Why Pray: The Foundation of Spiritual Life

The danger of neglecting prayer

With this premise, many, although considering themselves good Christians, have abandoned this wonderful practice, sometimes replacing it with a fleeting thought directed to God or, at most, the recitation of an Our Father and nothing more.

False prophets assure us: "It's fine, how can one waste time in prayer when one can work for their job, family, and rightful entertainment? God, according to them, can wait".

Thus, we find ourselves living without the aid of prayer and with a numbed conscience: it is true that the Sunday encounter with the Lord remains, but it is not enough, because without prayer, determination and vigilance are lacking. Consequently, compromises are made with one's conscience, leading to a halt in the virtuous path.

It is a gradual change that escapes consciousness and allows us to still consider ourselves good Christians, but it is a very dangerous situation in which one cannot linger for long, otherwise the rapids of life will take us where we would not want to go.

Prayer as the flame of the soul

Prayer is, therefore, a very important element for the soul, comparable to the flame that feeds the fire. Just as there cannot be a fire without a flame to feed it, similarly, love for God cannot subsist without prayer.

If the word is important for human love, even more so is prayer, which conveys love and unites us with God. In it is His breath of love, there is the way to share with God everything one desires. There is no other way to communicate with Him.

Just as in human love we continue to express our feelings to the loved one even if they already know them, because love requires sharing and union, so we must do with God. After all, it is natural to turn to the loved one in times of need.

Prayer is therefore a powerful weapon to use against the weaknesses and troubles of life, and it is necessary to obtain from God, by communicating with Him, the salvation and the means necessary for the soul to attain virtues. This is why those who pray obtain, while those who do not pray get lost.

The proud person who trusts only in their own strength, not knowing the power of prayer, neglects to ask and falls; while the humble person, although tested by many temptations, resists.

Yes, prayer is a sigh of love, a means of support and salvation, an expression of gratitude and praise for such a good God. The Psalm says: "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy" (Psalm 116:1).

The transforming power of prayer

Prayer can do all things because it draws on the power of Jesus; the only condition required is faith and the involvement of the heart. Christ invites us to pray to God without tiring and with assiduity. He desires to transform us through prayer, to launch us beyond human nature and bring about change for spiritual growth.

If it is true that life depends on the strength of our thoughts, the vigor of our will, and the impulse of the heart, it is important to know that, through the prayer of union, it is possible to find the sap that strengthens the mind, the will, and the reasons of the heart. It can eliminate every doubt, every unease, every fear, every selfishness through the fire of divine love.

Prayer is a dialogue with God since, through words, it involves the heart in the impetus of love. This is the essence that must be sought in the silence of the mind, because through quietness it is possible to let the feelings and emotions that God has placed in us flow from the heart.

Conversely, for the fearless, for those who know how to love, prayer is like the sun that, with its rays, dissipates the fog, freeing the eyes to range over new horizons that God has created for their delight. Then, in time, prayer transforms like a river in flood and forcefully overwhelms the banks of our selfishness and our smallness, directing thought to praise to thank God for the countless benefits.

We all need to be healed from spiritual laziness, selfishness, pride, sin, and weaknesses. We must implore the beloved Jesus to come to our aid, because He alone can heal us and transform us into the new man spoken of in the Gospel.

The cry of the heart must not remain a desperate shout thrown into the void, but, through prayer, it must become the engine of life, it must produce a powerful spiritual thrust. It must feed the flame that burns in the heart and push us on the path of true love. Jesus has invited us to always pray for our salvation, to give us that joy which, passing through union with Him, is the bridge between heaven and earth.

The influence of evil, injustice, and enslavement to the god of money now reign in the world. Prayer can fight evil and create a new hope for life.

"Between you and Me", God says, "there is a bond that nothing could break. I am your God; you are my child. We will share in common, I My eternity, My life and My holiness, you your daily life, your earthly life and your poverty. Your existence will unite with Mine, and we will never be separated again, because I am God and I will no longer question My covenant. In a certain way, our destinies are linked to one another."

Prayer is that privileged moment in which we contemplate the love of the Father who generates us to filial life. He wants to free us from the depths of our humanity to develop freely within us. We will no longer have to search for ideas and words to express our prayer. It will be enough for us to exist as children of God: our very being will be a prayer.