Please continue to pray for me. I feel really depressed and stressed. With the anniversary of my husband's death (he died 12/12/1999),the holidays and my boyfriend breaking up with me for reasons I still don't understand, and I really need a finacial blessing to catch up on my bills. I am really feeling depressed and stressed. I pray alot and read my Bible and sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. I also pray that God will reunite me with my boyfriend, but if not I just want to stop hurting. Please continue to pray for me I could really use your prayers. Thank You and God Bless you. Debra Ruiz

-- Debra ruiz (dleftryruiz@hotmail.com), December 16, 2004

Answers

A prayer is easy to offer, and so it shall be done.

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), December 16, 2004.

We all will pray, Debra.
Have faith, and stop hurting; offer up to the Sacred Heart of Jesus whatever you're now feeling. He'll change your life.

This morning I was remembering a very holy priest I knew in San Diego; Father Manuel Guillen. He was a Mexican American from the ghettoes of Southern California, who lost an eye as a young man. He entered the holy priesthood and we loved him so much, because of the great example he set for all Chicanos. A marvelous preacher; he was a TOUGH priest! Father Guillen was called ''The Pirate Priest'' by me & my friends. He wore a black eye- patch and was nearly blind in his remaining eye. The Pirate would hold the Gospel book right up close to his good eye during the reading. He was nearly blind. We lost a great priest early this year when he passed away. I believe he's with Our Lord and our Lady of Guadalupe, whom Father Guillen loved so deeply-- at this moment. And I'm certain she loved the Pirate Priest; El Pirata, Lol!

I think I'm going to start praying to him for help and intercession. He would surely ask Our Blessed Mother for us, if we need her to intercede for us. --With Jesus, Our Saviour.

You shall be my first petition. I'll implore the help of God for Debra Ruiz, a faithful hispanic; through the prayers of the Pirate Priest and our Lady of Guadalupe. (This is the octave of her feast.) Have faith, Debra.

Hear us O Lord!

-- eugene c. chavez (loschavez@pacbell.net), December 16, 2004.

Debra, I prayed for you today.

The best way to get closer to God is to go to confession and attend mass, receiving the Eucharist as often as possible. Get your rosary blessed and pray it often. Obtain other sacramentals such as a crucifix necklace to wear and ask a priest who is faithful to the Church to bless them. Then when you wear it, you can think of His witness to the grace of God, and God's faithfulness to you.

When you are in a state of grace before God, this is when you will feel the closest to Him. I'm not saying that the depression will necessarily all go away, but this will help. Your heart and life must be in this - dedicate your life to doing whatever God calls you to and He will never let you down. He is always faithful.

Mt. 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

If you find it diffcult to stay focused when praying the rosary, I highly recommend the Seven-day Scriptural Rosary. It provides seven mysteries (one for each day of the week) instead of just four, and goes through the whole life of Jesus straight from the Scriptures. Each Hail Mary has a verse to meditate on that relates to the mystery for the day. It is excellent and has been very spiritually beneficial to me.

May God grant you peace in accordance with your desire to seek Him.

-- Emily ("jesusfollower7@yahoo.com"), December 16, 2004.