The power of prayer

Richard A. Sokerka

In this day and age where there are constant threats to our faith, to our families, to the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, and to our religious liberty, prayer is needed now more than ever.

That was the message that resonated from Wash­ington last week — not from the White House or the halls of Congress where once upon a time our great leaders of the past called upon our nation to pray — but from where you would expect it the most — the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

There, more than 1,000 Catholic leaders in business and politics, as well as bishops, priests, and religious heard Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo tell the assembled: “The crisis of marriage and family today cannot be separated from a crisis of faith and a crisis of meaning. And so we must pray for our nation and for our families.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) joined Bishop Malone in addressing the crowd about the need for prayer as challenges are presented to religious liberty and the family in today’s “crisis of faith,” as Bishop Malone called it.

Abbott said the Church in the U.S. must pray for strength to weather the storm that threatens its ability to practice the faith in public. “In America today, there is an urgent need to pray, now more than ever, especially the need to pray for our religious liberties,” he insisted, citing the contraception mandate, legalized abortion and the push for acceptance of same-sex marriage as “assaults on our faith.”

In exhorting all to turn to prayer in this time of crisis, Gov. Abbot quoted the words of Pope Francis: “To not pray is to close the door to God so that he can do nothing.” He told the crowd, “I have found that there is no force as indomitable, as formidable, as prayer to almighty God.

Believing in the power of prayer, it is our duty as a people of faith and as citizens of this nation to pray each day for our nation so it may survive this “crisis of faith” that it is now embattled in.