Chaplains Corner

By Fred Staedel, Th.D.

As we enter a new year, let us enter it with prayer. Yes, we can pray for a peaceful, positive, and healing 2023. But as we all know prayer is very personal and its application is very unique to each individual adherent. But let us reflect on the structure of prayer, or if you will, what kinds of prayer are there?

No doubt the reader can think of a myriad of ways to pray. But what it comes down to is that prayer is found generally in three types: “Praise, Requests, and Thanks.” Let us take each type of prayer in turn.

PRAISE We have all heard the saying, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!” We all have challenges in life and some may even be in the “life or death” category. But when we find ourselves in these situations, we can turn thought immediately to the simple act of praising one’s God, which is the initial act of establishing in thought that you acknowledge the power of the Divine be- fore there is any evidence of healing or a harmonious resolution to a problem. When you praise this way, you have prayed knowing that harmony and healing will come. In short, praising in prayer is the expectation of the good to come. And we don’t have to wait for a problem to arise in order to pray with praise. Let us praise the power of one’s God at the beginning of each day.

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psalms 145:3)

REQUESTS Petitioning with prayer is of- ten thought of as the standard for praying. We want some- thing or we want something to happen. We ask the Holy Spir- it through the “prayer of peti- tion,” be it for an object of possession, or even of an ob- ject of affection, or be it wealth or even simple security. And of course, we may ask for health and happiness through the avenue of a pray- er request. And one might even venture to pray for oth- ers asking for their health and happiness.

One may ask: Is praying with a request really righteous? Is such petitioning selfish and self-serving? The answer is not at all if the prayer ends with the words: “Thy will be done” or words to that affect. We must take the prayerful posture that when we pray this way, we know that only the Divine knows what is right for us and this Divine Spirit doesn’t take orders but only bestows blessings. Therefore, after each prayer request, we must look for those blessings, those answers to our prayers with an abundance of thanks- giving. We may not get what we want, but we always want what one’s God wants for us.

“In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6).

THANKS Prayers of thanks are extremely important. But when do we give thanks? Is it during our prayer or after our prayers are answered? The answer is during both. Yes, we need to express our thanks even be- fore we experience the results of our prayers. Prayers of thanksgiving are the humble expression of gratitude for the results of the prayers of praise and the prayers of requests. When we thank our God, we are expressing not only human gratitude but it also is expressing the acknowledgement that the Divine is omnipotent and the glory belongs to that spiritual power. Therefore, we give our thanks with all our hearts knowing our prayers are answered at the will of one’s God.

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” (Psalms 9:11)

Fred

Editor’s Note: The shepherd's crook shown on these pages is emblematic of pastoral ministry, and was the first symbol used to identify Chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces, as the Continental Congress chose the shepherd’s crook as the symbol of the military chaplains in 1775.

https://issuu.com/sonsoftheamericanrev/docs/winter_2020-21

The Army shepherd’s crook of frosted silver on a shoulder strap of black velvet was authorized in 1880 by General Order No. 10. A regulation of 1 May 1899 substituted a silver Latin cross for the shepherd’s crook on shoulder straps, and subsequent regulations instituted pin-on insignia of the cross . This insignia was worn in lieu of rank, which did not return to Army uniforms until 1926, https:// thechaplainkit.com/history/chaplain-issued-items/chaplain-insignia-2/

This gold Navy shepherd’s crook insignia was worn on shoulder boards by two U.S. Navy Jewish Chaplains, David Goldberg and Harold Strauss before the adoption of two tablets of the Ten Commandments, topped by a six pointed Jewish star.

By Compatnion Arthur Tulak

On September 16, 2022, I was pleased to attend a very moving ceremony in honor of POW/MIA Recognition Day at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Mrs. Fern Sumpter Winbush, Principal Deputy Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency provided opening remarks, and explained the great work of the agency in identifying MIA who have been recently recovered, and those who were buried as unknowns during WWII. The names of 136 service members were read aloud and printed in the program, showing the date they had been identified, during the period of September 13, 2021 and September 7, 2022.

The Guest Speaker was Ray Kapaun, whose Uncle, U.S. Army Captain, (Chaplain) Ray Kapaun, was lost in the Korean War. Chaplain Kapaun received the Medal of Honor, but his remains were not identified until recently. Emil was a Roman Catholic priest / Army chaplain who served in World War II in the Burma Theater. Chaplain Kapaun served in the 8th Cav Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On Oct 2, 1950, in heavy fighting, his unit was ordered to withdraw, but Chaplain Kapaun, stayed with the wounded. After his capture in Korea, he was imprisoned by in the Chinese-run prison camp, Camp #5. He died in captivity on May 23, 1951 from malnutrition Pyoktang, north Korea.

1,868 returned to the United States by Communist north Korea. These unknowns were buried in the Punchbowl. On March 2, 2021, the DPAA positively identified his remains through DNA. Once his remains were identified, his descendants were notified and the body was reinterred in his home town in Wichita KS.

I was honored to be seated among the VIPs, and wreath presenters in the first three rows.

The entire ceremony can be viewed at https:// www.facebook.com/dodpaa/ videos/1258387404924958