How to pray for strangers

  • Thread starter Thread starter SPONP4US
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

SPONP4US

Guest
I’m just wondering , since I often pray for people I barely know, or who I do not know to speak to but just see regular and feel they need prayers, how is best to name them in you prayer?

I have often prayed things like " I pray for the Lady who sat behind me at Church/Class/The Bus today and for her intentions" then I will pray an Our Father and Hail Mary (for example). Is this good enough to make my prayer specific to a person?

What do others do when praying for people whose name they do not know?
 
I just say something to the effect of “Lord, please bless that man for letting me switch lanes”. I like short, spontaneous prayers. There is a place for long prayers I would say, but I try to keep them as short as possible. Jesus rebuked some of the jewish leaders for reciting excessive prayers. I don’t need to know a person’s name to pray for them. I pray all the time for persons who’s name I don’t know. God has not rebuked me or corrected me for this, so my assumption is that He permits it.
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately, this passage about the excessive prayer of the Jewish leaders is much misunderstood, especially by protestants who like to use it in the same out of context way, to deride our Mass and other traditions of the Catholic Church e.t.c

Let’s be clear it has NOTHING to do with long prayers, have you read the liturgy of the hours? 🙂 It is about wanting to be seen to be holy by others , while doing so, on the streets e t.c

The passage is actually about hypocrisy not about how long (or short your prayers are). Your answer is helpful of course , but I’m asking more about how to pray for others … rather than wether it is ok to do so or not, as I know already that it very much a good thing.
 
Sounds great! Since God knows your heart, you may pray in silence and the Lord will apply it both to you and the one for whom you are praying.
 
SPONP4US said:
I have often prayed things like " I pray for the Lady who sat behind me at Church/Class/The Bus today and for her intentions"
Click to expand...
I say prayers like this all the time, especially as I’m becoming more “memory-challenged” and find myself thinking “good ol’ what’s-his-name” could use a prayer (and that may even be someone I know!). God knows who I mean, even if I can’t call them by the right name.
 
I will usually try to match patron saints with peoples intentions. Saint Christopher for automotive and Saint Michael for legal things and veterans because he is the patron saint of police and military. Mix and match up your prayers for a beautiful rainbow of intercessions of saints.
 
I think what you do is fine. I used to pray for “the man that sits in the front row at daily mass.” I didn’t know his name, but I saw that he was absent for a while. Eventually I met him and found out he had knee surgery. I told him the story about praying for him and he laughed, and thanked me for thinking of him.

God knows who you are talking about.
 
Last edited:
It’s a lovely question to ask.

God already knows our thoughts way before we do. Just picturing a person image speaks volumes.
 
I heard Father Corapi speak many years ago and he commits every person to pray for in the “beautiful garden of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” in Heaven. He then prays for everyone he has placed there and asks her to do so. I find this freeing, to count on Mary to help you remember to pray for the people whom you do not even remember thinking to pray for.

 
There are so many to pray for 🙂 After holy communion I struggle trying to remember them before prayers begin again ,but let my mind fly over them recalling faces .
I pray for all the victims of the virus but only for the most of it have numbers .Trying to visualise
and putting myself in their families place somehow helps a little .Praying the elderly recalled their faith if they have lapsed especially.
 
God knows who you’re praying for, and he knows the specifics. The nice thing for those of us who are clumsy or awkward trying to express ourselves to God is that we don’t need to. He knows our minds and hearts.
 
It sounds quite strange to some in our culture, but there are short, impromptu prayers known as ejaculations. In them, we simply offer a quick “Lord, have mercy!” or “Bless that soul” for those we encounter or those whom we remember. There are many other purposes for such prayers, but for strangers whom we may see only for a fleeting moment, they are perfect.

And no prayer is ever wasted.
 
Last edited:
When my son was a child, he felt bad when he saw an ambulance with flashing lights on it’s way somewhere. We decided to say “God, bless someone” in those moments. And now 17 years later, he still says it. 🙂
 
My words are very similar to yours “God, please have mercy on this lady/child/teen/etc. Let them feel your peace and love, and draw them close to you”
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top