When our body is weakened by lack of vitamins, or from anemia or other illnesses, the body loses strength, hands remain without support and knees shake. They do not support the weight of the body, for the weakness is great. Of the same form that our body remains beaten, our soul and spirit also weaken.

Many times the hands do not raise to praise God and the knees do not bend to adore the Lord, for the weakness of the soul is immense…The desire to pray is in the heart, the will, but the weakness imposes itself more than our will.

This is the hour of believing in the promise that the Lord makes through the prophet Isaiah 35:3 “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak.” and ask, even without will the Lord comes and completes his promise.

You already prayed without wanting to? Without feeling anything? I already prayed many times and I see as God saw my misery and helped myself, strengthen my hands and sustain my knees. The power of God happens in my soul even though I do not feel it, but I cry to the Lord and He comes to my help, the Lord knows profoundly my needs more than I do. God is faithful and completes that which he speaks.

On the road of life, following the road, how many times do we fall? And we feel alone, without will to do anything? And there almost powerless we ask “Lord Mercy.”…

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust and hope in you.

Antonieta Santana Pereira Sales

Translated from Portuguese

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament © 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. [This passage is required by the US Catholic Bishops]