Fifth Sunday after Easter

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INSTRUCTION ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER
Taken from Fr. Leonard Goffine's Explanations of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, Holydays, and Festivals throughout the Ecclesiastical Year
36th edition, 1880

IN thanks for the redemption the Church sings at the Introit: Declare the voice of joy, and let it be heard, allel.: declare it even to the ends of the earth: the Lord hath delivered his people. (Isai. xlviii. 20.) Allel. allel. Shout with joy to God, all the earth: sing ye a psalm to his name, give glory to his praise. (Ps. lxv.) Glory, &c.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. O God, from whom all good things proceed: grant to Thy suppliants, that by Thy inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by Thy guidance may perform the same. Through.

EPISTLE. (James i. 22 — 27.) Dearly beloved, Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if a man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass: for he beheld himself and went his way, and presently forgot what manner of man he was. But he that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and hath continued therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless, and widows in their tribulation, and to keep one's self unspotted from the world.

EXPLANATION. True piety, as St. James here says, consists not only in knowing and recognizing the word of God, but in living according to its precepts and teachings: in subduing the tongue, the most dangerous and injurious of all our members; in being charitable to the poor and destitute, and in contemning the world, its false principles, foolish customs and scandalous example, against which we should guard, that we may not become infected and polluted by them. Test thyself, whether thy life be of this kind.

ASPIRATION. O Jesus! Director of the soul! Give me the grace of true piety as defined by St. James.

GOSPEL. (John xvi. 23 — 30.) At that time, Jesus saith to his disciples: Amen, amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto, you have not asked anything in my name. Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour cometh when I will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will show you plainly of the Father. In that day, you shall ask in my name: and I say not to you that I will ask the Father for you, for the Father himself loveth you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples say to him: Behold, now thou speakest plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now we know that thou knowest all things, and thou needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou comest forth from God.

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Why does God wish us to ask of Him?

That we may know and confess, that all good comes from Him; that we may acknowledge our poverty and weakness which in all things need the help of God; that we may thus glorify Him and render ourselves less unworthy of the gifts which He has promised us.


What is meant by asking in the name of Jesus?

By this is meant praying with confidence in the merits of Jesus, "who," as St. Cyril says, "being God with the Father, gives us all good, and as mediator carries our petitions to His Father." The Church therefore ends all her prayers with the words: "Through our Lord, Jesus Christ." It means also that we should ask that which is in accordance with the will of Christ, namely all things necessary for the salvation of our soul; to pray for temporal things merely in order to live happily in this world, is not pleasing to Christ and avails us nothing. "He who prays for what hinders salvation," says St. Augustine, "does not pray in the name of Jesus." Thus Jesus said to His disciples: Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name, "because," as St. Gregory says, "they did not ask for that which conduces to eternal salvation."


Why is it that God sometimes does not grant our petitions?

Because we often pray for things that are injurious, and like a good father, God denies them to us, in order to give us something better; because He wishes to prove our patience and perseverance in prayer; because we generally do not pray as we ought; to be pleasing to God, prayer should be made when in a state of grace and with confidence in Christ's merits, for the prayer of a just man availeth much; (James v. 16.) we must pray with humility and submission to the will of God, with attention, fervor, sincerity, and with perseverance.


At what special times should we pray?

We should pray every morning and evening, before and after meals, in time of temptation, when commencing any important undertaking, and particularly in the hour of death. God is mindful of us every moment, and gives His grace. It is therefore but just that we think often of Him during the day, and thank Him for His blessings.


How can we, in accordance with Christ's teachings, (Luke xviii. 1.) pray at all times?

By making the good intention when commencing our work, to do all for the love of God, and according to His most holy will; by raising our hearts to God at different times during the day; frequently making acts of faith, hope, love, and humility, and by repeating short ejaculations, such as: O Jesus! grant me grace to love Thee! Thee only do I desire to love! O be merciful to me! Lord hasten to help me.


What is the signification of the different ceremonies that Catholics use at their prayers?

The general signification is that God must be served, honored, and adored, not only with the soul but with the body; when we pray aloud we praise God, not only with the mind but also with our lips; when we pray with bowed and uncovered head, with folded, uplifted, or outstretched hands, on bended knees, with bowed and prostrated body, we show our reverence and subjection to the majesty of God, before whom we, who are but dust and ashes, cannot humble ourselves enough. These different ceremonies during prayer are frequently mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments, and Christ and His apostles have made use of them, as for instance, the bending of the knees, falling on the face, &c.


Which is the best of all prayers?

The Lord's Prayer which Christ Himself taught us and commands us to repeat. When said with devotion, it is the most powerful of all prayers. (Matt. vi. 9—13; Luke xi. 2 — 4.)

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SHORT EXPLANATION OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.

Of what does the Lord's Prayer consist?

IT consists of an address, as an introduction to the prayer, and of seven petitions which contain all that we should ask for the honor of God, and for our own salvation. The address is thus: Our Father who art
in heaven.


What does the word “Our" signify?

In the communion of saints we should pray for and with all the children of God; we should be humble and preserve brotherly love towards all men.



Who is it that is here called our “Father”?

Our Father is God who has made us His children and heirs of His kingdom through His Son.



Why do we say "Who art in heaven," since God is everywhere?

To remind us that our true home is heaven, for which we should ardently long, because our Father is there, and there He has prepared our inheritance.



For what do we ask in the first petition: “Hallowed by Thy name?”

That we and all men may truly know, love, and serve God.



For what do we pray in the second petition: “Thy kingdom come?”

That the Church of God. the kingdom of Christ, may extend over the whole earth, and the kingdom of sin and the devil be destroyed; that Christ may reign in our hearts and in the hearts of all; and that God will deign to receive us into the kingdom of heaven, when our earthly pilgrimage is ended.



