Calling in the Cavalry

“If each one prays for himself, he receives less from God’s goodness than the one who prays on behalf of others.” St. Ambrose

Insomnia has become a serious problem for me, especially in the last twenty years. I can usually fall asleep pretty quickly, but then I wake up in the middle of the night, usually around 3 a.m., but sometimes even earlier. Once that happens, I have a hard time falling back asleep. In the past, I would just get up and watch a movie, but last year, everything changed.

Last year, I did a consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph. I learned that “St. Joseph’s sleep is prayer.” (1) Since then, I have been praying to St. Joseph for his intercession to help me go back to sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. Sometimes, he’s all I need, but many times, I need more than him. And that is when I call in the cavalry.

My cavalry consists of Mama Mary, Papa Joseph, St. Michael the Archangel, my personal guardian angel, St. Dymphna, Padre Pio, and of course, the leader of the pack, Jesus Himself. I start by praying to Papa Joseph. If I still can’t go back to sleep, I pray a Hail Mary to Mama Mary. Then I pray the St. Michael the Archangel prayer for protection. Afterwards, I pray to my guardian angel, and I ask him to guard my mind with a spiritual helmet to keep anxious thoughts from entering. I then hire St. Dymphna, patron saint of anxiety, to take my anxiety and place it at the foot of the cross. Most nights, I fall back asleep before I get to Padre Pio. But if I’m still awake, I reach out to him. I call him my spiritual warrior because the evil one is afraid of him. And when all else fails, I go straight to the Boss. And most of the time, He will sprinkle me with sleepy powder and I fall back asleep.

Some may ask me, why not go straight to Jesus and avoid everyone else? It’s like when you have a problem at work or at your child’s school. You don’t go straight to the CEO or the principal. You start at the bottom and make your way up. I figured that Jesus is pretty busy, and I can’t bother Him every single night. But He has His assistants, and most of the time, I don’t even need to get to Jesus.

Aside from my spiritual cavalry, I also have a human prayer cavalry. Of course, I don’t reach out to them in the middle of the night. But on other occasions, like a few weeks ago when my husband had to have two heart procedures in the hospital, I called in my human prayer cavalry. Or this week, in which my daughter is having surgery, I know that my human prayer cavalry is on their knees praying for her. I am blessed to be surrounded by a strong community of faith. And their prayers go straight to heaven. All I need to do is send a message: “Please pray for…” and within seconds my phone is filled with praying hands. And I know that they just don’t send a “praying hands” emoji. They actually pray. They offer up rosaries and masses. They go to the Blessed Sacrament. And they surround me with peace, strength, and trust in the Lord. In other words, they carry me during difficult times. And of course, I do the same when any of them is in need of prayers.

I am so thankful to be part of the Catholic Church because we have such a strong brigade of prayer warriors, both above and below. We can call in the cavalry at any time, whether it’s simply to help us fall asleep or when we are undergoing something very serious, like a health issue or any kind of hardship. Thank you, my heavenly and human cavalry, for always coming to the rescue at a moment’s notice.

Copyright © 2025 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.

References: 

1. Calloway MIC, Donald H. “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,” 2020.