More than a decade ago I was on a travel forum where a question was asked about holy relics in Italy.
Do devout Catholics still revere these relics? Are they only important to one if the particular saint is significant to one? Are they thought to have some power if one prays near them? Or was the whole gathering and displaying of relics a crusades-era thing that died out centuries ago?
Many answers were given, and they were more or less respectful of the Catholic faith. I think, however, that my response ended the conversation. lol.
Hi M******e,
You asked good questions there. I’m Catholic. I myself wonder when we bring our children to churches in Europe and they see the relics if they understand the significance of these religious things to their faith. There are so many churches devoted to saints and Mary (like St. Peter’s, St. Denis, Notre Dame, Santa Mary Maggiore), that sometimes I remind them that we worship (with emphasis) God and we honor, venerate and revere the saints.
Thus, when we kneel in front of these relics or the hand of St. Francis Xavier in the Church of the Gesu, for instance (This gives a new perspective to the teenspeak “Talk to the hand!”), I hope my kids are not worshipping the relics themselves but rather, are recalling the lives of the saints and are edified by their examples. In the same way we don’t worship the bible, yet we kneel with a bible in our hands, or we have pictures of family members in the wallet but we don’t idolize them, we use the relics as an aid to prayer, to remind ourselves of God and his special friends, the saints. Also, when the children view the bodies of the saints, like St. Catherine Laboure in her chapel beside Le Bon Marche, they discover up-close that saints are real and not just legends or myths. There is this powerful, visual impact that makes them realize – without having to explain in a thousand words – that saints were born ordinary too, only they strove for extraordinary lives AND they themselves can choose to be like that with God’s grace of course.
In this sense, the displaying of relics, though they must have started long before the crusades (remember St. Helena, mother of Constantine, who took the Scala Santa back to Rome), still serves a purpose for modern Catholics.
But when one of my children asks if the relics have special powers or if they’ll get an answered prayer after wiping the feet of a statue (did you see how one foot of St. Peter is rubbed down at the Basilica?), I reply that THE saints or Mary intercede for us, through Christ. (Just like when I say to a friend in trouble that she’s in my prayer, I’m “interceding” but no way am I as holy…) If a miracle does occur, it is simply God’s will being fulfilled, not because the relic became a magic wand.
Hope this helps.
So why am I bringing this up here in this Bitches’ blog?
I don’t have any holy relics at home, and you all know very well that I don’t pretend to be a saint. But if you need prayers (or good thoughts and vibes), we can still pray for each other here, like a community of saints…errr…bitchesoverdramas.
I’ll start off.
Dear God,
I pray for the sick, and for those undergoing a surgery today.
I pray for grandparents who live far from their families. Please keep them safe and healthy till they’re reunited with their loved ones.
I pray for @Cleopatra.
I pray for world leaders that they may be guided by their right conscience and display Solomonic wisdom in their decisions.
These I ask through Christ our Lord.
–whoops, I also pray for a happy Friday the 13th. 🙂
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Go ahead and share your prayer requests. No pressure.
I pray that all of us will get through the hard times that come to us in any forms and for us and our loved ones to be continuously blessed with good health and be safe from harm where ever we go. Amin.
@Miracle23 🙂
It’s totally fine to mention Allah and end your prayer in your traditional way. I would love it actually.
Dear Lord, I thank you for the gift of life and the many blessings. I pray now for the elderly especially those who are by themselves, I pray for the healing of the world from covid, I pray for the children who are having a hard time doing remote learning, I pray for those who are suffering from illness or anxiety.
I ask these through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 🙏🏼
We pray that Jesus vaccinate all of us with his Precious Blood so that we all stay safe, healthy and cheerful esp during today’s stressful trying times.
For those who are ill in hospital, we pray they will have speedy recovery.
For those who are waiting to be vaccinated, and those who have allergies like me and my family, the Holy Spirit will guide the govt to bring in other non mRNA vaccines free for citizens to opt for, and no serious side effects after the jabs.
Amen.🙏
Thank you @PM3! I believe that prayers are powerful and when done as a community will multiply its impact. May all of our prayers be answered.
I pray to God in gratitude for keeping my family safe and healthy. I pray for healing and comfort for my dear friend who has cancer and continued healing for my relatives and friends who have been touched by cancer and on remission. I pray for those who are sick with Covid and for the pandemic to end. I pray for the kids who are back to school, May they be safe from the virus and follow safety protocols. I pray for Mother Earth’s healing, for rain to put off the fires in Europe and NorCal. I pray that I do good work.
