Us Pray
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CONTENTS

'With A Loud Voice I Cry To The Lord”

I Will... That Men Pray In Every Place”

"Ask And You Shall Receive”

"Our Father Who Art In Heaven”

..Ask The Father Anything In My Name”

"I Pray... That All May Be One...”

No. 59



Why the Knights of tJolumhus

Advertise Catholic Faith

The reason is simple. We Catho-

lics want our non-Catholic friends

and neighbors to know us as we

really are and not as we are some

times mistakenly represented.

We are confident that when

our religious Faith is better un-

derstood by those who do not

share it, mutual understanding

will promote the good-will which

is so necessary in a predominant-

ly Christian country whose gov-

ernment is designed to serve all

the people—no matter how much

their religious convictions may

differ.

American Catholics are con-

vinced that as the teachings of

Christ widely and firmly take

hold of the hearts and conduct

of our people, we shall remain

free in the sense that Christ

promised (John VIII, 31-38),

and in the manner planned by

the Founding Fathers of this

republic.

Despite the plainly stated will

of the Good Shepherd that there

be "one fold and one shepherd,”

the differences in the understand-

ing of Christ’s teaching are

plainly evident. It has rightfully

been called "the scandal of a

divided Christianity.”

If there is anything which will

gather together the scattered

flock of Christ, it is the nation-

wide understanding of the

Savior, what He did and how He

intended mankind to benefit by

the Redemption.

To this end, we wish our

fellow-Americans to become ac-

quainted with the teachings of

Christ as the Catholic Church

has faithfully presented them,

since the day the apostles in-

vaded the nations of the world

in willing and courageous obedi-

ence to Christ’s command: "Go,

therefore, and make disciples of

all nations . . .” (Matt. XXVIII,

19).

SUPREME COUNCIL

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Religious Information Bureau

4422 LINDELL BLVD. ST. LOUIS 8, MO.

© Knights of Columbus 1960



"WITH A LOUD VOICE

I CRY TO THE LORD"

Have you ever desired an

audience with an outstand-

ing personage? Have you

ever wished for a few mo-

ments alone with a famous

athlete, a noted writer, a re-

nowned statesman, a distin-

guished artist, an eminent

clergyman, or an illustrious

sovereign? Thousands of

people visit civic and re-

ligious shrines each year to per-

sonally become associated with and

to relive for an imaginary moment

some historical reality. Throngs will

stand for hours to catch but a fleet-

ing glimpse of some passing hero.

Those of great repute are ordi-

narily too busy to share their lives

with persons outside their immedi-

ate circle of friends. An interview
with a celebrity, a queen, a hero, a

president, a pope, must therefore

remain but an unrealized dream for

the average person.

Though this factmay often escape

our notice, there is truly one who

is far greater than any earthly per-

sonage to whom we have immedi-
ate and direct access at all times.

This beloved person is our Heaven-

ly Father. The door of His home

is always open. He patiently awaits
and longs for our coming. He de-

sires our conversation and

listens intently to every

word. We are His immedi-
ate circle of friends because

we are His children. He is

never too busy, day or night,

to spend as much time with

any one of us as we choose.

Speaking to our Heavenly

Father is prayer. Yes, we

may give it a definition: the

lifting of the heart and mind to

God. But to give it a definition is

something like "gilding the lily.” For

prayer is not a cold matter of form.

It is not a mere set of words said

properly to a potentate wrapped in

cold reserve. It is not a formula to

satisfy protocol. Rather it is the

opening of a child’s heart to a

Father. And such a Father.

To whom is it that we pray?

God, our Father. God? Who is He?
Should we turn to the Old Testa-

ment we would find that he is "my

God,” "my just God,” "The Lord,

my God,” "Lord, my strength, my

rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my

rock of refuge, my shield, the horn

of my salvation, my stronghold.”

He is also "my shepherd,” "my

light and my salvation,” "The God

of glory,” "faithful God,” "the Lord

whose wondrous kindness he has

1



shown me;” God is called upon to

be merciful "in your goodness, in

the greatness of your compassion.”

He is "the Lord, a merciful and

gracious God, slow to anger and

rich in kindness and fidelity.”

^'Who Is He?”

WHO IS THIS GOD.? It is He
who said: "Can a woman forget

her infant, so as not to have pity

on the son of her womb? And if

she should forget, yet will not I

forget thee’"’ (Isaias 49:15). He is
the one who said: "Yea, I have

loved thee with an everlasting love”

(Jeremias 31:3). He it is who "so
loved the world that he gave his

only-begotten Son, that those who

believe in him may not perish, but

may have life everlasting” (John

3 : 16 ).

We pray then to a God who is
all this and more. For He sent His
Son into the world to tell us about

Himself: "The only-begotten Son

... he has revealed him.” What did

Jesus Christ, this only-begotten Son

tell us about God? That He is a
Father, a loving Father, a merciful

Father, a forgiving Father. That

we should not be anxious about the

things we need, "for your Father

knows that you need all these

things.” That He is the shepherd
who seeks the lost sheep and re-

joices when He has found it. That
He is the grieving Father who waits
for the return of His prodigal chil-

dren, and overwhelms them with

His love when they return from

their sinful ways. That He forgives
and forgives, and forgives again.

Our prayers therefore are sent

heavenwards to One who is wait-

ing for them. They wing their way

to a Father who is yearning to an-

swer His children. No father de-
sires so much news of his children,

as God desires the prayers of

His, Let us listen to God’s own Son:

"Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and you shall find; knock, and

it shall be opened to you. For every-

one who asks, receives; and he who

seeks, finds; and to him who
knocks, it shall be opened. Or what

man is there among you, who, if

his son asks him for a loaf, will

hand him a stone; or if he asks for

a fish, will hand him a serpent?

Therefore, if you, evil as you are,

know how to give good gifts to

your children, how much more will

your Father in heaven give good

things to those who ask Him!”

(Matthew 7:7-11).

An Omnipotent God

This God to whom we pray is

the same God who is all-powerful.

"Is anything too wonderful for the

Lord?” (Genesis 18:14). "Our God

is in heaven; whatever He wills. He

does” (Psalms 11 3b: 3). Listen to

the words of our Lord: "With men

this is impossible, but with God

ail things are possible” (Matthew

19:26). God then is able to do what

we ask of Him. But a father does

not always exert all his power, nor

use all his strength. When he picks

up his infant child, he uses his

power with all gentleness. Or when

his growing son asks his father to

display his power, the father may

refuse. He does so not because he

is powerless, but to teach his son

that a mere display of power is not

desirable. Or he may wish to teach

2



his son that there are things more

powerful than power, such as pa-

tience or self-control.

Our heavenly Father, omnipotent

though He is, uses His power for

the eternal salvation of His chil-

dren. He is as wise as He is power-

ful. His wisdom directs the use of

His power for the welfare of His

children. Knowing this. His children

can feel secure in their prayers to

their Father. They know that while

as children they may ask for many

things, their Father, being a loving

and good Father, will "screen” their

prayers and use His power only for

their spiritual good.

Hence when prayers are not an-

swered, there is no reason to think

that God is not listening, or not

concerned. In our childlike way

we may repeat with the Psalmist:

"Why, O Lord, do you stand aloof?
Why hide in times of distress?”
(Psalms 9b, 1). But this should not

come from the childish thought

that God does not care what hap-

pens to us. It is His care and con-

cern that causes Him at times to
refuse to give us what we ask.

God Is All-Knowing

For besides being all-powerful

and all-wise, God is also all-know-

ing. He knows us "inside and out.”

His knowledge of us is not of yes-

terday. It is a knowledge of the

past, the present, and the future. He

knows us far better than we know

ourselves or than anyone knows us.

He knows our thoughts and our

innermost secrets. "O Lord, you

have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I

stand; you understand my thoughts

from afar. My journeys and my
rest you scrutinize, with all my

ways you are familiar. Even before

a word is on my tongue, behold,

O Lord, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem

me in and rest your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful

for me; too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your spirit?

from your presence where can I

flee?” (Psalms 138:1-7).

What a consolation to us as we

pray. We know that God knows.
We also know that when He uses
this knowledge, it will be a loving

Father using it. As prayer is the

lifting of the mind AND THE
HEART, so God’s answer to prayer

is from His knowledge and FIIS

LOVE! Into this beautiful picture

comes the voice of a skeptic: "God

knows it all, so why pray? Why
tell Him what He already knows?

Why talk to Him? Has He not
already made up His mind what He

will do? You can’t change God’s

mind, so prayer is useless.” If pray-

er came from man’s mind alone to

the divine mind alone, then there

might be some merit to the skep-

tic’s words. But prayer comes from

THE HEART as well as the mind
of man; it is directed to THE
HEART OF GOD as well as to
His knowledge.

