Advent Journey Day 18 Prayer and Verbena soap.

   

 Once, many years ago, I worked in  a BellSouth office in Jonesboro. It was around Christmas and this day must have been particularly trying. One of my employees, Sue Cole, a lovely young woman with a gorgeous smile, must have sensed my tension. She quietly walked in, put a headset on my ears and started a tape player..What played has comforted me for years. The words, the words.

 I have started a prayer list and  I am being very faithful..It began with some Twitter friends who are atheists and then I added people that come in dreams,  friends and those battling diseases. It is filling fast.Today, on-line, Fr.Pavone, known for his dedication to the unborn asked for prayers for President Trump so I added this priest and our leader.

Long ago, I left the Church when a priest at Mass asked for prayers that the North Vietnamese would convert.I almost laughed out loud. I knew better. The problem with prayer is that most aren't answered immediately..I put my dime in and expect the candy to pop out. And in the color that I desire because I know what I want and what is good for me.

I am so glad to have reached this age when I can look back and see that prayers are answered. I have some journal notes about praying for an old friend that he come to believe. To even have found these notes from 12-26-'84 is amazing. While praying then,  I was told this:

 "Watch, wait and pray, keep praying every day. He is resisting because he knows his past life was fruitless-which it was .Have a friend pray also." Many years later, I found out that this friend had stopped resisting and turned toward the One who had been chasing him.

Here is something so touching and beautiful to ponder as we look for time to pray:

"Our prayer makes God glad and happy. He wants it and waits for it so that, by his grace ,he can make us as like him in condition as we were by creation...Our Lord himself is the first to receive our prayer, as I see it. He takes it, full of thanks and joy , and he sends it up above and sets it in the treasury, where it will never be lost. It is there, before God, with all his holy ones-continually heard, continually helping our needs. When we come to heaven, our prayers will be given to us as part of our reward-with endless, joyful thanks from God". Julian of Norwich.Anchorite,England 14th Century.

The tape that played that day was a song by Michael W.Smith called "All is Well.".To me these encouraging words suggest something else that Julian said :"All is well, all is well, all manner of things shall be well." We have no idea how many things God will make well.

Today, as I opened door 18 of the Advent Calendar I find Verbena soap from Provence. As I type,  I thank and pray for Sue, Julian,  Thomas Merton who reminded me of her today, my nephew Paul who gave me the Merton book and my wonderful daughter who gave me this Advent Calendar that has blessed every morning of this Advent Season.