in college where he was the chaplain, I was praying a Rosary for him and our conversation. In my prayer I asked the Blessed Mother to allow me to ask him one question, then she could have the rest of the conversation. (I was so generous.) The one question I wanted to ask the minister was, “How is your prayer life going?” When I arrived at the small college we quickly caught up. “How are things going?” “How’s the family?” “How’s work going?” Then the Methodist minister asked me, “So, Chris, how is your prayer life going?” I picked myself up from the floor and proceeded to describe to him what was going on in my prayer life and where I would like to be. Then without me saying a word, he went on to describe his own prayer life and that was the entirety of the conversation. Purposeful prayer can change lives.
Be open to the Holy Spirit and ask the Spirit to suggest people to pray for, then pray for them regularly and watch for opportunities to encourage them with your words. We know people who carry a piece of paper with a list of names of those that they are praying for. Use your phone calendars to remind you when to send a text or call someone needing prayers that day. People, above all, want to be noticed and wanted. So, being mindful of what is important to others is key to purpose-filled prayer in action.
When our prayer has purpose it will make its way to every part of our day. If we are about to have a conversation in which sharing the Gospel could happen, then we need to pray before it. This could be a silent prayer on our own, or we could invite the other person to pray with us. When conversations about the Faith happen spontaneously then perhaps we can end with prayer, as Pope Francis encourages us:
If it seems prudent and if the circumstances are right, this fraternal and missionary encounter could end with a brief prayer related to the concerns which the person may have expressed. In this way they will have an experience of being listened to and understood; they will know that their particular situation has been placed before God, and that God’s word really speaks to their lives.16
Prayer can be simple encouragements to those around us. When an evangelist prays with purpose it can give purpose to our day, and then the lives around us might find their true purpose.
We must RE-commit to our prayer life with Perseverance. Never lose heart; always trust that the King of All Hearts will hear this prayer. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “It is never too late to touch the heart of another, nor is it ever in vain.”17 Can we imagine what might have happened if St. Monica had stopped after five years of praying for her son, Augustine? So many times after our talks parents and grandparents approach us with stories about family members who are no longer practicing their faith. Their broken hearts break ours because everyone has family member and friends in this state. We also encourage them to never stop praying, and we share with them the prayers we wrote. The first is to St. Monica:
St. Monica, as you prayed so faithfully for your son’s conversion to Christ for many years, I ask for your intercession as I pray for (Name). Please grant them, by the power of the Holy Spirit clarity of mind and purity of heart according to the Truth of Jesus Christ, so that they will have the courage and conviction to live in knowledge, love, and service of Jesus Christ in this life and the next.
While Monica prayed unceasingly for Augustine, it was Ambrose, not she, who would be the effective instrument to bring Augustine to Christ. So we also share this Prayer to St. Ambrose:
St. Ambrose, you were sent as an answer to the prayers of St. Monica for the conversion of her son, St. Augustine. I now humbly plead for your intercession, to send someone, like you were to St. Augustine, into the life of (Name). May they be led to know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the truth of His Most Holy Church. I pray that I may be a fit instrument in and not an obstacle to their conversion, and that I may have the wisdom to see the difference.18
St. Monica was rewarded for her persistent prayer with the conversion of her son St. Augustine, and the Church was given one of the greatest minds of two thousand years. Prayer that is persistent can change the world.
Since we believe in the power of persistent prayer, we developed the “Casting Nets Prayer Crew,” who are people that pray Memorares for our ministry and those that Casting Nets will encounter. We developed “business cards” and “postcards” with the Memorare and a number grid that allows the person to count up to one thousand Memorares. Then they give us the card and we take those prayers wherever we go. We encourage the “Crew Member” to add their own intentions and share those prayers with others. Here is one such story from a friend of ours:
My sister recently went through a very difficult divorce. She married an atheist who, along with her own personal struggles, led her away from her Catholic faith. Her incredibly miserable marriage led her to incredible loneliness. This misery led her back to prayer, and she is going to a Christian church with her two boys now. Life has been and continues to be very difficult for her. I prayed one thousand Memorares over a ten-day period for her and for her sons and sent the Casting Nets Prayer Crew Card to her with a personal letter. I never expect a response when I do this because many times I do not get a response. My sister, whom I rarely talk to, called me to personally thank me for the letter and the prayers. She called me in tears and said she hasn’t received a hand written letter in the mail since she was a child. She was incredibly grateful. Shocked at the words personally written for her, she was overjoyed! So often we don’t get an update on the effects of our prayers in real time, and this was one of those special moments.
When the evangelist prays with perseverance the heart of our loving Father will be captured and the perseverance will prove our love for friends, family, and strangers so that they may be granted the perseverance to gain a true conversion, for “Love never fails” (1 Cor 13:8, NABRE)!
There will never be a New Evangelization without a new commitment to a life of prayer and relentless pursuit of holiness. As we renew our relationship with Jesus Christ, His wants will become our wants. His zeal for souls will become our zeal for souls. His desire to invite all people into communion with Him will become our desire to invite all to Him. Remarkably, our focus to turn inward to find the King of the Universe will ultimately turn us outward to the world around us to share the Person and relationship we have found and invite all to the same Good News.
Pillar 2
Invitational—The Principle
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