I had an encounter with a homeless lady this morning. I can't call it a conversation, as there was no back and forth, talking and listening, or sharing of ideas... I listened, trying to make sense of what she was saying, hoping to catch some glimpse of her state; but her mind was racing, her thoughts flighty, ping-ponging from one point to the next. I listened, and I prayed. I tried to express my concern for her, to treat her with dignity.
She complained about one of her companions, and I suggested that she pray for him. In a moment of lucidity, possible the only clear moment throughout our time together, she stopped at the door and said: "I don't know how". Should I have taken the extra time to pray with her? I don't know if her mind or attention could have handled an earnest prayer... so I told her to simply say, "Lord, help him"; "Lord, help us."
Friend, I don't know where you are spiritually during this third week of Advent. Perhaps you're feeling abandoned, like you have no place to call home; perhaps your thoughts are a little murky, or the enemy is trying to stir anxiety, to steal your peace, to muddle your mind... Take heart: the Lord your God is in your midst, and He loves you!
Lord, when we don't know how to pray as we ought... would You help us?
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