Part III, The Means of Grace: Prayer

1. Prayer is the elevation of the heart to God.

When we are engaged in conversation with any one, we forget everything else. This is what we should do when we talk with God, that is, when we pray. In prayer, we must direct all the powers of the soul to God; the understanding, for we must think of Him; the memory, for we must forget the things of earth ; the affections, for we must delight in Him. The mere thought of God is no prayer; the devils think of God, but they do not pray to Him. Let Our Lord's ascension be to us a symbol of prayer; so are the clouds of incense that float upwards on the air ; the lark that soars aloft as she warbles her song. It is recorded of some saints that the elevation of their souls in prayer was made manifest by external signs ; they wrere raised from the ground, they were surrounded by a supernatural radiance. St. John Chrysostom says that to be permitted to talk with his Creator and hold familiar intercourse with Him, is the greatest honor

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and privilege mortal man can enjoy. Who can fail to admire and wonder at the gracious condescension of the Most High, that He not only permits, but commands us to converse with Him?

When we pray it is customary to employ external signs of devotion, such as kneeling down, folding the hands, striking the breast, etc.

By kneeling down we acknowledge our own littleness in God's sight; by folding^our hands, we signify that we are helpless, bound by the chains of sin ; by striking the breast, that we are deserving of stripes. Sometimes we prostrate ourselves upon the ground, to testify our sense of our nothingness before God ; this Judith did, before she went into the enemy's camp (Judith x. 1). Our Lord did the same on Mount Olivet (Matt. xxvi. 39). So does the priest at the foot of the altar on Good Friday. When prayer is very fervent and importunate, the hands are lifted up and the arms outstretched; thus Moses .prayed during the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites (Exod. xvii. 12), and Solomon at the dedication of the Temple (2 Par. v. 12). The priest often does the same during the celebration of holy Mass. The Jews of old turned their faces towards the Temple at the time of prayer; we may do likewise. David worshipped towards the holy Temple (Ps. v. 8), and so did Daniel (Dan. vi. 10). God needs not these outward signs, for He reads the heart of man; but we thereby excite ourselves to greater activity and more humility in prayer. These postures are not a necessary adjunct to prayer; they may be dispensed with on account of weariness, sickness, or in the presence of others. One may even pray while walking abroad, as pilgrims do, or if we happen to hear the Angelus rung while we are in the streets of a town.

2. We may pray either in spirit only, or with the lips as well,

One may raise one's heart in prayer to God without those who are around us perceiving it ; this is mental prayer. Vocal prayer is both useful and necessary. Man consists of soul and body, and with both he must yield homage to God (Osee xiv. 3). It is, moreover, natural to express in words the thoughts of the heart (Matt. xii. 34). In the absence of vocal prayer the Christian religion would lack its mainstay. Vocal prayer quickens the attention of the mind, and inflames the devotion of the suppliant himself as well as of others. Vocal or common prayer is more efficacious with God; Our Lord says: " Whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done unto them by My Father Who is in heaven" (Matt, xviii. 19).

Prayer with the lips only, and not with the spirit, is worth less.

Our Lord complains of the Pharisees : " This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me " (Matt. xv. 8) . St. Augustine says many call upon God with the voice of the body, not with the vcice of the soul. All attitudes and gestures too, which are merely formal have no value. God is a spirit, and they that adore Him must adore Him in spirit and in truth (John iv. 24).

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We can also pray with the voice of song.

Hymns and spiritual canticles are an excellent form of prayer, which the Apostle admonishes the Colossians to practise. It is a powerful factor in raising the heart to God. St. Ambrose and Pope Gregory the Great did much to promote the custom of singing in churches.

In our prayers we may either make use of the authorized forms of prayer, or address God in the words our own heart will suggest.

It is well to recite the usual well-known prayers, such as the Our Father and Hail Mary, but not to keep slavishly to the use of forms. We should speak to God from time to time in our own words; He loves to hear us address Him with filial confidence. The three children in the furnace of Babylon cried to Him in their own language. There is no need to employ well-turned phrases; how much better to speak to God simply and straightforwardly. The plainest language is the language of the heart, and it is not the words which God regards, but the desires of the heart. ISTor need one make long prayers (Matt. vi. 7). Our petitions are not valued on account of their length, but of their fervor. How richly was the brief supplication of the good thief rewarded !

We may either pray alone, or in union with others.

Our Lord exhorts us to pray to Our Father in secret (Matt. vi. 5), and also to offer our petitions in common with others.

3. Our prayers have a threefold object: That of praise, of supplication, and of thanksgiving.

We ought to praise God on account of His infinite perfections. The Church gives praise to Him unceasingly; the Gloria and the Sanctus in the Mass, the Te Deum which is sung on great festivals, the Gloria Patri which we repeat so often, are all ascriptions of praise. The thrice holy of the seraphim (Is. vi. 3), the song the angels sung at Our Lord's birth (Luke ii. 14), are hymns of praise. We read in the Apocalypse that the principal occupation of the happy denizens of heaven is to give honor and glory to the Lord their God (Apoc. iv.), and by praising Him we may while still on earth join in their ceaseless song. The Magnificat uttered by the Blessed Virgin is a canticle of praise. It is God's will that we should implore of Him all that we need. God gives nothing to those who ask nothing of Him (Jas. L 5). "He who asks not," says St. Teresa, "receives not." Nay more, God desires that our petitions should be fervent and importunate; that we should not merely ask, but compel Him to hear us. The Lacedemonians used to place the bread for their children on i high beam, and force them to fetch it down for themselves ; thus God would have us earn what we beseech of Him, He is not, it is true, ignorant of our needs (Matt. vi. 32), and He could supply them without our telling Him of them ; but He will have us ask for •what we want, that we may not accept His gifts as a matter of course,

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but may recognize our dependence upon Him, and learn to be humble and thankful. The prayer of Our Lord in the garden and on the cross was a prayer of supplication ; as was that of the apostles on the sea of Galilee, that of the Christians for St. Peter when he was in prison. Prayer for the forgiveness of sin is a penitential prayer; witness the Miserere (Ps. 1.). Furthermore it is God's will that we thank Him for the benefits we receive from His hand (1 Thess. v. 18). Remember what Our Lord said to the leper who was healed (Lukfc xvii.). Gratitude is the surest means of obtaining fresh favors from God. The holocaust Noe offered was a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Gen. viii. 20). God withdraws many blessings from man because he takes no heed of them and neglects to render thanks to the Giver; He also sends calamities as a chastisement upon the unthankful.

2. The Utility and Necessity of Prayer

1. By means of prayer we can obtain all things from God; but He does not always grant our petitions immediately.

We have Our Lord's promise: Ask and it shall be given you (Matt. vii. 7), and again: "All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" (Matt. xxi. 22). St. John Chrysostom declares that by prayer man becomes almost omnipotent. St. Augustine terms prayer the key that unlocks the treasury of the divine riches. As a man can get almost anything from his fellowmen for gold, so he can obtain almost anything from God by means of prayer. Let him therefore who is in affliction call upon God for succor. If he fail to do this, let him blame his own indolence and folly, not complain of his misery. Who would have patience with a beggar, half-starved with cold and hunger, if he would not apply for aid to a rich man who had promised to help him? The apostles prayed when the storm arose on the lake, and it was calmed. God does not always grant our petitions at once. One must knock longand loudly at the gate of this sovereign Lord, before it is opened to us. Monica prayed for her son's conversion for eighteen years. God keeps us waiting for an answer to our prayer, both to try us, whether we are really in earnest, and also to make us value His gifts more when we do obtain them. He who is truly in earnest perseveres with more insistence than ever, the longer the answer to his prayer is delayed. So the blind man by the wayside on the road to Jericho cried out much more when Our Lord appeared to pay no heed to his cry: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me" (Luke xviii. 39). " Thou dost delay, O Lord," says St. Augustine, " to give us what we ask, that we may learn how to pray." Sometimes God does not grant us what we implore, because He knows it would.be prejudicial, not beneficial to us.

Our prayers obtain a speedier answer if they are accom panied by fasting, almsdeeds, a promise, or if we invoke the intercession of the saints on onr behalf; a petition is sooner granted if it is proffered by several persons at the same time; also if the suppliant is of the number of the just.

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Fasting and almsdeeds are said to be the wings of prayer. Remember the prayer of the centurion Cornelius (Acts x.). That prayer receives a speedier answer in which several persons join. Our Lord promises : " If two of you shall consent upon earth concerning anything whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by My Father Who is in heaven" (Matt, xviii. 19). "When the Christians assemble together in large numbers to pray," says Tertullian, " they are like a great army, which compels almighty God to grant their petition." Wood burns more fiercely if several logs are piled to gether, for one kindles the other. In the time of the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, a Christian legion was surrounded by the enemy, and the supply of water cut off. In dire distress the Christian soldiers prayed fervently for rain; and before many hours had passed, a storm came up, and there was a heavy downpour. The united prayer of the Church for St. Peter was the cause of his deliverance from prison. How great is the power of united prayer ! This is why processions are held in times of calamity. The prayer of the just, moreover, obtains a speedier answer. The continual prayer of a just man availeth much (Jas. v. 16). The prayer of the prophet Elias for rain was quickly granted (3 Kings xvii.).

Oftentimes God turns a deaf ear to our petition and the reason is generally because He will not give us what would be harmful for us; or because we do not deserve that our prayer should be granted.

God acts like a wise physician who for the good of his patient will not allow him to have what would be injurious to him. If God sees that we shall employ His gifts amiss, He of His mercy withholds them from us (St. Augustine). St. Monica earnestly implored almighty God to prevent her son from going to Italy. Her prayer was not granted, because God designed that the preaching of St. Ambrose should be the means of Augustine's conversion. St. Augus tine himself at a later period exclaims : " Thou didst then deny my mother's request, O Lord, in order to grant that which had long been her continual prayer." God often does not grant our entreaty because we do not deserve that grace. Those who pray without devotion and without faith (Jas. i. 7), or who are in mortal sin, and will not renounce their evil ways, are unworthy of being heard (John ix. 31). Many persons do not obtain what they ask, because they do not persevere in prayer, their whole heart is not in their petition. Yet no prayer is offered in vain; if God does not give what is asked, He bestows on the suppliant something else, something better; like a parent who gives his child a rosy apple instead of the knife he is clamoring for. Even the sinner does not pray in vain, for by his prayers he earns the graces necessary for his conversion. When you pray, and your petition is not granted, do not ascribe this to unwillingness on God's part, but to the imperfection of your prayer, or to the poor use you would perhaps make of the grace if it were bestowed on you. Act thus, and if you have prayed aright, God will give you some other gift far more worth having than that which you asked for. God is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand (Eph. iii. 20).

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2. By means of prayer sinners become just, and the just are enabled to continue in a state of grace.

By prayer sinners obtain forgiveness. The penitent thief said only these few words : " Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy kingdom" (Luke xxiii. 42), and immediately Our Lord pardoned him. The publican in the Temple did but strike his breast, saying : " O God, be merciful to me a sinner," and he went down to his house justified (Luke xviii. 13). As soon as David heard Nathan's rebuke, he exclaimed : " I have sinned against the Lord," and the prophet immediately assured him that the Lord had taken away his sin (2 Kings xii. 13). "When a man begins to pray," says St. Augustine, " he ceases to sin ; when he ceases to pray, he begins to sin." Mortal sin is incompatible with the habit of prayer. Prayer transforms the character ; by it the blind become enlightened, the weak become strong, sinners become saints.

By prayer sinners become just, because it earns for them the graces of contrition and amendment.

By prayer we draw down upon us the Holy Spirit, we obtain actual grace. As the nearer the earth approaches the sun, the greater the light and heat she derives from it, so the nearer we draw to Christ, the Sun of justice, the more our soul will be enlightened and strengthened. We have said that the soul is enlightened by prayer; she learns to estimate more justly the majesty and goodness of God, to perceive more clearly the final end of man, the will of God, the worthlessness of earthly things and her own poverty. In the case of some saints this inward illumination manifested itself externally. The countenance of Moses shone, after he had been conversing with God on the Mount. Our Lord, while He prayed, was transfigured (Luke ix. 29). Many saints are known to have been surrounded with an aureola of glory while at prayer. By prayer we gain strength and power to endure the ills of life. Prayer is like a celestial dew; as the earth is refreshed at night by the dew from heaven, so the soul is revived and fortified by prayer. Thus we should have recourse to prayer when our work is ended and before we commence anything of importance. Our Lord when on earth often spent the night in prayer, and before His Passion He prayed long and earnestly. The man who is given to prayer will never be a coward.

Prayer enables the just to continue in a state of grace, because it is a safeguard against temptation and sin.

Prayer is an antidote to the poison of temptation. The assaults of the devil darken the understanding and weaken the will; prayer does the very opposite ; it enlightens the understanding and strength ens the will. It acts upon temptation as water does on fire; it is a shield which the fiery darts of the evil one cannot pierce; it is an anchor to the tempest-tossed vessel. It banishes sadness; the Holy Ghost is a comforter, He imparts joy to the heart. Our Lord promises to refresh all who labor and are burdened, if they come to Him (Matt. xi. 28). St. James says: "Is any among you sad? let him pray" (Jas, .v. 13). During prayer, sometimes, a foretaste is given

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us of the joys of heaven. Prayer affords to the troubled heart such solace as a child may find, who pours out his sorrows on the breast of a compassionate father. " O taste and see," says the Psalmist, "that the Lord is sweet" (Ps. xxxiii. 9). One day spent in prayer is better than years devoted to the pleasures and distractions of the world. By prayer the just man acquires many virtues. Pray aright, and you will live aright. Between those who are much together a certain resemblance may be perceived; thus if we are much with God, we shall become like to Him. Prayer is to the soul what the sunshine is to a plant; it makes it grow and bear fruit abundantly.

3. By prayer we obtain the remission of the temporal penalty due to sin, and merit an eternal recompense,

When .prayer ascends to heaven, the mercy of God descends; it prevents the outburst of the divine wrath (St. Augustine). By every prayer we repeat some indulgence is gained, even though one is not definitely attached to it by the Holy See. Our Lord says: " When thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret; and thy Father, W^ho seeth in secret, will repay thee" (Matt. vi. 6). Prayer is a work which cannot be accomplished without toil and conflict, for the spirits of evil employ all their wiles to distract those who pray, by suggesting irrelevant thoughts to their mind. Hence those who preserve their recollection in spite of the assaults of the devil, and the hindrances he casts in their way, expiate many sins and merit a reward.

4. He who never prays cannot save his soul; for without prayer he will fall into grievous sins.

A servant who never saluted or spoke to his master would not long be retained in his service. Were one to look into hell, we should see that the majority of souls have been lost through neglect; of prayer. " If Our Lord," says St. Ambrose, " spent whole nights in prayer, what ought not we poor mortals to do to save our souls ? " He who does not pray is powerless to resist in the hour of temptation; he may be compared to a warrior without weapons, a bird without wings, a ship without sails or rudder; he is a reed, driven to and fro by every blast of wind. St. John Chrysostom says one who does not pray has no life in him, he has ceased to breathe. As corn must bestored in barns, not left lying on the damp ground, or it will grow mouldy and decay, so the heart of man must not continually rest upon earthly things; it must be lifted up to God, or it will lose its purity. Hence Our Lord bids us watch and pray (Matt. xxvi. 41). All nations of the world worship some deity or other; the obligation to pray is imprinted upon the human heart.

3. How Ought We to Pray ?

By praying we learn to pray. In this the proverb holds good: Practice makes perfect. Pray often, and you will find delight in prayer; pray seldom, and it will appear to you irksome and wearisome. God does not regard the length of our supplications but their fervor.

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If prayer is to be of utility to us, we must pray:

1. In the name of Jesus; that is, we must ask what is in accordance with Our Lord's desires.

Our Lord desires whatever promotes the glory of God and the salvation of souls. If we pray for what is opposed to our spiritual welfare, we do not pray in the name of Christ; e.g., if we pray for earthly riches or honors, for the acquisition of superfluities. But we pray in the name of Christ, that is, in union with His intention, in His spirit, if we ask for such things as the means of earning our daily bread, for succor in the time of tribulation, for the conversion of a sinner. The Church prays in the name of Christ, for all her petitions conclude with the words : " Through Jesus Christ Our Lord." " If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you" (John xvi. 23). Such is Our Lord's promise. What monarch could refuse the petition of one who said he was authorized to present it by the king's own royal son ?

2. We must pray with devotion; that is, we must fix our thoughts on God when we pray.

In our prayers we hold intercourse with God. When we hold inter course with our fellow-mortals, we give them our whole attention; how much more when we converse with God, should we fix our mind I on Him alone ! Some people honor God with their lips, while their I heart is far from Him (Matt. xv. 8). Their thoughts wander, they think of their earthly employments, they do not heed what they say. Prayers that are so tepid and distracted avail nothing with God. Who, when pleading before an earthly judge, would turn to those about him and begin to talk to them? He would be put out of court for his disrespectful behavior. How can we expect God to heed our prayers if we do not heed them ourselves? He who prays without devotion and yet looks for an answer to his prayer, is like a man who sows bad grain, and anticipates a crop of first-rate wheat. It is not, however, necessary to have sensible devotion, to experience extra ordinary consolation and delight in prayer. That is a supernatural gift, bestowed by God generally as a recompense; it does not add to the value of our prayers. Nor are they necessarily the worse, if we feel distaste and aridity. St. Teresa says that prayer under such circumstances may even be more meritorious because it is painful to nature. That prayer which costs us an effort, which we have to compel ourselves to offer, is perhaps the most acceptable in God's sight. Do not therefore give up prayer on account of aridity and the disinclination for it. The evil enemy seeks by this means to withdraw us from prayer, and God permits this trial to come upon us, in order that we may feel our own weakness and humble ourselves on account of it. And if during the whole time of prayer we do nothing else but resist temptations and distractions, let us not think we have prayed badly; God looks to our good will, in that He takes pleasure.

In order to pray devoutly we must prepare ourselves before hand, and during the time of prayer we must guard our senses and see that we do not assume an irreverent posture.

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" Before prayer prepare thy soul, be not as a man that tempteth God" (Ecclus. xviii. 23). The harper tunes his harp before begin ning to play, lest there should be any discord in the melody. How carefully those who are admitted to an audience of some earthly monarch perform their toilet ! Before commencing our prayer, we should place ourselves in the presence of God, endeavoring to realize that we stand in His sight, and then banish from our thoughts all worldly cares and interests. Let us imitate the patriarch Abraham, who when about to offer up his son Isaac on Mount Moria, left his servants, his ass, and all that was not wanted for the sacrifice, at the foot of the mountain, saying : " When we have worshipped, we will return unto you." As Our Lord drove those that sold out of the Temple, so we must banish all worldly affairs from our heart, when it is made a temple of prayer. Yet the distractions that are involuntary are not sinful, only they must be repulsed and withstood. At prayer we must close the door, that is keep custody of the eyes, and withdraw into the secret chamber of the soul. The use of a prayerbook often keeps the eyes from wandering. As a rule one prays with more recollection before the statue of a saint, or in a holy place, where all around breathes an atmosphere of devotion. Our attitude during prayer should not be lacking in reverence ; as far as possible we should remain upon our knees as an aid to devotion.

3. We must pray with perseverance, that is, we ought not to desist from prayer, if our petition is not immediately granted.

We should take example from children, who will not leave off clamoring until they get what they want. We mortals are apt to grow angry if a suppliant is too persistent, but it is not so with God ; He is pleased when we " batter the gates of heaven with storms of prayer." Remember the parable of the importunate friend, who continued knocking (Luke xi. 5). God sometimes puts the endurance of the suppliant to a severe test, as was the case with the woman of Chanaan (Matt. xv.). The Jews in Bethulia prayed all night, desiring help of the God of Israel, when Holofernes besieged their city, but the more they prayed, the more desperate the situation appeared. Yet they held out, and God sent them a deliverer in Judith. We have already said that for eighteen long years St. Monica ceased not to pray for her son's conversion, and how richly her constancy was rewarded ! For God loves to come to our aid when our need is greatest. Let us not then be discouraged, as some are, and cease to pray if our prayers are not answered; the wrise course would be to pray more earnestly the longer God delays granting our petition. For the longer He keeps us waiting, the more will His succor surpass our expectations. He is able to do abundantly more than we desire or under stand (Eph. iii. 20) . " We have to wait a whole year," says St. Francis of Sales, " before the seed we sow in the ground bears fruit ; and are we more impatient in regard to the fruit of our prayers ? "

4. We must pray with a pure heart; that is, our conscience must be free from grievous sin, or at any rate we must be in penitential dispositions.

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The man whose heart is not clean has not power to raise his soul to God, for when he begins to pray, thoughts and images of sin crowd in upon his mind, and hold it captive upon earth. He who prays with an impure heart is like a man who enters the presence of royalty with mud-stained garments, to implore a favor. It is only just that he who will not conform to the divine precepts should be excluded from a share in the divine benefactions. Listen to the commands of God, if you would have Him listen to your supplications. But as soon as the sinner is sincerely contrite, he may hope to obtain a hearing; God will receive his petitions as graciously as if he had never offended Him. In this Pie is unlike men, who are prone to cast former offences in the teeth of those who ask a favor of them. God looks at the present intention, not at the past actions of a man. Remember how the prayer of the penitent publican in the Temple was accepted (Luke xviii. 13).

5. We must pray with humility; that is, we must acknowledge our own weakness and unworthiness.

The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds (Ecclus. xxxv. 21). How lowly is the obeisance of one who approaches one of the magnates of the earth to present a petition! Prayer is in itself an act of humility, for by it we testify a sense of our dependence upon the Lord of heaven and of earth ; we take the position of beggars, knocking at the door of the great Father of mankind.

6. We must pray with confidence, that is, with a firm conviction that of His infinite mercy God will grant what we ask, provided it will tend to His glory and to the true welfare of our souls.

The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds of what the prayer of faith ought to be (3 Kings xviii.). Our Lord says : " All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" (Matt. xxi. 22). Confidence hath a great reward (Heb. x. 35). Let not him that wavereth think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord (Jas. i. 1).

7. We must pray with resignation to the will of God; that is, we must leave the granting of our petition entirely to God's good pleasure.

"Not My will, but Thine be done " (Luke xxii. 42), was Our Lord'sprayer on the Mount of Olives. God knows best what is for our good; we ought no more to dictate to Him than a sick man, who knows nothing of the healing art, ought to tell the physician what drugs he is to give him. A certain mother once was importunate in prayer for the recovery of her sick child. The priest told her she would do better to ask that God's will might be done. "No," she exclaimed indignantly, " God must grant me my desire." The child was restored to health, took to evil ways, and at last came to the gallows. Happy would it have been for that man had he died in his childhood! How much wiser it is to leave all in the hands of God, for He knows the future.

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4. When Ought We to Pray ?

1. As a matter of fact we ought to pray continually, for Our Lord requires of us " always to pray and not to faint " (Luke xviii.

The Apostle bids us: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v. 17). We may approach God at any moment ; there is no sentry before His door to turn us back; we have but to call upon Him by His name of Father, and His ear is open to us at once. " He who seeks God," says St. Alphonsus, "will find Him at all times and in every place." If our heart is continually raised to Him in prayer, we shall be like the angels who continually behold His countenance. If we are unceasing in prayer, we shall obtain our requests from God without difficulty, and we shall be preserved from many temptations. Our Lord says : " Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation," (Matt, xxvi. 41). The habit of constant prayer may be compared to a rampart against the malign foe; to a breastplate from which his arrows rebound ; to a harbor, in which the rough waves cannot reach us. We are liable at any moment to the assaults of the devil, wherefore let us ever be ready, armed with prayer, as those who are exposed to the danger of fire always have water at hand in case a conflagration should break out. By continuing in prayer, we shall have a surer hope of maintaining ourselves in the grace of God until our life's end.

It is, however, by no means required of us, nay, it would be impossible for us to remain constantly upon our knees; what we are to do is to pray while we work.

Martha's vocation, that of active work for one's neighbor, ought to be united to Mary's vocation, that of contemplation and prayer. St. Bernard says Martha's employment was good, Mary's was better, but a combination of the two is best of all. Christ, Who is in all things our Model, united a life of activity to a life of prayer. While we are in this world, work must oft-times be our prayer; hereafter, when there is no more occasion for work, the contemplation of the divine majesty will be our only occupation. He who gives up work for the sake of prayer, deserves not, according to the dictum of the Apostle, to have bread to eat (2 Thess. iii. 10).

While engaged in our work we can utter ejaculatory prayers, and we ought on commencing our work to direct our intention so as to do all to the glory of God.

St. Teresa had in her cell a picture of Our Lord at Jacob's well; when her eyes fell upon it she said : " Lord, give me that living v/ater." St. Ignatius frequently exclaimed : " All for the greater glory of God." Let us accustom ourselves to say from time to time : " Lord, remember me in Thy kingdom." He who raises his heart to God ever and anon by ejaculatory prayers, will keep calm and recollected amid the turmoil and distractions of life, for ejaculations are

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no weak weapons of defence; their brevity, too, enables them to be said with greater fervor than longer prayers. St. Francis of Sales recommends the frequent and fervent repetition of the same ejaculation. Our Lord on the Mount of Olives prayed using the same words. St. Francis of Assisi spent the whole night repeating the words: " My God and my all." St. Paul bids us : " Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God " (1 Cor. x. 31). It is well to direct one's intention in the morning, and renew it before every undertaking of any importance.

We should do well to employ our leisure time in prayer.

Blessed Clement Hofbauer answered a man who complained that his time hung heavy on his hands, with the words : " Well, then, you can pray." The saints spent as much time as they could in prayer; it is recorded of St. James that through being constantly on his knees, callosities formed on them. The Christian need not pray in a manner to be observed by others, but he can always pray in spirit, whatever his occupations may be. The saints used to make use of visible things to raise their thoughts to what is unseen; natural objects suggested to them thoughts of the supernatural. St. Gregory Nazianzen, seeing the shells washed up on the seashore and the immovable rocks that resisted the shock of the waves, compared the former to men who had no mastery over themselves, and the latter to those whom no temptation could seduce. The sight of a lamb led St. Francis of Assisi to speak of the meekness of the Redeemer; to other saints the sight of a flower, a picture, a church, was enough to inspire holy thoughts and practical reflections. This is no wonder, for all visible objects should recall to our mind the omnipotence and bounty of the Creator, and invite us to pay Him homage. Our life ought to be one uninterrupted prayer; for our mind ought to be detached from earthly things, and our conversation in heaven.

2. We ought to pray more especially every morning and evening, before and after meals, and when we hear the Angelus.

3. In the morning we ought to give thanks to God for having preserved us during the night, and beseech Him to protect us during the day from misfortune and from sin, and to give us what is needful for our bodily sustenance.

The morning prayer should be said kneeling, and before we take our breakfast. The birds set us an example in this respect; they warble their morning song before they seek to satisfy their hunger. "We ought to prevent the sun to bless Thee, and adore Thee at the dawning of the light" (Wisd. xvi. 28). A particular blessing rests upon our morning prayer. As the Israelites could only gather the manna before the sun was up, so we cannot expect God's blessing on the day if we do not consecrate its earliest hours to Him by prayer. As a well-spent youth influences a man's whole life, so the manner in which the day is begun influences all its later hours. In the morning God is more easily found : " They that in the morning early watch for Me shall find Me " (Prov. viii. 17). The

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early Christians used to meet together at daybreak for divine worship. He who on rising neglects to pray, and gives his attention at once to temporal concerns, cannot expect God's blessing on his day's work. If the foundation of a house is unsound, the super structure will soon fall in.

2. At night we ought to give thanks to God for the benefits we have received during the day, and beseech Him to pardon the sins we have committed in its course, and to protect us during the coming night.

At our night prayers we ought to make an examination of conscience. Every merchant at the close of the day reckons up his gain or loss, although only temporal profits are in question; how much more ought the Christian to make a careful scrutiny of the transactions which affect his spiritual interests. Priests and religious have to recite the breviary at seven different times in the day. David says : "Seven times a day have I given praise to Thee " (Ps. cxviii. 164). The early Christians used to pray at midnight (Acts xvi. 26), and at the hours of the Passion: When Our Lord was condemned (nine o'clock), crucified (noon), when He died (three o'clock), and when He was laid in the grave (sunset). These are the fixed hours for reciting the divine office, but priests are not obliged to adhere to them strictly.

3. Before arid after meals we ought to give thanks to God for our nourishment, and implore His grace to avoid such sins as are committed at table.

" When thou shalt have eaten and art full, take heed diligently lest thou forget the Lord" (Deut. vi. 12, 13). Daniel when in the lion's den thanked God for the dinner that He sent to him (Dan. xiv. 37). Those who do not give thanks before and after their meals are like the beasts of the field. King Alfonso of Aragoii, observing that his courtiers did not give thanks either before or after their repasts, gave them a practical lesson in this respect. He invited a beggar to his royal table, forbidding him most strictly either to make an obeisance on entering the dining hall, or to express his gratitude to the king when departing. The man obeyed his orders, and went away without a word or sign. The courtiers were highly incensed; but the king checked their wrath, saying: " Is not this exactly how you act towards your heavenly King? You neither ask a blessing nor return thanks; has He not as much reason to be indignant with you as you have with this ignorant mendicant?" The courtiers acknowledged the justice of the rebuke and never after omitted to say grace before and after meals. The sins committed at table usually are sins of intemperance, anger (if all is not to our liking), and detraction. And when the appetite is satisfied, there comes the temptation to sloth and self-indulgence.

4. We ought also to pray when the Angelus rings, calling upon us three times a day, morning, noon, and evening, to say the Angelic Salutation; and if we are near a church, when we

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hear the bell for the consecration, or for benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

3. Furthermore we ought to pray in the hour of affliction, distress, or temptation, when entering upon an important undertaking, and when we feel an inspiration and desire to pray.

We ought to pray in times of distress, for God enjoins this upon us : " Call upon Me in the day of trouble ; I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me" (Ps. xlix. 15). How did the apostles act when the storm arose on the lake? Too often in their troubles men seek after human aid. In temptation we ought also to have recourse to prayer. " Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation " (Matt. xxvi. 41). St. Francis of Sales says that when we are as sailed by temptation we should do as little children do if they are frightened by the approach of some animal; they run to their father or mother. On commencing any important undertaking we ought to pray. Tobias exhorts his son : " Desire of God to direct thy ways " (Tob. iv. 20). Our Lord passed the whole night in prayer to God before He chose the twelve apostles (Luke vi. 12) ; He prayed before the raising of Lazarus (John xi. 41), and before He went to His Passion (Luke xxii. 41). The apostles prayed before they chose Matthias by lot (Acts i. 23). St. Peter prayed before he recalled Tabitha to life (Acts ix. 40). St. Jerome admonishes us to arm ourselves by prayer at our outgoing, and on our incoming to let prayer be our first action. We should also make use of those moments when we feel moved to pray. The mariner hastens to put to sea when he finds the wind is favorable; so we, when we perceive the impulse of the Holy Spirit, must follow His gracious inspirations. Unhappily those moments are too often allowed to slip by, or distraction is sought in worldly amusements. Of this the entertain ments held after weddings, and on great festivals of the Church, the feasts the poor make after funerals, etc., . afford abundant evidence. How much those who thus act will have one day to answer for ! Such solemn times should be times of greater devotion.

5. Where Ought We to Pray?

1. We can and ought to pray in every place, because God is everywhere present.

Our Lord Himself prayed, not only in the Temple at Jerusalem, and in the synagogues, but also in the desert, on the mountains, in the cenacle, in the Garden of Olives, on the cross. Jacob prayed in the open country, Jonas in the belly of the whale, Job on the dunghill, Daniel in the lion's den, Manasses in prison. Paul and Silas lying bound in a dungeon, prayed and praised God, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. We can only speak with God when He is present, and He is present everywhere (Acts xvii. 24). Remember Our Lord's words to the woman of Samaria (John iv. 23). God does not regard the place in which we pray, but the dispositions with which we pray.

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2. The house of God is the place specially set apart for prayer.

The house of God is the house of prayer (Matt. xxi. 13). Some say there is no need to go to church, because the whole earth is the temple of God. This is false; God enjoins upon us by the mouth of the Church to go to His house on Sundays and festivals. Our Lord Himself set us an example in this respect, for He was often to be found in the Temple at Jerusalem. Petitions offered in a church have greater efficacy, because the place is consecrated, and we can also pray with more devotion, because our surroundings are an aid to recollection, and we can put aside our daily cares. Besides, the prayers we offer in church are heard more quickly because Our Lord is present there under the eucharistic veils; He has promised that: " Where there are two or three gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them," and He will help us to pray aright. However it must not be thought that true piety consists in spending long hours in the church.

3. A solitary place is also suitable for prayer.

Our Lord was accustomed to withdraw into solitude for prayer. He prayed in the desert (Luke v. 16), on mountains, in the Garden of Olives (Luke xxii. 39). He bids us retire into our chamber and shut the door (Matt. vi. 6), for in solitude one is less likely to be distracted, and one can pray more fervently.

6. For What Ought We to Pray ?

1. We ought to implore of God many things and great things; benefits not appertaining to time so much as to eternity.

Supposing a king said to you: "Ask what you will;" would you not ask a great favor of him ? Well, it is nothing more than what God says to you. We ought to ask great things of God, because we have to do with One Who is infinitely rich and powerful. Let us not be contented with what we have already received, but ever beg for more. God is more ready to give than we to receive. Let us not ask so much for temporal and transitory benefits, bt$ rather for those that are eternal. No one would presume to ask of an emperor what was useless and worthless ; much less should we venture to implore the Lord of heaven and earth for the things of time and sense. It is the act of a fool to treasure up worthless shells and cast away precious pearls ; to choose glittering tinsel rather than pure gold. Let us therefore pray for the joys of heaven, and for whatsoever will help us to attain them.

2. We ought more especially to beseech almighty God to grant us such things as are conducive to His glory, and to our salvation, and in no wise to ask for what will only serve to gratify our earthly desires.

To those who pray Our Lord says : " Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added to you "

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(Matt. v. 33). Hence we may conclude that if we ask for the good things of eternity, those of time will also be bestowed on us. King Solomon prayed for wisdom to govern his people aright; God gave him a wise and understanding heart and in addition earthly riches and glory in abundance (3 Kings iii.). It is not right to ask of God what is only calculated to gratify our earthly concupiscences; such prayers are not granted (Jas. iv. 3). "There are many," says St. Augustine, " who, in what they ask, do not seek God's glory, but their own sensual pleasures; they would degrade God to be their servant, the servant of their covetousness, their pride, their avarice, their luxury." King Jeroboam's hand was withered, because he stretched it out against the man of God. He prayed that his hand might be restored, not that his sin might be forgiven (3 Kings xiii. 6). Many people do likewise; in their prayers they think only of the needs of the body, not those of the soul. Let us never pray that our will, but that God's will be done; let us not wish for the accomplishment of those desires which arise from our fallen nature, but of those with which the Holy Spirit inspires our soul.

7. Meditation

1. Meditation, i.e., contemplative prayer, consists in dwell ing upon the truths of religion, in order to awaken within our minds good resolutions.

Costly spices give out their aroma most freely when they are bruised in a mortar; so the truths of religion have most influence upon the soul that ponders on them. One who meditates upon holy things is like a man striking fire with flint and steel; he strikes the stony heart with the keen edge of the understanding until spai-ks fly out, that is", good resolutions are elicited from the will. Meditation is only difficult until the Holy Spirit makes His gracious action felt. Like a vessel that must be propelled by toilsome rowing until a favorable wind springs up and inflates her sails, then the oar is no longer needed, for she runs swiftly before the breeze — so in meditation the powers of the mind must be exercised laboriously, until the Holy Ghost breathes upon the soul, guiding it and elevating it. If we strive to elicit a succession of beautiful thoughts and elaborate meanings, this is not prayer, but study. When once we have struck fire, let us toil no more, but forthwith kindle the torch.

2. Meditation is a most excellent method of prayer, but it must not be pursued to the exclusion of vocal prayer.

By mental prayer we imitate on earth the occupation of the angels who constantly contemplate the face of God, and meditate on His perfections. The saints have bequeathed to us many books of meditations ; if we read these attentively it is equivalent to prayer. Mental prayer must alternate with vocal prayer; these two methods of prayer are the two feet that carry us forward on the way to heaven. Meditation is a necessary preliminary to prayer; without it prayer will be imperfect, the needful devotion will be lacking.

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3. By means of meditation we obtain actual graces, and advance rapidly on the path of perfection.

We obtain many actual graces in meditation; for as we receive light and warmth when we stand by a fire, so by meditation upon the truths of religion the mind is enlightened to see the worthlessness of earthly things, the end of man, the rigor of the divine judgments, and the heart is inflamed with the love of justice. It is a furnace wherein the fire of divine charity is kindled, a door whereby divine grace enters into the heart of man. A soul that practises meditation is like a cultivated field which produces abundant fruit, a wellwatered garden in which flowers bloom luxuriantly. He who neglects to ponder upon the truths of religion knows nothing of their force; his spiritual sight is dimmed, he is engrossed with the things of earth. With desolation is all the land made desolate, because there is none that considereth in his heart (Jer. xii. 11). The subjects chosen for meditation ought to be those which have most power to attract and influence us, and to these we should frequently recur. Thus bees alight upon the flowers which contain the sweet juice whence they make their honey. Meditation is a means of attaining perfection. St. Ambrose says daily meditation is the antidote for tepidity. It was the foundation of the conversion of St. Ignatius and other saints. St. Teresa declares that mental prayer and mortal sin are incompatible; they exclude one another; one or the other must of necessity be given up.