THE POWER OF PRAYER
Each time we look at The Most Blessed Sacrament our place in Heaven is raised forever (revealed by Our Lord to St. Gertrude the Great).
TAKE TIME TO PRAY . . . . It is the greatest power on earth!
WHEN YOU PRAY . . . . "Say what you mean, and mean what you say."
"Pray without ceasing."
I start my day with prayer and end it with prayer. I wake up at 4 in the morning to prepare myself for the busy day ahead. I ride 3 jeepneys to work. While commuting, I pray the rosary, the Angel of God, prayer to the Holy Spirit, St. Michael prayer and the Novena to St. Jude. That is a 1 and a half hour travel time.
During lunch at work, I pray the 15 prayers of St. Bridget and the prayer for the Drops of blood lost by Our Savior Jesus Christ. Then on my way home, I pray the rosary again. And before I go to bed I pray to the Sto. Nino, the Infant Jesus to come with me in my dreams.
It may seem like I’m a saint or a monk to you. But I’m far from it. I used to have a hard time praying even 1 rosary a day because I keep falling asleep or my mind keeps drifting away. I can only finish 1 decade then I will get too bored and I was never able to finish it. But I kept trying each day but to no avail. I guess I wasn’t really committed to what I was doing because I had no idea that prayer is a very powerful weapon against evil and temptations. If I knew then what I know now about the purpose of prayer and its benefits, I would have been a nun by now. But like most things in life, I had to suffer first before I learned the importance of prayer in my life.
I was 19 when my dad lost his job. Eventually we lost everything else…our house, our cars, our money. He was a drug addict. There is no other way to go but down to souls who choose to take this path, and their family suffers with them. It was a very difficult time for us then. And to add insult to injury, my uncle’s mistress is a witch and she would cast spells and send evil spirits to ruin our lives. I didn’t believe it at first when my aunt M. told me about it. But one night, my own mother was visited by 4 evil spirits on her bed. Black shadows flew in the night and hovered over her to strangle her. I was so incensed by this but I knew better than to strangle the witch myself. Besides I had no proof really. I did not fight fire with fire because I do not wish to join her in hell in the future. So I decided to seek refuge in God who is the Most Powerful One than the devil himself. The next day I prayed the rosary aloud with all my heart with a lighted candle. And everyday I would pray to the heavens to save us from her witchery.
Within that week, God will answer my prayers in the most wonderful and amazing ways. My aunt M. handed me a St. Jude Novena prayer because he is the Patron Saint of Hopeless cases she says. Then another time I was watching TV when a talk show host would give advice on how to exorcise demons using incense and the St. Benedict Medal. So I would pray the rosary each day complete with incense with lighted sky blue and white candles. Such measures worked wonders to the point that my uncle’s mistress will often get sick and her face will get weird blemishes and outbreaks. She was so irked that she got bolder in showing me her powers. But she is not a natural witch actually. She uses dark orations and incantations to summon demons to do her will. One afternoon while I was eating a late lunch, she sat about 5 meters from me while smoking a cigarette. She was not even facing me. She was sitting towards the west when my spider senses started tingling. Something warned me that she was going to hurt me right then and there and I will get a taste of her black magic. Mentally, I called on all the saints I know and pray to (for instance, I said to myself, St. Michael, pray for us…St. Jude, pray for us…and so on…). She was trying to do a number on me to prove that I messed with the wrong person. But the tables were turned in an instant. After I called on all the saints I know, she suddenly turned her head towards me with her eyes wide open in shock. I was as stunned as she was because in that instant I saw all the 13 saints I called on surrounding me, all enrobed in white like glowing spirits. That was the first time I witnessed the presence of heavenly beings…well maybe not. That was the most remarkable though. Since then I have started collecting prayers and novenas and I vowed to help others become closer to God and to fight evil in all shapes and forms. It was a turning point in my life and I was never the same person again. God showed me the power of prayer and it took a very disturbing incident for me to realize it. So now when anything bad happens to me, I know that God has a purpose for it and it must be bigger than what my wisdom and understanding can fathom. Indeed, it is wiser to surrender everything to Him and continue to live and strive with our daily lives. It’s not that easy I know. But that’s what He wants from us basically. Then eventually, we must help the poor and assist in church. And of course, we must pray the rosary each day and ask for Mother Mary’s intercession. Demons are rampant and virile nowadays. They are out to get you and me. Believe me I know. I exorcised 3 out of my own body. One demon was really colossal. This monster was all about gluttony. After driving it out of my system, I stopped craving for food for every minute the way I used to. The other 2 demons will always stop me from praying religiously or will keep distracting me during prayer.
Sometimes prayer is not enough. We have to offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. When we deprive ourselves of material things, we get more in touch with our spiritual needs. We must also nourish ourselves with soul food (e.g., prayer, sacrifice and penance). To live simply and to give up our worldly ways will help us make more time to be with Our Lord. And if we cannot detach ourselves from our riches and vices, penance is the key to break free from the clutches of the material world on us. Whenever I begin to question my faith or find no more meaning with my life, I go to confession and pour my heart out to a priest. It is better if you have a spiritual director so that you will know how your spiritual life is progressing. Although sometimes I go to a different priest just to get a fresher perspective. It only takes 1 or 2 months for me to lose my grip. Like I said there is so much evil in this world and we need to be wary and always be prepared to fight for our faith and our sanctity. Our best weapon is PRAYER. We need to turn our backs on sin and amend our ways. But we cannot do this alone because the devil knows how to lure us deeper and deeper into the pit. We need God’s grace and wisdom. And we will receive these graces and blessings if we talk to Jesus and ask for His assistance. We must call on Mother Mary, all the angels and saints to protect us and guide us from the snares of the devil. There is an urgent call for each of us to prepare our hearts and souls before it’s too late. Please allow Jesus to come into your heart and change You. In these trying times, we must yearn for His mercy and love to save us from eternal damnation.
“What we do in life…echoes in ETERNITY”
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