Page:Stalphonsuspraye00ligu.djvu/10

 readers and  hearers,  and  they  should  never  tire  of impressing  it  on  them  and  of  repeating  over  and over again:  Pray,  pray  always;  if  you  pray,  you  will certainly save  your  souls;  if  you  do  not  pray,  you will certainly  lose  them. It is  true  that  many  excellent ways  of  persevering  in  the  grace  of  God  may  be recommended  to  souls;  for  instance,  avoiding  occasions of  sin,  frequenting  the  sacraments,  resisting temptation, listening  to  sermons,  meditating  on  the eternal truths,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  most  salutary practices, as  every  one  must  admit;  but,  I  ask,  of what  good  are  sermons,  meditations,  and  the  other means suggested  by  the  masters  of  the  spiritual  life, without prayer? since Our  Lord  has  declared  that He will  only  grant  His  grace  to  those  who  pray  for it: Ask  and  ye  shall  receive  (John  xvi.  24). According to the  ordinary  course  of  Providence,  all  our  meditations, resolutions,  promises  are  useless  without prayer; if  we  do  not  pray,  we  shall  always  be  faithless to  the  lights  we  have  received  from  God  and  to the  resolutions  we  have  taken. Because, in  order  to do  right,  to  overcome  temptation,  to  practise  virtue, to observe  God's  law,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  have  received divine  lights,  to  have  meditated,  and  to  have taken firm  resolutions. God's actual  help  is  also necessary. Now, this  actual  help  is  only  granted  by Our  Lord  to  those  who  pray  perseveringly  for  it. The lights  we  receive,  and  the  earnest  consideration and firm  resolutions  which  we  make,  have  the effect of  inciting  us  to  have  recourse  to  prayer  in the  time  of  temptation  and  when  in  danger  of offending  God:  by  prayer  we  obtain  the  divine  help necessary for  keeping  us  from  sin,  and  if,  under these circumstances,  we  were  to  neglect  praying,  we should  undoubtedly  be  lost.

The texts  of  Scripture  which  prove  the  necessity we are  under  of  praying,  if  we  wish  to  be  saved,  are extremely clear:    We  ought  always  to  pray  (Luke