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 precept of  God  and  as  an  indispensable  means of salvation. First, as  a  precept. God repeatedly commands  us  in  the  Old  Testament to have  recourse  to  prayer:  "Cry  to  Me" (Jer. xxxiii.  3);  "Call  on  Me"  (Ps.  xlix.  15). In the  New  Testament  Jesus  Christ  expressly commands us  to  pray. "Ask," He  says, "and you  shall  receive;  seek,  and  you  shall find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you" Matt. vii. 7; Mark  xi. 24; Luke  xi. 9J. "Pray, lest  you  enter  into  temptation  "  (Luke xxii.  40  and  46). "We ought  always  to pray  "  (Luke  xviii.  1).

Prayer is  necessary  for  all  men  as  a  means of salvation. Even were  there  no  special commandment to  pray,  we  should  be  obliged to pray  in  order  to  obtain  the  graces  and means necessary  for  our  salvation. We need God's grace  for  every  thought  and  act  pertaining to  salvation;  we  are  naturally  weak and prone  to  evil,  and  can  not  of  ourselves keep all  the  commandments  of  God. For this we  need  His  special  assistance,  which,  in the  ordinary  course  of  His  providence. He grants only  to  those  who  pray  for  it. because He will  not  force  His  graces  on  the  unwilling, and those  who. really want  them  will  surely ask for  them.

Prayer is  necessary  for  the  good,  for  the