Necessity of Prayer

Let us also reflect on the necessity of prayer. St. Chrysostom says that, as the body without the soul is dead, so the soul is dead without prayer. He also teaches that, as water is necessary to prevent the decay of plants, so prayer is necessary to preserve us from perdition. God wills that all men be saved (1Tim 2:4DR. See NIV and AMP and NAB), - and is unwilling that any be lost. The Lord. . . dealt patiently for Your sake, not willing that any one should perish, but that all should return to penance. (2 Peter 3:9DR; NIV-AMP, NAB) But he also wishes that we ask him for the gracesnecessary for salvation. For, on the one hand, it is impossible for us to observe the divine commands, and save our souls, without the actual assistance of God; and on the other, ordinarily speaking, God will not give us his graces unless we ask them from him, Hence the holy Council of Trent has declared that God has not commanded impossibilities; because he either gives us the proximate and actual grace to fulfill his precepts, or he gives us the grace to ask him for this actual aid. (session 6, c 11.) St. Augustine teaches, that God gives without prayer the first graces, such as vocation to the faith and to repentance; but all other graces, and particularly the gift of perseverance, he gives only to those who ask them.

Hence, theologians, after St. Basil, St. Augustine, St. John Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, and others, teach, that for adults prayer is necessary as a means of salvation; so that, without it, it is impossible to be saved. And the most learned Lessius says that this doctrine must be held as of faith.

The Scriptures are clear on this point. We ought always to pray.( Luke 18:1 DR; NAB; NIV ) Pray, lest you enter into temptation.(Luke 22:40 DR;NAB; NIV) Ask, and You shall receive.(Matt. 7:7 DR; NAB; NIV ) Pray without ceasing.(1 Thess. 5:17 DR; NAB; NIV ) The words, we ought pray, ask, according to St. Thomas (3 part, qu. 39, art. 5; on prayer, and Christ's prayer.) and the generality of theologians, imply a strict precept, which binds under grievous sin particularly in three cases. First, when a person is in the state of sin; secondly, when he is in danger of death; and thirdly, when he is in great danger of falling into sin. Theologians teach that, ordinarily, he who neglects prayer for a month, or at most, for two months, is guilty of a mortal sin (Less., loco citato). The reason is, because prayer is a means without which we cannot obtain the helps necessary for salvation.

[Pastor's note: I am not aware of a section of the modern catechism that asserts it is mortal sin to fail to pray however it would be very dangerous spiritually to do this. Attending mass would mean engaging in prayer and worship and we are required to attend on the Lord's Day so if we refuse, we sin, but there are some who cannot attend. If they would refuse to pray in some way in place of mass presumably they would endanger their souls. See, especially the Catechism of the Catholic church sec. 2744. See also the Short Catechism on Prayer, #6 & #7.]

Ask, and you shall receive. He who asks, receives; then, says St. Teresa, he who does not ask, does not receive. And before her, St. James said the same thing. You have not, because you ask not.(James 4:2 DR; NIV ; NAB) Prayer is particularly necessary to obtain the virtue of continence. And said the wise man, as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, . . . I went to the Lord, and besought Him. Let us conclude this point. He who prays, is certainly saved; he who does not pray, is certainly lost. All the elect are saved by prayer; all the damned are lost by neglect of prayer, and their greatest despair is, and will be forever, caused by the conviction, that they had it in their power to save their souls so easily by prayer, and that now the time of salvation is no more.

Affections and Prayers.

Ah, my Redeemer how have I been able hitherto to live in such forgetfulness of You? You were prepared to grant me all the graces that I should ask of you; you only waited for me to ask them. But I have thought only of indulging my senses, and have been indifferent about the privation and loss of your love and of your grace. Lord forget all my ingratitude, and have mercy on me. Pardon me all the displeasure I have given you, and grant me perseverance. O God of my soul give me the grace always to ask your aid not to offend you. Do not permit me to be, as I have hitherto been, negligent in the performance of this duty. Grant me light and strength always to recommend myself to you, and particularly when my enemies tempt me to offend you again. Grant, O my God this grace through the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the love which you bear to him. O Lord I have offended you enough. I wish to love you during the remainder of my life. Give me your love; and may this love remind me to ask your aid whenever I am in danger of losing you by sin. Mary, my hope after Jesus through your intercession I hope for the grace to recommend myself in all my temptations to you and to your Son. Hear me, O my Queen, through the love which you bear to Jesus Christ.

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Rev. Eugene Grimm, editor, Preparation for Death or "Considerations on the Eternal Truths" by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Redemptorist Fathers, NY (1926) pp. 304-306. Imprimatur, Patrick Cardinal Hayes, July 26, 1926.

