“Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often… Stay with me tonight, Jesus, in life with all it’s dangers. I need You.” St. Pio of Pietrelcina
A few months ago, I received a prayer card with a prayer from St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), “Stay with Me, Lord.” I have been praying it after communion, but yesterday, it became my mantra before and after my surgery. I kept repeating, “Stay with me, Lord,” and I also added His Holy Parents to the prayer, “Stay with me Mama Mary. Stay with me Papa Joseph.” It helped me tremendously.
Here’s a link to the full prayer:
https://padrepiodevotions.org/stay-with-me-lord/
I also have an amazing group of Prayer Warriors from all stages of my life. I have the “Encuentristas” group. This is a group that began when I was just 16 years old and attended an “Encuentro Juvenil” (Youth Encounter). Some of the best friends I have today, including my husband, I met through this group. We have a WhatsApp chat where we share meditations, news, events and prayer requests. It’s an amazing group with 72 members that covers the old guard like me (Encuentro #22) and the new Encuentristas (they are currently at Encuentro #220).
I also have the Belen Emmaus group. When my son Rafi was a 9th grader at Belen Jesuit, Father Willie Garcia-Tunon (currently the President of Belen), decided to bring Emmaus to Belen. He realized that a lot of the boys attending the school did not come from practicing Catholic homes. He knew that Jesus had to touch the parents’ hearts first, in order for the boys to practice at home the values they were being taught in the school. Therefore, he gathered a group of parents that had already attended an Emmaus retreat at their parishes, and we started offering those amazing weekend retreats to the parents. I was part of that original group, and I met some amazing ladies that are still to this day my sisters in Christ. We also have a prayer iMessage group.
In 2009, my then parish, St. Louis, offered a summer Bible class on “Ephesians.” I had always wanted to take a Bible class, but they are usually 28-week courses which I didn’t think I would be able to accommodate during tax season. A summer 10-week course was perfect. I took it, and loved it. I was hooked. I knew I had to make it work in spite of tax season. I signed up for Genesis in September and I accommodated tax season around it, because when God wants you to be part of something, He will open the doors and multiply your time. I have taken every course offered since then. Not only have I learned a lot about my faith, but I have met a special group of ladies, mostly retired so my hubby has named this group “the Old Testament,” LOL. We pray, worship, study and go to lunch together.
I’m also part of the Wednesday Prayer Group. I was invited to join this group a couple of years ago. I only went once because they meet pretty far from my house, and activities in the evening are harder for me to accommodate. But I’m still part of their WhatsApp group. Even though I’m not an active participant, I was not kicked out. And I join in their virtual prayer requests, read their meditations, and watch their videos. They are an amazing group of prayer warriors filled with the Holy Spirit.
And last but not least, I have “Our Guiding Light.” This group started a year ago on a Lenten Journey. I sent the invitation out to all my groups, and also posted it on my Facebook and Instagram pages. Therefore, this group has a holy mix of members from all the other groups, plus some that were invited by those people, and some that accepted my FB or IG invitation. Many of us don’t know each other personally, but God brought us together in a very special way. We did an Advent journey together and the theme this year is “perseverance.” I have no doubt that with each other’s support and the guiding light of the Holy Family, we will persevere.
The day before my surgery, I asked all these groups to pray for me. I then told my hubby that he had to send an update to all the groups, in addition to our family and friends. When I told him I had five different prayer groups, his response was, what you have is a prayer mafia. And he is right. I have a spiritual prayer mafia, which is a very good mob that we all need to have in our lives.
Thank you my prayer mafia for all the prayers. And thank you Lord, Mama Mary and Papa Joseph for staying with me every minute during the surgery, during the night when I couldn’t sleep because of the pain, and as I recover, I know that you will continue to stay with me.
Padre Pío, pray for us 🙏
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