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Today, Wednesday 23rd July we have 1033 people from all over the world and from many Christian and some non-Christian denominations joining together in prayer.

Last Wednesday, on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we passed through a significant milestone for me - the 1000 mark. I kept saying to myself, once we reach the 1000, I'll ask a favour
of you all. I should be speaking some more on the family but next week, DV, I'll have a special story for you. We had flash floods here on Sunday which left storm-damaged phone lines, leaving me incommunicado until today. So again, apologies for this arriving late.

This week is more of a reflection on the history of the Circle of Prayer and a vision for its future. Our reflection is by Bob and  Debbie Gass from The Word for Today and called Who's in Charge? It reflects a little on the world and its leaders.

Right then - the Circle of Prayer. It just kinda happened! On Ash Wednesday of 2001 I got this notion to write a daily reflection for Lent and it became popular. The exercise was repeated last year, but before Lent was over the thought came to mind to do something on a more regular basis. The idea of people joining all over the world in prayer for and with each other and for a world in crisis sounded
nice and so the Circle of Prayer was conceived and born. It needed  to be open to anyone and everyone, yet I knew I had to maintain my Catholicity in what I wrote. 

The weekly reflection came about because I felt that if people had the list of prayer intentions coming through their mailbox every week it might be the stimulant needed to 'stick the course' of our 
daily prayer commitment. By our very nature we are forgetful and sometimes let life get in the way, so having that email arriving each week might be just what the doctor ordered to keep us all focused.

You know, the Catholic Faith, Catholics and the Catholic Church get an awful hard time of it. Some of it much deserved these days sadly, but much of it is malicious and deliberately destructive, 
causing hatreds and bigotry. One of the main reasons for the bits and pieces I write in the weekly reflection is to try and share my beliefs with you all, to try and show that our teachings are grounded
both in Scripture and in the Traditions of Christ as handed down to us by the Apostles and the Early Church Fathers, and mainly to let you see that us Catholics don't have horns growing out of our heads, that our Pope is not the Anti-Christ, as many would believe, and that the Catholic Church, led by the Pope, has maintained that direct link back to the very beginning and guards and shares the Truths and Traditions of Christ as He gave them to us.

Christ gave us a Sacramental Church and there is plenty of evidence of this within the New Testament but also plenty of links from the Old Testament where much of the Biblical writings show types continued within the New Testament. He also gave us a Church lead by Peter and his successors into perpetuity. And so, by understanding each other it becomes easier to be able to pray together, but also to accept where each of us comes from. His Church has been under attack over and over again down the centuries but never as much as since the Reformation of the 16th century, Henry XIII setting himself up as Pope of his own church and breaking the line of Ordination, the entry of Modernism and liberalist idealogy and theology invading even Christ's own Church, the French Revolution which opened the door to communism throughout the whole world and spewing out its atheism where there is no God or need for God. And so we have a fragmented church, a split and divided people of God, a materialistic mentality and a world society living a culture of death and destruction and wallowing in all kinds of sin. Our one consolation for His Church is His promise that... '... the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' And so the battle continues.

I write all this because they were my main thoughts around a world in crisis. When 'Kings' govern without God as the centre, we have chaos. Decisions are made that are not Godly ones based on His Commandments, or made with justice, integrity, equality, love and compassion. Like I quoted earlier from G. K. Chesterton - a Nation that does not believe in God will believe anything.

You all know the great devotion I have to the Blessed Mother. Her role in man's salvation is huge. She was chosen before time began to be the Mother of God, She became the teacher of God as the Infant Jesus grew, She was and is the New Ark of the Covenant, She interceeds to the Father for Her Son's Church and Her human family. She draws us back to Her Son - to Jesus through Mary, and so it has been for me since 1998, but remarkbly so since my second visit to Medugorje in 2001. A huge desire to spend time with Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament and a thirst for daily Mass has left me open to the Holy Spirit in ways I never thought possible. He guides me and leads me down paths never imagined. So, somehow, I think the Circle of Prayer falls into that little journey.

Where is it going? I really don't know. What are my visions for it - growth! Picture the world as a globe covered in a grey shroud of smoke - sin. All over the place are tiny little lights peeping through - these are God's people offering prayer, fasting and sacrifice all over the world. But Mary too is building an army for Her Son to fight the spiritual battle that is raging so fiercely all around us. 

My one hope at the start of this was to try and get at least two people from every country in the world praying in unison - ' ... where two or three are gathered together in my name ...' We have 629 Prayer Warriors from the US alone but one state with no one - South Dakota. Some states have only one Prayer Warrior. We have very few European countries represented, once the heart and soul of Christianity. We have only a few African, Asian and former Eastern European countries represented. They are the persecuted Church and much in need of our prayer.

So here's my suggestion to you all. If everyone asked just one other person to join with us we'd have over 2000 by next week and 4 thousand by the following week and .... The power of two is amazing! But if any of you know people in other countries please ask them to offer just 10 minutes a day to God in prayer too. At the bottom are links to the various continents, take a few minutes to go and see where we are all from. That way you'll see at a glance the countries that need Prayer Warriors joining us. I know we have some Priests and Religious among us, perhaps you folks have friends working in the missions. This can become a complete umbrella covering the whole globe. 

