Dear Prayer Power Family,

You are a blessing to the church in Philadelphia. I want to thank you for your loyalty and faithfulness to Our Lord in the Eucharist and to our priests and religious. Since my last letter, God has called home four loyal Prayer Power members. I had the gift of spending time with each one of them before they died. They radiated the peace and joy of Jesus Christ.

"As you live so shall you die." These four people lived their faith by attending daily Mass, weekly Adoration, saying the rosary, and volunteering in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons. When we spend time with a person who is dying, we get a different perspective on life. We appreciate the richness of our Catholic Faith and the healing power of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

This is something the news media does not understand. They criticize us for remaining faithful to Mass and our parish. They do not understand that the Mass and our Catholic community nourish our spiritual life. Although we are heartbroken and angry about the recent scandals in our Catholic family, we are not going to abandon the very graces that sustain us. The news media sensationalizes and exploits people’s pain. Let us not get caught up in their distorted mistruths. If you read something that makes you angry, check it out before you take their words as gospel.

We know and love our priests, those in ministry and those on administrative leave. We can’t imagine the pain they are suffering. Our hearts and prayers go out to them and to the victims. This is a time to Retreat, Reflect and Renew; powerful antidotes to anger, emotional pain and disappointment.

Emily Battinelli, a junior at Villanova University, retreats to the Blessed Sacrament to reflect on her daily challenges. Her visits renew her faith and give her the courage to go back into the world and make a difference. Tom Whittingham, a seminarian at St. Charles, feels quiet time with Our Lord in the Eucharist is a gift. It renews his strength to take Jesus to the people he meets in his apostolate. 

Ask yourself a simple question: What is God asking you to leave behind?

God bless you and your family always.

Love,

Peg
peg@PrayerPowerVigil.org