It is different when it is me.

My dear friend Fr. Jonathon has a blog, St. Laika in addition to his original "Of Course I Could Be Wrong" that among other things has a dedicated prayer page. On the prayer page, he posts the requests for prayer he either receives from around the world, or lovingly writes. In the later category, he has noted that I am going through "pre-surgical testing" which will we expect, lead me to a date with what a medic once called, " a knife wielding humanitarian."

This particular surgeon will in fact be wielding a Black & Decker power saw. I am going to get a prosthetic right knee to match my left.

Any surgery, especially anything involving bone, is gonna hurt. And any surgery carries some risks. One aggressive bacteria penetrates the knee and there are a ton of problems. And I have another almost immediate date with a specialist for eye surgery. And yet, well, this is all what is termed, "Elective surgery." That is, with decreased mobility and vision, I will not die if this is not done. It is covered by Medicare so that my costs will be relatively low.

All of which is to say that as I read the prayer list, I see those whose needs are so much greater. In the grand Episcopalian tradition, I want to say, "Oh that is alright, I do not want to cause any trouble."

Ummm. no.

It is wrong to say that when someone loves you, cares, and wants to ask God to keep an eye on you. It is wrong to not seek and offer prayers for any and all troubles.

But it is different when it is me. I do not want to think of myself as needy in this way. I do not want to consider the ugly things that could go wrong. I want this to be rather routine and to simply expect good outcomes. Jesus asked his disciples to pray for him. Can I do less than be grateful when someone offers prayers for me?

Fr. Jonathon has built a world wide ministry and cyber community. Literally anyone can join it and I hope you explore his web sites. He ministers to his flock in a real and caring way. This week his prayer list is a compendium of suffereing and hope. In a real sense it is an electronic parish of caring folks. I commend his work to you.

Oremus! Let us pray!