"Prayer is not an old woman's amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action……..What the Catholic Church needs today is not new “organizations” or more and “novel” methods, but men who the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not come on “ideas” but on men. He does not anoint “plans”, but men—men of prayer……….Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of himself……..Have you any days of fasting and prayer?......... Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein & mercy will come down.”

Gospel Text: (Lk 11:1-4)

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

    Father, hallowed be your name,
        your Kingdom come.
        Give us each day our daily bread
        and forgive us our sins
        for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
        and do not subject us to the final test.”

 

Reflect, today, upon this most holy prayer given to us by the Son of God Himself. He is the author of this perfect prayer, so we should use it as the foundation of all of our prayer. Try to follow the advice of Saint Teresa of Ávila quoted above. Take each word of that prayer and pray it slowly, intentionally and with love. Begin by acknowledging God as your Father. Ponder the infinite care He has for you as a perfect father would. See Him in a real, intimate, and personal way. This perfect prayer begins by acknowledging Who God is and then continues with seven perfect petitions. After praying the introduction to this prayer, pick one of the seven petitions to meditate upon so that the richness of this prayer will have a transformative effect upon your soul.