go through my mind. By the time I get there, Jane Smith has a little circle of chairs set up in the sanctuary.  Her worn-out-with-love Bible lies open on the small round table in front of her. She is already praying to herself a Scripture passage she’s picked out to begin the month’s Circle of Prayer.

We always put out extra chairs. It’s more a symbol than an expectation. In the four years or so I’ve come to pray in the circle, I’ve only seen the chairs filled a few times. But it doesn’t matter. In my mind’s eye, you are sitting there, and maybe you’ve brought along the person in your family, in your world, which really needs prayer. In any case, the basket placed out on the side altar the week preceding each meeting of the Circle of Prayer will tell us of your concerns. Slips scripted with only several words, or filled with expressions so very important to those who wrote them will in our humble little basket.

Our prayer is informal and we sit in silence a lot. We remember many more requests and petitions than are in the basket. Some of you we’ve been praying for quite a long time. We never fail to lift up the needs of our community and parish, our leadership, those who work in the ministries, every one of our members. We bring to the caring Lord we know is with us some of the events and circumstances in the world around us. These are the conditions that make life difficult and scary, especially for the homeless, the poor, the unemployed and underemployed, those in poor health. These are the everyday needs of God’s people. Sometimes they are your needs.

Many of the slips we receive ask for healing, for recovery, for successful surgeries. Some of the health and illness needs of St. Malachi’s we know and pray for without being asked. Looking back over four years, I can think right away of several astounding recoveries that came about after we prayed intensely in our prayer circle. A woman whose advanced colon cancer was diagnosed five years ago is enjoying good health right now. A friend suffering with one of the most painful chronic conditions is in remission and starting a new job. Only weeks from grieving a miscarriage, my daughter-in-law and son learned with delight of the new life that is now our healthy, happy three-year-old grandson. These are gifts, given by the God who cares so much about us. Jane and I often pray with words of deep gratitude and thanksgiving. Not all prayers from our circle bring about wonderful results we can see. There are diseases that can’t be cured and tragedies our prayer cannot avert. But all of our petitions reach the ears and heart of our God – I’m sure of it. All prayers, repeated as we do each and every day of the following month, are answered in ways sometimes known best to God.

Please join us on the first Monday evening of each month. You are welcome to come only one time, if you have something special to share. I came once and stayed. Making any kind of commitment isn’t necessary. You can stop in for part of the prayer circle, which usually lasts thirty of forty minutes. Please know that we welcome and treasure the requests you place every month in our basket. The Circle of Prayer is there with you and for you, one of the truly beautiful ways our Community reaches out in support of each other.

Recently, I read Regina Brett’s column regarding a Colorado bishop’s abortion position of politicians in The Plain Dealer (6/27/04). There are so many immoral acts precipitated by politicians that one has to wonder why just pick on abortion?

Why not, for instance, focus on preemptive wars in Iraq where a thousand soldiers and thousands of civilians have been uselessly killed; or starvation and poverty that kills millions; or destruction of the environment; or corporate corruption; or any number of truly horrendous acts that politicians can orchestrate. Does abortion loom so much larger in the face of morality that condemnation of abortion is the only political stand that, for instance, allows President Bush to take communion but not Senator Kerry?

One of my bedrock Catholic supports is a small prayer that I often say to myself in meditation. It is, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner. Only say the word and I shall be healed.” If one is a sinner or sins, does that mean bishops can ban you from taking the Eucharist?

Does it now mean that bishops can ban laity on what may be a political whim? Isn’t telling people how to vote and not to sin in the voting booth a denial of my little prayer?

One of the most disruptive political elements in recent years is the increasing involvement of the Catholic Church in national politics when it’s at cross purposes with religious catholic agenda. The Christian Conservative Right has often used similar politics to its own advantage, but I never thought that members of the catholic hierarchy would stoop so low as to defy the constitutional separation of church and state.

At one time in history catholic immigrants may have needed the literate support of the Church and did indeed heed church admonitions in all matters. However, today, Catholics are well-educated, critical, in well placed leadership positions and can determine their own decisions on most matters of state.

I strongly advise bishops and others of the hierarchy to recognize this reality and stop embarrassing the laity.

Consuming Faith: Integrating Who We Are With What We Buy by Tom Beaudoin, Asst. Professor of Theology, Boston College

Consuming Faith investigates how corporate brands affect the distribution of resources in our world. Beaudoin encourages us to develop an economic spirituality based on the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that all resources are ultimately God’s and are to be used for the good of all.

A common thread in Jesus’ teaching was that economic spirituality in everyday life is the ultimate expression of faithfulness to God.

Economic Spirituality calls us to closely examine how we use our resources in all the relationships of our lives. How do we love our family, friends, co-workers, those who make our clothes, the natural world? How do we use all the gifts God gives us?

The author discusses direct and indirect ways we can influence the brand economy. Theologian Robert Schrieter, is quoted as saying, “Blanket demonization of capitalism is unhelpful.” Moralizing about our brand economy leads to a dead end where one feels guilty and incapable of making any changes.

Indirect approaches to influence the brand economy may seem less effective because they do not directly address what we purchase and why. Indirect approaches looked at the patterns of our life that occur many steps before a purchase is made. What creates the conditions of mind and heart that make such purchases seem necessary?

Two examples of indirect approaches to confront our brand economy:

Undertake a media fast. Support each other in giving up a VISUAL source of branding (i.e., television, Internet, magazines, movies, or some other media technology).

Encourage people to accept their own unique, irreplaceable human identity and dignity. What part of us cannot be bought, branded, traded away, sold or co-opted by an advertiser?

How would you describe that special unique dimension of yourself? What might it mean to LIVE from that “place” in your economic life?