Where were Catholics on National Day of Prayer?

 

In the tradition of our nation and in the goodness of their hearts, people from across the land at tens of thousands of locations observed the National Day of Prayer May 2. It was the 62nd such annual observance at a time when prayer seems in ways the only solution to our increasing social and cultural problems. Yet, there was little Catholic announcement or presence in the event.

The prayers of the people on that day sought divine guidance in the darkness of government-imposed conscience rights violations, abandonment of traditional marriage, moral disintegration, daily lawlessness, and economic suffering and uncertainty.

Pope Benedict XVI wisely promoted a New Evangelization effort to bring faith more fully into daily life. Catholic bishops through the Fortnight for Freedom sought to protect religious liberty under the First Amendment. These Catholic efforts are in harmony with those of our nation’s past, when Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln called for prayer during grave times.

While the National Day of Prayer is promoted primarily by Protestant Evangelicals, it is a courageous movement and deserves the strongest Catholic support as, apart from any particular denomination, we are Christians first.