The Night Prayer of the Church as a «Rehearsal for Death» Msgr. Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington
Not exact matches
The Harvard president said she would allow the black Mass to continue, citing the value
of free expression on campus, but planned attend a
prayer ceremony Monday
night at St. Paul's
Church in Cambridge.
Last
night was a special
night of intercessory
prayer at our
church.
Has it ever seemed strange to you that although there can be dozens
of people out in the community loving others, serving the poor, meeting needs, and helping the homeless, the «truly spiritual people» are those who come to
church on Wednesday
night for the
prayer meeting where they pray for the poor, the homeless, and the other needs
of the community?
«I began to learn to wrestle with homosexuality in community,» he writes, «over many late -
night cups
of coffee and tear - soaked, face - on - the - floor times
of prayer with members
of my
church.»
In the autumn
of 1989, despite the threats
of the secret police, 200,000 people came to Monday
night prayer meetings at Nikolai
Church.
We are asking them in our dorm rooms, at our kitchen tables, over coffee, in classrooms, at Bible studies, at
church, in our journals, in our hearts, and in thousands upon thousands
of tearful, faithful
prayers each
night.
Many
churches, including Calvary Chapel
of Puerto Rico, held special
prayer nights this week to pray for their island and others in Maria's path.
One pastor tried to cancel our
prayer meeting a few years back, and after only one month
of not praying on Wednesday
night, we just about had a
church split.
Most
nights young Eritrean men, all Orthodox Christians, could be seen kneeling in
prayer at the door
of the
Church of San Gerlando
of Lampedusa.
When the parish phone rings in the middle
of the
night, bearing news
of a family crisis, the
church still answers faithfully, but the bedside
prayers and communion may be offered by Sister, not Father.
With the other monks he slept in the large upstairs dormitory, ate in the refectory, listening to suitable reading at the same time; and had his stall in the
church for the services which were patterned across the day and some
of the
night These services were centred on the recitation
of the sacred poetry
of the Jews, the 150 Psalms, which the early Jewish Christians had continued to recite when they became followers
of Jesus, and which had become the staple Christian
prayer.
Finally, says Gael, one
night in»67 he went to the front
of his
church and fell to his knees «in unashamed
prayer.»
Feed hungry babies, wipe up spills, exercise patience, calm squabbles, clean, cook, organize, get the laundry washed and put away, doctor's appointments, school activities, baseball, football, soccer games, plan celebrations and holidays, decorate for parties and seasons, bake cookies for school events, buy and wrap presents, hugs, kisses, storytime, grocery shop, clothes shop, fix boo - boo's and owies, bring encouragement, pray, comfort hearts and wipe tears, make happy memories, play games together, care for them when they get sick in the middle
of the
night, change diapers, bathe the little ones so they're fresh, clean and smelling sweet, tuck them into bed with
prayers at
night, get out the door to go to
church with hair combed and shoes on, tell them you love them to the moon and back, sit, listen and look into their eyes and savor their sweetness... and a million other things!