“Hot Water” Prayers

“It seems the rectory cook in his home parish was an elderly religious sister. One day, during a visit before entering the seminary, he was talking with her and she said that she would pray for him. While grateful, the young seminary student didn’t give her statement much thought: it’s the kind of thing Christians always say to each other. It’s a kind gesture, but we often forget to follow through. But immediately this busy sister abruptly stopped her meal preparation and started looking around the kitchen, saying: ‘What can I use to remind me to pray for you?’ After a moment of thought, she declared that she would pray for the future Bishop whenever she turned on the hot water.

Fast forward to Christmas. The young seminarian returned home from seminary and found himself again in the kitchen with the cook. Her first words to him were: ‘Young man, do you have any idea how many times a cook turns on the hot water each day?!’ He had forgotten about her promise of prayer. She had not. I am sure that her countless ‘hot water’ prayers must have had a lot to do with his successful priestly vocation and eventual ordination as a Bishop. A lot happens in the world because of prayers like hers.”
~Etienne Hammett