It is true that God knows all

things. When we pray, we are not

telling God something He does not

already know. The purpose of pray-

er is not to inform God. Rather it

is to tell Him that we adore Him,

or that we thank Him for what He

has given us. Or we tell Him that

we need something or that we are

3



sorrowful because we have offend-

ed Him. These are the things that

He wants us to tell Him. He never

tires of hearing them, because He

is our Father. A father never tires
of hearing from his son that the

son loves him, or that he is grateful.

The father knows already that the

son loves him and is grateful. Yet

the love the father has for the son

wants to be fed with the loving and

grateful voice of the son. So it is

with our loving Father.

Thy Will Be Done

Nor do we pray with the hope

that God will change His mind. We
don’t pray asking Him not to send

us the cross when He has made up

His mind to give us the cross.

Rather in prayer we are asking that

His will be fulfilled. We tell our
Father that we adore Him, because

He wants us to adore Him. If we

ask for something, we ask because

He wants us to ask. "Ask and it

shall be given you ...” Prayer then

is in accord with God’s will. We
are "tuning in” our wills with the

will of our heavenly Father. In

every prayer are implied, if not

explicitly stated, the words of God’s

Son: "Not as I will, but as thou

wiliest” (Matthew 26:39).

All objections to prayer will be

washed away when it is recalled

that the basis of prayer is love:

God’s love for His children, and the

love of His children for Him. Be-

cause of this love God wants His

children to raise their voices in

prayer. Because of this love His

children want to talk to their loving

Father. The child is barely able to

wait to get home to tell his mother

all the happenings of the day. And

the mother, the good and loving

mother, stops all she is doing to

give her full attention to her child.

There is no need for God to stop

what He is doing. He is all atten-

tion all the time. The basic reason

is that He loves. He is love. "God

is love” writes St. John in his first

epistle (4:16). Again he writes:

"Behold what manner of love the

Father has bestowed upon us, that

we should be called children of

God” (3:1).

From The Heart

Prayer then is a lifting up of

the mind and heart of a child to

the heavenly Father. It is not a cold

word cast toward a cold sky. It is

not an impersonal sending forth of

an appeal to an aloof God. Nor is

it a vain and lifeless formula re-

peated over and over to attract the

attention of a Great Magician. It

is not a mumble-jumble of words

rattled off in haste to a Being who

must be trapped into paying atten-

tion. Rather prayer comes from the

living mind and heart of a beloved

child to a more than loving Father.

Prayer is to be commended, for it engenders in the soul a distinct

conception of God. And the indwelling of God is this — to hold
God ever in memory. His shrine established within us.

St. Basil

4



”1 WILL . . .THAT MEN PRAY

IN EVERY PLACE”

Men seldom forget their
own position when they

stand in the presence of

royalty. The one sitting on

the throne is a man just as

those standing in front of

him. Yet he has an aura

about him that causes the

strongest of men to observe

a respectful protocol. The

motives for doing so may be

very high; they may be very low.

So one man may stand there out of

reverence and love for the one hold-

ing the royal position. Another may

stand there in abject fear without

any reverence or love for the one

on the throne.

When man approaches God he

must work up from the dust from

which he came. Man should not

forget who he is and what he is.

We have already seen who God is.
He is the all-powerful but loving

Father of all men. Now let us take
a look at the one who prays to this

all-powerful but loving Father. If

a man must not forget himself and

his position when in the presence

•of his king, neither must he for-

get himself and his position when

praying to his Father. He should
not be "like a man looking at his

natural face in a mirror: for he

looks at himself and goes

away, and presently he for-

gets what kind of man he

is” (James 1:23-24). He
should not forget himself

and so become arrogant, or

proud, or boastful. When a
man prays to his Father, he

has no cause to be anything

but what he is. His Father

knows him too well to be

impressed by any facade.

Who is man, then, and what is
he? Man is most important of all

God’s creatures. "Let us make man-

kind in our image and likeness . .

.

God created man in his image. In

the image of God he created him.

Male and female he created them

. . . Then the Lord God formed man

out of the dust of the ground and

breathed into his nostrils the breath

of life, and man became a living

being” (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7). Man

then came from God. He belongs to

God who gave him all he has. God

made him with a body (the mate-

rial part) and a soul (the spiritual

part). He made him a living being,

a being that had life in himself.

God made him in His image and

likeness. Man was like God in a

way that all other creatures were

not. Man then was superior to all

5



other creatures in this world. God

gave man dominion over all other

creatures. ”. . . and let them have

dominion over the fish of the sea,

the birds of the air, the cattle, over

all the wild animals, and every

creature that crawls on the earth”

(Genesis 1:26). Man now partici-

pated in God’s authority over all

creatures. In this way he was like

unto God.

Creature and Creator

Yet man \^as a creature, God the

creator. The distance between the

two is vast. One creates, the other

is created. One always was, and

always will be. The other, man,

came into existence, and exists only

because God brought him into

existence. Man depends on God for

all that he is. When therefore man

gets on his knees or prostrates him-

self before God, he is using what

God has given him. He would not

be able to utter a prayer or whisper

the name of God, if God did not

help him. As a creature man must

pay homage to God; he must adore

Him. He needs everything from the

Creator, hence he must bow in

prayer for it. Yet the relationship

between Creator and creature is an

impersonal one. It is based on di-

vine power, not on divine love; it

is founded on creature needs, not

the needs of a son.

Man Is God’s Child

Man however is more than God’s

creature, and God is more than

man’s creator. In the story of man’s

creation we read that God placed

Man in a garden "to till it and to

keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Man was

so close to God that He talked to
him, commanded him, dressed him,

punished him, yet filled him with

hope (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:9-21). All

these are but indications that God

had raised His creature to a higher

relationship with Himself. Is it

not a father who commands, who

dresses, who punishes, who gives

hope? God then is man’s Father as

well as his creator. Man is God’s
child as well as His creature.

No one understood this better
than God’s own Son. When there-
fore He taught us to pray. He
taught us to call God our Father.

"In this manner therefore shall you

pray: 'OUR FATHER . . .’” (Matt-
hew 6:9). "But when thou prayest

. .
.
pray to THY FATHER . . .

YOUR FATHER in heaven (will)
give good things to those who ask

him” (Matthew 6:6; 7:11).

Man Is A Sinner

The picture, however, is not com-

plete. In praying to God we pray

as creatures and children. It is chap-

ter three of Genesis that fills out

the picture for us. MAN SINNED!
This is the story that this chapter

tells us. God’s creature and God’s

child disobeyed. How vividly is this

told: "... the Lord God called the

man and said to him, 'Where are

you?’ And he said, 'I heard you in

the garden, and I was afraid be-

cause I was naked; and I hid.’ Then

he said, 'Who told you that you

were naked? You have eaten then

of the tree of which I commanded

you not to eat.’” (Genesis 3:9-11).

Yes, man was naked, for he had

lost his birthright through sin.

6



Man was now a sinful creature.

He was a disobedient child. When
Nathan reproached David with his

sins, David said in all simplicity

and truth; "I have sinned against

the Lord” (2 Kings 12:13). Every

man can say the same: "I have

sinned against the Lord.” A third
element has now been introduced

into man’s life and hence into his

prayer life. He is now praying as

one who has offended a loving

Father. He is praying to a forgiv-

ing, yet offended Father. He is now

a prodigal child.

The word "prodigal” recalls to

mind that parable of our Lord

usually called the "parable of the

prodigal son.” When man now

prays, he finds himself in the same

condition as the prodigal son. Man

has squandered his birthright, in

this case, sanctifying grace and the

right to heaven. A grievous famine
has settled in his soul. It is a fam-

ine of God and of grace. He tries

to satisfy himself with "the pods

that the swine were eating” (Luke

15:16), but he has been made to

feed upon the loving care of a lov-

ing Father. So he must begin his

return to God as did the prodigal

son. The latter recognized his dis-

mal plight. "I will get up and go

to my father, and I will say to him,

'Father, I have sinned against heav-

en and before thee. I am no longer

worthy to be called thy son; make

me as one of thy hired men’ ” (Luke

15:18-19). So the sinful child of

God must get up and go to his for-

giving Father. He must go ever

mindful that he is a sinner and that

he must beg forgiveness.

A Forgiving Father

Sinner though he is, man need

not approach God in prayer as

though he were coming in the pres-

ence of his judge. The prodigal son

did not find a stern judge waiting

for him. Instead he found that

"while he was yet a long way off,

his father saw him, and was moved

with compassion, and ran and fell

upon his neck and kissed him”

(Luke 15:20). The father was not

satisfied with the return of his son.

His forgiving and loving heart

would not be satisfied until his son

was restored to his place in the

family. He was still the younger
son despite his wayward ways. "But

the father said to his servants, 'Fetch

quickly the best robe and put it on

him, and give him a ring for his

finger and sandals for his feet; and

bring out the fattened calf and kill

it, and let us make merry; because

this MY SON was dead and has
come to life again; he was lost and

is found’” (Luke 15:22-25).

