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Hello everyone,

Today, Sunday 29th December, we have 296 people from all over the world and from many Christian denominations joining together in prayer. Our reflection this week is about Angels and War the one from Bob and Debbie Gass, from their "The Word for Today" is called Who's covering your back? It's the last one for this year so an opportune time to wish each and every one of you God's Peace, God's Joy, God's Healing and God's Bounty for 2003. And a huge big thank you for all the prayers going up to Heaven from you all!

The Weekly Intentions are included below and available on a plain page to be able to print off and kept to hand for your own prayer time.

"Father, bless all those who have requested prayers in whatever it is that you know they may be needing this day! Father, we ask You to heal the broken bodies, broken hearts, broken spirits and broken relationships and may all their lives be full of your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with you. Amen."

http://www.circleofprayer.com/prayerbook.html
http://www.circleofprayer.com/weekly-intentions.html

Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers because we know You hear every prayer and never refuse to answer. You are providing
answers and healings from the prayers of all these wonderful people. Praise God!

God Bless you all and thanks a million for being part of the Circle of Prayer - the Prayer Warriors.

Mary Mullins in Galway, Ireland
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Please say the two wee prayers below as often as you can, particularly the first one to the Holy Spirit if you need to see things in
a clearer perspective.

"O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen"
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"Dear Lord, I give you may hands to do Your work; I give You my feet to go Your way; I give You my eyes to see as You see; I give You my tongue to speak Your words; I give You my mind that You may think in me; I give You my spirit that You may pray in me. Above all, I give You my heart that You may love in me - love the Father and love all humankind. I give You my whole self, Lord, that You may grow in me, so that it is You who lives, works and prays in me. Amen."
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Last week our reflection was on Angels and in it I mentioned briefly Saint Michael, the Archangel. This week we stand at the end of another year but on the brink of another war! I came across a copy of a letter written by a young marine to his mother while he was hospitalised after being wounded on a Korean battlefield in 1950, and felt it might be appropriate to share it with you as this week’s reflection.

Phunnie things these reflections, they seem to have ‘wings of their own’. By that I mean, I never know from one week to the next what to write about, yet something always seems to come up. At the bottom there’s a Prayer for Peace, maybe more needed than ever in these dark days. I’ve also included a prayer given to the world by Our Lady in the early 50’s when she appeared to Ide Peerdman in Amsterdam and declared herself to be The Lady of All Nations. (The website has a complete section discussing these apparitions and the important messages.) If ever Her advocacy was needed around the world it is surely today as we add our prayers to Hers to bring to the Father, Her Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit to change the minds and hearts of our world leaders!

Anyway, back to our young Marine, the Navy chaplain, father Walter Muldy, to whom the letter was shown, thoroughly checked the facts with the young marine and the sergeant in whose patrol the boy had served. Having concluded that the facts mentioned in the letter had truly happened, the chaplain made the letter public for the first time in 1951 before a gathering of 5,000 marines at the Naval Base in San Diego, California. Since then the letter has been published in papers and periodicals, and read on radio and television programs, all over the world.

The War Record of Michael

Dear Mom,

I wouldn't dare write this letter to anyone but you because no one else would believe it. Maybe even you will find it hard but I have got to tell somebody.

First off, I am in a hospital. Now don't worry, ya hear me, don't worry. I was wounded but I'm okay, you understand. Okay. The doctor says that I will be up and around in a month.

But that’s not what I want to tell you.

Remember when I joined the Marines last year; remember when I left, how you told me to say a prayer to St. Michael everyday. You really didn't have to tell me that. Ever since I can remember you always told me to pray to St. Michael the Archangel. You even named me after him. Well I always have.

When I got to Korea, I prayed even harder.

Remember the prayer that you taught me?

"Michael, Michael of the morning fresh crop of Heaven adorning," you know the rest of it. Well I said it everyday. Sometimes when I was marching or sometimes resting. But always before I went to sleep. I even got some of the other fellas to say it.

Well, one day I was with an advance detail way up over the front lines. We were scouting for the Commies. I was plodding along in the bitter cold, my breath was like cigar smoke.

I thought I knew every guy in the patrol, when along side of me comes another Marine I never met before. He was bigger than any other Marine I'd ever seen. He must have been 6'4" and built in proportion. It gave me a feeling of security to have such a body near.
Anyway, there we were trudging along. The rest of the patrol spread out. Just to start conversation I said, "Cold ain't it." And then I laughed. Here I was with a good chance of getting killed any minute and I am talking about the weather.

My companion seemed to understand. I heard him laugh softly.

I looked at him, "I have never seen you before, I thought I knew every man in the outfit."

"I just joined at the last minute", he replied. "The name is Michael."

"Is that so," I said surprised. "That is my name too."

"I know," he said and then went on, "Michael, Michael of the morning ..."

I was too amazed to say anything for a minute. How did he know my name, and a prayer that you had taught me? Then I smiled to myself, every guy in the outfit knew about me. Hadn't I taught the prayer to anybody who would listen. Why, now and then, they even referred to me as St. Michael.

