Prayer is the active expression of the virtue of religion. Prayer by simple definition is the raising of the mind and heart and soul to God. Every thought of God and every look toward God is a prayer.

Prayer must be given to God. It is completely necessary to live a meaningful life. We are to do so with reverence and humility. We are to do so with faith and confidence and perseverance. And we are to do so with resignation to God’s will conscious of being God’s creature and with an awareness that we are always dependent upon the omnipotent and gracious Creator.

What can we pray for? We may pray for all needs of body and soul.

There are different kinds of prayer. Prayer may be said for different reasons.

We pray giving God love. Love is what God wants the most. We must love God above all things for His sake.

Adoration is given to God as acknowledgment of God’s greatness and of our total dependence on God and so that we may grow in holiness and give glory to God.

Thanksgiving is given to God because all we have or we shall ever have is God’s gift and we are to show God our gratitude for His benefits to ourselves and others.

Expiation or Reparation is given to God when we have offended God and we ask for His forgiveness. We must have sorrow for sins committed. And when we sin we ask God for mercy.

Petition is given to God because we have need of God’s help and He is our Father who loves us and never fails to hear what we ask. We petition God also for the graces needed to live out our lives according to His will. We petition God for His blessing and protection for the devil is real and he knows the good effects of devout prayer. That is why Satan makes every effort to prevent us for praying to God as such.

Prayer produces three main effects: It detaches us from creatures. It unites us to God. It enables us to mirror God in our souls.

Prayer is a sign of faith and an exercise of faith. If we do not pray we do not have much love for God or belief in Him.

The most excellent gift man can offer to God is the act of prayer by which we assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the gift of offering God to God.

There are those of us Christians who have been given this great gift of Christ on the altar. And there are those of us Christians who have yet to understand this truth- this great gift from God of God Himself.

Those of us who are blessed with Christ on the altar cannot abandon Christ in the Mass. To do so is a mortal sin and the greatest folly for us. We cannot go backwards in such a way in our worship of God. And God will never cheat us even if the priest consecrating is like Judas.

Those of you who do not have or understand this great blessing must never attack Christ in the Mass. If you do attack Christ in the Mass it is a mortal sin and the greatest folly for you. This would be to go backwards in your worship of God in the most hateful of ways.

It is God’s wish that all His Christians come to partake in the Holy Sacrifice of God to God and in the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Spirit calls for this in God’s restoration before the second coming of Christ. It is the unholy counterfeit spirit who calls for opposition to this.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are not praying as we should. And as the neglect of God is so great in Christendom Satan is gaining ground every day. There is great rebellion in the House of God. We must pray. And we must pray as we should.

It matters how we pray. So how shall we pray?

“Before prayer prepare thy soul: and be not as a man that tempteth God.”( Ecclesiastes 18:23) We need to dispose our hearts before we enter into converse with God. This we can do by taking a moment to recall to whom we are about to speak and what we wish to say.

As regards the prayer itself there are certain qualities which it ought to posses in order to be pleasing to God. All too often there is given to God prayer without devotion. This should not ever be: ” This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They do me empty reverence, making dogmas out of human precepts.” (Matthew 15:8-9) Most in Christendom are now giving God a polluted worship .

We are to pray always with an attitude of repentance of our sins and a recommitment to God. “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a holocaust, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” ( Psalm 51: 17-19)

We are to pray with humility and reverence . The prayer of the self-satisfied Pharisee was rejected but the humble publican went down to his house justified. If you are behaving profanely towards God and thinking the Lord’s table and its offering may be polluted, and its food slighted, think again. Lest you be forever cursed. See( Malachi 12-14)

We are to pray with faith and confidence. St. Augustine said : “If your faith sinks the ardor of your prayer sinks; for how can he pray who does not believe.” St. Bernard assures us that our confidence decides the measure of grace we shall receive from prayer. If we have much confidence we shall receive much grace. If we have little confidence , then we shall receive little grace. ” Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks, receives. The one who seeks, finds. The one who knocks, enters.” (Matthew 7:7-8) We are to pray with resignation to God’s will. Our perfect model is Christ praying to His Heavenly Father the night he was delivered up. ” Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me: yet not my will but thine be done.” ( Luke 22:42)

We are not to dictate to God or demand from God; that is not faith and confidence. Let us be like Jesus. Let us make our petitions but then leave the granting of them to God in His holy will.

How often should we pray? Jesus said,” Pray without ceasing”. and St. Paul said, “Pray always”. God is always and ever with us but are we always and ever with God?

If we pray constantly we remain united with God. Our heart is always aware of God’s presence and we are constantly ready to do the will of God. All our actions that we perform should be out of our constant prayer and love of God.

Prayer is vital. We belong to God one hundred percent. Every good thing that comes to us has its source in God. We depend upon Him for the very air we breathe. Because of this relationship to God we owe God the duty of prayer.

Prayer is an act of justice, not merely an act of piety. Prayer is a debt that we must pay. It is not just a grateful gesture that we choose to make.

Jesus is our all, your brother in Christ ,Eddie