When I remember my childhood, there is an assortment of birthdays, family dinners, summertime twilight bicycle rides or firefly hunting expeditions, and reminders to pray before bed, loving, long prayers before Sunday breakfasts. Oh, how lyrical the prayers seem now. How rigorous and imposing they were then. At some point prayer became my trusted friend.
The beauty of prayer rests within the simplicity. There is a gentle mingling of life and death in all of my prayers. My prayers are often said for both the living and the dead. There is something extraordinary about honest, automatic prayer. Sometimes prayers are offered without thought, just as a response to something seen or heard or felt. Prayer offers a connection with God. Prayer allows us to be vulnerable, to believe in the impossible.
Catholics have all types of prayers and occasions to pray. Preparing for confession is an excellent time for prayer as we examine our choices and their consequences. Being good is not easy. Being Catholic is not easy. Prayer offers us solace.
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