More Prayer
She hurried from one task to the next, desperately anxious to complete all of her chores before the end of the day. Rush, worry, rush some more, feel anxious, then relief sets in as the chores are finished. Oh, wait a minute! She realizes that she forgot two other tasks that must be done before the end of the day. Rush, worry, etc. all begin again. In modern society people seemed to be madly hurrying to some place or to accomplish some task. Why? Are all the tasks or duties so urgent as to require such intense effort and mental angist? The answer is almost certainly NO. Oh yes, on some rare occasions, people may need to hurriedly race through a day. Rarely!
If anyone examines the daily urgent tasks that must be realized by any individual, seldom would they discover the pleasant and most important task – prayer – on this “most do” list. Assuming that God is the creator of all things and man’s guide, protector, and the source of man’s current existence, why does man spend so little time and thought about God? Union with God is man’s ultimate goal; an eternal union with no end.
Mankind is driven in pursuit of intimacy; Prayer is intimacy with God. Yet man refuses to devote even minimal time to pray to God. It is not only the laity who fail to make time for God in prayer, but even many in the clergy , while committing extensive time and effort to tasks unrelated to prayer, many devote little or no time to communing with God in prayer. How often has the clergy reminded their congregations of the importance of frequent prayer? Unfortunately, in many cases, seldom.
Prayer benefits not only the one praying, but, when properly offered, benefits both living and deceased relatives and friends. What an immense gift of love is prayer!!! Pray Always! By our prayers we literally cause things to happen. Pray always!!! (“Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God.” Luke 6: 12)
The following are comments about prayer by saints and holy individuals; all emphasize the importance of prayer as the primary method of meeting God.
“We watch over ourselves and all the motions of our hearts in vain, and in vain we avoid temptation, if we don’t pray. If we don’t continually resort to prayer, all our other ways will be of no use at all to us, and we’ll be overcome. We won’t find any sinner converted without turning to prayer. We won’t find one persevering without depending heavily on prayer. Nor will we ever find a Christian who ends up damned whose downfall didn’t begin with a lack of prayer.”
— St. John Vianney,
“The goodness of God is the highest object of prayer, and it reaches down to our lowest need. It quickens our soul and gives it life, and makes it grow in grace and virtue.”
— St. Julian of Norwich
“Ceaseless prayer is, therefore, especially necessary to counteract all the dangers of this world and to serve as a sturdy breastplate against the attacks of the enemy. Whoever does not pray does not fight; and he who does not fight or show resistance is quickly conquered and forfeits the victor’s crown. But who can always pray and continually fight? All things are possible to him who calls upon God and puts his trust in Him.”
— Thomas à Kempis
“This expectation is neither sterile nor inert; rather, it is attentive watching in prayer. This is the condition Jesus chose for us so that he might fully carry out his work. The Pope too needs the help of prayer” (Insegnamenti VI, [1968], 1189). […] Pope BenedictXVI homily
“I pray that I may see. I pray that I may value the things that last forever and invest myself in them. I pray that I may not be critical of others. I pray that I may use God’s strength to help me reform my life, and that I may lead others closer to God through my example.” Author Unknown