Why should I pray?‏

Dearest Ones,

With the excitement of the Super Bowl over (I'm not a fan!) and teams winning or losing, I can't help relating this to our journey in life. For us who know the Lord, there is only one prize - that is to be a saint! Heaven is our goal and everything we do should lead us to it. We are not here for earthly glory, like the Super Bowl teams, but rather a heavenly reward. Prayer is the key to getting to heaven. Why should we pray? It is because we are related to God. He is our Father, which means he cares deeply for us, whether we care for Him or not. We can never change that. It requires hard work and deep commitment to keep that loving relationship alive. It means starting all over again each new day. Whenever I'm in trouble, experiencing doubt, or feeling removed from God's presence, prayer is what brings me back to that place of inner spiritual peace. My life belongs to God and I will live it in His service. The Lord is always there for me, just as He is for any of us in our time of need. Whenever we start to pray, we can expect interference from the evil spirit, who will whisper in our ear, "Prayer doesn't do any good. What do you want to do that for? God can't hear you. He isn't anywhere near." But then, for every evil spirit, there is always an angel whispering in the other ear, "Don't listen to these lies. You need to move on! Look for God in all things, and don't despair when your heart aches. God will always be there for you, and you can ask Him for any favor - with Him, all is possible!" For those who do not believe in the devil, it may be of interest to know that Fr. Emmerick, an exorcist who has performed hundreds of exorcisms on people possessed by the devil, once said he heard a devil within a person say, "One Hail Mary is enough to drive many of us devils to hell. If people knew the power of the Rosary, they would never stop praying it!" Even the devils know the power of the Rosary!Sometimes, I find prayer to be hard work or full of distractions, but at other times, comforting and peaceful. I discovered that if I call on God early in the morning to pray for other people's problems, instead of my own, it keeps my mind off of myself and my selfish desires. In deep prayer, there is no fear, no pain and no doubt. Rather, it is a gateway to God, and when I pass through, I feel the warmth and power of His love, which comes from trust. The most important thing in regard to prayer is getting into the habit of prayer and not just praying when something goes wrong. Why not pray when things go right? A spiritual guide once said, if the only prayer you ever said is, "Thank you," you would be praying the perfect prayer. What do you do with the dry times, when you feel absolutely no presence of God in prayer? Please don't stop praying, when all seems bleak and empty. A day will come when we will see the face of Our Lord, but right now we are living in darkness. God knows we can't get through the trials of this life by ourselves, that's they He asks us to pray. If we follow God's word as our guide, we will never stumble or fall. To keep on praying, when experiencing dryness takes patience. Behind every person of true prayer, there is great patience. When I can't pray, I just offer my trials to God. At each Mass, I put all the needs of the people who have asked for prayer into the chalice. Then, I know these needs are in the precious Blood of our dear Savior, and he will offer them to our Heavenly Father. Each person goes to God in their own unique way. I'm sure some of you have a much deeper prayer life than I do. What works for one person, may not help another. With God's help, each must find their own path. We need to ask for help. I go to the Blessed Mother and she is always there for me."Blessed Mother, I need you to help me find a way to speak wtih God more openly. I know God hears our prayers wherever we are and however we say them, but I need to feel His love around me. There are so many distractions keeping me from You. Help me to get rid of any bitterness, unforgiveness or hatred, as these are roadblocks to prayer."

May God bring you His Joy and Peace,
Sister Francelle