In my, and my siblings’, days of growing up, we practiced (still do) Roman Catholicism, which our parents practiced as well, and we participated in many of the traditional beliefs and rituals that we were taught as students of our parents, and the teachers at the Parochial Schools we attended. Some of those practices/rituals are as simple as making the Sign of the Cross entering and exiting church (after dipping our hand in Holy Water), genuflecting before entering the pews in which we choose to sit, and again cross signing before and after saying any, and many of the prayers we prayed throughout our years of practicing our faith. The Sign of the Cross was just one of these signs. There was also the triple tracing of the cross on our forehead, lips, and heart just before the reading of the gospel during Mass, the bowing or our heads at certain places during Mass, and the prayer responses that we recite/sing during the participation of the Mass.

There were other symbols of our belief which were part of the practice of our faith as well. When praying the Rosary, which some have dubbed, “A Trip Around the Beads,” many use a set of rosary beads, which help us with the suggested number of certain prayers prayed during each section of the rite, and the places where we change prayers for each “Mystery of the Rosary.”

The naming of children back in our days often had dual importance, as many of us were named after a relative or special person in our parents’ lives, and most often the name chosen for us by our parents was also the name of a noted saint in the long list of saints in the Catholic Church. Many of us had middle names that also followed the reasons for selection, and when we received the sacrament of Confirmation, we also chose a Confirmation name as well. Both of my brothers only had first and last names and a chosen Confirmation name. I was blessed with a first, middle, last, and then a Confirmation name, as was my sister. Fortunately, we didn’t have to use it fully on our official documents throughout our lives. My name, and its history, is Joseph (after Dad), Paul (after my Dad’s Uncle Paul, who was killed at 11 years old riding his bike on April 23, which is my birthdate.), John (my chosen Confirmation name) Lombardo. I have chosen J. Paul to use, as many of my official documents are in the name Joseph, but I have always gone by my middle name, so it helps ease some confusion if I use J. Paul.

Some other traditions Roman Catholics participate in are praying to our patron saint, or the saint of the day for spiritual intercession if something was happening in our lives or a loved one’s life, or for help with a problem of ours or theirs, or maybe an upcoming stressful medical exam/procedure of ours or theirs about which we are nervous. There are many saints who are there to help us with other things as well. Every week Sally and I say a prayer to St. Michael, the Patron Saint of Law Enforcers (of which Jon is one) and the Military. All the days growing up, if we lost, or misplaced something we said a prayer to St. Anthony, the Patron Saint of Lost Items. [On two different occasions back in the early days of our marriage, both Sally and I lost our wedding rings (and Sally’s engagement ring too) when she was doing yardwork, and I was out in the snow, when both of our rings slipped off our fingers without us feeling it. Reminded of Mom’s devotion to prayer, in both cases I prayed to St. Anthony, and both of our rings were found.)] We’re still wearing those very same rings we placed on each other’s finger nearly 46 years ago.

If someone was trying to sell their house quickly, they might have buried a statuette of St. Joseph upside-down in their backyard and prayed to St. Joseph. [I know that my parents, (especially Mom) prayed for me a lot to St. Jude as he was the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. I also think I got a Middle name because Mom wanted one more saint she could pray to on my behalf.] All these names, rituals, and special causes, are accompanied by prayers to the Lord, Mother Mary, the patron saints of special causes, and/or our namesakes designated to intercede for us.

One of the positives of Facebook, is when friends request pleas for extra prayers for special reasons, causes, maladies, accidents, illnesses, or just what are often called, in our Catholic Faith, Special Intentions. Prayers are often requested for family members in dangerous situations, or dangerous jobs, maybe the military, or law enforcement, fire responders, or other first responders. Prayers are needed in situations of countries at war, senseless violence, killings, and/or political party differences. They are needed requested for people who are hungry, homeless, cold, mentally or physically ill, depressed, or in despair. They are needed for people who have been ravaged by fire, tornados, earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, flooding or any other act of God. They are also requested for people facing/undergoing medical issues and/or treatments.

Prayers can be requested for almost anything people have, pardon the pun, praying on their minds. I sometimes pray that it doesn’t rain or snow on Trash Pickup days so the cans aren’t half filled with water before I can get outside to bring them undercover, because those who pick up the trash don’t re-cover the containers in inclement weather.

Sometimes we wonder if prayers work the way we want them to work. I recall a television show and a movie where a possible answer to the question, “Does prayer work?”, further tests the strength of faith of the person requesting intercession. On the TV show M*A*S*H, one of the wounded soldiers who came through the 4077, legitimately believed he was Jesus Christ. When asked by Dr. Sidney Freedman if God answered all prayers, the wounded soldier, Arnold Chandler, responded, “Yes, but sometimes the answer is no.” In the movie, Rudy, Rudy Ruettiger, extremely desperate to get into the University of Notre Dame, questioned priest, Father Cavanaugh, if he thought he prayed enough. Father Cavanaugh responded, “Praying is something we do in our time, the answers come in God’s time.” (I’m thinking my prayers for no rain/snow on Trash Day may be either a “No” reply, or it just isn’t God’s time yet.) I find a lot of meaning and comfort in both of those responses regarding prayer, and as I learned way back when, and still believe today, we can never pray enough, and we can pray for almost anything. I say almost anything because I don’t feel prayers should be asked to seek hurt, or harm, on anyone, or to win us something, or for our favorite baseball team to win the World Series, or football team to win the Super Bowl, or to hit the billion-dollar Mega Bucks jackpot, etc.

One thing about prayers is that they don’t cost anything. Another thing is that they can be simply a part of a conversation you have with your maker while driving in your car, or walking down the street, or at our dinner table before we eat, and if you believe in prayer, even just a little, and you wonder if you should say a prayer for yourself, someone dear to you, or for a special intention/situation that needs intercession, maybe you should ask yourself, “What have I got to lose?” In most, if not all, cases the answer should be easy.