Intercession is for You

"I pray for everyone in Turkey!" Something like this was read on social media after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Believers and non-believers alike commented that they should help instead of praying. Do something that makes a difference. And as correct as this objection is, it is also naive. Yes, it is true, but one forgets what happens to the person who prays. It brings it to consciousness. One consciously engages in compassion and suffers with it. One lets emotions arise and becomes sad or angry about a situation. To believe that this action is not fundamental to help shows a lack of knowledge about how humans function.

If instead of "prayers," one would say: "Go to your room and put yourself in the shoes of these people and be affected by their fate." No one would think of criticizing this and saying: "Better do something that makes a difference." In my opinion, prayer does not help directly, but it changes the one who prays. A praying person is more likely to act. So let us pray for the victims and perpetrators of the next catastrophe. Both for our own good and for that of the victims.