Ask me to write a prayer? Armand, my WWII friend, asked me to write one for his friend suffering from a stroke—something he could do when the limitations of the stroke seemed too oppressive. What better occupation for a writer? Here’s what I came up with for his friend, Benedict:
To the Holy Spirit
Dear St. Benedict, leader of men, speak for me to the Holy Spirit, that changer of minds, that He may enlighten me as to how I am to take this affliction of a stroke. For He sends us only what is good for our eternal salvation, and I am not sure as to how I am best to take this. Without excluding a cure, I rest in confidence in your intercession with the Giver of Light. Amen.
It is often not the affliction that is unbearable, but how we are to endure it. The Holy Spirit, known to Christians since the post-Resurrection days, is the one who inspires knowledge and sagacity. Pray to Him often.
Civilization 