There’s never an excuse nor reason not to pray and I always think the string of feasts from Pentecost through to the Blessed Trinity, Corpus Christi and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are more than enough impetus to get down on one’s knees and adore, love, and hope in the Loving God.
Then there have been the horrendous events over recent weeks with barbarous terrorism at home and abroad and compounded with unspeakable and tragic loss of life like the fire of Grenfell Tower London. May their souls truly rest in peace. Aside from how brutal the world can feel on a daily basis, the news does tempt one to feelings of despondency.
Yet again it’s another reason to pray even harder for when things seem to be so bad, so depressing [and headlines of affairs in the Church don’t help] then where else is there to go?
As President Abraham Lincoln once said:
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
It doesn’t get more emphatic than that when we ponder on the bleak nature of recent events.
And so tomorrow, the solemnity of Corpus Christi – the Body and Blood of the Lord [at least in Britain!] I am looking forward to falling to my knees outside our parish church as the recent First Communicants [among whom will be my son, Paul] lead the Blessed Sacrament procession strewing petals from their gardens in the way; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs and it’s our privilege as their parents and adults to kneel before our Heavenly King to humble ourselves in the presence of children to say – “we do not have all the answers. We do not always understand why there is so much evil and hatred and wilful incompetence in the world and the Church, but we surrender ourselves to the Father in thanksgiving for His Son through His Spirit.”
When so many abandoned Christ after he declared “unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you cannot have life within you” it was St. Peter [the first pope] who throughout history [more than any other pope ever….ever!] spoke on our behalf saying: “Lord to whom shall we go?”
There is nowhere else we can realistically go, except to Him, to crawl [interiorly] on our knees before Him in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar saying; “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.”