As we, sinners every one of us,

turn in prayer to our Father, this

is what we find. We too find a for-
giving and loving Father. We find
Him more than willing to forgive
us, to restore us to our rightful

place as His offending, but forgiven

children. We may be sinners, but in
the eyes of our Father we are still

His children. The father in the

parable never forgot that the way-

ward boy was his son. The elder

brother forgot his brotherly ties,

but the father never forgot his

fatherly ties. So in prayer we should

never forget that we are God’s

children. God will never forget

7



what we are. Even if there is need

to turn to Him "seventy times seven

times” He is ready and willing and

yearning to forgive us. He wants

us to turn to Him in humble and

pleading prayer seventy times seven

times.

There is never any reason for us

to repeat the despair of Cain; "My

punishment is too great to bear.

You are driving me today from the

soil; and from your face I shall be

hidden” (Genesis 4:13-14). Nor is

there ever qause for us to imitate

Judas, who repented of his deed,

but instead of turning to a forgiv-

ing Father, he turned to "the chief

priests and elders . . . but they said,

'What is that to us? See to it thy-

self.’ And he flung the pieces of

silver into the temple, and with-

drew; and went away and hanged

himself with a halter” (Matthew

27:3-5). Our prayer is not the

despairing cry of a drowning man

reaching for a straw of living

mercy. Our prayer is an echo of the

Psalmist: "Out of the depths I cry

to you, O Lord; Lord hear my
voice! Let your ears be attentive to

my voice in supplication. If you,

O Lord, mark iniquities. Lord who
can stand? But with you is forgive-

ness, that you may be revered”

(Psalms 129:1-3).

A Sinner’s Prayer
Yet we cannot ignore our sins

or our sinful condition. Sins are

offenses against God; they do sep-

arate us from God. Serious or mor-

tal sin drives an "iron curtain” be-

tween God and the one sinning. It

prevents God’s love from reaching

the soul. It does not change His

love, it simply chases it from the

soul. In such a condition then how

can we expect to be heard? Since

prayer is a lifting up of the heart

and mind to a loving Father, how

can we pray when our minds and

hearts are weighted down with sin?

Favors are granted to friends. Pray-

ers should come from the heart of

God’s friends, not from a heart

blackened by sin.

Let us listen to God’s own voice

before we answer these words of a

timid and wavering sinner. "But

if the wicked do penance for all

his sins which he hath committed,

and keep all my commandments,

and do judgment and justice, living

he shall live and shall not die. I

will not remember all his iniquities

that he hath done. In his justice

which he hath wrought, he shall

live. Is it my will that a sinner

should die, saith the Lord God, and

not that he should be converted

from his way and live” (Ezechiel

18:21-23)?

God’s words are verified by the

following story. In the ninth cen-

tury before Christ the king of the

Northern Kingdom (or of Israel

as against Juda, in the south) was

Achab. He coveted the vineyard of

Naboth and obtained it through the

scheming of his wife and queen,

Jezebel. God sent Elias to tell Achab

of the divine punishment that would

follow because of his sins. "And

when Achab had heard these words,

he rent his garments, and put hair-

cloth upon his flesh, and fasted and

slept in sack-cloth, and walked with

his head cast down. And the word

of the Lord came to Elias the Thes-

bite, saying: 'Has thou not seen

8



Achab humbled before me? There-

fore, because he hath humbled him-

self for my sake, I will not bring

the evil in his days .
.

”

(3 Kings

21:17-29).

God Forgives

There is a Latin phrase saying

that there are no arguments against

facts. The facts are that God does

listen to a sinner, that He does

accept his repentance, and that He

does forgive his sins. Did not Jesus

Christ say to the woman who came

to Him in the house of Simon the

Pharisee: "Thy sins are forgiven .

.

And to Simon He had said: "Where-

fore I say to thee, her sins, many

as they are, shall be forgiven her,

because she has loved much. But

he to whom little is forgiven, loves
little” (Luke 7:47-48). Did not this

same Christ tell the adulterous

woman: "Neither will I condemn

thee. Go thy way, and from now

on sin no more” (John 8:11)?

What makes this forgiveness all

the more God-like is that the entire

process of repentance must come

from the offended Father. Even the

very beginnings must start with His

help, His grace. The sinner is not

capable on his own to begin the

trek back to God. As a runner uses

a starting-block to get started in the

race, so the sinner needs a "start-

ing-block” from God. He needs a
divine push to start his steps in the

direction of repentance and confes-

sion. In the case of Achab the

warning of God through Elias

served as the starting-block. For

David it was the admonition of

Nathan. With these came a grace

for the sinful soul. Even when a

sinner is asking for the grace to

repent, he is using a divine "boost-

er” to make the request.

His Children

The sinner has turned from God,

not God from the sinner. Yet for

the sinner to turn back to God there

is required the divine help. This is

given not because the sinner de-

serves it (as a sinner he deserves

punishment), but because a loving

Father does not will "that a sinner

should die,” but "that he should be

converted from his ways and live.”

A distracted father seeks his lost
son, not because he is lost, but

because he is his son. So God seeks

our repentance not because we are

sinners, but because we are His

children. Yes, we are His children

despite our sins; sinful children,

true, yet His.

He who asks of God in faith things needful for this life is some-

times mercifully heard and sometimes mercifully not heard. For

the Physician knows better than the patient what will avail for

the sick man.

St. Prosper of Aquitaine

9



"ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE”

Prayer stems from the three

"I ams.” "I am but dust and

ashes” (Genesis 18:27); "I

am a child” (Jeremias 1:6);
"I am a sinful man” (Luke

5:8). Prayer is directed to

God, the Supreme Being,

the Creator, a loving yet of-

fended Father. The creature

must never forget that he is a

creature; the child must not

forget he is a child; the sinner must

not forget that he is a sinner. When
this creature-child-sinner turns to

God then, it is to pay Him homage:

"Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew

6:9). This is called adoration. To

no one else is adoration due except

God. This belongs to Him because

He is what He is: God, the Su-

preme Being. This belongs to Him

as His right and due from those

whom He has created and elevated

to become His children.

Prayer is not an equal talking to

an equal. It is a "lifting up” not

only because the one praying is

directing his mind and heart heav-

enward. It is a "lifting up” because

the one praying is so far below the

one to whom he is praying. There

is an infinite distance between the

Creator and the creature. Our heav-

enly Father has stooped down to

bring us up to the stature of

His children; He is still God
and Creator. But when it is

a sinner who is talking to

God, then the "lifting up”

can be done only because a

loving Father wills the life

of His child, not his death.

Prayer can only begin then

with a slide rule. We must
measure the distance be-

tween God and ourselves, and we

must keep ourselves in our place.

There can be no demanding of God.

There can only be an asking: "Ask

and it shall be given you; seek, and

you shall find; knock, and it shall

be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

What this means is that all prayer

must be humble. It must come from

a mind and heart ever mindful of

the condition of the one praying.

For humility is this mindfulness. It

keeps us where we belong. Fig-

uratively or literally, we belong on

our knees before God. This was the

disposition of Abraham when he

pleaded with God for the wicked

cities of Sodom and Gomorra, or

rather for the just in these wicked

cities. "I have ventured to speak to

the Lord though I am but dust and

ashes” (Genesis 18:27).

This humility is not the cower-

^ shall ^

^ be z

^opened ^

10



ing fear of a slave, for it is not a

slave who is speaking. It is a child

of God who is pleading with his

Father. If he is a loving child, and

when praying he is certainly that,

he fears to offend his Father. But

this fear comes from his love, not

from his sins. This is the fear of

reverence, reverence for his Father.

Every prayer must have this fear.

Sometimes it is called reverential

fear. At other times it is called filial

fear. So often the word "fear” is

connected with abject fear, or with

fear that comes from our sins. It is

perhaps better then to speak of

reverence rather than of fear. Rev-

erence for God, for our Father, must

be found in the mind and heart of

him who prays. This is the reason

that when we picture some one

praying, we think of him kneeling

with his hands folded. Or else we

depict him with a look of reverence

directed upward or toward the altar.

There should be as much rever-

ence in the mind and heart as there

is in external appearance. Other-

wise it is not prayer, for there is

no prayer unless it comes from the

mind and the heart.

Confidence In Prayer

Yet we are sinners who are pray-

ing. And we are told that we must

pray with confidence, with hope

that our Father will answer our

prayers. It would be an insult to our

heavenly Father to turn to Him,

and at the same time think within

our hearts that He will not listen

to us. We go to a doctor because
we are sick, not despite the fact

we are sick. We go with confidence;
if not, we are wasting his as well

as our own time. No one needs God
more than sinners. Hence no one

should turn to Him more than sin-
ners. To no one has our Father

manifested so much love as toward

sinners; hence no one should pray

with greater confidence. For "God

commends his charity towards us,

because when as yet we were sin-

ners, Christ died for us” (Romans

5:8).

