A Comforting Thought

Have you ever experienced a time of trial/suffering/testing of faith that is so troubling, so worrisome, so difficult and grave that you cease to be able to pray?

You know you should, you wish you could...but, you can't? The words won't come. One of those times when we are told that the Holy Spirit understands the gutteral moanings of our soul?

Recently, I was reading the writings of Blessed Mother of Teresa of Calcutta. If you are familiar with her story, then you know that she experienced what amounts to 2 decades of "a dark night of the soul" ...dryness...emptiness...loneliness...feeling as Our Lord did upon His cross when He cried out,

"My God! My God! Why have You abandoned me?!"

I was immensely comforted (and thus, wanted to share this post with you so as to offer that same comfort) to read Mother's beautiful sentiments.

She said, that in those times, when all feels dark and lonely -- when prayers with or without words won't come  -- it is then that JESUS goes before His Father, on bended knee, and prays FOR us.

Our sweet and loving Savior, does the praying that we CAN'T do.

This is not to say that He merely "prays for us" as in "Dear Father, please help (name)" in an intercessory way...

No.

He does do that, of course.

But, what Mother Teresa was talking about is something much, much deeper....much more profound...much more unfathomable....

Jesus prays "for" us... meaning He "does the praying" that we should be and want to be doing but can't.

I spent the week pondering this amazing gift.

Kind and gentle Jesus...prays to His father for me...AS me...when I am unable to pray.

This led me to think of other times...such as when a marriage is in crisis...when one wants to love the spouse, but can't...or when one desires so much to be loved by the spouse, but isn't.

Surely, if Jesus prays to His Father in our place...so too, does He love our spouse for us when we are unable and so, too, does He love us...when our spouse can not/will not.

The profound reality of these things is incomprehensible to me.

It means that there is never and absence of prayer or love, because for every person who ever lived, is living now, or will live. Jesus is praying for each when they can't and loving for each when they can't and loving each when they are unloved.

Mother Teresa's reflections overwhelmed me. Humbled me.

Comforted me beyond words.

May this also bring you, my brothers and sisters, in Christ, a bit of Lenten Comfort.

Copyright 2012 Judy Dudich