It is a good and holy impulse to pour out such supplication for so many souls, for what prayer rises sweeter to heaven than the prayer that longs for the salvation of others? Truly, to love your neighbor is to love God, for on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. When you entreat the Lord for a neighbor, you fulfill the very heart of His commandments.
Yet do not let your prayer be an idle word. Prayer is a mighty weapon, but it must be wielded with hands that are merciful and pure. If you cry out for mercy upon them, be sure you also show mercy yourself. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy, but to him who shows no mercy, judgment without mercy awaits. As you ask God to save these people, stretch out your own hand in every good work, for the welfare of your neighbor is your own concern; we are members of one another, and if one part suffers, all suffer with it.
Take care also how you stand in prayer. Lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting. For if you have any bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart, even as you beg for the salvation of another, you provoke God to anger rather than win His favor. Our High Priest, Christ Jesus, ever lives to make intercession for us, and He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him. His intercession never fails, yet He calls us to imitate His mercy. If He forgives those who wrong Him, how can we withhold forgiveness from the smallest debt?
When you pray for the salvation of those around you, rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, who desires all to be saved. Do not be like those who are stung by the good done to their neighbors. If your heart leaps with jealousy when another receives grace, your own prayer is choked at the root. Instead, let the salvation of others be your comfort and crown, as Paul said, “whether we be afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.”
Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation! Pour out your petitions with urgency, but mingle them with deeds worthy of Christ. As for the concerns about food and sickness, know that God cares for our bodies, but far more does He desire the healing of souls. Do not let the small alarms of daily bread distract you from the eternal banquet. And guard your tongue from all slander and idle reports. If you hear something against another, do not repeat it even under the guise of piety; rather keep silent and free yourself from fear. To babble of others’ faults while pretending to intercede is a poison, not a prayer.
Continue, then, to lift these souls before the throne of grace: the neighbor, the two women, the one you named, the man, and all their households. Christ our Lord, who took our flesh and ever liveth to intercede, is mighty to save them to the very end. But let your own life be a living intercession, full of mercy, patience, and humble service. As you seek their salvation, you shall secure your own, for by loving your neighbor you prove your love for God.