Neither of us spoke for a time and then he broke the silence.

"We are going to have some trouble up ahead."

He must have been in fine physical shape or he was breathing so lightly I couldn't see his breath. Mine poured out in great clouds. There was no smile on his face now. Trouble ahead, I thought to myself, well with the Commies all around us, that is no great revelation.

Snow began to fall in great thick globs. In a brief moment the whole countryside was blotted out. And I was marching in a white fog of sticky particles. My companion disappeared.

"Michael," I shouted in sudden alarm.

I felt his hand on my arm, his voice was rich and strong, "This will stop shortly."

His prophecy proved to be correct. In a few minutes the snow stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The sun was a hard shining disc.
I looked back for the rest of the patrol, there was no one in sight. We lost them in that heavy fall of snow. I looked ahead as we came over a little rise.

Mom, my heart stopped. There were seven of them. Seven Commies in their padded pants and jackets and their funny hats. Only there wasn't anything funny about them now. Seven rifles were aimed at us.

"Down Michael," I screamed and hit the frozen earth.

I heard those rifles fire almost as one. I heard the bullets. There was Michael still standing.

Mom, those guys couldn't have missed, not at that range. I expected to see him literally blown to bits.

But there he stood, making no effort to fire himself. He was paralyzed with fear. It happens sometimes, Mom, even to the bravest. He was like a bird fascinated by a snake.

At least, that was what I thought then. I jumped up to pull him down and that was when I got mine I felt a sudden flame in my chest. I often wondered what it felt like to be hit, now I know.

I remember feeling strong arms around me, arms that laid me ever so gently on a pillow of snow. I opened my eyes, for one last look. I was dying. Maybe I was even dead, I remember thinking well, this is not so bad.

Maybe I was looking into the sun. Maybe I was in shock. But it seemed I saw Michael standing erect again only this time his face was shining with a terrible splendor.

As I say, maybe it was the sun in my eyes, but he seemed to change as I watched him. He grew bigger, his arms stretched out wide, maybe it was the snow falling again, but there was a brightness around him like the wings of an angel. In his hands was a sword. A sword that flashed with a million lights.

Well, that is the last thing I remember until the rest of the fellas came up and found me. I do not know how much time had passed. Now and then I had but a moment's rest from the pain and fever. I remember telling them of the enemy just ahead.

"Where is Michael," I asked.

I saw them look at one another. "Where's who?" asked one.

"Michael, Michael the big Marine I was walking with just before the snow squall hit us."

"Kid," said the sergeant, "You weren't walking with anyone. I had my eyes on you the whole time. You were getting too far out. I was just going to call you in when you disappeared in the snow."

He looked at me, curiously. "How did you do it kid?"

"How'd I do what?" I asked half angry despite my wound. "This marine named Michael and I were just ..."

"Son," said the sergeant kindly, " I picked out this outfit myself and there just ain't another Michael in it. You are the only Mike in it."
He paused for a minute, "Just how did you do it kid? We heard shots. There hasn't been a shot fired from your rifle. And there isn't a bit of lead in them seven bodies over the hill there."

I didn't say anything, what could I say. I could only look open-mouthed with amazement. It was then the sergeant spoke again, "Kid," he said gently, "everyone of those seven Commies was killed by a sword stroke."

That is all I can tell you Mom. As I say, it may have been the sun in my eyes, it may have been the cold or the pain. But that is what happened.

Love, Michael

Prayer for Peace:

O God from whom all holy desires, all right counsels, and all just works do proceed. Give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Thy Commandments, and that unafraid of our enemies, we may spend our days under Thy protection, in peaceful order, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.  Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Prayer to Saint Michael:

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, cast down to hell Satan and all his wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls"

Pray this prayer with the US, Britain, Iraq and even North Korea in mind that their hearts may also be changed.

Pray before the Cross:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.”
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Who's covering your back?

" POINT YOUR SPEAR TOWARDS AI, FOR I WILL GIVE YOU THE CITY. "  JOSHUA 3 : 18 (TLB)

God said to Joshua, 'Point your spear towards Ai, for I will give you the city' (Joshua 8:18 TLB). It's amazing how bold you become when you know your back's covered! When God's behind you, 'no weapon forged against you will prevail' (Isaiah 54:17 NIV). Remember as a child how secure you felt in a fight, knowing your big brother or sister was behind you?

The problem is that we say all sorts of things without first checking to find out if God's behind us. When satan says, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?' (Acts 19:15), you'd better be sure of two things:

(1) that you're in right standing with God
(2) that it's His fight as well as yours!

Jesus said, '...whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven' (Matthew 18:18 NIV). There must be agreement between both realms. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, '...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10 NIV), because if it's not happening where He is, it won't be happening where you are either!

As 'labourers together with God', we need to fight only what He fights. You don't want to move anything He doesn't want moved, or raise anybody from the dead except the Lazarus He calls forth. You want to do on earth only what He's already declared to be His will in heaven. That way you know your back's covered!