Prayers of the Little Children....

We woke up to something wonderful today. I clicked on the online news as I do every morning to read the headline news, “Child Rescued from Porn Network” (I don't wish to link to the article as some of the reading of what they discovered is very disturbing.) The article went on to say that 31 children were rescued from a global paedophile ring involving 700 people. Hundreds have been charged including four Australians. The investigation had spanned 35 countries over 10 months. One of the children released was an Australian. These poor children ranged from babies to early teens. (Horrifying – babies?!?) That they had been rescued from the biggest ever online child abuse sting that had its centre based in Britain.

Nine days ago I had read a prayer thread on Madeline who was stolen away from a Portuguese resort in early May. What had disturbed me further was the very real possibility that she could have been stolen by a paedophile ring. It is every parent’s worst nightmare, no doubts about it.

I felt such sorrow over the fate of so many children in these satanic inspired rings. You are left feeling very helpless in the face of such feelings of distress and horror, you wonder if there is anything tangible that you can do to help... Of course we do have the most powerful and effective ‘weapon’ of all – prayer. Children’s prayers in particular, so innocent.

Very quickly I set to writing a new prayer intention to pin to our Miraculous Medal Prayer Petition Mobile “Praying for the collapse of all paedophile rings throughout the world and for the souls of their victims and for the salvation of the souls of the evil perpetrators” (That last prayer intention is very hard for me to write. There is a part of me that really does not want to write it, I don't really want to pray for those who could inflict such horrors upon innocents in such a calculated way but I know with my will it is what God wants – to pray also for forgiveness and redemption for all.)

I had explained to my children our new and very special intention we were adding to the Mobile and the importance of praying earnestly for it. So when I woke today and saw this wonderful news, nine days after our initial decision to pray (sort of like a novena, the passing of these nine days, and therein it a little sign..) I felt that Our Lady was sending us a powerful grace and message. Not that our children had been responsible for its collapse (but that the prayers would have played a very small part in it) but that it was VERY PLEASING in the eyes of God and His Blessed Mother. A great encouragement to continue this important little ‘apostolate’.

And I know the children have been praying...Last night I was lying in bed feeling particularly green. My husband was putting the children to bed and he was in the girl’s bedroom tucking in our 7 and 10 year old girls. He must have been slightly exasperated with our 10year old as I heard dh say, “Have you said ANY prayers today??” I heard my daughter’s very quick reply, “I have said many, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!!”

I smiled and was comforted. I had not been as diligent in the past few days due to being in a fog of great tiredness and being fairly ‘green’ in the stomach, more to do with recovering from a virus than anything. But I was reassured to know that my children were lifting those intentions mightily when I was only saying a few a day at this present moment.

So when I read today’s great news I thought of her response last night. That daughter was the first child I told the news to. “See the fruit of your prayers, (and many others throughout the world) they are not in vain!!”

It is good for the children to know that they can topple great evils with their simple and small prayers offered to their Heavenly Father through the loving hands of their Blessed Mother.

We continue to pray for the uncovering and collapse of more rings around the world and for the safe return of dear Madeline McCann.