Mercy Missionary Prayer Life
My prayer life as a Mercy Missionary can be summed up in three ways: fostering a relationship with God through thanksgiving, bringing a spirit of gratitude to everyday life, and structuring each day with routine. The way I grow in relationship with Jesus is through time spent in prayer, which allows me to surrender more to His plan. The Mercy Missionary year transforms my heart through prayer, enabling me to bring Christ to those I serve on the streets.
I have found that this transformation unfolds through the rhythm of a constant, daily prayer-routine. Mornings for the Mercy Missionaries begin with an offering of our minds, eyes, hands, and hearts to Jesus, followed by a meditation on that day’s Gospel reading. As part of my own, individual spirituality, I close morning prayer by venerating the image of Divine Mercy – an image of Christ which renews my trust in God’s merciful love for mankind. During the day, we attend mass and pray a daily Rosary for peace and the special intentions for those we serve.
Prayer is intertwined with our ministry on the streets. When we go out to visit tents with our street partners, we invoke the Holy Spirit, asking for guidance. We encounter many people broken by years of suffering; thus, being in a state of prayer allows Christ to pour out His mercy from our hearts into theirs. When we return from ministry, we do our daily holy hour with the Blessed Sacrament. I devote this time to praying for those we encounter, asking God to bring them home to His church.
“Prayer is intertwined with our ministry on the streets… [B]eing in a state of prayer allows Christ to pour out His mercy from our hearts into theirs. ”
No matter the feelings of emptiness and isolation at times, the greatest prayer is one of gratitude and thanksgiving for all things God has given me. I thank Him for the missionary year itself, for the beautiful community He gives me, for the food on my table, for the suffering that has led each and every one of the loved ones in my life closer to one another, and for the wisdom I gain from street ministry. At the end of this missionary year, and already now, the homeless have taught me what prayer of thanksgiving from the heart is.
Michael Rewers
Some fruits of this mission’s life of prayer are hidden; others are tangible. We are blessed to share a word from one of our friends, whose testimony reveals a visible manifestation of prayer-driven ministry. Watch here.