Prayer Requests

A reader writes:

Arnold isn’t old enough to drink, but he has already hit rock bottom. His sister’s death 3 mo ago made a bad problem impossible and he wound up with a busted car and a busted face. But he had a KJV on his lap when I met him. He is getting started in treatment for the drinking tonight. Pray this really is his rock bottom and that his current desire.for.God and.clean living only grows stronger. He still has to face the law too, so pray he gets a judge who tempers justice with mercy.

Father, hear our prayer for Arnold’s complete restoration and redemption through Christ our Lord. Send him saints to help him in his struggle to get clean and sober. Mother Mary, pray for him.

Another reader writes to say that the man who had the bad stroke has died. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace through Christ our Lord.

Another reader writes:

Please pray for my marriage. My husband of almost 20 years told me a month ago, “I love you,but I’m not in love with you anymore,” and doesn’t know if he wants to be married anymore. This happened with little warning, as he has never complained about our relationship and we rarely argued. He has always been very loving and affectionate towards me. No more. We have 4 boys, 10 to 18 I am homeschooling. From what I have learned about midlife crisis, his behavior seems to correlate with that condition. Over the last year, he has become increasingly distant, not the man I have known for 30 years. The realization that he has slowly abandoned me to raise these boys alone is starting to sink in. The extent of his activity here now is doing laundry, sleeping, showering and leaving for work. When he is home,which is rarely, he is locked in the bedroom. He doesn’t speak to me. My intuition tells me there is someone else. From what I have been reading, there is a great chance that he will divorce me legally.

I beg prayers for strength for me, prayers for my husband, who is a non-practicing Catholic, and especially prayers for protection for my boys. I haven’t discussed this with anyone but my mom and my pastor. I have been reluctant to ask my online groups for prayers because of the sensitive nature of this, so I am feeling very alone.

Father, hear this woman’s prayer and change her husband’s heart to do the right thing for her and her children by staying faithful and working through his problems. Send him friends who can help him to be faithful to you and to his family. Send this woman the support she needs in this trial. Mother Mary and St. Joseph, pray for them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Another reader writes:

My wife has just called me – she’s been speaking to a West Indian woman named Selena: she’s a mother of 4, but she wants an abortion. She knows it’s wrong, but she feels like she has no other option. She’s not married to the father of her children, but he is with her and supportive; her last pregnancy, twins, one of the babies has brittle bones in the legs because she was short of calcium during pregnancy. She’s under terrible strain with the care of the children, they live in a 2-bedroomed flat and she just can’t take any more.

It’s heartbreaking because she hates the idea of abortion, and she says she’s praying for mercy from God and that the ‘spirit of the child won’t be damaged’. The procedure is booked for Wednesday afternoon. The woman is pretty, sociable and the two little ones my wife saw were beautiful.

Jacinta said she’d pray, but not for what she asked. If there was any way we could help, we could prove our pro-life credentials by doing it; but we’re not in much better straits ourselves. Jacinta was in tears when she called.

Please pray for everyone involved. May God’s glory be shown in this situation.

Father, hear our prayer that this woman choose life and that the baby be born health in to a stable family. Mother Mary and St. Joseph, pray for them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.