This is my first formal entry in Met on the Move, and I want to begin simply—with prayer. When I began my time in the Minnesota Vicariate this past August, I was reminded again of how central prayer is to our lives as Christians.
Amy and Tom Forchas, the parents of Sophia, one of the children critically injured during the tragic shooting at the Annunciation Church school in Minneapolis, shared words with me that have remained etched on my heart: “All we need is prayer.” Their words were not casual; they were born out of grief, courage, and hope. They are a reminder to all of us that in moments of joy and moments of anguish, our first response must be prayer.
Prayer takes many forms. We offer prayers of thanksgiving, recognizing that everything we have—our families, our communities, our very breath—is a gift from God. We offer prayers of intercession, asking God’s mercy and healing upon those who are suffering, upon those who are sick, and upon those who mourn. We pray for ourselves, not to satisfy our wants, but to come to understand God’s will in our lives. And perhaps most importantly, we seek the prayer of stillness: the kind of prayer that leads us to echo the words of the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Stillness in prayer allows us to recognize that God is always present, even in times when we feel most alone. Prayer transforms our hearts so that we may walk with Christ more faithfully, bearing one another’s burdens in love.
As I reflect on my time in Minnesota, I invite all of us to renew our prayer life. Pray for Sophia, for her parents, and her brother. Pray for all those injured, for the families who grieve, and for the community of Annunciation and St. Mary’s. Pray for your neighbors, for the stranger, and even for those who oppose you. Pray with gratitude for every blessing. And when words fail you, pray in silence—offering your stillness to God as a testimony of trust.
Ultimately, our entire life must become prayer. Every breath we take is a prayer, for life itself is a gift from God. When we breathe in, we receive His life; when we breathe out, we return our praise and thanksgiving to Him.
“All we need is prayer.” May these words of faithful parents strengthen our resolve to make prayer the foundation of our daily lives.
†Nathanael
Metropolitan of Chicago
