‘Please officiate at my wedding,’ other prayers

From a request that Pope Francis officiate at their wedding to finding a life partner and getting a chance to showcase her daughter’s talent in a TV commercial, netizens continued to flood Inquirer.net’s “Prayer Wall” two months ahead of the Pope’s visit to the country.

The “Prayer for the Pope” feature is part of the Inquirer’s 100-day countdown to the papal visit in January and a response to Pope Francis’ tweet on his official Twitter account @Pontifex, “Please pray for me,” during the anniversary of his election as the 266th Bishop of Rome.

Answering the question, “What is your prayer for the Pope?,” user Michael posted: “I know this may be a long shot, but on January 15, 2015, I will be wedding my best friend, my […] wife-to-be, Christine, in San Agustine, Intramuros Manila. We will be at the closest distance from you on that day. [M]ay you shower us with guidance… Who are we to ask a Pope to officiate our wedding on that day?”

Michael added: “It is also my wife-to-be’s 30th birthday. She has said that when Pope John Paul II visited Manila back in 1995, she was 10 years old. Truly a wonderful memorable day. Thank you!”

Lifetime partner

User Ma prayed for “good health” for her and daughter Angelica Anne, as well as “financial and spiritual blessings,” and for her daughter “to be able to showcase her acting talents via TV commercials, print ads, TV and movie projects, and for her to be able to find better career opportunities which would help us live and lead a new and good life.”

Describing herself as a single mother, user Ma also asked that “God allow me to find my lifetime partner and someone whom I can share my life with.”

Like most netizens who responded to the question, user Paolo asked for more blessings for Pope Francis: “May he be granted the wisdom and fortitude to not be distracted by politics, to help put focus on the nation’s poor and marginalized. May he be safe and healthy through his entire stay here, and may the Lord’s blessings be always upon him.”

User Jose posted: “Give [the Pope] the good health and strength to do your Will in putting more prayerful lives in each of us, sharing love among those in need, helping those who are sick in their beliefs and faith to be lifted up to You.”

Similarly, user Leonardo asked “for spiritual and physical strength” for the Pope “in the daily nurturing and tending of his flock. May Mother Mary be ever ready to guide and protect him in his vocation for the greater glory of God. Amen.”

User Wenelyn posted: “May the Pope be guided by the Holy Spirit and blessed with God’s Holy Wisdom as He visits the Philippines.”

She added: “May the visit of Pope Francis bring oneness, openness and unity among all Filipinos.”

Another user, Marietta, prayed “that Pope Francis be blessed with health and long life. May he also continue to be a source of inspiration to us all.”

Spared from calamities

She also asked “that our country be spared from calamities and for the Filipino people to be more discerning in choosing government officials who are honest, trustworthy and competent.”

Another user meanwhile asked for family unity. User Jose said: “I ask you Lord to grant me the joy and happiness of seeing my whole family together and give them your guidance, your blessing and your continued concern for their welfare. I pray also for peace in all the families in the world, to protect them and place them in comfort and brighten up their faiths for your glory and power.”

While user Michael thanked the Holy Father “for showering us with your grace and mercy,” user Leonardo begged the “Holy Infant Jesus of Prague and of Cebu… to grant the holiness of Venerable Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo and allow her to intercede for my full recovery from [Parkinson’s] disease.”

Readers can still submit their prayers for the Pope through the site www.inquirer.net/popeinPH until January. Compiled by Inquirer Research

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