I am a mother...and this “being a mother” is part of my life of prayer. Any mother worthy of the name cares about her children whether they are young or old. Whenever I come before the Lord in prayer, I take my children with me...their needs, their sufferings, their desires. But I have found that it’s all too easy to pray for my children without really surrendering them to the Lord. It’s not enough to be concerned about their welfare; we must really trust that the Lord cares for them more than we do and that He will help them. The Holy Spirit, the greatest teacher, will teach us how to pray and to trust God for our families if we allow the word of God to form us.

One day, not too long ago, I was very burdened about one of our sons. A priest who is a dear friend reminded me of this verse from the Bible, “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7). In the light of this Bible verse, I could see that although I’d pray for my child, I would still worry...feeling like it was I who was still carrying the burden. Then later in the day I was reminded of a verse from one of the psalms: “Grace and glory He bestows, no good thing does the Lord withhold from him who walks uprightly.” When I had a chance to pray in church about the situation with my son, I found a place up as close as possible to the Blessed Sacrament altar. I searched for the psalm which has been on my mind and discovered that it is Psalm 84. Perhaps you may remember some of its verses. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts. My soul yearns, yea pines, for the courts of the Lord. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which to lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God!”

Here it was...just the image I needed to help me surrender my son! These verses inspired and then formed my prayer as I began to speak to the Lord so close to His altar. “Jesus, even the sparrow finds a home in which to lay her young at Your altar. You tell me in Your word that I am worth more than many sparrows. So surely, here at Your altar, there is a place for my young...for each of my children. For what is mine is Yours and what is Yours is mine. If You withhold no good thing from those who walk in sincerity, then I should have nothing to fear. For You will not fail to give my children all that they truly need for their growth...every good thing, especially the consolation of your Holy Spirit, the greatest of all good gifts.” Consciously I then laid at His altar each of my children, especially the one for whom I had the greatest concern. I left the church unburdened and within a short time some wonderful things took place in my son’s life...signs of the Lord’s care for his deepest needs.

The Bible can teach us as parents how to pray with confidence and trust. Another verse which has been forming my prayer for my family these days has been this one: “Here I am with the children God has given me.” (Heb. 2:13 ). It’s true that in some way we must come to God alone...that God has no grandchildren...each person must come to a mature commitment of his or her life to God. And yet, it is also true that we never really come to Him alone...especially if we are parents. I am always before God as mother of Mark, Peter, Marie-Therese and Patrick. And even when this prayer is unspoken, it is nevertheless in my heart, “Here I am with the children God has given me.” They are mine, but they are only lent to me by the Lord. Ultimately they are His. And it is with this realization that I must pray. God knew them before they were formed in my womb. He called them each by name before I ever pronounced their names. This thought fills me with confidence, knowing that I am not trying to convince the Lord to do something good for my children as though I am the only one who knows, understands and loves them.. He does and far better than I!

My own mother was called home to heaven in recent years and I have been consoled by this thought in the midst of my sadness at losing her earthly presence. A mother takes with her into eternity her love for each of her children, her intimate knowledge of each one. As an intercessor, with a more intense gaze upon the Lord, she can speak to Him about the needs of her children. What confidence the vision of God must give to such prayer! If here on earth our confidence grows as we feed on the Word of God in the Scripture and in the Eucharist, how much greater and stronger our confidence will become when we no longer see “in a mirror dimly,”but rather “face to face!” (cf. I Cor. 13:12) © Patti Gallagher Mansfield, 2007, www.ccrno.org