Monday, 9/18/17 – Praying for presidents, friends and foes

My dad was a die-hard Democrat … maybe even a socialist. My mom became a die-hard Republican in her later years. My grandparents were Democrats (dad’s side) and Republicans (mom’s side). I have friends who proudly voted for Donald Trump. Others voted for Hillary Clinton. Still others opted out this time around.

I am a “cradle Catholic” but in my work with the Church, I’ve met so many faithful Catholics whose roots were in other churches … or no church at all. I sit on committees and have friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Hindu …

My life has been a wonderful melting pot of influences and I bet if you examine your own circles at work, at Church, at home … you will find the same.

So, how is that a Catholic can associate with others and not compromise their faith teachings? How can a Republican invite a Democrat to dinner to discuss politics and not be branded a traitor to the cause?

In an era where so many people want to work, live and play in isolation and want to tear down the statues of leaders with human faults, we have become very careful of what we say, very afraid of who we are seen with and timid on how we carry on our daily lives.

Our Church reminds us today that this tension in a diverse world is nothing new.

Today’s readings start with a pastoral letter from Timothy, who was of mixed heritage himself – he had both Pagan and Jewish roots before he met Paul and became a follower of Christ.

At the time he wrote his instructions, there was much confusion among the faithful concerning the “boundaries” of daily life. Like the Jews before them, the new Christians of that time did not participate in “civic worship” of the gods and the civic leaders who believed they were the personification of those gods. That made them targets for others who wondered where their loyalties lied.

It’s understandable that they believed if they worshiped the pagan gods of the pagan society, they would be disobeying God’s commandment to worship only Him. And while Timothy doesn’t urge them to go that far, he does instruct the faithful that they should always pray for these civic leaders.

“I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.”

Do you pray for Donald Trump? Or, do you fear that by telling others that you pray for him, they will suspect that you support everything he does, and therefore by association, you are as (good or bad) as he is? The same question goes for other polarizing figures in the United States and all over the world. Do you pray for Vladimir Putin? What about Kim Jong-un of North Korea? The leaders of ISIS?

I hope you answered yes.

Praying for world leaders – good or bad – is something we should all be doing on a daily basis. It doesn’t mean we support everything they do. But it’s a reflection of what we should be about … asking God to intervene and soften the hearts of leaders, in order to bring peace and order to our society.

Timothy was clear on that point.

“It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.”

This notion of “crossing boundaries” is also addressed in today’s Gospel from Luke. The story of Jesus curing the servant of a Roman centurion serves as a reminder of the ancient laws of purity that Jesus was often eager to break.

In the story, the centurion is said to be a man who had earned the respect of many – a good civic leader who loved the nation and had even helped build the Jewish synagogue. A servant was close to death, but having heard Jesus had come his way, he sent the Jewish elders to him and asked for a miraculous healing.

But, the rule of ritual purity would have prevented Jesus from entering the pagan household. No matter, the centurion said. That would not be necessary, for he knew that Jesus only had to the say the word …

“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.”

Those words should sound familiar. They are the source of the small prayer Catholics utter at Mass, just before receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.

So, in the end, Jesus “crosses the boundary” of the day and heals the servant. Just as he did when he dined with the tax collectors and healed the sick on the Sabbath.

What boundaries have you crossed lately?

In a diverse world where geographic boundaries are no longer the same as ethnic boundaries, we must as Christians acknowledge that God seeks the conversion of souls of everyone – regardless of race and politics and regardless of their status in society.

The most effective way to make that happen is to be consistent in our prayers for the world.

But it also helps if we can become present in the lives of others – especially those who do not look like you, do not vote like you, do not worship like you … even those who do not even recognize our God as creator and redeemer.

If these beautiful souls – created and loved by God – do not know us and never see us, then how will we ever be able to share the peace, hope and charity that we have in our hearts?

Pray for our leaders, our friends and our foes … and don’t be afraid to cross boundaries to put those prayers into action.

About the Author

Dan McFeely is a Carmel, Indiana, writer, communications business owner, book editor and a former professional journalist. Dan also works as an Adult Faith Formation Minister, currently serving as a spiritual director for the men's and women's Christ Renews His Parish program at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Carmel. He is a graduate of the Ecclesial Lay Ministry program offered by the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana and has studied theology at Marian University.

Author Archive Page

18 Comments

  1. Well said Dan. Thank you for this reading today. We all complain about our leaders. But do we ever think to pray for them. God Bless you.

  2. Dan thank you so much for the reflection. I use Catholic Moments as 1 of my materials for prayer. And your article today indeed helped in making me realize the need to consistently pray for our country’s leaders, world leaders, since their decisions can make or unmake history of the whole world.

  3. Thank you for reminding me that everyone deserves our prayers. As for removing statues of leaders with fault, hopefully our wonderful country will make an effort to only erect statues of leaders with fault who believes all human life are created by God

  4. How many time we forget to pray for our leaders, particularly those with dissenting views.
    Thanks for the reminder!

  5. Thanks Dan for this inspiring reflection. I need to pray for those who often do not agree with us. God bless.

  6. A different perspective to this as I don’t pray for my leaders as often as I need to. Thank you for this reflection Dan

  7. I have a question that has always plagued me…being that we are to pray for our enemies, is it wrong to pray for and/or ask God to bless Satan? I have always wondered if I would be wrong in doing so?

  8. Amen, Dan!!! What a wonderful reflection, and so very pertinent to our world today. Have a wonderful day!

  9. Thank you for an enlightening reflection, Dan. I’ll be more consistent about praying for our world leaders on a regular basis, especially during our nightly family prayer time. This will be a good way to teach my children to have a bigger picture of the world and to be proactive through prayer instead of just complaining and being critical of people or situations out of our control.

  10. This is a great reflection for all of us to participate for/in a better society, but what about praying for our Priest and Cathechism teachers who are our teachers of authority, as the proper use of authority is vitally needed for us to have a better more complete understanding of our Faith. All power and authority in heaven and on earth have been given to Christ. If we are to be Christ like Christians we could use a better understanding of appropriate uses and teachings of this authority at an individual level. In my opinion this would compliment and add power to our prayers for our leaders to use their authority more appropriately. Do we not want, for ourselves, to have the great faith of the Centurion?

  11. Thank you, Dan, for this reflection. You really did a good job of applying today’s readings to our lives today.

  12. This is great and well articulated; most countries today,need praying citizens!

    God bless you,Dan.

    (Am yet to get reflections for Tuesday and today on my mail. Thanks)

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *