The power of prayer

When I was in college many years ago, I was having a terrible second
term as Student Body President and every week I was getting bashed by
the school newspaper on allegations of fraud, embezzelment and other
misdeeds. The allegations were false, but student journalists have
awards to win and stories must have drama.

Anyway, after several weeks of getting beaten down pretty hard by the
school paper, I went to one of my political science classes and sat
next to two of my classmates, Sister Mary and Sister Catherine. These
two nuns were so young and studying at my college to be teachers in the
Los Angeles Archdiocese. They were great girls and I totally enjoyed
talking to them. I just wanted to know what it was like to be a nun
and actually contemplating running off to the convent if things got
really bad at school. Nobody else talked to them because they just
couldn't see past the habits, but they were my friends.

Just before class started Sr. Mary told me that she was worried about
me and that she and Sr. Catherine had been praying for me. I was so
shocked that these two nuns would pray for me that I started to cry and
then laugh. She gave me a big hug and I felt so great. For the whole
rest of the day I had a smile on my face and I held my head up high as
if nothing could touch my positive outlook.

The next day when the newspaper came out with more stories about my
"administration" I read them and laughed like I do when I read the
National Enquirer. Many of my sorority sisters remarked about how I
was so cool under pressure. I told them my secret, "Yesterday, I found
out that two nuns have been praying for me and knowing that they are
supporting me has made all the difference in the world. I feel like it
just doesn't matter all that much anymore."

Sure enough, within a couple of weeks the whole scandal had blown over
and all my administration was found guilty of was poor bookkeeping on
the part of the student Treasurer. It was a pretty intense period in
my senior year of college, but it made me realize what was really
important to me: 1) always keep your sense of humor, 2) you are in
school to learn not play politics, 3) someone is always in your corner
whether you know it or not and 4) always pray for those in need because
positive energy will help them to be strong.