These we ask through the intercession of Jesus, Mama Mary and the saints. Amen 🙏
TGIF!!!
prayers for everyone going through the pandemic that we may face the next day still with hope, peace, and healing
@packmule3, ok 😊
In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful,
We seek Your forgiveness and protection in this world and the next. O Allah, we seek refuge in You during this difficult times, and from the burden of hardship. O Allah, remove us from harm, heal us from ailment and You are the one who heals. We ask You for the goodness of this day, its victory, its help, its light, its blessings and its guidance. Amin rabbal’alamin.
Most Loving God, our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ and most gracious Holy Spirit, from Whom all life and blessings flow, we thank you for our lives and for all that is good, and we praise you. After this small word of praise and thanks, we bring many petitions.
For the friends I said I’d pray for, who are all around the world. For their safety and their health, that they will cope in the difficult situations in their countries, that they will get the treatment that they need for their various ailments, and support in their challenges.
For the children and the many who cannot receive the vaccine, that they may be able to withstand the infection and not spread it. That their families will remain well.
For all who are front-liners, meeting the sick, who are in essential services and who can’t get a break. That they may feel supported, be supported and be protected.
For all who have lost their jobs, their homes and family members, that they may be comforted and have hope. May they receive the help that they need.
For those who are in lockdown and under stress, facing challenges/abuse at home, that they will know they are not alone and be aided.
For the weather to turn for the better in all the places where the wildfires are. That those battling the fires be kept safe, that much land and livelihoods may be saved and that there will be good recovery.
On a different note, I pray for the children who are preparing for the sacraments, for their families and their catechists. May they have the joy of encounter with you, most Blessed Trinity, who loves them.
We trust in You that You will hear our prayers and give us what we need. Amen.
My dear @Packmule3 and friends,
On Sunday, we -the Orthodox- celebrate the Assumption of Virgin Mary. It is the most holy celebration during summertime.
All these past days I am praying. I have prayed with tears in my eyes, I have prayed with smile, still I continue to pray.
I am praying for our country and all those wildfires to stop.
I am praying for the people who lost their homes, for the forests, for the animals.
I am praying for Nature and then I am praying some more.
I have been praying constantly for many months now.
I am praying for my family and friends. I am praying for my B.O.D. friends to be safe and sound.
I am praying that things will change, since I am the one who decided to change.
I am praying that better days will come to the world.
I have faith in that.
When I am in stress, I start silent prayers. When I am happy, I pray. Praying is what it kept my mind empty from sad thoughts.
I breathe and I pray and it is one of the things that keeps me going.
As I have said in one of #YAMS threads: I decided to stay strong and that is the only option for me now.
Thank you @Packmule3 for the prayers… It means a lot to me… <3
P.S. Whoever wants to listen to one Byzantine Hymn dedicated to the Holy Mother. This is for you…
'Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε': https://youtu.be/rhxq-aaUNkk
Hello @ packmule3,
I humbly thank you for this noble idea.
Thank you very much Cleopatra for the link with the hymn to the Mother of God, Agni Parthene (O Virgin Pure) composed by our dear contemporary saint Nectarios of Aegina who performed innumerable miracles in spite of his oh so difficult life.
I also thank all those who pray on these difficult days. I too pray for the opening of human hearts, for there to be more acts of goodness, virtuousness, which will put an end to fear, incomprehension, lack of patience, violence.
I also pray for all countries where there are calamities, for the sick persons and the dying ones, for the prisoners.
As a practicing Orthodox Christian myself, I pray a lot to the Mother of God, who protects us, as children that we are.
I also leave two links for those who want to listen
Tchaikovsky – Hymn of the Cherubim: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZQzW_QfPew
And
Russian Orthodox Chant “Let My Prayer Arise”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P77wyj4yfdU
Father God creator of the Universe we thank you for your loving kindness in sending us Jesus your Som to suffer and die on the Cross for our sake. Opening a path for us to a life everlasting which can never spoil or fade, kept in Heaven for us.
Father God we pray for our world now. Ravaged by the pandemic, by climate change. We pray for healing for the sick. Comfort for those who are mourning. Strength for the weak. Father grant us patience in adversity, grace in times of crisis and above all, teach us to cling to that which is transcendent. Lift our downcast eyes that we may look to the home that is to come, where you will wipe away every tear from our eyes, where suffering and death will be no more and life will be everlasting.
