The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-02
How Their Prayers
Were Answered.

great truth, one of the most consol-
ing of all truths, namely, that our
prayers are always answered, not al
WAYS in the way we look for when we
pray. for in our ignorance we often
ask for stone and God in His mercy
sends us bread, but no prayer to God
| or His saints, offered in faith, is ever
rejected. 1t may be refused, refused
at the time, but granted afterwards;
refused in the way it was intended to
be answered, but granted in a far
better way. In this sense, then, this
story is true, and yet, as we said be-
fore, it is fiction.
In the month of May, at a certain
church in London, certain man and
a certain girl heard sermon at High
Mass, preached by a certain priest.
The name of the man was John Muir
ray, the name of the girl Mary Lut-
trell; the names of the preacher and
the church are immaterial The SER
mon was one on prayer, and the gist
of it contained in the above remarks,
but the theme was elaborated and the
truth it contained brought out in the
most convincing manner with great
oratorical skill.
The preacher was an elderly man;
indeed, it is doubtful if a young man
could have done equal justice to the
subject. 1t needs the experience of a
lifetime to speak so surely, SO con-
solingly, so confidently, as this priest
did on the efficacy of prayer.
The young may believe it, but the
old know it. The preacher knew by
long experience, by much prayer, by
much watching, in great faith, in great
hope, in great patience, that what he
was saying was true, and he had the
power to impress this truth on some
at least among his hearers. His own
great faith seemed to raise and sup
port the weak and wavering faith of
his audience, as the great 1uted col
umns of the aisles supported the vault
roof of the church. Some there were
who felt that they could lean on his
confidence, rest on his assurance, and
allow their souls to be raised to
Heaven by his fervor.
He spoke as though he had no more
doubt that God was in His heaven,
and that Our Lady and all His saints
were with Him, than that he was
standing in the pulpit and the congre-
CATION sitting before him; the unseen
was as real to him as the seen. He
was, as he said in the course of his
sermon, more certain that their pray
ers and praises were heard in Heaven
than that a cablegram sent that day
would reach Australia, or message
by wireless telegraphy be signaled
from ship to ship on the ocean; yet
no sane person doubted either of these
things.
Many present were much struck by
the sermon, and among others the two
people just mentioned-John Murray,
who was young stock broker, and
Mary Luttrell, who was convert OF
only few years standing. Her ia
Their was the rector of a country par
ish; he had a large family, of whom
Mary was the eldest, and when she
came home from convent in Bel
GUM, at which she had been educated,
and announced her intention of becom.
ing Catholic, a not unlikely sequel
to having been brought up by nuns
he was very angry, and refused his
consent, unless she left home and
earned her own living as a governess
This course Mary elected to pursue
She loved her home dearly, but she
loved the home of the saints" more!
She was now living as governess with
Catholic family in London, at whose
house John Murray was frequent
visitor.
Mary was plain; she was tall and
thin and graceful, but undeniably plain
featured, and Mary loved and admired
beauty, she coveted beauty; her sis
tiers were all pretty, and she envieG
them; she was clever and strong anG
healthy, amiable and sweet tempered
endowed with warm heart and greai
capacity for loving; but all these gifts
she would have exchanged willingly
for the fatal gift of beauty. Yet, there
was one thing that not in her wors
and most foolish moments would she
have battered for beauty, and that was
her faith. She was silly, no doubt, tt
desire so passionately to be beautiful
but she was not so mad as to be will
ing if it we're possible to risk her sal
walton for it.
/ AS she listened to the sermon sht
made up her mind that she would tr!
if it was really true, that no praye
made in faith was ever left unan
swered, but sooner or later granted il
some way. Only by a miracle coul'
the prayer she meant to pray be grant
ed, as she thought, for only by mira
Gle could her plain face be changed t
a beautiful one.
When Mass was finished Mary wen
to the altar of the Sacred Heart t,
pray for beauty; to no one else, no
even to our Blessed Lady, could sh
tell this secret desire of her heart, a
any rate at this early stage of her cor
version. She was ashamed to writ
her request and put it into the bo
that stood by the altar for petitions