and we, here, want you just to get better. Or get even by calling your state attorney general's office of consumer protection and filing a complaint. It costs you nothing, but each time a dealer gets reported he comes closer to being on a short list of people they start to monitor closely.

Sorry, again, for sounding so cranky, but this is one of my "hot buttons." Not laughing at you; sharing your frustration and preventing my blood pressure form going into the stratosphere.

In Christ,

BOB

Lord, in your mercy, rescue Bob and LT from the depths of cynicism and give them the courage to move forward in your joy and light.

I have read of a few Churches that operate auto service facilities as a ministry. They accept and repair donated cars, to give to the poor or to sell. They also provide repair service for members of the Church.

John
Pilgrim and Odd Duck

LatinTrad,

Moving, dealing with all, and facing what is uncertain ahead is always challenging and stressful.

Here is praying that all mountains be lowered, paths cleared, obstacles removed, and peace for the journey. Including you and your wife when we pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.


From two sojourners with many miles already,


Christ is glorified! Praise Him! +

Ron and Mary Jo <><