Sacred Heart Prayer Chain
The Importance of Prayer
In Corinthians Chapter 12, St. Paul explains how, through the Holy Spirit, we in the church were baptized into one body; the body of Christ in verse 26, he writes,
“When one member of the body suffers, all the members suffer with it, if one member is honored; all the members share its joy.”
Jesus asks us to love one another as he loves us. When we pray, we show God we know he is in charge and that we have faith in the immeasurable scope of his power. That is why it is so important we pray for each other. Sacred Hear church has over 7000 members, in praying for each other we unite ourselves in body and spirit, what a powerful way to get Gods attention!
We Can All Talk to God
There is only one requirement to become a member of the Sacred Heart prayer chain; you must be able to talk to God! That’s all that prayer is; conversation with our Lord. You can make your prayers formal or informal. Don’t worry if you are praying correctly, again St. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26,
“The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us…”
The Lord knows what is in our hearts, he knows our needs, no matter how eloquent or clumsy our prayer, he will rejoice in our unity and bestow on us his blessings.
How Does the Prayer Chain Work?
Becoming a Pray-er. Our prayer chain is operated by email and telephone. To join the chain just send an email to prayerchain4sh@aol.com with your name and email address, or call Roseanna Radoff at 880-3987 and we will get you praying! No meetings are required, though we would love to have a get-to-know-each-other once or twice a year.
Prayer Request. If you have a prayer request you can call 880-3987 or send an email to prayerchain4sh@aol.com with your petition. Your request will be anonymous, unless otherwise stated, or you can write your petition exactly as you would like it sent out.
The Power of Intercession
Remember, we are all a community in the Body of Christ, and we are called to intercede on behalf of each other to keep the body holy. If one member of the body suffers, we all suffer; prayer requests are not just for healing an illness; they can be made for any reason. If you are struggling with job loss, marital problems, addiction, any setback, temptation, or weakness, let us intercede for you, we will all take refuge in the Lord. Remember Christ’s words,
“Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by my Father in heaven.”
Have Patience! Recall the parable of the “importunate widow” in Luke 18, which teaches us to have the patience to pray without ceasing, until we wear God out!
Give Thanks and Praise! By the same token, send us your prayers in thanksgiving for his blessings so we may all rejoice and send praise together.
Jesus Hears our Prayers
If you feel called to join the prayer chain, but aren’t sure you know how to pray properly – don’t worry. As stated above, God loves us and wants to hear from us! Here are some suggestions:
Pray from the heart. When we pray for one another we show God that we take his words seriously that we love one another.
Prayers can be random and brief. You don’t have to have any certain time set aside, just be sure to take at least a few minutes everyday, calm yourself, read each request and say something as brief as “Lord send your blessing” or “Lord hear my prayer” for each petition.
Pray conversationally .Just talk to God, like you would your best friend, let him know what’s in your heart.
Use the Bible. Use the inspired words of the greatest heroes of our faith! In Mathew 6 is the perfect prayer, the Our Father. Many before us were uncertain of how to pray! Call on all the angels and saints; their greatest glory in heaven is to help us out on earth.
Get a little prayer book. The Church has hundreds of wonderful books of prayers. The Catholic Book of Prayers is a little 4X6 size book that is great for beginners, it has the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Novenas, prayers to several saints, and several prayers for specific intentions. Little book, POWERFUL prayers!
Get a big prayer book. Some of you may feel called to use this prayer time to learn more about the fullness of the Catholic Faith. As prayer works through you, you may become interested to learn more about the many types of prayers. You can gain a profound grasp of the realm of Christ through the treasure trove of books and spiritual insights the Church has accumulated over the past 2000 years. One of the best sources for great books on the faith is the EWTN Religious Catalogue. Go to www.ewtn.com .
The Eternal Word Television Network. We are blessed to have channel 18, the all Catholic, all day, television station! Throughout the day there are televised Rosaries, Devine Mercy Chaplets and quick little commercial break prayers, just turn on the station and within no time you will have a chance to recite a prayer; the words are on the screen. EWTN television is another treasure trove of far reaching spiritual insights the Church has to offer.
Music. Many songs are just the words of prayers put to music. Using music is a great way to say your prayers while running around the house, in the car, or doing a workout. It can also be a great way to relax, sit quietly and meditate on Christ.
Candles. Light a candle in your home and lay the petitions in front of it; every time you walk by it, it will remind you to say a prayer for all our intentions. Instead of a candle, many people will use a special box or binder to keep the petitions in and pray over it during the day.
Prayer Petitions
Besides the prayer request that we receive from each other, it is also very important that we pray daily for the following:
Our Holy Church
Vocations to the religious life
Our Blessed Pope Benedict XVI and all who serve the church
Our country
Our military troops around the world
Peace in the Holy Land and throughout the world
An end to abortion
Unity in Families
Our children, that they are taught the faith, live it, and receive Gods blessings
Through all their generations
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that through the power of the Holy Spirit you may have hope in abundance.
Roman15:13
Please consider joining the Sacred Heart prayer chain,
God Bless You,
Roseanna Radoff
880-3987