The ABC’s Of Prayer

A simple story about prayer that I thought others might enjoy:

The story is told of a young Jewish lad who lived on an isolated farm with his family. They were quite poor and lived simple lives. One day the boy got to travel to a village with his father. He was drawn to a synagogue where he heard prayers being recited. His heart was touched, so he went in and sat down to listen to the prayers. The boy was deeply moved and wanted to join in the prayers, but he could not read the Siddur, the Hebrew prayer book. So he closed his eyes and simply prayed the alphabet, “Aleph, Bet, Gimmel, Dalet, Hey, Vav�” He recited the alphabet over and over again. Then he said, “O God, I don’t know how to pray or what to say; so please take these letters and form them into the words that You would like to hear.”

Thankfulness

At “The Catholic Thing,” there is an article titled “Eucharisteo“. It is worth reading.

The Duck Song And Catholic Theology

We at St. Francis Men of Emmaus are expert theologians. Theological conundra (we use big words too!) that stump lesser minds are child’s play for us. With that in mind, we offer you:

THE DUCK SONG

As of this writing, The Duck Song has been viewed more than 100,000,000 times (no typo!). What are the profound theological implications of “The Duck Song?” Does it presage the End of the World? Or merely the End of the World As We Know It (and I feel fine)? What does it say about the Nature of God? Love? Beauty? Truth? The other sublime mysteries of our faith?

Or…. is it a consolation from an infinitely living Father hidden in a cute, catchy tune and a quick laugh to brighten a moment or two? Is it a consolation when we adults show it to our kids and grand kids and their faces break into a smile and they begin laughing in spite of themselves?

Without further ado, here is THE DUCK SONG.

Maybe The Pope Should Ask St. Jude For Help …..

Zenit reported the following breaking news:

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 31, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will be praying this month for politicians and their sincerity.

Sounds like a mission for St. Jude, patron saint of hopeless causes!