In Jesus Christ’ name I pray. Amen.
Dear @Packmule3 and Everyone, Thank you for all of these prayers.
Please could you add Myra, my daughter’s friend who died in her sleep a couple of nights ago after a short illness. She was only 21. We are praying for her and for her family and friends.
I am not active in any religious group, but one of my treasured memories related to praying is attending a 3-day Jesuit-led retreat for us a handful of alumna of our Jesuit university: In the last Mass, for the “Intercessory Prayers” portion, instead of reading the standard community’s prayers off the Misalette for that day, our small group, seated in a lovely garden, just extemporaneously voiced out prayers for EACH OTHER, having known each other a little bit during the said retreat. (Not unlike this thread.) It was a remarkable sense of community sincerely gathered in the name of God, and praying for each other. 💕
@packmule3, thank you for providing even this space for the bitches to gather for one another. 💕
***
Dear God, I pray for the well-being and all the concerns of everyone in the BOD community.
For @Cleopatra, please keep her, her loved ones, and her community and country safe.
For the repose of the soul of Myra, the daughter of @Fern’s friend. May you welcome Myra in your heavenly home, and please comfort her family and friends. We know You are embracing them in their time of grief.
We pray for all our concerns in these pandemic-stricken times. — We pray for the sick and those taking care of the sick. We pray for those who have passed away and their families. We pray for our countries’ leaders, may their hearts be touched by the Holy Spirit when they perform their duties, that they become competent, efficient, effective, moral leaders that take into account the best interest of the people (and not selfish political interests). We pray those who have lost their jobs, may they find new opportunities for work the soonest. May vaccine rollout across the world be as efficient as possible to provide as much protection for all at the fastest possible time. Please protect us and our loved ones from sickness — physical, mental, and spiritual.
Lastly, we thank you for the blessings You have continued to shower upon us and our loved ones. We pray for the grace to recognize your blessings and to be reflective of your blessings to others. Amen.
Lord, have mercy on all who are suffering.
To all Orthodox Christians, blessed feast of the Formation (Assumption).
Dormition (Falling asleep), not Formation.
Thank you Lord Vishnu for giving us the universe to live and enjoy. Of late, we have been having so many problems. Please give us the strength to bear with the illness or difficulties in our life and please lend us a hand to withstand it. Please give us the knowledge to help the downtrodden and uplift our spirits with hope for the next day. Please take care of all the souls that have reached you in this pandemic, the fires and other calamities. Please send your forces to combat the illnesses, the pandemic, the fires, the drought . Please enlighten us with your wisdom.
Please take care of @Fern’s friends’ daughter’s soul. May there be peace for her so that she can come back again in perfect shape. Please take care of all the corona virus victims who have succummed all over the world. Please take care of all our families and friends and keep them safe. Please take care of all the people in the world especially countries who have not enough vaccinated people and who do not even have the vaccines to keep them safe. Please take care of all the families and friends of our BOD community. Please take care of Cleopatra and her family and her country. Please take care of the people in Japan who are experiencing floods. Please take care of the pacific coast experiencing fire and drought for a long time.
Please send Goddess Durga Mata (Kali) to rid the world of this disease.
Thank you lord for protecting the Universe.
Kaayena Vaacaa Manase[a-I]ndriyairvaa
Buddhy[i]-Aatmanaa Vaa Prakrteh Svabhaavaat |
Karomi Yad-Yat-Sakalam Parasmai
Naaraayannayeti Samarpayaami ||
Whatever I do with the Body, Speech, Mind or the Sense Organs,
Either by discrimination of the Intellect, or by the deeper feelings of the Heart, or by the existing Tendencies of theMind,
I Do them All (i.e. Whatever work is to be done) without Ownership,
And I Surrender them at the feet of Sri Narayana.
— Forgot to add
Thank you packmule3 for giving me a space to voice my concerns and be able to thank the almighty .
@Fern, it breaks my heart…
@GB, thanks for your prayer. Last Saturday I lost the travel for there were not vaccines, even if we were summoned the day before.
I am a Buddhist albeit not a practicing one at the moment, but, aside of asking for a better life for the ones living in dictatorships (myself included):
Please Lord have Mercy on us Human Beings and please give us Compassion to take good care of the lives around us, Wisdom to see the best path to do so, ans Strength to do what must be done and to endure what must be endured.
For the people living under terrible conditions, for the ones leaving everything behind, may they find a place to call “Home”.
