This icon of the Mother of God, Supplicating is very lovely. She turns sideways (undoubtedly in the direction of her son), but we encounter her full-faced and wide-eyed. Her hands are stretched out and open in a simultaneous gesture of receptivity and humility.
Another word for supplicating is interceding. She is praying on our behalf. Some folks doubt it - the value of praying for or about our lives and the troubling sadness in which we can find ourselves. I'm sometimes asked, "Do you really believe that praying can change anything?"
I don't put demands on God, as if to say: Now here's my prayer; so make it happen as I've spelled it out for you. I want to let God be God. I'm more simply intent on opening my heart to God. I want a tenderized heart. Tender comes from the Latin word tendere - to stretch out or extend. Offering intercessions works to that end.
I don't think God needs to change; we do. Tenderness (which means loving, kind, affectionate, young and fresh) seems to be disappearing. Interceding or supplicating helps to keep one's heart awake and fresh.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
St. Paul's verses here suggest that our time in history doesn't have a corner on anxiety and that our hearts and minds need protecting. I don't want to become a cynic, embittered or depressed. Instead, I'll keep the Thursday intercessions as part of the blog-scene here in anticipation of Sunday, and remain grateful for the folks who join that prayer.
Along with many people today, I understand powerlessness. Intercessory prayer gives me something to do with that feeling.
