The power of prayer and the graces that are obtained through it

To show you the power of prayer and the graces it draws from heaven, I will tell you that it is only with prayer that all the righteous have had the good fortune to persevere. Prayer is for our soul what rain is for the earth. Fertilize a land as much as you like, if there is no rain, everything you do will be useless. So, do good works as much as you like, if you don't pray often and properly, you will never be saved; because prayer opens the eyes of our soul, makes it feel the greatness of its misery, the need to have recourse to God; it makes her fear her weakness.

The Christian counts for everything on God alone, and nothing on himself. Yes, it is through prayer that all the righteous have persevered. Moreover, we ourselves realize that as soon as we neglect our prayers, we immediately lose the taste for the things of heaven: we think only of the earth; and if we resume prayer, we feel the thought and desire for the things of heaven reborn in us. Yes, if we are lucky enough to be in God's grace, either we will have recourse to prayer, or we will be sure not to persevere for a long time in the way of heaven.

Secondly, we say that all sinners owe, without an extraordinary miracle that happens very rarely, their conversion only to prayer. You see Saint Monica, what she does to ask for the conversion of her son: now she is at the foot of her crucifix praying and crying; now he is with people who are wise, asking for the help of their prayers. Look at Saint Augustine himself, when he seriously wanted to convert… Yes, even if we were sinners, if we had recourse to prayer and if we prayed properly, we would be sure that the good Lord would forgive us.

Ah! My brothers, let us not be surprised that the devil does everything he can to make us neglect our prayers, and make us say them badly; is that he understands much better than us how fearful prayer is in hell, and that it is impossible for the good Lord to refuse us what we ask of him through prayer ...

They are neither the long nor the beautiful prayers that the good Lord looks at, but those that are made from the bottom of the heart, with a great respect and a true desire to please God. Here is a beautiful example. It is reported in the life of St. Bonaventure, a great doctor of the Church, that a very simple religious said to him: "Father, I who am not very educated, do you think I can pray to the good Lord and love him?".

Saint Bonaventure tells him: «Ah, my friend, these are mainly those that the good Lord loves the most and that he likes most». This good religious, completely amazed by such good news, goes to stand at the door of the monastery, saying to everyone he saw passing: «Come, friends, I have good news to give you; Doctor Bonaventura told me that we others, even if ignorant, can love the good Lord as much as the learned. What happiness for us to be able to love the good God and please him, without knowing anything! ».

From this, I will tell you that there is nothing easier than praying to the good Lord, and that there is nothing more consoling.

We say that prayer is an elevation of our heart towards God. Let's say better, it is the sweet conversation of a child with his father, of a subject with his king, of a servant with his master, of a friend with his friend, in whose heart he lays his sorrows and pains.