Anonymous Prayers

There are times when I realize that most of my prayers are totally self-centered. They are focused completely on myself, my needs, my worries. Or, they are focused on the needs and worries of family, friends, acquaintances. I frequently have to remind myself to pray for strangers, for those in foreign lands, for people down the street who I don’t even know.

Most of us react quickly with a prayer when we hear of a disaster in the world. We react with a prayer when we see pictures of the homeless or starving children in other countries. But probably the place anonymous prayer is most neglected and needed is inside homes, apartments, and on the streets, right near where we live. None of us knows what goes on behind those doors and windows, or in that alleyway down the block at night. It is good to say a quiet, heartfelt prayer for those we’ve never met.

When I pray for these needs, it’s usually a prayer for God to send them courage to do the right thing, fortitude to bear up under any suffering they endure, and the grace to feel God’s love in their hearts and in their lives. I often end the day with a prayer that God protects all my neighbors during the night. I may not know what their troubles are, and I might not be able to physically help them, but there’s no reason why I cannot pray for them.

Father in Heaven, watch over my neighbors, those with homes and those without, and keep them in your heart.