Intentions
January 29, 2022
“To go from men to God
and offer Him their prayers…”
Before leaving for pilgrimage, I reached out to some friends and family to ask if I could bring any intentions with me to the Holy Land. I was surprised and impressed by the vulnerability people showed as they shared their hearts for me to bring before the Lord at these holy sites. In these intentions, I have seen the love of parents for their children, priests for their flock, and spouses for each other, and this has truly been a privileged experience. As I’ve brought these prayers with me on pilgrimage, I have also been able to see the heart of the Father for His children.
The Father is so delighted to hear our wants and needs placed before Him, and I’m blessed to be caught in this place in between, bringing people’s intentions to Him and knowing the Father’s love for them in return. I can imagine no better preparation for Priesthood than deliberately bringing others into this spiritual journey with me and standing in this “in between” place.
I wrote out all the intentions in a little black notebook so that I could literally place these intentions at holy sites, like the place of Jesus’s birth, at the foot of the cross, and the place of His resurrection. And it’s been such a gift to be able to share this with those who sent me intentions, to be able to say I placed your cares and your loves before the Lord where He lived, died, and rose. What amazes me is that even after this pilgrimage, I will get to continue to live and serve in this capacity of bringing intentions to the Lord and reminding people of the Father’s love for them. Even more amazing is the realization that this opportunity to intercede for others is available to everyone, and you (the reader) can practice it right now by praying for all of us here on pilgrimage, that we might grow closer to Christ and one day be good priests.
“…To return from God to men
to bring pardon and hope.”A Priest by Lacordaire
Alex Lorang
Diocese of Joliet
