Pray without ceasingby damselofthefaith |
Pray. If you want to become saints, pray. The Saints themselves have taught as much. They became saints by fostering prayer, placing Our Lord above all things. The Church fosters this in her spiritual and devotional life, especially through the Sacraments. Scripture attests to the power and efficiency of prayer, even saying that we should pray without ceasing. A thought: If we do not spend time with Our Lord here on this earth and enjoy His company, how can we be happy in Heaven for eternity? A lack of prayer is the primary reason for why a desire for eternity has been all but lost, since not much thought is given to Christ on this earth. Without prayer, we cannot be holy or live a good Christian life in accordance with the laws and Commandments laid down for us for our eternal salvation.
There is a crisis in the Church because prayer has been lost, the Sacraments have been relegated to the unimportant and the Church in our day has placed the salvation of souls as secondary to social justice issues, while attempting to justify what has been held as sin for 2,000 years.
The prayer life among Catholics, especially the clergy is abysmal. There was a report back in April that nearly half of German priests don't pray or go to Confession. 42% of priests don't go to Confession with 54% only go to Confession yearly.
I'm reminded of a quote from St. John Vianney: "If the parish priest is a Saint, his people will be holy; If the priest is holy, but not yet a Saint, his people will be good; If he is good, his people will be lukewarm, and if he is lukewarm, his parishioners will be bad. And if the priest himself is bad, his people will go to Hell."
Some quotes from the Saints on prayer and persevering in it:
"There is no duty which Christ and His Apostles more emphatically urged by both precept and example than that of prayer and supplication to Almighty God. The Fathers and Doctors in subsequent times have taught that this is a matter of such grave necessity, that if men neglect it they hope in vain for eternal salvation." ~Pope Leo XIII, "Fidentem Piumque Animum", 1896
"Those who do not pray, are lost." ~St. Padre Pio
"Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned." ~St. Alphonsus Liguori
"I consider that it is obvious to everyone that it is impossible to live virtuously without the aid of prayer" ~St. John Chrysostom
"There is, in fact, such a necessary link between holiness and prayer that the one cannot exist without the other." ~Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908
"All the saints are in heaven because they have prayed much. They would be less holy if they had prayed less, and they would not have been there at all, if they had not prayed." ~St. Alphonsus
"There can be no solid achievement, nothing of lasting benefit, in the absence of the heavenly dew which is brought down in abundance by the prayer of the man who humbles himself." ~Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent Animo", 1908
"It is morally impossible for him who neglects mediation to live without sin." ~St. Teresa of Avila
"Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction." ~St. John of the Cross
"These words of the Lord show us how great is the power of perseverance and persistence in prayer: 'It is necessary to pray always without ceasing'. In that constancy and perseverance, let us wait for the majesty of God if there is a delay: it will appear and will not deceive us because it comes gradually." ~Pope Clement XIII, "A Quo Die", 1758 A.D.
"Another necessary condition of prayer is constancy. The great efficacy of perseverance, the Son of God exemplifies by the conduct of the judge, who, while he feared not God, no regarded man, yet, overcome by the persistence and importunity of the widow, yielded to her entreaties. In our prayers to God we should, therefore, be persevering. We must not imitate the example of those who become tired of praying, if, after having prayed once or twice, they succeed not in obtaining the object of their prayers. We should never be weary of the duty of prayer, as we are taught by the authority of Christ the Lord and of the Apostle. And should the will at any time fail us, we should beg of God by prayer the strength to persevere." ~Catechism of the Council of Trent
"Prayer is man's richest boon. It is his light, his nourishment, and his very life, for it brings him into communication with God, who is light, nourishment, and life." ~Dom Gueranger
"Reflect what great happiness is bestowed upon you, what glory is given to you, namely, to converse in your prayers with God, to join in colloquy with Christ, and to beg for what you wish or desire." ~St. John Chrysostom
"Our meditation in this present life should be in the praise of God; for the external exultation of our life hereafter will be the praise of God; and none can become fit for the future life who has not practiced himself for it now." ~St. Augustine
"The air which we breath, the bread which we eat, the heart which throbs in our bosoms, are not more necessary for man that he may live as a human being, than is prayer for the Christian that he may live as a Christian." ~St. John Eudes
Finally, priests and faithful alike learn to know, love and serve God through prayer. Let a resurgence of true prayer be restored, bringing a Catholic restoration and renaissance, for the honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls!
~Damsel of the Faith
