How I pray

I have an annoying problem. Physicians have not yet been able to diagnose it. This issue has kept me from sleeping many nights since late 2019. They say it’s not going to kill me, but they don’t know what it is. Of course, everything kills you, in the right quantity, and after the right amount of time.

But I don’t worry about it anymore. I just pray.

Since I’m a Catholic by birth, a Geographer by degree and by nature, how I pray is this:

First I say the Lord’s Prayer, which is an excellent prayer (how could it not be?) because it only asks for Earth to be like Heaven, for bread and forgiveness, and reminds oneself to forgive others. And asks God to “deliver us from evil”. What a civilized proposition!

Second, I say a Hail Mary. (And with no apology to Protestants except to say “sorry for you.”) At least I agree with the Protestants. I admit that it could very well have a pre-Christian origin. The Hail Mary is an expression of belief of a female being of supreme holiness. I don’t see how anyone could dispute this fact, after experiencing how gently it can rain sometimes in California.

Then I pray for the well-being of my nearest relatives, and try to also remember my larger family. I also pray that their lives are filled with meaning and purpose.

And then I pick a continent. Of the several places on that continent where evil forces are raining destruction down to innocent civilians. And I say, “Democratic Republic of the Congo: peace, love, forgiveness, healing”. I remember all the neighbors of the DRC. These include the Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Angola. I say each country’s name followed by “peace, love, forgiveness, healing”.

I often am still awake by the time I say this for all the countries in Africa. Then I say, “Gaza: peace, love, forgiveness, healing”, and “Israel: peace, love, forgiveness, healing”.

I generally am able to get through all the Arabian peninsula. Then I continue to Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. I fly on angelic winds to pray for Afghanistan. Then I proceed to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.

Sometimes I arrive over the Baltic states and pray for them, Poland, and Germany. I also pray for the rest of Europe, including island states. Then, I hop another angelic flight across the pond to pray for my country, the United States of America. We feel less united than we should be lately. We are in need of a lot of prayers. So please pray with me. Please pray for us.