You got to pray just to make it today…
Stanley Burrell might not be the first
person you think of when it comes to spiritual guidance, but the man had a
point.
It seems that over the last few days, I have
added more people to my prayers.
My morning prayer.
My driving-to-work
prayer.
My biscuit-break
prayer.
My teatime prayer.
My nighttime recap
prayer.
Apparently, my prayer list is growing
faster than my Christmas list.
I think it is pretty clear to the Chalkhead
Nation that I am a foul-mouthed Catholic kid.
I have been getting paid to scream and yell
for forty years. Bids, novenas, offers, and litanies. I have a deep Chicagonese
accent, a vocabulary that I picked up as an altar boy, and I am pretty fucking
fond of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In fact, I catch her having breakfast with
my ma and gramma when I am saying my driving-to-work prayers.
I like that picture. Three women that I
love sitting around a kitchen table somewhere in heaven, having a cup of
coffee, a cinnamon roll, sharing some gossip, and shaking their heads at the bullshit
going on down here on earth.
Especially my shenanigans and stunts…..
Today, I thought I would share my
driving-to-work prayer with the Chalkhead Nation.
Of all the prayers I say throughout the
day, this is the only one that remains the same.
Every morning, word for word.
It needs to be uniform because, while I'm
concentrating on my faith, I also need to concentrate on the road.
After all, I don't think the Good Lord
wants me rear-ending somebody on Mannheim Road while asking for a little
divine intervention.
So here it is. Never shared or heard in
public before this morning. Someone should notify Geraldo Rivera.
Jumbo’s Driving-to-Work Prayer.
Good morning, God.
Good morning, Jesus.
Good morning, Mary and
Joseph.
Good morning to all you
angels and saints and all my brothers and sisters who have gone up to heaven
before me.
Look down upon me and
bless me.
Forgive me of all my
sins.
Give me the strength to
be a better person today and know how much I love you.
Look down upon those
who have asked me to pray for them.
Look down upon those for
whom I have promised to pray.
Look down upon Jojo and
Uncle Bill out in Wyoming and his family.
Look down upon Terese
and George and Fritz and Hazel.
Look down upon my Uncle
Chris, my Aunt Barb, my cousin Ann and her family, my cousin Trish and her
family, and my cousin Chucky.
Look down upon all my
dear and close friends.
All those who have come
around through the years and, at one point, thought that I was kind of special.
Look down upon my
colleagues, my neighbors, and my acquaintances.
Bless them all.
Give them the strength
to get through this day!
… and let the devil know I plan to fuck up his
day today.
Amen.
It isn’t a fancy prayer or something Leo
is going to repeat in the Vatican. There aren't any big theological words or
passages from Scripture. It is just a conversation between a Catholic kid from Saint
Ita and the people he believes are listening.
I do not pretend to understand how prayer
works. I do not know why some prayers seem to be answered while others leave us
scratching our heads.
And I sure as fuck don't believe that
saying a prayer guarantees that everything is going to turn out the way we
want.
But I do believe there is something
powerful about taking a few minutes out of your day to think about somebody
other than yourself.
To remember the people
who are struggling.
To remember the people
who are sick.
To remember the people
who have lost somebody they love.
And to remember the people who might just
need a little help getting through another Wednesday.
Maybe prayer changes things. Maybe prayer
changes us. Maybe it is a little of both. I don't know because prayer is just
another mystery of our faith.
Somewhere between Riverside and Heaven,
every morning, I have a conversation with Papa God, His long-haired Son, the
Holy Ghost, and the Blessed Virgin.
I ask them to forgive me for yesterday, help
me be a better man today, and keep an eye on the people I love.
Somewhere up in heaven, I like to think my
ma and gramma are finishing their breakfast with the Blessed Virgin Mary. My ma
is probably apologizing because I still swear too much.
And Mary is probably smiling and saying…
"Cecilia, at least your
boy remembers to call."
Have a wonderful Wednesday, Chalkhead
Nation. If somebody crosses your mind today, say a little prayer for them.
It doesn't cost anything. You don't need to
make an appointment, and you never know how much they might need it.
After all, you got to pray just to make it
today.
2 Legit 2
Legit 2 Quit.
