What are the common hindrances to prayer?

Distraction is the habitual difficulty in Prayer. It takes our attention away from God and can also reveal what we are attached to. Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. A simple way of overcoming distractions is to turn our hearts back humbly to the Lord. Sometimes prayer is affected by dryness. Dryness belongs to contemplative prayer when the heart is separated from God, with no taste for thoughts, memories, and feelings, even spiritual ones. Overcoming this difficulty allows us to cling to the Lord in faith. even without any feeling of consolation. If dryness is due to the lack of "roots", because the word has fallen on rocky soil, the battle requires conversion. Other frequent temptations that threaten prayer are lack of faith and acedia. Prayer is the moment of truth for the heart: what is it real love? Sometimes we turn to the Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is? Acedia is a form of spiritual laziness due to decreasing vigilance and a carelessness of heart.[See CCC 2732-2733] WHENEVER I START PRAYING, BAD THOUGHTS ENTER MY MIND WHICH FORCE ME TO SIN AGAINST THe ALMIGHTY. I FEEL THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO STOP ME FROM PRAYING, ESPECIALLY SINCE I LED A BAD PAST. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN PRAYER? If you feel you had led a bad past,reconcile yourself with God with a good Confession. Don't worry about the "bad thoughts" that come to you during your prayer. These are seeds of distraction sown by Satan who doesn't want you to pray. What is important is not that pray well, but that you give to God your special time of prayer. Even after 15 minutes of prayer if you feel that you didn't pray successfully, don't worry, what is important is that you have decided to dedicate at least 15 minutes to God daily.

What pitfalls must we avoid whilst praying?

Really speaking,what can be simpler than prayer? Its spontaneity is, however, taken away at times by the use of excessively complicated methods, which draw too much attention to themselves and not enough to God, whom the soul should seek. Jesus said, "When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites who love to pray standing in the synagogues and at the street corners in order that they be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your room, and closing your door,pray to your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you..." "But in praying, do not multiply words as the gentiles do; for they think that by saying a great deal, they will be heard. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. In this manner therefore shall you pray: "Our Father...." (Mt.6:5-13)

Why do we sometimes think our petition has not been heard? How is our prayer heard, how is it "efficacious"?

Sometimes "we do not know how to pray as we ought" (Rom.8:26). Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him, but he awaits our petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom.to be able truly to know what he wants. "If any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him." (Jn.9:31) and Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Sometimes we ask with a divided heart: "You ask and do not receive,because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (Jas. 4:3). God cannot answer us, for he desires of well-being, our life. Our God's "jealousy" for us is the sign of how true his love is. If we enter into the desire of his Spirit, we shall be heard.Proverbs 15:7:9 says: The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. At times we might think that prayer is a force by which we can try to bend the will of God by persuasion. However, the divine will is from all eternity as immovable as it is merciful. Do not be troubled, then, if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him; for he desire to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer. If we do not obtain temporal goods, it is because they are not useful to our salvation; if our prayer is sincere,we obtain a more precious grace in place of them.

Pray with Faith

Filial trust is put to the test when we feel that our prayer is not heard.God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what he wants to give us. When prayer is humble, trusting, and persevering, it obtains for us a more lively faith, a firmer hope and a more ardent charity.

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].