Pray With Charity

Remember to pray for the needs of others before your own.The Lord loves a generous heart. Very often our hearts are closed and their hardness make them impervious to the Father's merciful love; but by forgiving and refraining from anger our hearts are opened to his grace. Many people have been miraculously given according to their needs after forgiving their enemies.

Pray with hope and thanksgiving!

St. Paul uses a very unique title when he calls Jesus "our hope" (1Ti 1:1). The word 'hope' means "a confident expectation". It is closely related to 'faith'. The prayer of Jesus makes Christian prayer an efficacious petition.He is its model, he prays in us and with us.Jesus also prays for us - in our place and on our behalf. He is also the source of true joy and peace for in him, we are freed from the law of sin and death and we have strength to do what is good, and turn away from evil. In him there is joy, knowing that God will supply our needs.

Let us therefore, have confidence in the efficacy of prayer.It is not only a human force which has its first seed (hope) in us, but the source of its efficacy is in God and in the infinite merits of Christ.
[See CCC 2735-2741]

How Much We Persevere in Prayer?

St. Paul tells us to "pray constantly... always and  for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father" (1 Thess 5:17; Eph. 5:20). When he tells us to pray constantly', he is obviously not asking us to recite endless prayers,but urging us never to lose. Against our dulness and laziness, the battle is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. this love opens our hearts to three enlightening and life- giving facts of faith about prayer:

1) That, it is always possible to pray: even while walking in public or strolling alone, or seated in your shop...while buying or selling...or even when cooking!

2) Prayer is a vital necessity: if we do not allow the Spirit to lead us, we fall back into the slavery of sin. How can the Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from him? Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly dammed (St. Alphonsus Liguori) , and

3) Prayer and Christian life are inseparable:prayer is united to works in good works to prayer.
[See CCC 2742-2745].