On "thoughts and prayers"

Purple Catholic Saturday Post

Aug 30, 2025

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Good morning and happy Saturday.

It is always tough to try to think of appropriate words after tragedies, and much more so after such an awful event that directly impacts our faith.

Following Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a debate broke out on the Twitterverse/X-verse about that phrase “thoughts and prayers.”

It was in part brought on by the Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, who said in his first press conference, “don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now” and children “should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence.”

It was then amplified by former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki who said on X that “prayers does [sic] not end school shootings … Enough with the thoughts and prayers.” Others had shared similar sentiments.

To a certain extent, I understand their frustration. What Mr. Frey’s conclusion was is true: children should be able to learn and pray in peace. These statements on prayer, however, show a fundamental misunderstanding of the religious and spiritual life.

Prayer works. We know this if we believe the words of scripture:

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24)

These are just a few instances of the descriptions of the Lord’s attentive ear.

So, should we ask for things like an end to school shootings? St. Thomas Aquinas says yes. He writes in his Summa Theologiae, that since it is right for us to desire temporal things that aid us in life and things that can lead us to holiness, it is appropriate to ask for them (Secunda Secundae, Q83.A6). Additionally, he says we can rightfully ask for specific things. After all, we ask for specific things in the Lord’s Prayer and the Holy Spirit, through prayer, can help us identify what it is we need (A5).

Does that mean we get the immediate outcome we want? No, almost never. But remember that “in everything God works for goodwith those who love him” (Romans 8:28). We cannot necessarily see with our limited understanding what must be done.

Instead, we ought to make sure that we are allowing God to work through us. This requires open hearts and open minds.

In an almost prophetic Wednesday general audience this week, Pope Leo XIV said that we must not avoid pain, suffering, or hardships, but we should believe “that even in the heart of the most unjust suffering, the seed of new life is hidden.”

When we offer prayers for the victims and their families, we typically pray for justice for the oppressed and comfort for those in sorrow.

If we are praying for a change to these realities, we must be prepared for that change to take effect in us. We ought to be praying for the grace to be open to the Lord and what he is calling us to do.

Prayer works and if we’re praying and it is helping us to see where to go and we act on it, it is enough.

aerial shot of concrete structures near body of water — Photo by Nicole Geri on Unsplash

Tomorrow on Death Comes for the Archbishop:

Father Vaillant continues his missionary work in Arizona and Bishop Latour meets with his Navajo friend, Eusabio. Then, Dr. Marcus Peter joins me to continue our conversation on challenges to preaching and the Catholic imagination.

Paying subscribers get access tomorrow; everyone else will receive it on Wednesday.

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Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday at Mass, we will hear from Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Psalm 68; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24; and Luke 14:1, 7-14.

Here is a calendar for the rest of the week:

Wednesday, September 3 - Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, pope and doctor
Friday, September 5 - Memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta, virgin (optional)