Page:Stalphonsuspraye00ligu.djvu/12



OW can  we  fear,  says  St.  Augustine,  that  our prayers will  not  be  granted,  when  God,  Who  is truth  itself,  has  promised  to  give  us  all  that  we ask  of  Him? To convince  ourselves  of  this,  let  us weigh  well  the  terms  employed  by  our  divine  Saviour: Ask, and  it  shall  be  given  you;  seek,  and  you  shall  find; knock, and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you. . .  .  Your  Father Who is  in  heaven  will  give  good  things  to  them  that ask Him  (Matt.  vii.  7). Ask, and  it  shall  be  given  you (Luke xi.  9) — all  that  we  ask  we  shall  obtain:  Ask whatever you  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you  (John xv.  7). Whatsoever they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  to them  by  My  Father  Who  is  in  heaven  (Matt,  xviii.  19). But we  must  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus:  If  you  shall ask Me  anything  in  My  name,  that  I  will  do  (John  xiv. 14). Amen, amen,  I  say  to  you:  if  you  ask  the  Father anything in  My  name,  He  will  give  it  you  (John  xvi. 23),  provided  we  pray  with  faith  and  confidence:  All things whatsoever  ye  ask  when  ye  pray,  believe  that  you shall receive,  and  they  shall  come  unto  you  (Mark  xi. 24).

By these  promises  God  has  bound  Himself  to grant  us  the  graces  which  we  ask  of  Him. St. John Chrysostom also  says  that  no  man  is  so  powerful  as he  that  prayeth;  and  why? Because prayer  makes him a  participant  in  divine  power.

Everything then  becomes  possible  to  us  by  means of prayer;  by  it  we  obtain  from  Our  Lord  the strength of  which  we  stand  in  need. Prayer is  all-powerful,  says  Theoderet;  it  alone  is  sufficient  to obtain  for  us  everything  we  require. According to St.  Bonaventure,  it  procures  us  all  good  things,  and frees us  from  all  evil  things. Prayer, says  St. Bernard, is more  powerful  than  all  the  devils. In fact,  by prayer  the  soul  acquires  a  divine  virtue  which  places it above  all  created  powers.