National Day of Prayer and Fasting
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August 20, 2020"Did you know about this? In 1861, at the request of a committee of the joint house's of Congress, President Lincoln declared by proclamation " a day of National Humiliation, Prayer and Fasting." Congress wanted the day marked by "religious solemnities and the offering of fervent supplications to Almighty God for the safety and welfare of these States." This occurred while our young country was embroiled in the devastating Civil War.
I learned about this listening to Catholic radio, of course. On the way home from the grocery store, I tuned in to hear "Kresta in the Afternoon." Al Kresta's guests were from a ministry formed to reinvigorate and re-build parishes, Acts XXIX. The executive director is Father John Ricatdo, who hosts his own Catholic radio program, "Christ Is the Answer", heard daily on OKCR at 11 AM.
There are formal parish programs based upon prayer and Scripture as well as individual resources such as weekly podcasts anyone can access. The team had been praying recently, about leadership, not just in parishes, but for our country's sake. Father Ricardo prayed about wisdom while associate director, Mary Guilfoyle, pondered the state of our nation, burdened by an isolating virus, manipulative politics, and shocking expressions of rage. "Our spirits are so keenly impacted by what's happening in our culture ...". It was Mary, prompted by the Holy Spirit, who first proposed the team initiate a national day of prayer and fastng.
Father Ricardo was not immediately moved until the Holy Spirit nudged him to consider one of our country's greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln. That's when he did a little research and discovered the 1861 Proclamation. The Acts XXIX team was spurred by Lincoln's eloquent acknowledgment of crises only God could repair. They have issued an invitation for all of us in 2020: Join the Acts XXIX team on September 24th on a day devoted to prayer and fasting "For God's mercy on our land and the healing and conversion of our hearts."
Many people have watched the events of 2020 unfold with dread, but have felt helpless to effect the negative momentum. I welcome this chance to give more direction to my altered life, and to be constructive. The Acts XXIX team is offering us a remedy. By its nature, prayer restores us and aids us in clear thinking. When prayer is supplemented with fasting, we physically demonstrate that our focus goes outside of our own well-being. By denying ourselves what we are entitled to, we embody the depth of our prayers. Fasting frees us to concentrate on what God can do with us rather than what He does to us.
There is no shortage of uncertainty and anxiety in our current environment. Change the dynamic and and express your part in the Body of Christ with fasting and praying on September 24th. Many parishes and communities have organized communal prayers and services for the day. Learn more at www.ActsXXIX.org. Reach out to others and invite them to participate. Replace fear with purpose and understanding. Let these words from Abraham Lincoln's 1861 Proclamation inspire you: "... it is ... becoming in all people... to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God, to bow in humble submission ... in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ...".
