As a male

Stories from Remember Me.

As a male, and involved in the aggressive and unforgiving world of business for nearly 30 years, I have found prayer a difficult and complex concept to come to terms with. With stress and depression as my constant companions it became increasingly difficult to even stop long enough to argue the point. But my biggest dilemma had been to understand whether or not I had the right to make a request of God?

But deep inside I felt something was not right. I felt challenged by the constant prayers for the poor, for the suffering in Africa, or for some other very worthy cause. Was this all I had to do? , just sit and fervently pray for something to get done. I felt uneasy with this process, and I felt that there must be more to it than that.

My answer started to develop during my time of doing the Ignatian Spiritual Journey. I found that I was able to be in touch with Jesus by placing myself in the scenes as we read and reflected on the chapters of the Gospel. Finally I had found a method of prayer that touched me to the very centre of my soul, into the very being of who I was, and ultimately who I wanted to be.

What a joyous moment it was, and what a wondrous journey it has opened up for me. By my acting out scenes where Jesus interacted with the people, I was able to better understand the concept of service as an act of love, and what was at the heart of the teachings of Jesus.

That light has led me to take on a new life after retiring at 56 due to ill health. I believe that God has revealed something of himself to me through my involvement with the menALIVE movement, and by becoming a volunteer companion for the elderly in nursing homes, and by accepting the opportunity to care for my elderly mother.

Do I pray differently now than I did before? Yes. I constantly feel the presence of God in each and every encounter I have with another of God’s children, and I thank him every single moment for the gift he has given me, and I hope that I can lead a life that matters, and that by carrying out acts of service I can follow in his footsteps. That is my prayer.

 - Paul (Macgregor)