Dear friends, let our prayer be regular, but not out of custom and duty; let it be with a program, but not for the sake of the program. In this way our prayer can be expected to have sweet warmth and inspirational variations and graces. In a mystical yet certain way, God wil inform us if our prayer is true and pleasing to Him through the joy and peace which wil fil our soul. For many, temptations, difficulties, misfortunes, dangers, deaths, losses have been stimuli which led them to the art of prayer. These difficulties have helped them to more fervent and stronger prayers which earlier had not been achieved, even with persistent effort, because they were not whole-hearted or lacked sincerity.
The true art of prayer is taught to the person who prays by God himself. Customary prayer, without a spirit of contrition, of compunction is not pleasing to God. A soul who loves god cannot live without prayer.
God draws the soul to Himself through prayer. Only to the humble person wil god give the taste of the sheer sweetness of prayer. Only the prayer of the humble person can be pure.
In the final analysis, my dear brothers and sisters, whoever you are – strong or weak, warm or cold, young or old, educate or uneducated, wealthy or poor, clergymen or laymen – know that not even a single word of our prayers is in vain. They are al heard, al of them. For this reason do not forget, during those sacred hours, to mention my unworthy person, since God also loves prayers for others, particularly for those who have so much need. .
The Power Of Prayer
Prayer, our subject, is as known as it is unknown. I shal attempt to discuss the sources of this deifying activity and particularly its beneficent power in the life of the faithful.
St. John Chrysostom writes on the power of prayer: “The greatest weapon of the Christian is prayer.
No particular place can hinder prayer from being practice. It is the adornment of the Christian, the safe harbor of the ship in many storms of life, the treasury-house of every good, the abundant wealth that no one can ever take from us. Prayer is a good and strong al y in our daily dangers and frequent difficulties. Prayer is medicine for every il ness, and especial y for every sin. Prayer is consolation for the grieving, the weary, the il . The spouse of prayer is virtue, which in turn is cared for and provided for by prayer.” This is the power of prayer which we wil discuss.