He Died For Us

Our Lord tells us that "greater

love than this no one has, that one

lay down his life for his friends”

(John 15:13). Then what must be

the love of God who asked His Son

to die for those who were sinners?

It was because God wanted all of us

to be His friends that He sent His
son to His death on the cross. For

if God loved us when we were sin-

ners, then what is His love for us

now that we are friends. "Much

more now that we are justified by

his blood, shall we be saved through

him from the wrath. For if when

we were enemies we were recon-

ciled to God by the death of His

Son, much more, having been rec-

onciled, shall we be saved by His

life” (Romans 5:9-10).

In no way did our Lord manifest

Himself so much as God’s Son

than when He was dealing with
sinners. He defended the woman
who anointed Him, even though

her sins were many (Luke 7:36-50).

He would not condemn the woman
taken in adultery; in fact he calls

her "Woman,” the very same word

He used for His own Mother at

Cana (John 8:10; John 2:^. He
allows Judas to kiss Him and calls

11



him "friend.” He pursued the soul

of Judas to the bitter end, but

Judas would not turn to God to ask

forgiveness.

As sinners, then, we have reason

for confidence when we pray. This

certainly sounds paradoxical, yet

God’s actions speak louder than any

paradox. The reason of reasons,

however, for confidence is to be

found in what we are in the eyes

of our Father. We are children
and we shall always be His chil-

dren. And He is our Father. If there
is any trait that we find in child-

hood, it is confidence in a father.

The child expects everything from

him. He expects it without waver-
ing, without thought, with simplic-

ity and with utter faith. It never

seems to dawn on him that his

father cannot or will not fulfill

what he asks.

David has given us in several

Psalms, a beautiful and perfect ex-

ample of confidence in prayer. In

Psalm 3 we hear David praying

to God:

"When I call out to the Lord, he

answers me from His holy mountain.

When I lie down in sleep, I wake

again, for the Lord sustains me.

I fear not the myriads of people

arrayed against me on every side.

Rise up, O Lord! Save me, my
God!” Psalms 5:5-8)

Or again this same confidence is

found in Psalm 4:

"When I call, answer me, O my
just God, you who relieve me when

I am in distress; have pity on me,

and hear my prayer!

Men of rank, how long will you

be dull of heart?

Why do you love what is vain
and seek after falsehood?

Know that the Lord does wonders

for his faithful one; the Lord will

hear me when I call upon him.

O Lord, let the light of your
countenance shine upon us! You

put gladness into my heart, more

than when grain and wheat abound.

As soon as I lie down, I fall

peacefully asleep, for you alone, O
Lord, bring security to my dwelling.”

(Psalms 4:1 '9)

Unanswered Prayer

The human heart is not always

too patient. A request repeated over
and over again soon grows tiresome.

The praying heart becomes faint.

Confidence begins to lag and there

is the temptation to say: ‘What is

the use of praying? God won’t

listen to my prayers.” And if the
fainthearted is told that our Lord

said "ask and you shall receive” the

answer comes back: "But I have

asked, and I have not received!” It

does not do much good to tell such

a heart that God will answer in His

own good time. "But He certainly

should have answered: I have been

praying for so long!” To this plaint

there is an answer that goes to the

very heart of the matter, the heart

of what we may call "unanswered

prayer.”

First, all prayer is answered. We
have the word of our Lord for it.

"Ask, and it shall be given you . .

.

your Father in heaven (will) give

good things to those who ask him”

(Matthew 7:7, 11). Prayer, then,

will always be answered. BUT, yes

12



there is a "but” to it. It is not said

that our Father will give us what

we ask. It is said that He will give

us an answer to our prayer. Our

Lord Himself asked in His agony:

"Father if it is possible let this cup

pass away from me; yet not as I

will, but as thou wiliest” (Matthew

26:39). The prayer of our Lord was

that His sufferings might not come

upon Him. The answer was given

that they should come upon Him,

because it was His Father s will. So

our Lord received an answer, but

it was not the answer for which

He was asking.

In this prayer of our Lord we

have the key to understanding the

attitude of all those who pray. Pray-

er is to bring about the fulfillment

of God’s will. It is His will that

we pray to Him. It is also His will

that is to be fulfilled in and through

prayer. Any time we pray, we are

asking our loving Father "if it is

your will, do this or that, give me
this or that.” If it is not His will,

then He will not give it. But He
will answer the prayer. As the lad

said to his father when asked if he

had prayed to God for something

he wanted: "Yes, I prayed and the

answer was NO!” We should never
say that God does not answer our

prayers. He may not give us what
we want, and in fact many times

He does not, but He will always
give an answer when we pray.

This should make us all the more

confident in our Father. If He gave

us everything we asked, we might

soon lose our confidence in Him.

For we would soon discover that in

giving us what we ask, our Father

is giving in to our own desires.

which are not always for our own

good. Once more the ghost of sin

haunts us. If we did not have this

haunting element of sin, then when

we asked for something, we would

be sure that it would be for our

good, especially for our eternal

good. But as it is, our sinful ten-

dencies often lead us to ask for

what we think is good for us, but

it is only good for our earthly hap-

piness or for the satisfaction of our

own whims.

God's Answer Will Come

No father gives his son every-
thing he asks. And our heavenly

Father will give us "good things,”

but certainly nothing that will harm

us, especially something that might

harm our souls. Our confidence in

God then is not based on the fact

that He answers all our requests. It

is, or should be, based on the fact

that He is a good Father, a loving

Father, one who knows what is

good for us, one who looks into

the future and sees there what

would harm us and what would

help us. From such a Father even

a "NO” is a good answer.

"But,” says one objector, "I have

prayed for the conversion of my
husband for years.” Or another voice

is heard: "I have prayed and prayed

that my wife would come into the
Church.” Or again: "How I have

prayed for the return of this one or

that to the faith or the sacraments.”

Does not the heavenly Father of

these children desire more than you

do these conversions and these re-

turns? Does He not love their souls

more than you? Has He not sent
His Son to die for them? But...

13



why?? Has it not come to your

mind that He may have given them

these graces? Our Father will never

force anyone to come to Him. He

invites, cajoles, pleads: He may send

a sorrow or misfortune to bring

them to Him. But He will never

bend their wills against their wills.

In the meantime you have been pray-

ing and praying. Good! How many
prayers have you said that you

would otherwise not have said?

How much grace have you merited
for yourself that you would other-

wise not have merited? And who

knows? Did not St. Monica pray

for nineteen years for her wayward

Augustine? Did not St. Theresa of

Avila pray for almost as long to be

relieved of temptation? How many
of us have prayed as long?

Prayer is not made to bend God’s

will to our own. It is rather made

to bend our will to His infinite and

loving will. "Not my will, but thine

be done” is the basis of all prayer.

The more you pray the more your

will becomes attuned to the divine

will. More and more you will real-

ize that your prayers are being an-

swered. For you have found out

what to ask for and how to pray.

And you have discovered there is

Someone who has taught you how

to pray!

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace —

Where there is hatred, let me bring love;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much

Seek to be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born unto eternal life.

Amen.

14



' OUR FATHER,WHO ART IN HEAVEN’’

A good and innocent child
is never tongue-tied in the

presence of his father. Such

a child has no stammering

to overcome when some-

thing is wanted. But when

the child has been disobedi-

ent, then the tongue won’t

move; ’’the cat has its

tongue.” As children we

may not have too much

trouble talking to God, but once

we have become conscious of our

sinful state, then we find that we

are tongue-tied in His presence.

It is a great consolation to know

that there is a Child of God Who
is Innocence Itself, and Who knows
the Father far better than we do

or ever will. The Apostles felt the

same way we do. They too felt that

it was not too easy to pray to God.

And at hand, right at their elbows,

they had SOMEONE Who knew
how to pray to God. So in all sim-

plicity and with complete confi-

dence, they asked our Lord: "Lord,

teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

Our Lord’s answer has been en-

shrined in what is often called "the

perfect prayer.” This is the OUR
FATHER, THE PATER NOSTER.
We say it so often and in the way
we find it coming from the lips

of our Lord, that we tend

to forget that it is more

than a prayer. It is a model

of how we should pray.
After all God does not mind

set prayers coming from His

children (for prayer is pray-

er whether according to a

form or in our own simple

words). No one minds hear-
ing the age-old and set form

of love: "I love you.” While we

enjoy personal letters, no one ob-

jects to the cards with their set

verses or greetings which we re-

ceive at Christmas or on our birth-

day. On the cross our Lord turned

to a psalm and used at least the

first verse, perhaps more. No, we

need never worry that our Father

will tire of our set formula of pray-

er. He will never tire of hearing

His children say: "Our Father who

art in heaven, etc.”

The OUR FATHER is more than
a set prayer. By studying it, we

learn how to pray. This prayer

comes from God’s own Son, and

we could have no better teacher.

".
. . no one knows the Son except

the Father: nor does anyone know

the Father except the Son, and him

to whom the Son chooses to reveal

Him” (Matthew 11:27). In the

15



OUR FATHER the Son has chosen
to reveal to us how the Father

wants His children to pray to Him.

Our Father, Not My Father
First when we pray we are to

address our Father. Not my Father,

but our Father, for we are praying

to the common Father of all. We
are praying as a child among many

children. This becomes all the more

significant when we recall that our

Lord has told us to ask in His

name. God is OUR Father: Christ’s
Father and the child’s Father. This

does not mean that we can’t address

God, as Lord, or as Lord God, or

as Almighty God. When we do,
however, it is to God, as our Father,

that we are speaking, not to the

Creator, or the All-Powerful One.

Nor does this mean that we can’t

pray to Jesus Christ or to the Holy

Spirit, for they are God as well as

the Father. A glance at many pray-
ers will show that they are addressed

to God the Father; and very often

we are praying through Jesus Christ.

This will be taken up later.

What are we to ask our Father?

Better, what does our Lord indicate

is the way we should pray to Him?

He indicates that He is in heaven,

so we lift up our heart and mind to

Him. We are to pray "Hallowed be
thy name.” Our prayer is: may our

Father, Who is God, be honored,
revered, adored. We are honoring
Him, revering Him, adoring Him

by our prayer: we want Him to be

honored and revered and adored.

The phrase "hallowed be thy name”

is consecrated by years of usage.

God’s English-speaking children

have used it for so long that they

would not want any other. Yet its

meaning is more important than

the words. From our heart we are
asking that our Father be given the

homage, the worship that is His due.

Our Lord is telling us that

in our prayer we sho^d always

adore our Father, revere and honor

Him. It would be in accord with

this thought to begin all our pray-

ers with: Father,! adore you! Father,

may you be adored everywhere and

by all! Every prayer should be an

adoration of our Father. This is

why Christ placed it first. There is

nothing that He, as the Son, wants

so much as the proper respect and

homage due His Father. There is

nothing that any child wants so

much as the recognition of his

father as his father: "This is my
father” are words that call for the

due respect of such a personage. So

too when we pray, there is nothing

that we should give so much as

adoration; there is nothing that we

should want and pray for so much

as this same adoration; this "hal-

lowing of his name.”

Thy Kingdom Come

A child wants nothing so much
as to have his father honored. God’s

children want their Father to be

honored by every one. Their Father

is a king who is to rule over the

hearts of all men. They know that

His Son came into the world to

establish this rule. They know that

this Son desires nothing more than

that all men accept His Father as

their Father and their King. So in

imitation of this Son and from the

desire of their hearts, they pray,

they beg: "Thy kingdom come.”

16



The first place for this kingdom to

come or this rule to prevail, of

course, is in the heart of the one

praying. How is this rule to be es-
tablished in the heart? The next

phrase of the Our Father tells us:

"Thy will be done on earth as it is

in heaven.” God's rule over nature

is perfect, for nature obeys His will.

So too is God’s rule in heaven.

There it is perfect for all in heaven

obey Him joyously and happily. It

is only on earth that the will of God

is not always obeyed as it should be.

This hurts the heart of a loving and

obedient child, as it hurt the heart

of the sinless Son of God. This hurt

in the heart of the child is all the

more searing, for he finds disobedi-

ence in himself. Yet he can pray

and ask for perfect obedience to

his Father’s will. This he does in

this part of the Our Father: "Thy

will be done on earth as it is in

heaven.”

Our Daily Bread

The child’s thoughts cannot al-

ways be on the homage and obedi-

ence due his father. A child knows
that he has to think of himself once

in a while. In fact he thinks of him-

self quite a bit of the time! He has

needs, he gets hungry and thirsty.

He needs clothes, he needs care and

education. He needs a home. So

many things he needs and so many

things he expects from his father.

God’s child knows needs too. He

knows that he has a loving and

bountiful Father who supplies these

needs. His Father "knows that you

need all these things” (Matthew 6:

32). Yet He likes to know that His

child realizes this. He wants His
child to ask for them. A loving
child is always ready to do what

His father wants. So God’s loving

child prays: "Give us this day our

daily bread.”

Note thas this prayer is said for

"us.” We are not selfish in this
prayer. We are asking for all of
God’s children; we are asking Him
to give them and ourselves what

they need for today. "Daily bread”

means whatever we need for today’s

life. We need material things; we
need spiritual favors and blessings

and graces from our Father. All

these needs are summed up when

we pray for "daily bread.” The word

"today” is interesting. Our Lord said

that we were "not (to) be anxious

about tomorrow; for tomorrow will

have anxieties of its own” (Matthew

6:34). By praying for today’s needs

we are telling our Father that we
trust Him and that we are His chil-
dren. A child seldom thinks of to-
morrow; it is too far away. Many

a father has rued the day when he

said he would take his child to the

circus tomorrow! A child thinks of
today and is satisfied with what is

given him today. "Give us today

our daily bread.”

If we had spoken the Our Father,

we probably would have placed the

next petition first: "And forgive us

our debts, as we also forgive our

debtors.” But our Lord is not one

to put second things first. Prayer

derives its value from God before

it has any value coming from His

children. Adoration of God, the ful-

fillment of His will. His Providence

whereby He gives to His children

17



their daily needs: these are more

important than forgiveness. For us

it is very important that we receive

forgiveness of our sins, so our Lord

tells us to ask for this grace. To ask

this forgiveness is one way to ful-

fill God s will, and to have His rule

established in our hearts. Sin is

God’s enemy; it estranges the Father

from His child. The child commits

it; God forgives it, provided the

child asks for forgiveness.

We Must Forgive
Our Lord knows our hearts bet-

ter than we know them ourselves.

Yet in asking Him to forgive us,

our own hearts are denying for-

giveness to others who have of-

fended us. In our asking God for

forgiveness, we would like to cover

up our lack of forgiveness. But

deep in our hearts we hear a re-

frain: you are asking for forgive-

ness, but you have not forgiven. If

we have not forgiven, we ought

to stumble when we say these

words of the Our Father: . . as we

forgive our debtors.” In fact, we

have no right to say them at all. For

the lack of forgiveness is an offense

against the Father of one to whom

we are saying: *T11 never forgive!”

"Oh, ni never talk to that one

again!” Our Lord must have con-

sidered this attitude somewhat too

common among men. Having fin-

ished the Our Father he returns to

it: "For if you forgive men their

offenses, your heavenly Father will

also forgive you your offenses. But

if you do not forgive men, neither

will your Father forgive you your of-

fenses” (Matthew 6:14-15). He also

used a parable to illustrate the same

point. He pointed up the tremen-
dous debt we owe God, yet He for-
gives, in contrast to the miserly debt

owed us by one of our brothers,

yet we won’t forgive (Matthew

18:21 ff).

It is a travesty for us to beg for-

giveness when we are so imforgiv-

ing. It is a mockery of God’s own

forgiveness to ask Him for this
when we are so hardhearted toward

others of His children. We are ask-
ing Him for something we will not
give ourselves. Our Lord’s words cut

off any objections we might have. If

we expect to obtain forgiveness we

must forgive! "And forgive us our

debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

"And lead us not into tempta-

tion, but deliver us from evil.” How
often we have said this without

catching what at first glance seems

so contradictory to our loving

Father. He would not "lead us into

temptation.” No, he would not. Yet

His children will play around with

temptation and with what leads to

sin, the way a moth will wing

around the flame. We often walk
in "where angels fear to tread.”

What we are asking our Father then

is that He will keep us from enter-

ing the path that leads to sin. That

path is temptation. Children do not

always heed the warnings of their

parents. They are told not to ven-

ture into the woods or onto the

frozen lake, or to keep off the road.

But when the anxious father walks

out to see where his children are,

he usually finds them "in the midst

of the lions.” So too God’s children

18



often walk into the midst of evil,

as if they could not be harmed by

it. They know the devil is going

around like a roaring lion seeking

souls to ruin, yet they walk with un-

seeing conscience into his clutches.

We need then, and need very
greatly, our Father’s protection. So

we plead with Him to deliver us

from evil. Evil is anything that has

the stench of sin about it. Since the

devil is the advocate of, and the

tempter to sin, he is the first from

whom we ask to be delivered. So

ends the Our Father.

No, some one says: there is an-

other phrase: "For thine is the king-

dom and the power and the glory

forever. Amen.” After much study,

scholars both in and out of the

Church, recognize that this phrase

is not part of the Our Father as

given by our Lord and recorded by

St. Matthew. The Revised Standard

Version, for example, places it in

a footnote with the remark that

"many authorities, some ancient,

add in some form...” Yet these

words are found in a number of

scriptural manuscripts, and in this

way they came into the King James

version and into the Protestant tra-

dition. It is an ending, however, that

recognizes the rule, the power, and

the glory of God. No one should
fail to recognize these things, and

to add them to the Our Father is a

good way to recognize them often.

Yet Catholics do not have the tradi-

tion of reciting the Our Father with

this ending. So let both Catholics

and Protestants follow their tradi-

tional Our Father, for thus the

Father is honored and glorified.

Thoughts on Prayer

It is lawful to pray for what it is lawful to desire.

St. Augustine

He knows how to live well who knows how to pray well.

St. Augustine

He causes his prayers to be of more avail to himself, who offers

them also for others.

Vope St. Gregory I

All that should be sought for in the exercise of prayer is conformity

of our will with the divine will, in which consists the highest

perfection.

St. Teresa of Jesus

He that flees from prayer flees from all that is good.

St. John of the Cross

Pray as you can and do not try to pray as you can’t.

Dom Chapman

19



. . ASK THE FATHER ANYTHING

IN MY NAME”

Only in imagination are we

able to picture a man trying

to pull himself up by his

own bootstraps. The very at-

tempt to imagine it brings

a chuckle, for what could be

more futile? There is no

chuckle, rather there is dis-

may, when we consider the

great, the awful distance

there is between God and

ourselves. Even when we say

"Father,” we are aware that He is

far and away above us. The more

we pray, the more we become aware

of this. For the more we pray, the

more we realize the holiness of

God, and our own sinfulness. It

sounds strange to say that the closer

we get to God, the more we realize

how far we are from Him. No one

will deny that St. Paul loved Jesus

Christ. Yet shortly before he died,

he wrote to Timothy: "This saying

is true and worthy of entire accept-

ance, that Jesus Christ came into

the world to save sinners? of whom

I am the chief” (I Timothy 1:15).

Notice that St. Paul did not say "I

was” but "I am” the chief. Paul’s

love made him realize all the more

his sinfulness and his distance from

his beloved Master.

Talking to friends should bring

J

closeness. Constant compan-

ionship and living together

bring the father and the

child to understanding of

each other. Prayer should

bring us close to our Father;

it should give us an under-

standing of Him as well as
of ourselves. Prayer does

this. Because it does and as

our prayer life grows, we

come to know our Father better

and better. We also come to know
ourselves better and better. Then it

is that we want to say to God as the

Israelites did at Mount Sinai: ". ..

let not God speak to us, or we shall

die” (Exodus 20:19). And we echo

the cry of Peter: "Depart from me,

for I am a sinful man, O Lord”

(Luke 5:8).

How can we in prayer bridge this

gap? We are familiar with this
situation from daily life. At times a

"gap” appears between friends, be-

tween husbands and wives, between

nations. When a rift takes place we

call in a mutual friend, or a neutral

nation, or a counsellor. From our

knowledge of management and

labor in our country, we are fa-

miliar with "mediators.” There was

a time when a permanent rift had

taken place between God and man;

20



in fact, it is still present in the souls

of all who come into the world. The

sin of our first father, Adam, split

wide open the friendship between

God and man. Original sin is the

result of this split, and through it

all souls are turned away from God

at the time of conception and birth.

St. Paul has expressed in his usual

forthright way, the situation and the

remedy: "Unhappy man that I am!

Who will deliver me from the body
of this death The grace of God

through Jesus Christ our Lord”

(Romans 7:24-25). Jesus Christ is

the one to bridge the gap. He is the

mediator between God and man:

"For there is one God, and one

Mediator between God and men,

himself man, Christ Jesus” (I Tim-

othy 2:5).

‘In My Name”

It is our Lord, then, who will lift

us up to our Father and present our

prayers to His Father. "Amen, amen

I say to you, if you ask the Father

anything in my name, he will give
it to you. Ask, and you shall re-

ceive, that your joy may be full”

(John 16:23-24). In a family the

favorite child (and what family does

not have such a favorite?) is the

go-between. A father’s favored and
favorite daughter is asked to get

something from the father; the

mother’s favorite son is begged to

intervene. Our Lord is God’s Son.

"This is My beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased; hear Him” (Matt-

hew 17:5). He is close to us because
"the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In

fact the author of the epistle to the

Hebrews says that "He (Jesus)

(was) like unto his brethren, that

he might become a merciful and

faithful high priest before God...

For in that He Himself has suffered

and has been tempted. He is able to

help those who are tempted” (He-

brews 2:17-18). He goes on to say
that Jesus "is able to have compas-

sion on the ignorant and erring,”

"because he was tried as we are in

all things except sin” (Hebrews

5:2; 4:15).

Jesus Prayed

God’s Son knows what it is to

pray, "for Jesus, in the days of his

earthly life, with a loud cry and

tears, offered up prayers and sup-

plications to Him who was able to
save Him from death, and was heard
because of His reverent submission”

(Hebrews 5:7). Time and again it is

recorded of Jesus that He spent the
night in prayer. All of us remem-

ber the agonizing prayer in the

Garden of Gethsemane: "Father, if

it is possible, let this cup pass away

from me; yet not as I will, but as

thou wiliest” (Matthew 26:39).

Over and over again, as if to teach

us to pray and not to faint. He re-
peated this same prayer.

Jesus has told us to use His name

in prayer. Therefore, when we are

praying, we might think of our-

selves as "pygmies” in the sight of

God. But with us is a "Giant” whose

head reaches to the heavens, nay to

the very throne of God. When we
pray "through Jesus Christ, our

Lord” we are not alone. Our prayers

are no longer ours alone "since He
lives always to make intercession for

them (those who come to God

through him)” (Hebrews 7:25).

21



No prayer is made with the hands
or the lips alone. Prayer is from the

head and the heart as well as from

the hands and lips. Jesus Christ is

our head and heart, we "are the

body of Christ, member for mem-

ber” (I Corinthians 12:27). Our

Father can never turn a deaf ear

to the prayers of His beloved Son.

The Son Himself said this at the

tomb of Lazarus: "Father, I give

Thee thanks that Thou hast heard

Me. Yet I know that Thou always

hearest Me” (John 11:41-42). It is

no wonder then that our Mother,

the Church, prays so often "through

Jesus Christ, our Lord.” We can
do no better than to imitate our

wise Mother.

We Must Do Our Part
With such a "Giant” as our

mediator and intercessor, we can

breathe a sigh of relief on the sub-

ject of prayer. But we can’t be

lazy. Even though our Lord prayed

for His Apostles at the Last Sup-

per (John 17:9 ff), He told them

at the Agony in the Garden: "Pray,

lest you enter into temptation”

(Matthew 26:41). If our Lord

would do all the praying. He would

not have taught the Apostles and

us to pray. If we drag ourselves

along without prayer, then our Head

will find Himself handicapped.

Through our prayers we give to

Him what He needs to offer His

Father. While on earth He waited

for an expression of desire and faith

before working miracles. We are
told that on His visit to Nazareth

He "did not work many miracles

there” (Matthew 13:58). The reason

was "because of their unbelief.” We

must manifest our will to our Head

and this is done through prayer. Our

Lord will not push us along the

path of prayer; He expects us to
follow that path on our own ac-

count. He will give us the grace
to pray. We must take up the grace
from there; otherwise no fruit will

result.

Are We Devout?

Despite all our Lord has done,

despite all His graces, despite His

example, we still drag our feet

where prayer is concerned. We
know its importance. We know its
value. We know our needs. Yet . .

.

as St. James wrote to some of the

early Christians: "You quarrel and

wrangle, and you do not have be-

cause you do not ask. You ask and

do not receive, because you ask

amiss...” (4:2-3). Our Lord has

done all He can. He is a perfect

man of prayer. But we are weak

and crawling along at a snail’s pace.

We need to be prodded along. The
examples of so many devout men

and women down through the ages

should be a goad that will excite us

to action. The Sacred Scriptures are

filled with glowing examples of

men and women of prayer. Tower-

ing above all, however, is the exam-

ple of our Lord Himself.

Yet we still hold back. We are
like children in the presence of a

great personage, a Bishop, or a

President, or a Queen. We feel the
need of others to bolster our morale,

if not our sagging knees. It is in-

stinctive for us to turn to others

for help, when we begin to pray.

The centurion whose servant was

sick felt too unworthy to come

22



into our Lord’s presence. "And the

centurion, hearing of Jesus, sent to

Him elders of the Jews, beseeching

Him to come and save his servant.