From:http://landru.i-link-2.net/shnyves/necessity_of_prayer.htm




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A MORNING PRAYER WRITTEN BY ST. THERESE

O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.
Amen.

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An Act Of Contrition

O my God,
I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins,
because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell;
but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God,
Who are all good and
deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve,
with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins,
to do penance,
and to amend my life.Amen.

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Petition in Honor of the Precious Blood

Precious Blood of Jesus,
shed in the circumcision,
make me pure of mind, heart and body.
Precious Blood,
oozing from every pore of Jesus in the Agony,
enable me to love God's holy will above all.
Precious Blood,
flowing from the scourging at the pillar,
inspire me with a sorrow for my sins,
and a tolerance for suffering.
Precious Blood,
falling in profusion from the crown of thorns,
grant me a ready acceptance of humiliations.
Precious Blood,
shed profusely in the crucifixion of our Lord,
make me die entirely to self-love.
Precious Blood,
shed to the very last drop by the opening of Christ's Sacred Heart,
give me that generous love which sacrifices all for God.
Precious Blood,
sacred price of my redemption,
apply to me your infinite merits.
Precious Blood,
I adore you from the depths of my heart;
I invoke you ardently, for you are my salvation
and by you I hope to obtain the joys of heaven.
Amen.






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ACT OF CONTRITION

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.

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Our Father

Our Father, Who are in heaven,
Holy be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come.
Your Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sinned us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.


Filipino

Ama Namin
Ama namin sumasalangit ka, sambahin ang ngalan mo, mapasaamin ang kaharian mo. Sundin ang Loob mo dito sa Lupa para ng sa langit, Bigyan mo kami ng aming kakanin sa araw-araw. Patawarin mo kami sa aming mga kasalanan para ng pagpapatawad namin sa nagkakasala sa amin. At ilayo mo kami mo kami sa lahat ng masasama. Amen

Bagama't ang salitang Latin oratio dominica ay matagal ng ginagamit, ang Lord's Prayer" ay hindi naging pamiliar sa England bago mag reformation, Noong Middle Ages ang Ama namin ay palaging dinadasal sa Latin kahit na ng hindi nakapag-aral. Ito ay higit na kilala sa tawag na Pater noster. Ang pangalang "Lord's Prayer" ay inilapi rito dahil ginamit ito ni Jesu Kristo sa kanyang panalangin (bilang paghingi ng kapatawaran ng kasalanan) upang ituro ito sa kanyang mga disipulo.

Maraming pagpahayag at puntos sa kasaysayan at paggamit ng panalanging ito. Sa paggamit ng Ingles na texto na ginagamit ng mga Katoliko, ito ay hindi mula sa Rheims Testament kundi sa sipi na ipinag-utos sa England sa panahon ng paghahari ni Henry VIII, noong 1549-1552 sa pagninilay sa "Libro ng Pangkaraniwang Panalangin" ( Book of Common Prayer). Mula rito ang siping Katoliko ay nagkakaiba laman sa dalawang particular na pagkakataon: "Which art" ay ginawang moderno "who art", and "in earth" into "on earth".

Ang sipi ay malapit sa pagsasalin ni Tyndale sa Bagong Tipan (Tyndale's New Testament) ay naging katanggap-tanggap sa ordinansa ng 1541. Ang ordinansang ito ay udyok ng maraming uri ng salin o version ng Pater noster, Ave, Sumasampalataya(Creed) at iba pa. Ito ang naging pamantayan (caused) sa utos ng hari upang ang lahat ng mamamayan, vicario (vicars) at kura paroko (curates), na basahin at ituro ang nasabing version. Kaya ang nasabing version ay naging pangkalahatan sa buong bansa sa kanilang panalangin maging sa mga protestante at katoliko kahit na ang Rheims Testament, noong 1581 at King James's translators, in 1611, ay may pagkakaiba sa pagsasalin ng Mateo 6:9-13,

Ang panalanging ito na mula kay San Lukas 11:2-4 ay ibinigay ni Kristo bilang sagot sa kahilingan ng mga disipulo ay may kaunting pagkakaiba kay San Mateo 6:9-15 na kung saan ipinapakilala sa gitna ng Sermon sa Bundok, ngunit wala naman itong ibang dahilan upang sabihin na ang dalawang ito ay hindi magkatulad. Malaki ang posibilidad na itinuro ni Kristo itong panalangin nang ilang ulit. Mas malapit sa katotohanan na ang Ama namin na makikita sa "Didache" ay katulad ng kay San Mateo na ginamit ng simbahan sa kanyang liturhiya. Walang nakikitang malaking kahalagahan upang sabihin na nagopya ang mga Kristiyano sa panalangin ng mga Hudyo dahil makikita rin ang mga nasasaad dito sa ibang mga panalangin ng mga Hudyo. Dahil sa, una, maliit lamang ang pagkatulad nito at pangalawa, walang maliwanag na ebidensya na ang panalangin ng mga Hudyo ay higit na una kaysa sa turo ni Kristo

Naging pangkaraniwang gamit ito at maraming naisulat sa larangan ng usapin sa panalangin ng Ama namin, kahit na ito simple at natural. Isang malawak na komentaryo rito ay mula sa quasi-official "Catechismus ad parochos", na isinulat noong 1564 sangayon sa batas ng Council of Trent, tungkol sa Ama namin na siyang basehan ng pagsusuri sa lahat ng katolikong katesismo. Maraming puntos ang binigyan pansi tulad ng "Dito sa lupa para ng sa langit" ay hindi lamang nagngahulugan ng isang paghingi upang "mangyari ang Iyong kalooban", ito ay tumutukoy rin sa dalawang bagay na "sambahin ang ngalan Mo" at "mapasaamin ang Kaharian Mo"

Ang kahulugan ng huling kahilingang ito ay lubos na binigyan ng liwanag. Isa kasi sa problema sa pagsasalin ay ang mga salitang artos epiousios na sangayon sa Vulgate mula kay San Lukas ay isinaling "aming kakanin araw-araw", St. Jerome, sa kanyang di malaman na pagkakamali ay binago ang salitang quotidianum sa supersubstantialem ni San Mateo pero iniwan ang quotidianum kay San Lucas. Ang opinyon ng mga makabagong escholar ay ang bagong sipi ay makikita ang salin bilang araw-araw ngunit may komentaryo ito sa panggilid "aming pagkain sa susunod na araw. Habang ang Komite ng mga Amerikano (American Committee) ay nagnais magdagdag ng "aming pangangailangang pagkain". Sa katapusan, ang mas nakakaraming opinyon ay ang pagpahayag na ang huling mga salita ay dapat "iadya mo kami sa masama, ang pagbabagona ngangailangan ng "ngunit"sa halip na "at" na nagsasama sa dalwang kahilingan bilang isa. The doxolohiya "sapagkat sa iyo ang kaharian", etc., ay matatagpuan sa Griegong in textus receptus ay dagdag na lamang sa mga sumunod na salin na siyang ginamit sa salin ng ns of the "Boo of Common Prayer", is undoubtedly an interpolation.

In the liturgy of the Church the Our Father holds a very conspicuous place. Some commentators have erroneously supposed, from a passage in the writings of St. Gregory the Great (Ep., ix, 12), that he believed that the bread and wine of the Eucharist were consecrated in Apostolic times by the recitation of the Our Father alone. But while this is probably not the true meaning of the passage, St. Jerome asserted (Adv. Pelag., iii, 15) that "our Lord Himself taught His disciples that daily in the Sacrifice of His Body they should make bold to say 'Our Father' etc." St. Gregory gave the Pater its present place in the Roman Mass immediately after the Canon and before the fraction, and it was of old the custom that all the congregation should make answer in the words "Sed libera nos a malo". In the Greek liturgies a reader recites the Our Father aloud while the priest and the people repeat it silently. Again in the ritual of baptism the recitation of the Our Father has from the earliest times been a conspicuous feature, and in the Divine Office it recurs repeatedly besides being recited both at the beginning and the end.

In many monastic rules, it was enjoined that the lay brothers, who knew no Latin, instead of the Divine office should say the Lord's Prayer a certain number of times (often amounting to more than a hundred) per diem. To count these repetitions they made use of pebbles or beads strung upon a cord, and this apparatus was commonly known as a "pater-noster", a name which it retained even when such a string of beads was used to count, not Our Fathers, but Hail Marys in reciting Our Lady's Psalter, or in other words in saying the rosary.

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Theologians ussually are quoted saying that this one of the ipssisima verbum Christi, one of the very words of Christ. It is also one of the well and vastly commented by various authors from the theologians of the liberation theology to the conclave of the Opus Dei. One of the prayers that our separated brethren are also using.

Much is to be said about it from the vast resources, however, let me say my piece. The prayer clearly states that forgiveness of God is based on the conditioned of forgiving. TYes, it is ussually the hardest part that we all carry. Being unforgiver and resentful. That is not in the dictionary, but it seems to be easily understood. God give us an example of what a good giver is, yes, even our hatred has to be offered to Him as He offered his to the father so that salvation might be received by mankind.

We must also offer our hatred to God that he could lift the burden in our hearts and give us peace and serenity. The key is on us to open the grace of love, the grace of mercy, so that mercy might be received not only of other people but especially of each and everyone of us. Forgiveness is primarily for the one who forgives rather than of the one forgiven. Certainly, the Lord Jesus Christ in her merciful heart do not want us to further suffer for being unforgivable.