This month I would like to discuss prayer.

Saint Theresa Lisieux said' "For me prayer is a surge of the heart ; it is a simple look turned toward Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love embracing both trial and joy."

Saint John Damascene said, "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."

Prayer is an act of love.

It is often called having a conversation with God.

Since God is Love and he loves us, prayer is a conversation of love with God.

Prayer is the only means we have of conscious contact with him.

By prayer we respond to God who first spoke to us, especially through his unique Word made flesh.

Prayer can be expressed in words or gestures, however, in either way it is the whole person who prays.

Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or spirit being the source of prayer, but more often as the heart.

The heart is our hidden part, often hidden from grasp of reason.

The heart is the place of decision and truth, where we choose life and death.

The heart is also the place of our covenant between God and man through Christ and the Holy Spirit.

This is one reason we start and end our prayers with the sign of the cross.

When we make the sign of the cross, we express the truth that there are three distinct Persons in God.

Another reason for starting and ending prayer is that by making the sign of the cross we should be reminded of the Redemption.

When we make the sign of the cross on ourselves, we express the truth that the Son of God became man and redeemed us from our sins by his death on the cross.

Dr. Alexis Carrel wrote in his book, Man the Unknown,

"If you make a habit of prayer, your life will be profoundly altered.

In prayer, a flame kindles and a man sees himself.

A person discovers the selfishness, greed and blunders held inside oneself.

One develops a sense of moral obligation and intelligent humility.

Thus begins a journey of the soul towards grace."

Prayer must show that it is more than an intellectual activity.

A person's will, affections, and activities are all to be lifted up to God.

If this occurs then an intimate personal relationship with God will be experienced and one will receive needed grace for the soul.

There are four general types of prayer, according to the reasons or purposes for which one prays.

These are adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and contrition.

All other kinds of prayer - love, praise, abandonment to God's will, atonement, reparation and others - can be included in one of these four general types.

The four general types express the motives of one's prayer.

Adoration prayers express God's excellence and man's absolute dependence to him.

Thanksgiving prayers express gratitude for the benefits received from God.

Petition prayers express a request for something.

Contrition prayers express sorrow for sins.

In actual prayer these motives are often interconnected.

In every true petition to God there is at least a virtual expression of adoration, thanksgiving, and contrition.

Here on earth our prayers are often expressions of sorrow and petition.

But we should remember to offer up prayers of thanksgiving and adoration.

In Heaven, the prayers of the blessed will be chiefly expressions of adoration and thanksgiving.

Prayer should contain certain qualities.

Among these qualities are attention, devotion, confidence and perseverance.

One should work to keep as much attention on what is taking place in prayer as possible.

The devil is strong and will be tempting the person praying with all kinds of distractions.

Involuntary distractions may come and go because of human weaknesses.

These do not destroy the value of prayer.

Prayer is more than an exercise of the mind.

Romans 8:26-27 states, "In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;

for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpessible groanings.

And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit,

because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will."

Prayer is beyond what we can do by ourselves.

It cannot be mastered by human efforts or human techniques.

All true prayers are the effect of grace.

No matter how difficult or studied or how spontaneous our prayers may be, it is always God who raises up the heart which lifts itself to him.

Ultimately prayer is possible only because God makes it possible.

As an expression of the supernatural virtues of faith, hope and love, prayer is itself of the reign of grace.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit within us - and yet it is we who prays.

Prayer is a genuflection of one's will to God.

Devotion to God in prayer is shown in freely choosing to give him our mind and heart.

At times devoted acts are accompanied by peace and joy, at other times they are not.

Even at those times when prayer comes hard, the will can submit to God.

In the "Our Father", we pray, "… Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…."

Everyone has an obligation to pray.

However, one's friendship with God grows as one's devotion grows.

The Lord has told us to pray with an unshakable confidence born of faith.

We do this by praying in "the name of Jesus" our mediator with full confidence.

We must have full confidence in Christ's redemptive love and in the power of his merits to obtain from the Father what is asked.

James 1:6 states, "…he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind."

To approach God with little or no hope is to offend him.

For this reason the official prayers of the Church end with the words "through Christ our Lord…"

One can learn from reading the Gospels to pray with perseverance.

James 1:7 states, " For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, and unstable in all his ways."

In order to obtain the perseverance needed for good prayer demands faithfulness to other graces from God.

Only one trying to lead a good life will have the appropriate dispositions to pray.

The state of soul that permits prayer does not come without preparation through an entire range of circumstances.

One prepares for a life of prayer by living a good life and prayer is an expression of that life.

Therefore, every sacrifice that detaches us from the world, every action which conforms us to the image of God, every movement of love that puts us in harmony with the triune God prepares us for prayer.

Praying faithfully requires self-discipline.

Saints who have loved and enjoyed prayer have often reminded us that faithfulness in prayer requires effort and discipline.

In our Rule praying is to be part of our lifestyle, so praying the daily office, the Psalms, Prayer of Consecration, and other prayers help us develop the discipline we need for a good prayer life.

In the book, The Sayings of the Fathers, Father Abba Agatho was asked, during the fourth or fifth century, by the Egyptian monks, " Father which virtue in our way of life needs the most effort to acquire?"

He answered, " Forgive me, I think there is nothing that needs as much effort as prayer to God.

If a person wishes to pray, the demons infest that person in the attempt to interrupt prayer, for they know that prayer is the one thing that hinders them.

In all efforts of a religious life, whether they are made vehemently or gently, there is room for a measure of rest.

But we need to pray until we breathe out our last breath."

Personally I agree with Father Abba Agatho.

I believe this is as true today as it was 1500 years ago and I believe all of you agree with me.

Therefore in closing let us constantly have a prayer in our hearts.

We should never be discouraged in prayer.

We should never give up.

We should never lose heart.

Instead we should pray until we breathe out our dying breath.