For the people we will never be able to sit with in the same room again. For us left behind with this loneliness.
And please deliver us Hope 😀 .
Thank you @packmule3 for this prayer thread..
Dear God,
Please give us, our family and our loved ones the healthiness both in physical and mental wellbeing.
Please give us guidance to live our life and shower us with Your blessings.
Please open the heart of whoever that hold the position and authority in every country, so that we could create the sustainability not only for humans but also the plants, animals, nature and other beings.
For Fern’s daughter’s friend, Myra.. and also all the people who have left because of this pandemic and the disaster around the world… please embrace their souls and give them the best place beside You.
🍀🍀🍀🍀
Praying for protection for everyone, and deliverance from this scourge. Praying for healing and wellness from Covid, and anxiety and depression.
Thanks for this packmule3. 🙂
Thanks for opening this thread @pm3
I am praying for everyone’s safety and well-being here. The pandemic has been a tough time for everyone, and i hope in every hardship, there is ease. 🙏
I pray for @cleopatra, @fern’s daughter friend Myra and everyone going through hardship at the moment.
I return after reading your prayers to say: Amen to all the petitions.
Thank you Lord God for listening to our prayers. Please grant them according to Your holy will.
Thank you @pm3 for opening this thread. Reminding us that we can pray for one another regardless of religion but that we can do something where we are.
I pray for everyone’s physical well being, mental well being and spiritual well being. May our good Lord heal this land and the people, be it from Covid or other diseases, physical and mental and spiritual.
Praying a covering of blessing and peace. In Jesus name, Amen.
Thank you @pm3 and for everyone who’s joining this blog in prayer!
I pray for everyone who asks for mercy, forgiveness and love of God. In this trying times may we learn to hang in there and trust in God’s timing to grant our prayers. I offer my pains, frustrations and weaknesses to the loving hands of God, I can’t handle them anymore and I know that You are there, carrying me in this journey.
All these I pray to Almighty God, in Jesus name who reigns with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thank you @Cleo for the link. I enjoyed listening to the hymn. We also celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the same day as you. Reflecting on the Assumption gives me great hope and assurance.
May your prayers continue to uplift you, even as you lift them up to God.
My agapimeni @GB,
I feel the same as you do…❤️🙏
I also feel gratitude.
I will write in greek a prayer from today’s Mass…
“Ταις πρεσβείαις της Θεοτόκου, Σώτερ, σώσον ημάς»
P.S. @pandamilktea, @Sasa13 thank you for the prayers… ❤️
This is so comforting. I’m a bit late from all the threads here but thank you for this @packmule3.
I recently lost someone close to my heart. It hurts to know that the person whom I last saw pre-pandemic is no longer alive after this all ends, that I’ll no longer get to see that person, but instead an urn full of ash 🙁
Lord, I also pray for anyone who has lost their loved ones during this pandemic. May You, Jesus Christ, give comfort and peace to anyone grieving in these difficult times. Mama Mary, embrace us with your warm touch and care. Papa Joseph, give us the strength to accept and actually grieve & help us to be courageous and obedient to God’s will and plans. This I ask, through the intercession of Mary and the saints, Amen.
*group virtual hug
*offers prayers for the health and safety of y’all too!
I pray for Afghanistan. Please protect the women and young girls. Their fear is real and rational.
I pray for US troops and their allies, as well as members of the diplomatic and intelligence community who have stayed behind. Keep them safe. I pray for their worried families back home, too.
Again, I pray for world leaders, most especially the incompetent one, to demonstrate Solomonic Wisdom in their decisions and actions.
Lastly, I pray that my rage today be redirected to firm resolve to support the dreams of Afghan women and seek justice for them.
-pm3
Amen, @packmule3.
I’m with you @Pm3 in praying for Afghanistan especially for the women and young girls. My heart is breaking for them. How can we help?
@Fern, also prayed for your friend’s daughter who was gone too soon.
Since we are a “watching” community, I would like to share this film, recommended by a friend. It’s available in Netflix.
“If you want to better understand the status of women in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, I highly recommend you watch “The Breadwinner,” an animated film about Parvana, an 11-year old growing up under the Taliban in 2001. When her father is wrongly arrested, Parvana disguises herself as a boy to find her father and save her mother and sisters from starvation, as women are unable to leave their house without a male relative.
“The Breadwinner” was made by Irish filmmaker Nora Twomey, adapted from the bestseller by Canadian author Deborah Ellis, and produced by Angelina Jolie. A movie by women on women in one of thei few countries around the world fraught with danger and death for girls and women.”