And when they came to Jesus, they

entreated Him earnestly, saying to
Him. ' He is worthy that Thou

shouldst do this for him . . .”’ (Luke

7:3-4).

Seek The Help of Others

In the Old Testament we find

Moses interceding with God to save

the Israelites. In fact God told

Moses: "Let me alone, then, that

my wrath may blaze up against

them to consume them.” But Moses

persisted and "the Lord relented in

the punishment He had threatened

to inflict on his people” (Exodus

32:10-14). Abraham prayed for

Abimelech at God’s own request

(Genesis 20:7 ff). In the New
Testament we read in the epistles of

St. Paul that he prayed "always for

you” (Philippians 1:3-4; Colossians

1:3, 9-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:11;

2 Timothy 1:3).

If we ask others to help us in

our prayers, or beg their interces-

sion, it is not because we do not

have confidence in Christ’s power.

Rather it is because we are not con-

fident of our own worth and power

before God. We feel that all the
help we can get in prayer is all to

the good. God has a host of friends,

who are also our friends. So we turn

to them and ask them to turn in

prayer to the heavenly Father. In

particular do we turn to the saints,

those "elite” who are now with God.

We are so far from our Father, in
distance and in holiness. They are so

close to Him, in distance and in

holiness. It is so much more com-

fortable and comforting to be close

to the Father, than to have to "long-

distance” Him. And since we have

friends near Him, why not let them

whisper our prayers into His ear?

A mother always has a special
place in the heart of her children.

So all of the children of Christ’s

Mother, Mary, reserve a very par-

ticular place for her. This special

reserved place is never so manifest

as in the prayers begging her inter-

cession. The Hail Mary is on the

lips of her and the Father’s children

thousands of times throughout the

day. God’s children are only imitat-

ing their Father and His Son in

showing special honor to their

Mother. No other woman was chos-
en except Mary to be the Mother of

God’s Son. Since she is unique in

God’s heart, it is no wonder that

she is unique in the hearts of His

children.

No king feels dishonored when
his mother is honored. No son
feels slighted because his mother

is asked to use her power over him.

God’s Son is not dishonored when

His Mother is honored. Nor does

He feel slighted because we ask her

to intercede for us with Him. He is

not going to take it amiss because

we beg her to talk to her Son on our

behalf. At the marriage feast of

Cana, Christ listened to her and

worked His first miracle. He listens

to her now as He did then.

The term "Co-Mediatrix” given

to Mary does not put her on an

equal plane with Jesus. He alone

is the Mediator. Co-Mediatrix does

not mean co-equal. The Son and

23



Mary are poles apart, when we look

at His divine work of our Redemp-

tion. But in this work, Mary was not

only the Mother who brought the

Redeemer into the world. She was

also the woman who worked with

her Son for the redemption of the

world. As Eve led Adam into the

path of sin, so Mary led her Son

along the path of deliverance from

sin. He alone redeemed us (and
Mary, too, for she needed redemption

My Daily Prayer

I BELIEVE in one God. I believe that God rewards the good, and

punishes the wicked.

I BELIEVE that in God there are three Divine Persons—God the

Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I BELIEVE that God the Son became Man, without ceasing to

be God. I believe that He is my Lord and my Savious Jesus Christ,
the Redeemer of the human race. Who died on the Cross for the
salvation of all men. Who died also for me.

I BELIEVE, on God’s authority, everything that He has taught

and revealed.

O MY GOD, give me strong faith, O my God, help me to be-
lieve with lively faith.

0 MY GOD, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy
and promises, I sincerely hope to be saved. Help me to do all that

is necessary for my salvation.

1 HAVE committed many sins in my life, but now I turn away
from them, and hate them. I am sorry, truly sorry for all of them,

because I have offended Thee, my God, Who art all-good, all-
perfect, all-holy, all-merciful—my kind and loving Father.

I LOVE Thee, O my God, with all my heart. Forgive me, I im-
plore Thee, for having offended Thee.

I PROMISE, O God, that with Thy help I will never offend
Thee again.

MY GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME.

as did the rest of us). But Mary was

there working with Him. It is no

wonder that those redeemed by her

Son should turn to her who gave

Him for our salvation. It would be
base ingratitude if we did not turn

to her, and if we did not honor her.

Her heart of love would be wound-

ed if her children did not come to

her. For she is our Mother, as she is

the Mother of our Father’s Son,

Jesus Christ.

24



"I PRAY. . .THAT ALL

MAY BE ONE...”

In any home there are times

of talking and times of si-

lent communion. The same

is true between friends.

Words are not the only

means of communication.

Signs are means of convey-

ing our ideas to others. So

at times is silence. Who has

not heard the expression:

silence speaks louder than

words? There were times when our

Lord turned to His Father in prayer

and He expressed Himself in words.

So for example in Chapter 17 of

St. John: "Father, the hour has

come . . . Father I will that where

I am, they also... may be with

me . . .” On other occasions we are

told that our Lord spent nights in

prayer. These were hours of silent

prayer with His Father.

There are times too when a child

should speak, and when he should

be seen and not heard. In prayer

there are times for vocal prayer, and

there are times for prayer that is

not heard except by our Father in

heaven. This latter is called medita-

tion. Mental prayer is another way

to speak of it. For it is in the mind

and the heart, while vocal prayer is

in and from the mind and heart.

Vocal prayer is spoken prayer, at

least spoken to oneself with

the movement of the lips

and tongue. There is no such

thing as prayer not from the

heart and mind. So there is

a certain amount of mental

prayer connected with all

vocal prayer. For prayer

must come from us as hu-

man beings, not from talk-

ing parrots or tape recorders.

When we recite the Our Father,

our mind and heart should be on

our Father in heaven, as we say

vocally (and devoutly, with rever-

ence, and slowly) : "Our Father, who

art in heaven.” When we meditate

upon this phrase, our mind and

heart will think within themselves,

and without set words: Our Father,

I am thinking of our Father in

heaven. He is not only my Father,

but "our” Father. So I am thinking

of Him as my Father and the Father

of all His children. He is in heaven.

That is His home. That is my home,

too, for as a child should be with

his father, so I should be with my

Father. Please, Father in heaven,

help me to reach my home and so

be with you forever. This is medita-

tion. It is thinking over, a wonder-

ing, a considering in the depths

of my soul.

25



Meditation

To think things over is familiar

to all of us. Meditation is this and

more. For meditation is a thinking

over with God and about Him. It

is baring the soul and its needs and

yearnings before Him and to Him

who knows the soul and its needs

and yearnings better than the one

meditating. But above all medita-

tion is the revealing of one’s self

to God and to one’s own gaze. This

would seem to make meditation a

one sided affair. That is not true.

For God comes in turn to the soul

and reveals Himself to it.

This brings us to a point in pray-

er that is often not thought of or

considered. We think of prayer in
terms of our talking to our Father.

Prayer is beyond this. Prayer is a

conversation. Now, in conversations

we reveal ourselves. This is a two-

way street, or should be, and will

be where there is perfect friendship.

When we begin to pray and to

turn to God in all sincerity, we find

it difficult to talk to Him. So we

use set formulae. We use set words.
But God wants more than this from

us. He is ever seeking our entire

heart and our whole being. It is for

this reason that we should medi-

tate, for then the stammering of

our hearts in ordinary prayer soon

gives way or should give way to the

intimate communings of the heart

with God. In turn He begins to

manifest Himself to the soul. The

Father is calling to His child for

more and more prayer, more and

more meditation, for He has much

to give.

The story of the Samaritan

woman illustrates this gradual
manifestation. Our Lord first spoke

to her in simple terms: "Give me

a drink.” Then He spoke to her of
"the gift of God and who it is who

says to thee: ’Give me a drink.’ ” He

reveals to the woman that He
knows her life, and finally when

she says that the Messias "will tell

us all things,” Jesus reveals Him-

self to her: "I who speak with thee

am He” (John 4:7-26). This is an

excellent picture of prayer, of med-

itation, of the final purpose of all

prayer and meditation.

"I am He.” I am your Father and

your God. I am waiting for you to

come to me in order that I might

come to you. Such are the words

of our Father. They can be fulfilled

through prayer and meditation. For

the heart is opened up to God

through prayer; the heart is cen-

tered on God through meditation.

In His own way, mysterious yet

sweet, God draws the soul to Him-

self and reveals Himself to the soul.

Then the highest form of prayer is

found in the soul. This is contem-

plation, where the soul looks at

God and God looks into the soul,

where the soul finds itself taken

over by the loving embrace of a

loving Father.

