Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and without it no one having the use of reason can be saved.
In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit.” Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ. Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his Body. Its dimensions are those of Christ’s love.
We should pray:
- With attention;
- With a sense of our own helplessness and dependence upon God;
- With a great desire for the graces we beg of God;
- With trust in God’s goodness;
- With perseverance.
Click here for a free download of Basic Catholic Prayers.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I Love You! Save Souls!
12 Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
“Prayer is the necessary and sure means of obtaining salvation, and [contains] all the graces we need to attain [salvation]…To save one’s soul without prayer is most difficult, and even impossible…but by praying our salvation is made secure, and very easy…If we do not pray, we have no excuse, for the grace of prayer is given to everyone…if we are not saved, the whole fault will be ours, because we did not pray.” ― Saint Alphonsus Liguori
“Prayer is a friendly conversation with the One we know loves us.” ― Saint Teresa of Avila
A Final Prayer by Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
I leave you now with this prayer: that
the Lord Jesus reveal Himself to
each one of you, that He will give you
the strength to go out and profess that
you are Christian, that He will show you
that He alone can fill your hearts.
Accept His freedom and embrace His
truth, and be messengers of the
certainty that you have been truly
liberated through the death
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This will
be the new experience, the powerful
experience, that will generate, through
you, a more just society and a better world.
God bless you and may the joy
of Jesus be always with you!
Amen.
The Deep Prayer Life of Fulton Sheen (8:02)
Prayer is a Battle: Strategies for Victory (8:15)
Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B. | How to Pray Well (11:10)