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DEACON WICKERN — Asking for prayer
I recently had reason to ask others for prayer, and it was a surprisingly tough decision. People have asked me to pray for their health, well being, better employment, employment for their kids, even sick pets, and all done without question. Asking others for prayer? Not so much, and I realized I was keeping my greatest prayer needs personal and private. I had to ask myself; am I really in “communion” if I keep my prayer needs personal and private?
-Catholic Missourian
Sometimes the answer to a question is more questions. I found myself asking if this wasn’t some false sense of pride; me not wanting others to know “my” business or to see “my” flaws. Doesn’t that change my prayer from a communal act; to one that is just between “me and my God?”
I began to reflect on the meaning of communion. We come to Mass, receive Holy Communion, and the Eucharist unifies us. Is that it? Does joining in our Eucharistic celebration mean we have entered into “communion”? The answer is yes and no. Our Eucharistic celebration unites us to Christ along with everyone else, but we are also the members of Christ’s body on earth today. We do not stand alone away from Mass.