Carrying One Another's Prayers

Take a moment to look at the person on your right – and on your left – these are the people who will carry your prayer this school year. These Dashers have your back.

Tomorrow, you will hear more about our scripture theme, “Care for one another.” But today, I invite you to consider with me that caring for one another means caring about our prayer, and caring for our prayer.

One of the great things about Catholic liturgy is the way it requires us to actively participate – meaning, we get to speak, sing, move our bodies, and feel. But I know we won’t always feel like speaking, singing, moving, feeling. When life gets me so anxious that I don’t take in a word of the readings at Mass, my sister carries my prayer. She hears it for me, and helps me make sense of what we heard. When I don’t know how to pray, and I just say the words in front of me, my neighbor carries my prayer. By the grace of God, my presence is a prayer.

This is not an excuse to not show up, but rather, the opposite: show up for your neighbor. Speak, sing, move, and feel while you have the energy! Carry her prayer. Because some day, you’re going to need her to carry yours, too.

It’s an honor to carry your prayers this year. And I thank you for carrying mine – through your words, song, actions, and prayer.