Prayers on Good Friday for U.S. Troops

By Elizabeth Flynn
Catholic Online

I am very excited to be able to write this article about a website calling for a SPECIAL DAY of PRAYERS on Good Friday for our servicemen and women overseas.

As a military wife of 14 years, I treasure the opportunities I have had to get to know other military families in all branches of the Armed Services. For the past three years I have been living on a military base with neighbors in the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.

Recently, a chaplain who had just returned from Iraq celebrated Mass on base. He explained that while he was in Iraq he served several thousand members of the Armed Services and most of them had not seen a priest for about 3 months. Although there are soldiers who may see chaplains on a daily basis, many in the more remote areas do not. I could not imagine being without the sacraments for so long, and in a war-zone! In this kind of environment, our troops need prayers not only for their physical well-being, but also their spiritual well-being.

I have many friends whose husbands were or are in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are in the thoughts and prayers of my family everyday. When we are able to go to daily Mass I know that one of my children will chime in during the Prayers of the Faithful, "for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families."

My children also like to pray for a disabled man, named Paul O'Brien, who has asked specifically for their prayers. He often tells me how powerful their prayers are and that if children would pray for our troops, it would help them tremendously!

I had been thinking about that statement for sometime when I decided that this Lent I would attempt to set up a webpage asking for prayers on a specific day for our dedicated soldiers, sailors and airmen. This would be a day for all of us to pray for them, but the idea of children praying with their families makes it extraordinary, because they are so pure in heart.

Little idea--big project! When I realized just how big, Paul said he would help. He did most of the writing and got a webmaster. I added a few things to the page and helped him edit it. We also got input from two priests, and help finding the pictures from a Navy Captain at the Pentagon. The father in the family picture on the website is currently serving overseas, and I am grateful they allowed us to use this photo.

Our focus on Good Friday is on Christ's suffering on the cross. In our tradition of meditating on Christ's sacrifice, we consider our own suffering and all suffering and sacrifices. During this meditation we can also consider the suffering of our troops, and the sacrifices they are making for our country.

Good Friday should be a day of silent meditation, even for children. In our hectic world, this day seems to have lost some of its reverence. I recall the Good Fridays of my childhood vividly: my mother always made me remain very quiet between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00pm. I could not play with friends, go outside, listen to music, or watch TV. I could pray, read or draw quietly.

My mother also told me that the sky would often get cloudy at 3:00 as we remember Jesus' death. When the hour hand hit 3:00 I ran outside to play and see if the sky was cloudy. It always was--and I lived in the Arizona desert. What respect I have always had for this Holy Day!

I have been encouraged in this endeavor by two chaplains I know on base. They told me of a few Catholic websites and assured me that if I could get their support, thousands of rosaries would be said for our troops. So far, we are blessed to have been linked to CatholicMil.org and CatholicMom.com.

I also appreciate my father passing on this site to hundreds of deacons, and also chaplains passing it on to other chaplains. Take some time to visit this website, and share it with your friends and parish priest. Then, please pray with your family or prayer group on Good Friday, concentrating our prayers together for the spiritual and physical assistance of our troops and for peace in the Middle East.

SPECIAL DAY of PRAYERS.

Contact

Elizabeth Flynn
http://home.comcast.net/~pray4troops/ DC, US
Elizabeth Flynn - homeschool teacher,

Email

akflynn@yahoo.com

Keywords

Prayers

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