Oramus: For You We Pray

The essence of the Christian life is passing along God's love and blessings to those we find in our path. We love those with whom we live and work and play by sharing their daily lives, their joys and their trials. We love the needy in far off places through general prayer, and through contributions to those charities that aid them.

But how do we love and bless those in our own community that we do not know personally: those we see on the street, in the market, at the mall? Those who are well-dressed and well-fed, and in no obvious need? They, too, need the love and blessing of God. Some already have it; but what of those who do not know God? How, as Christians, can we love and bless them?

We Pray.

If asked, they would not accept our help; but through us they may receive the Lord's blessing. And some few might choose to ask what we are doing, and why; and perhaps they will learn to know God themselves.

This site really resonates with me. Perhaps because lately I have found myself looking at the faithful taking Communion while Thomas Merton's words echo through my head:

There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.

I do not take credit to myself for the sometimes overwhelming waves of love I feel for all the wide variety of people filing before my eyes. I feel this is the Holy Spirit giving me just a little taste of Jesus' overwhelming love for all of us. It is a glorious thing.

Oramus also put me in mind of The Anchoress's reflection upon praying for strangers which also wound around Merton's statement.

Oramus also has a blog which says there will be occasional posting. I am inclined to think that if all they ever posted was the excellent reminder to anonymously pray for our neighbors then that would be enough. Perhaps, again, because that is what I often find myself doing, all based on that really good prayer which I wrote about some time ago: Lord have mercy on me and bless (name/that person). Praying for our neighbors is an extension of that idea but without the impetus of an annoyance to kick start the process.

I like it.

I like it a lot.