Prayer Cards

[ZEEBEE]

My question is more of a rhetorical one, perhaps. I’m a recently returning Catholic and I went to a small Catholic store near my work the other day to look for a prayer card to put in a thinking of you card for my seriously ill mother. I noticed many of the prayer cards gives instructions (i.e. I got one for St. Joseph) : “Say the prayer for 9 mornings for anything you may desire. It has never been know to fail, so be sure you really want what you ask for”. Statements like that bother me. How can/why would the printer place that on the card? No wonder many non-catholics have misgiving about our faith.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

The simple answer why these cards are available is that people buy them. Cards that just mention prayer for nine day are Novenas and a part of our tradition. Cards that promise to never fail Etc. play on peoples superstition. The church has always taught against superstition. There is a long standing tradition that in praying to St. Jude, if a person receives their request, they publish thanks to St. Jude. Some card makers have gone too far and said this prayer or that prayer never fails. There are many good prayer cards on the market. Hope you found a good one and may the healing power of Jesus touch your mom.