Article August 12, 2002 Issue

I pray for Columbia

By Consuelo Mendoza-Garcia

WHEN I HEAR FROM MY FAMILY or other people about things that are causing trouble in Colombia, I pray. Kidnappings, guerrilla activity, paramilitaries and soldiers, robbery, threats, attacks, extortions, corruption, economic sanctions, unemployment—I pray about all these problems, in order to help my home country.

For me, praying is going to the source of my being—the source of all being—in order to understand and see who we really are. To see what's really happening. To see what God sees. Prayer is powerful. It transforms our way of thinking. Prayer improves my vision of my country and its needs. I like to compare praying with putting a filter on the lens of a camera, causing us to see everything more clearly. This "filter" for me is Spiritual sense. We all have it. God has given it to us. And using it gives us practical, tangible benefits.

My starting point in praying to use my spiritual sense is this statement: "Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality" (Science and Health, p. 298). I have learned that God is good and that He is everywhere, knows all, and is all-powerful. If that's true, there cannot be multiple powers both good and bad. There cannot be two or three forces fighting each other. There cannot be an intelligent power intimidating and terrorizing people or nations. War. conflicts, and violence don't have any origin or foundation in God, because of the fact that God is entirely good.