Pray for Obama and McCain
Pray to Saint Jude for a Candidate During the 2008 Election
According the catholic-pages.com, St. Jude was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, sometimes known as Thaddeus. In life, Jude was a farmer, possibly the bridegroom at the wedding of Cana, and a cousin of the Virgin Mary. In death, he was a martyr and a patron saint of the Catholic Church, particularly of lost or desperate causes (i.e. St. Jude Children’s Hospital, which specializes in finding cures for pediatric cancer).
The Tradition of Novenas
Following Jesus’ teaching to “pray incessantly,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Catholics pray personal devotions or “Novenas” for nine consecutive days or once a week for nine weeks. Catholics dedicate these prayers toward a specific intention. If the prayer is answered, “thanks” is publically made. Catholics used to publish their thanks in the classified section of newspapers or by copying the prayer and leaving it in hymn books. The advent of the internet makes the process of these fulfilled prayers even simpler; grateful receivers forward the novena by internet to friends and family or post “Thanks” on a St. Jude web site
How Novenas Work
The faithful pray to Mary the mother of God, to her husband, St. Joseph, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, or to a host of other saints, depending on their intentions. It is hard to determine the most popular saint for a novena. St. Jude, however, is always chosen when affairs of the heart, mind, or soul are most convoluted, desperate or hopeless. Often such prayer is accompanied by fasting and the sacrament of penance.
It is hard to find documented evidence of the power of this particular prayer. However, people believe in it, which may be the source of its strength. Petitioners often pray for the health of the Pope, world peace, success in their careers, a boyfriend or a girlfriend or for a cure of a terminal illness.
Protestants find novenas maddening, aligning them with idol worship. To Catholics, prayer is simply a matter of faith. In the days counting down to the election, heavenly intercession for both candidates would be a relief and a comfort to many American voters.
Pray the St. Jude Novena for Obama or McCain
The patron saint of lost causes can theoretically and theologically affect both candidates so there is no harm in applying it to either Obama or McCain. True, the novena lacks nine consecutive days until the election, but in the event of a close call, or a recount, a novena could be valid for weeks or months.
A St. Jude novena could not be a more appropriate solution for the 2008 election and the present economic crisis.
Prayer is a personal matter and so is an American’s choice for a president. No matter which candidate a citizen supports, in 2008, there is no doubt that whoever leads the free world for the next four years is facing a desperate cause.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles