I once heard a Priest say that if he did not pray he could not be a good Priest. Therefore, we must pray in order to be good. If we wish to be a good mother, father, daughter, son, sibling, friend, employee, etc. we must pray and pray often......not only for others but especially for ourselves.
AN EXCERPT FROM A SERMON BY
SAINT JEAN MARIE BAPTISTE VIANNEY:
"My little children, reflect on these words: the Christian's treasure is not on earth but in heaven. Our thoughts, then, ought to be directed to where our treasure is. This is the glorious duty of man: to pray and to love. If you pray and love, that is where a man's happiness lies."
"Prayer is nothing else but union with God. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can ever pull apart. This union of God with a tiny creature is a lovely thing. It is a happiness beyond understanding."
"My little children, your hearts, are small, but prayer stretches them and makes them capable of loving God. Through prayer we receive a foretaste of heaven and something of paradise comes down upon us. Prayer never leaves us without sweetness. It is honey that flows into the souls and makes all things sweet. When we pray properly, sorrows disappear like snow before the sun."
"Oh, how I like those little mortifications that are seen by nobody, such as rising a quarter of an hour sooner, rising for a little while in the night to pray!"
~Saint Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney
REFLECTIONS FROM THE SAINTS REGARDING WHY THE SOUL NEEDS PRAYER:
"It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life."~Saint John Chrysostom
"A soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat. In whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul, which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer." ~Saint Faustina
"Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven." ~Saint Ephraem
"All the damned have been lost by not praying; had they prayed, they would not have been lost." ~Saint Alphonsus.
"Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength and consolation; and gives them a foretaste of the calm and bliss of our heavenly home." ~Saint Rose of Viterbo
REFLECTIONS FROM THE SAINTS REGARDING WHAT PRAYER IS AND HOW WE SHOULD PRAY:
"Prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus."~Saint Therese of Lisieux
"Prayer ought to be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and accompanied with great reverence. One should consider that he stands in the presence of a God, and speaks with a Lord before whom the angels tremble from awe and fear." ~Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi
"Pray with great confidence, with confidence based upon the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray." ~Saint Louis de Montfort
REFLECTIONS FROM THE SAINTS REGARDING UNANSWERED PRAYERS:
"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers." ~Saint Theresa of Jesus
"If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds what you are not yet ready for. He wants you to have a lively desire for His greatest gifts. All of which is to say, pray always and do not lose heart." ~Saint Augustine
REFLECTIONS FROM THE SAINTS REGARDING DRYNESS IN PRAYER:
"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." ~Saint John of The Cross
"We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone." ~Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
