In the prayer ministry of Inner Healing we can call upon the Saints for their spiritual intercession. In the workings of grace God’s glory continues to shine through them to us when we ask them by name to pray for us or for our prayer requests.

At the beautification process of the Catholic Church for a Saint they refer to the charism or virtue that their life gave witness to. Vatican 11 defines a charism to be “a grace given capacity and willingness for some kind of service that contributes to the renewal and building up of the Church. “

These charisms are a manifestation of Jesus’ acts of love and remain as living graces eternally present for us to call upon for our lives and those we pray for. In the prayer of Inner Healing when we invite Jesus into the story of our lives we can be deeply wounded and unwilling to surrender our heart to Jesus. Our emotional pain causes our thoughts to become fixated upon ourselves. Also our feelings often become fixated passions rather than being genuine revelations of our human needs. The Saints also underwent similar trials in their lives. They overcame incredible difficulties emotionally, physically and spiritually to praise, worship adore and serve Jesus.

It is these virtuous actions or prayer jewels of great blessings that we receive when we ask a specific saint to pray for us.

PRAYER EXERCISE

As an abuse victim I was having great difficulty forgiving. Even though I know that forgiveness is the key that unlocks the heavenly blessings I couldn’t forgive from my heart. My anger kept returning followed by emotional turmoil every time I revisited the memories. I felt like I was going around and around in a washing machine. I received an inspiration to pray to this following saint.

St Maria Goretti – Pray for Us.

This Saint also experienced similar turmoil. As a young girl she lost her life escaping from a man who was trying to sexually molest her. In her efforts to escape she not only lost her life but also forgave her perpetrator. When we ask for her prayers of intercession we are asking Jesus to bless us with the same grace to forgive those who wish to do us harm. Her charism for us is the ability to forgive those who abuse, exploit or render us powerless.

St. Theresa of Lisieux – Pray for Us.

When I am proud of my efforts and achievements and compare my life with others. I fail to recognise and thank God for my gifts. I begin to believe that my achievements are the sole result of my own efforts.

The charism of this Saint is humility and in her short and secluded life she became the prayer heart for the missionary activities of the Church.

In my simple acts of giving thanks to God with a grateful heart for the gifts I have received I began to love people the way they are and pray for them to be grace filled.

Saint Walburga – Pray for Us

As a mother I became concerned about my children being drawn towards occult and pagan rituals such as Halloween and séances for contacting the departed. This saint was the most popular saint in the middle ages and was born in England and invited by St. Boniface to help him in Germany with his missionary work. She had a deep prayer life, works of charity, courageous in her outreach to others and performed many miracles of healing. I call on her intercession as a refuge for the afflicted. For those who are being contaminated by their involvement in séances, pagan festivals and rituals that lead them away from Christ being the way the truth and the life.

St. Boniface – Pray for Us

Our society due to the availability of the internet is now exposed to many pagan practises and events . Many families no longer baptise their children and they are vulnerable to the effects of pagan rituals that seduce them into following or worshipping false gods. Saint Boniface who was from England and appointed as a Benedictine Bishop of Germany was matyred by pagans after he cut down a oak tree considered sacred to them. He evangelised Hessia , Thuringia and Saxony and established several monasteries in the middle ages. His intercession is invaluable for those who have been affected by curses and involved in occult forms of activities like seances – fortune telling – superstitious beliefs and rituals.

Prayer Comment:

There are so many Saints I could use here as examples. I have chosen these saints on purpose as an example for the world we live in. At times we feel so helpless and powerless in a secular world with an emphasis on rituals and festivals that are not Christian.