Thank you, Janey and thanks to everyone who has prayed for Myra.
The coroner (U.S.) said that she died of Covid. We don’t know what was going on for her not to be hospitalised for treatment- we can only speculate. -Family poverty, beliefs, immigration status? The group of girls who corresponded, much as we do, bought flowers and have made contributions to her funeral but I believe they are in shock to have lost a peer.
@jhans, my condolences to you on your loss. I know what you mean when you describe the feeling of disbelief that you will never see someone again.
As to the situation in Afghanistan, I am finding it so painful to watch. I can pray; I will donate what I can.
I have stopped watching footage from Afghanistan since it first aired. It’s disturbing viewing.
I am praying for the women and girls in Afghanistan. And those left behind who have been trying to flee to safety. Father watch over them and protect them. Amen.
Amen to all the prayers here. I add to that prayers for Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake and for their government to step up to help their own people after the assassination.
Lord, Who is Divine Mercy, have mercy on our brothers and sisters in great need. Cover them with your protection and let them know that they are not alone. Give strength to those who are in position to help and hope to those who wait to be rescued. Amen.
Dear God,
Please provide comfort to the ones here who are wondering what was it all for? For the wives who gave their husbands, soldiers that gave their life and limbs, so much time and effort. Girls having hope in their future—all just taken away. I pray for the people remaining who are scared- for their terror to be lessened and for the ones who have accepted Jesus into their heart to stand firm and know you’ll meet Him in heaven. I pray for the brave girls that still went to school today and for the families that have been separated.
I pray this pandemic will end sooner rather than later. I hope all of us that have been vaccinated aren’t harmed by the vaccine and I pray those that are divided will remain kind.
Amen
Praying for an end to this pandemic and praying for all the people affected by the events in Afghanistan. Please have mercy on Your people, Lord.
I praise God for the strong sense of solidarity in this prayer thread.
AMEN to every prayer spoken here. 2 Cor 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
Thank you PM3 for this timely thread. I see your heart, compassion, and wisdom in action.
I also feel i am being prayed for here. {{{virtual hugs}}} to all. God bless you all.
There is POWER in praying in the name of our Abba Father. Amen.
Thanks @pkml3 and Everyone here!
Here’s a long distance hug for each of us!!!
All our prayers we make to you, O Lord,
Dear Lord, God, please hear our prayers.
Forgot to add the link!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DWyKlmrYL124IHdIt2pY13Gt0au79mFn/view?usp=sharing
@packmule3
your answer really really moved me, I once attended sunday school (mixed denomination) and the teacher was talking about this topic and he was very harsh until another teacher had to intercept, next time someone asked this questions I will show them what you wrote here.
I pray for everyone here to always have joy in their life, to be strong and courageous in this difficult time, to know that they are not alone and for God’s indescribable love to be revealed in their daily life. In the name of Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.
I’m praying hard today for those adversely affected by what has been happening in Afghanistan. May we take care of those who come to us for shelter.
May the researchers and medics continue to find ways to halt the spread of Covid though out the world.
May this group stay strong and continue to find things to celebrate together to keep our spirits up.
@Packmule3, I’m returning to this thread with prayers for the people of Louisiana, suffering in the wake of Hurricane Ida. I see that the predicted storm track includes Washington DC. May you, family, friends, and community stay safe.
@welmaris thanks! We are without power and limbs trees down but everyone is safe and we have a generator running for some electricity. Others nearby aren’t so lucky. My older daughter and I plan to leave for DC this Thursday to visit my brother and his new baby, hoping that doesn’t get canceled.
Stay safe and dry, @Birdie. Praying for those affected by Hurricane Ida.
If only we can have some fraction of that rain to douse the fires in NorCal… Caldor fire is spreading up and South Lake Tahoe is evacuating. The smoke and air quality is bad. Prayers for their safety and refuge from the fires.
Hi Everyone! I’m keeping everyone in storms’ paths in prayer, and am still praying for all those petitions mentioned above.
Stay safe @birdie007. ❤️🙏🏻
Stay safe @birdie!
Thank you @janey @cleo @nrllee and @GB. Still no power but thankful for a resourceful husband, two adaptable daughters, and a generator. The fires must be terrifying. I would love to be able to share our abundance of water and clear skies @janey. Prayers for all and thankful for you all and the distraction these dramas and discussions provide
Stay safe @Birdie007🙏🙏❤❤