I know that every Mass said all over the world every day is a huge powerhouse of prayer and pours out graces everywhere. So for us Catholics I'd say - look at the possibility of getting in just one extra Mass per week, offering it up especially for your families and for a world in great need. Perhaps even attend daily Mass. Try and get to a Eucharistic Chapel of Adoration and 'watch with Jesus' for just one hour as He asked the Apostles to do. Take up your Rosary beads and pray the most powerful prayer on this earth after the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As a weapon against sin it is unbelievable and as a conduit of graces it is amazing - remember - to Jesus through Mary.

Cover your families with prayer, consecrate them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, His Beloved Mother. Constantly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all you do and say and start and end every day with the prayer given to us all by Jesus to His Father in Heaven, Father of us  all - the Lord's Prayer. Seek the help of your Guardian Angel - that most precious gift given to each and every one of us from time began. Surrender yourselves to God in all your daily worries. It really works you know - Let Go Let God!

Now, God alone knows how growth of this will affect me. That journey I spoke of has seen me deliberately cutting back on new business and just maintaing the few clients I had left after 9/11. Working on this book has meant hours, days, weeks and months of research. But what's 'worse' is it has given me a desire to do another degree. (I completed my first ever only 2 years ago! So even grannies can get the brain cells back into motion.) The more I read the more I realise how very little I know - about my own faith, my Christian heritage, the Scriptures and their interpretation as led by the Holy Spirit, the teachings of the Early Church Fathers, the basis for Moral and Ethical Theology etc. etc.

So, since Easter, I've had this urge to do something about it. I've prayed about it long and hard and still it won't leave alone. Chris, my partner in the book, and myself have found a BA Divinity that we can do as distance learners over the next five years, linked in with Saint Patrick's College Maynooth and Maryvale in Birmingham in the UK. Now. for fear my day wasn't full enough already, here we are filling it to the absolute brim! So my next request folks is a wee prayer for that intention,  that we can find funding to assist us, time to devote to it all and sticking power to last the course. Saint Paul would be a good one there as he was always 'running the good race'. I, personally. have handed over the funding needs to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whose cause is being persued for beatification. Saint Joseph of Cupertino will come into the frey when it comes to essay assignments and exams.

There we leave it for this week, much to chew upon eh? Let's move this forward into stage two and see where next we are to be led.

May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless you and yours and may Mary keep you in Her heavenly mother's care.

Mary in Galway, Ireland

African Continent:

The Americas:

Asia:

Australiasia:

Europe:

The Indain Ocean Region:

The Pacific Region:

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Who’s in charge?

" DIOTREPHES, WHO LOVETH TO HAVE THE PREEMINENCE "  3 JOHN 9 : 1 

One of the wisest men I ever met once told me, 'After 50-plus years in ministry, I’ve concluded that all church trouble comes down to one question – who’s in charge!' Some historians believe that Diotrephes was a wealthy businessman who found Christ, joined the church, and gave generously. But, as time went on, he made the mistake of assuming that professional success entitled him to authority, regardless of his maturity and that having money automatically made him a ‘majority shareholder’ in God’s work.

Old habits die hard and, in the case of Diotrephes, not at all. Listen: '…Diotrephes, who loves being in charge, denigrates my counsel. If I come, you can be sure I’ll hold him to account…' (3 John 9-10 TM). Buddy Robinson used to say, 'Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everybody sick, except the person who has it.'

Oswald Chambers writes, 'Pride, in essence, aims at enthroning self at the expense of God. When we measure ourselves by the life of our Lord, Who humbled Himself even to death on a cross, we cannot but be overwhelmed with the tawdriness, shabbiness and vileness that lurks in our hearts.'

When His disciples fought over who should have the ‘top spot’ in His Kingdom, Jesus ended the argument with these words: 'For who is greater, the one who [sits] at the table or the one who serves?…I am among you as one who serves' (Luke 22:27 NIV). Can you say that too? 

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Don't forget the prayer for the family and one for our grown-up children:

"O Dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family this day. In Your Divine Mercy make our home a shrine of peace, love and faith. I beg You, Dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us and our families absent and present, living and dead. O Mary loving Mother of Jesus and our Mother, pray to Jesus the Divine Mercy for our family, and for all the families of the world. Ask Him to guard the tiny infant in the womb, the cradle of the newborn, the young in the schools and those about to start their vocations in life. Amen"

"Heavenly Mother, keep us always in mind of Your Son's great mercy and understanding as we pray for our children. They are grown up now and have left us and are living their own lives according to their own ideals. We feel anxious and worried because they do not seem to feel the need for Christ. to understand the wisdom of His ways, or to be fully at ease with us or themselves. Intervene, dearest Mother, in their lives at the moment You know to be right and help them to understand the things that lead to their peace. Help them to see the need of Christ and to experiance the greatness
of His love, so that we may all proclaim as You did, that His mercy truly is from generation to generation. Amen"

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All of the Reflections to date are available to read on the website for anyone who's interested and can be found in the Archives page

The Weekly Intentions are available on a plain page to be able to print off and kept to hand for your own prayer time. The list has become too long now to include each week but please say the two wee prayers below. The Loving Father knows the heart of each person requesting prayer.

"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 minds, broken spirits, broken hearts and broken marriages and may all their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with You. Amen."

"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!"

"Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy;
Act in me O Holy Spirit that my work, too, may be holy;
Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend all that is holy;
Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy."

"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"

May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit bless and guide you and yours and may Mary keep you in Her heavenly mother's care.

Mary in Galway