It's easy to look around the world, at the poverty and despair that so many live in, and become discouraged thinking — there is too much to tackle, I'm too far away, or I have nothing to offer. But there is much we can do to help our sisters and brothers in need, and frequently our help begins with prayer. Our actions cannot end only with prayers, but as St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things.”
A long-practiced prayer of the church is the novena. A novena is a prayer that stretches over nine consecutive days and is generally directed toward a particular prayer request or intention. Novenas are also frequently used to ask for the intersession of a particular person of the Trinity or a specific saint. The tradition of praying novenas dates back to the time of Jesus and the Apostles and is rooted in Sacred Scripture.
We invite you to pray with us for the next nine days, specifically for babies, children, and mothers in need around the world. In a particular way, we invite you to pray with us for the populations who are served by the Bethany Center supported by MercyWorks. Read on to learn more about this center, it's mission, and how you can help mothers and children in need in rural Guatemala.
The Bethany Center is a ministry that serves the poorest of the poor — particularly women and children — in Guatemala. The center is collectively made up of four locations 1) the central urban center in the city of Coban Alta Verapaz, 2) the Infant and Maternity Center in San Benito Lachua, and 3) and 4) two smaller commodores (dining rooms) which serve remote villages in the mountains.
The goal of the Bethany Center (Centro Betania) network in Guatemala is to care in a special way for these women and children, reaching out to the most vulnerable and offering them a helping hand. The center provides: meals, medical care and attention, education, and training among many other things.
Every day you will be sent an email with the reflection and prayers for the day. The reflection is a quote or collection of quotes intended to offer moments for contemplation and prayer and a deeper understanding of the intention for the day. The prayer is specifically written to ask for God's blessing and the intersession of St. Philomena, on behalf of the intention for the day.
Each of the nine days of the novena will focus on one particular intention. The intentions have been chosen to reflect the various groups surrounding the Bethany Center in Guatemala. Here's who you will specifically be praying for over the next nine days:
Your prayers can make a difference in the lives of these people, not only by motivating us to make a tangible difference in the world, but also by asking that God the Father would shower grace upon those you are praying for. Although we might not see it, our prayers do really capture the attention of the Father and direct his gaze to those in need.
If you would like to learn more about the amazing things happening at the Bethany Center, or about any of the MercyWorks mission projects please feel free to visit our website or subscribe to our blog, MercyStories, today. God bless you!