Prayer's Conversation

How different prayer is when

we realize that it is more than a

mere recitation of prayerful words,

when we come to know that prayer

is the intimate and loving con-

versation of one who loves, the

Father, and one who is beloved, the

soul. In His discourse at the Last

Supper our Lord spoke several times

26



of the Father and of Himself com-

ing to those who love and making

their abode within the soul. "If any-

one love me, he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him, and

we will come to him and make our

abode with him” (Johnl4:23). This

is the beginning of that union of

God and the soul that ends in eter-

nal beatitude in heaven.

It is the Father who seeks the

child. It is the Father who is con-

stantly and persistently knocking at

the heart of the child. "Behold, I

stand at the door and knock. If any

man listens to me, I will come in

to him and will sup with him, and

he with me” (Apocalypse 3:20). It

is the invitation of Jesus Christ all

over again; "Come to me, all you

who labor and are burdened, and I

will give you rest” (Matthew 11:

28). The Father refuses to be an

uninvited Guest. He comes and en-

ters only when He is invited and

where He is wanted. We must hun-
ger and thirst for Him as He
hungers and thirsts for our hearts

and our souls. "I thirst” is the cry

of the Father: "I thirst” should be

the cry of the child yearning for

close union with the Father.

We are a far cry from the timid
approach to God with which we

began this subject of prayer. A child
is not to remain a child forever; it

is to grow into an adult, capable of

taking its place in society. So God’s

child, while remaining a child in

virtue, in innocence, in disposition,

is to grow into the adult stage of

prayer. We are not to spend our
lives reciting prayers of petition,

or of reparation, or of thanksgiving.

Rather we are to pass on to medita-

tion, and even to contemplation.

There is life where there is growth.

If the life of prayer does not grow,

it is a feeble life indeed. Our Lord

advanced "in wisdom, and age and

grace before God and men” (Luke

2:52). We too are to advance in
grace, that is, in union with God.

It is prayer that makes this ad-

vance possible.

'’Holy Spirit! Enlighten Us*'

We look up the road of life, we
do not look down. At the end is

our Father, beckoning us on to

eternal union with Him. But He is

also along the road inviting us to

union with Him now. Our spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak. We
need a booster for our spirit that

it might overcome the weakness of

the flesh, ". . . the Spirit also helps

our weakness. For we do not know

what we should pray for as we

ought, but the Spirit Himself pleads

for us with unutterable groanings”

(Romans 8:26). This is the Holy

Spirit, the third Person of the

Blessed Trinity, of whom our elder
Brother spoke: "I will ask the

Father and He will give you an-

other Advocate, to dwell with you

forever, the Spirit of truth... He
will dwell with you, and be in you

. . . But when He, the Spirit of

truth, has come. He will teach you

all the truth...” (John 14:16-17;

16:13).

In our climb toward God we

have, first of all, Jesus Christ, the

Son of God made man, who is

the way, the truth, the life. Through

Him and with Him we pray and

we grow in prayer. But just as He

in His own life was led by the Holy

27



spirit, so too are we, or so too

should we be led by the Holy Spirit.

We all know the necessity of spirit
in a game or in work, even in life

itself. Spirit gives that "extra some-

thing” to the winner or the suc-

cessful man. The Holy Spirit gives

us that "extra someone” we need

to help us pray. He lifts our prayers

out of the doldrums and puts them

on the same plane as God Himself.

"For the Spirit searches all things,

even the deep things of God. For

who among men knows the things

of a man save the spirit of the man

which is in him? Even so, the

things of God no one knows but

the Spirit of God” (I Corinthians

2 : 11 ).

In Baptism we received the Holy

Spirit when the grace of our Father

came to us through His Son. He is
in us to work out our salvation and

our sanctification. He it is who is
to push us upward and outward

to our Father. Without the Holy

Spirit working in and through us.

we are like the Apostles cooped up

in the upper chamber. They saw

only the four walls. Without the

Holy Spirit breathing His divine

life into our prayers, we would see

only the four walls of our own

needs and our sins. Our prayers

would not be prayers of adoration,

nor bring us closer to our Father.

Our prayers must begin with a

prayer to the Holy Spirit. Before

each prayer, before we begin to

pray, we should turn to Him dwell-

ing within us and ask Him for

His help. We could say:
O Holy Spirit, help me to pray

through Jesus Christ for the

glory of the Father.

Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten my

heart and lift my mind to the

Father through the Son.

O Holy Spirit, make my tongue
and lips the instruments of my

heart and mind; and make my

heart and mind your instru-

ments for prayer to my Father,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ah! dearest Lord! I cannot pray.

My fancy is not free;

Unmannerly distractions come.

And force my thoughts from Thee.

The world that looks so dull all day

Glows bright on me at prayer.

And plans that ask no thought but then

Wake up and meet me there.

F. Faber: Distractions of Prayer

28



KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS - RELIGIOUS INFORMATION BUREAU
4422 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis 8, Missouri

List of pamphlets available at the above address. One title may be requested at a time free

of charge. Several titles, complete sets, and quantities of individual pamphlets may be ordered

at 7^ for each pamphlet, plus postage.

3. The Bible is a Catholic Book

5. Christ’s Seven Sacraments

6. The Holy Sacrifice — the Catholic
Mass

7. Why the Catholic Church says "Inves-
tigate” — Masons, Inquisition, Nuns

8. Speaking of Tolerance — Controver-
sial periods in history

9. These Men They Call "Knights”

10. Why Catholics Believe As They Do
— Existence of God, Immortality

11. A Short Story of the Popes

12. Let’s Stick to Moses — Ten Com-
mandments explained

13. But Can It Be Found in the Bible? —

Bible not sole rule of faith

14. What Happens After Death?

15. Yes ... I Condemned The Catholic

Church

16. What Do You Mean "Only One True
Church”?

17. But How Can Educated People Be
Catholics?

18. No . . . Belief in God is not Enough!

19. The Real Secret of Successful Mar-

riage

20. The Way to Everlasting Life . . . The
Catholic Church

21. Is the Catholic Church a Menace to

Democracy?

22. But Do You Really Understand the
Bible? — Rules for understanding

23. A Letter to Our Non-Catholic Neigh-
bors — Aspects of Catholic faith

24. Yes, the Mother of God Will Help
You!

25. What Makes a Woman Choose Such
a Life? — Life of a Catholic Nun

26. I’ll Tell You Why I Am a Catholic
27. Why So Many Decide to Become

Catholics — Convert stories

28. Let Us Judge Catholics by the Bible
— Prayer to Saints, unmarried priests

29. But Would Christ Call You A Chris-
tian?

30. But Do You Understand What God
Told Us? — Apostles’ Creed

31. Should Children Learn About God-
in School?

32. The Bible Is Not Our Sole Guide

33. This Was the Faith of Our Fathers

34. These Are Our Seven Deadly Enemies
— Seven capital sins explained

35. Let’s Test Catholic Loyalty — A Good
Catholic is a good citizen

36. Remember the Sabbath . . . Keep It

Holy — The "Sabbath Question”
37. I Am a Catholic Priest
38. But Why the Candles, Holy Water

and Beads ? — Sacramentals

39. The Reformation. Was It Reform or
Revolt?

40. Why I Had to Embrace the Catholic
Faith — Convert stories

41. Yes, Miracles Happened at Fatima

42. Does the Bible Contradict Itself? —

Peter the Rock, Faith and/or Works

43. I Was Warned About the Catholic
Church!— Religious Liberty

44. Why a Woman Needs the Catholic
Faith!

45. The Early Years of the Catholic

Church — First three centuries

46. Yes ... A Priest Can Forgive Your
Sins — Sacrament of Penance

47. But Why Don’t You Pray to the
Saints? — Communion of Saints

48. God’s Story of Creation — Genesis

49. Is the Catholic Church Out of Place

Here? — Catholicism and Loyalty

50. This Is the Catholic Church — Creed,
Sacraments, Mass, Commandments

51. Revelation ... A Divine Message of
Hope — Revelations or Apocalypse

52. Does It Pay to be a Catholic? — How
to be a Catholic

53. Think About Death and Start to Live

— Catholic attimde toward death

54. What Do You Find Wrong With
the Catholic Church?

55. His Name Shall Be Called God With
Us — Divinity of Christ

56. The Infallible Church, Truth or Trick-

ery? — Church of the Scripmres

57. Tell Us About God . . . Who Is He?
Existence and nature of God

58. The Word Was Made Flesh-
Humanity of Christ

59. Let Us Pray—Prayer



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do, and nobody will call on you unless you request it.

You merely mail your marked test sheets to us. We
correct them and return them to you. This enables

you to determine how well you understand the book

and on what points further explanation by mail may

help you.

There is no cost to you, no obligation.

Wrife today to:

Supreme Council

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Religious Information Bureau

4422 LINDELL BLVD.

ST. LOUIS 8, MO.

Imprimatur:

^JOSEPH E. RITTER

Archbishop of St. Louis

St. Louis, July 15, 1960

Printed and Published in

United States of America