Mocking those who pray

Clarified.  Mark Shea, one of the leading Catholic voices who has joined with the non-believer and the ungodly to mock this laughable notion that prayer after a horrifying tragedy has any value unless followed by the right political advocacy, clarifies his position.

Of course prayer is necessary and effective.  But only insofar as you follow your prayer by, I guess, agreeing with Mark's political positions?  Which, I guess are not really political positions but are somehow the right and proper manifestation of Gospel morality?  I dunno.  Somehow Mark knows that, based on your opinions about gun control, your prayers are either valid and perhaps led by the groans of the Holy Spirit, or they are, in fact, political prophylactics  (a new favorite buzz phrase) by people mocking God and exploiting fake prayers for their ideological loyalties.  How he knows this, I'm not sure.  How he can so infallibly judge the inner heart and soul of fellow believers who are reaching out to the Everlasting is something I'm not privy to.  But he's a respected Catholic apologist who is frequently called upon by bishops and priests, finds his work sanctioned by such credible ministries as EWTN and the National Catholic Register, and hosts Catholic radio shows, so who am I to argue?

Anyway, Mark makes it clear that he absolutely agrees with the efficacy of prayer.  Which is good.  He demonstrates this by pointing out that he routinely prays for the Wrath of God to be visited upon the Gun Cult, as Mark likes to describe it.  This Gun Cult is a demonic force, and it is right to pray at every Mass for the unwavering power of the Thrice Holy God to descend and eradicate this force of evil from the world.  So obviously, prayer is a good and effective thing. The fervent prayer of a righteous man after all.

Exactly why gun rights advocates and Constitutionalists would see this is a problem is beyond me.  Perhaps there is a Gun Cult out there after all.  If nothing else, it certainly gives us something, and someone, to pray for.