“Yes, ill pray for you!”

The power of intercession. A family member asks for our prayer and we give it. A stranger pleads our prayer and we promise it. Yes, the very act of receiving the intention becomes a prayer in itself, it is our sincere embrace of the other person that elevates the need to the Father. These prayers are heard and are precious to the Heart of Jesus and his Mother Mary. There is still one prayer that at times remains silent on our lips.

“We shall never succeed in knowing ourselves unless we seek to know God” (St. Teresa of Avila) 

When did we last pray for the grace of knowing God. When did we last ask God for the grace to see as He sees us, to have a heart like His. The closer we come in contact with Him, the greater our capacity to embrace every intention that comes our way, both from the souls in purgatory and people here on earth, not just the ones asked of us or the ones we can fathom but every prayer of the heart can be sincerely offered to the Father. We were called to be co-redeemers with Christ. This means we share in his offering and we have the capacity of saving souls with him. We can do this by knowing him and seeking to know his will. The very act of living in conformity with him allows our prayer for others to bear much fruit. Knowing the Real Him + knowing the real us = knowing His will. This changes everything.

Seems the more we know God the more we come to know ourselves and this might be the reason many choose not to enter into the mystery of the Father. It is a frightful journey when the layers of our very being are stripped away and all that remains becomes exposed. We begin to see our every sin, our turning away from grace, and our lack of virtue. It hurts. We see how much more we could have loved him and everyone else we claim to “love”. This moment in prayer rightfully becomes self-seeking, self-centered. Our attention, if only for a moment in time, becomes wholly engulfed in an unveiled self plea for mercy. We are not elevating the intentions of the world, we are bowed with outstretched arms, lifting our heart to heaven. The humility and meritorious act brings a proclamation of our ultimate dependence on Grace. Yes, we are intercessors but without a relationship with the One who receives our petitions how can we learn to love ourselves as we are, and how can we sincerely bring others closer to God?

With a realization of our need for holy change, comes the beginning of life’s pruning which prepares us to become a vessel of prayer. A single vessel in the hands of God can aid the salvation of hundreds of souls. An offering of our life becomes a simultaneous lifting of another’s soul. We save ourselves by saving others.

Yes, the very act of wanting to know God becomes a prayer in itself, the elevation of our very heart to God becomes an elevation and salvation of someone else’s soul too.