For what do we ask in the third petition: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?"

We beg that God would enable us, by His grace, to do His will in all things, as the blessed do it in heaven. In these three petitions we seek, as taught by Christ, first the kingdom of God, that all the rest may be added unto us. (Luke xii. 31.)



For what do we ask in the fourth petition: "Give us this day our daily bread?"

We beg for all necessaries for body and soul.


Why does it say, “this day?"

The words "this day" signify that we should not be over anxious for the future, but place all our confidence in God who will provide the        necessaries of life.



What do we ask for in the fifth petition: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us?"

We beg that God will forgive us our sins, as we forgive others their offenses against us. Those who make this petition, and still bear enmity towards their neighbor, lie in the face of God, and will not receive forgiveness. (Mark xi. 25, 26.)



What is asked for in the sixth petition: "Lead us not into temptation?"

We ask that God avert all temptations or at least not abandon us when we are tempted. We cannot, indeed, be entirely free from them in this world , they are even necessary and useful for our salvation: for without temptation there is no combat, without combat no victory, and without victory no crown.



What do we ask for in the seventh petition: “Deliver us from evil?"

We beg that God would free us from all evil of soul and body.

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Fifth Sunday after Easter

Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)

In the Greek Church, the fifth Sunday after Easter is called the Sunday of the Man born blind, because her Gospel for the day contains the history of that miracle of our divine Lord. She also calls it Episozomene, which is one of the names given by the Greeks to the mystery of the Ascension, the Feast of which is kept, with them, as with us, during the course of this week.

Mass

The Introit is taken from Isaias, the sublimest of the Prophets. It sweetly invites all the earth to celebrate the victory won by Jesus—a victory which has purchased our deliverance.

Introit
Vocem jucunditatis annuntiate, et audiatur, alleluia: annuntiate usque ad extremum terræ: Liberavit Dominus populum suum. Alleluia, alleluia. 
With the voice of joy make this to be heard, alleluia: publish to the utmost bounds of the earth, that the Lord hath redeemed his people. Alleluia, alleluia.

Ps. Jubilate Deo omnis terra: psalmum dicite Nomini ejus, date gloriam laudi ejus. ℣. Gloria Patri. Vocem jecunditatis. 
Ps. Shout with joy to God, all the earth: sing a psalm to his Name, give glory to his praise. ℣. Glory, &c. With the voice, &c.


In the Collect, holy Church teaches us that our thoughts and actions, to be made deserving of eternal life, stand in need of grace; the former that we may have the inspiration, the latter that we may have the will to do them.

Collect
Deus, a quo bona cuncta procedunt, largire supplicibus tuis: ut cogitemus, te inspirante, quæ recta sunt, et, te gubernante, eadem faciamus. Per Dominum. 
O God, from whom all that is good proceeds, grant that thy people, by thy inspiration, may resolve on what is right, and by thy direction, put it in practice. Through, &c.

Of the Blessed Virgin
Concede nos famulos tuos, quæsumus Domine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere:et gloriosa beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis intercessione, a præsenti liberari tristitia, et æterna perfrui lætitia. 
Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we thy servants may enjoy constant health of body and mind; and by the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, be delivered from all present sorrow, and come to that joy which is eternal.

Against the Persecutors of the Church
Ecclesiæ tuæ, quæsumus Domine, preces placatus admitte, ut, destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, secura tibi serviat libertate. Per Dominum. 
Mercifully hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy Church: that, all oppositions and errors being removed, she may serve thee with a secure liberty. Through, &c.

For the Pope
Deus omnium fidelium Pastor et rector, famulum tuum N. quem Pastorem Ecclesiæ tuæ præsse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quæsumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus præest proficere; ut ad vitam una cum grege sibi credito perveniat sempiternam. Per Dominum. 
O God, the Pastor and Ruler of all the faithful, look down, in thy mercy, on thy servant N., whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church; and grant, we beseech thee, that both by word and example, he may edify all those that are under his charge; and, with the flock entrusted to him, arrive at length at eternal happiness. Through, &c.


Epistle
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint James the Apostle. Ch. I.

Dearly beloved: Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass. For he beheld himself, and went his way, and presently forgot what manner of man he was. But he that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and hath continued therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; this man shall be blessed in his deed. And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation: and to keep one’s self unspotted from this world.

The holy Apostle, who instructions these are, had received them from our Risen Jesus: hence the authoritative tone wherewith he speaks. Our Savior, as we have already seen, honored him with a special visit: it proves that he was particularly dear to his divine Master, to whom he was related by the tie of consanguinity on his Mother’s side whose name was Mary. This holy woman went, on Easter morning, to the Sepulcher, in company with her sister, Salome, and Magdalene. St. James the Less is indeed the Apostle of Paschal Time, wherein everything speaks to us of the New Life we should lead with our Risen Lord. He is the apostle of good works, for it is from him that we have received this fundamental maxim of Christianity—that though Faith be the first essential of a Christian, yet without works, it is a dead Faith, and will not save us.

He also lays great stress on our being attentive to the truths we have been taught, and on our guarding against that culpable forgetfulness, which plays such havoc with thoughtless souls. Many of those who have, this year, received the grace of the Easter mystery, will not persevere; and the reason is that they will allow the world to take up all their time and thoughts, whereas they should use the world as though they did not use it. Let us never forget that we must now walk in newness of life, in imitation of our Risen Jesus, who dieth now no more.

The two Alleluia-Versicles celebrate the glory of the Resurrection; but they also contain an allusion to the approaching Ascension. Jesus was born eternally from the Father; he came down to us; but now, in a few days, he is to return to his Father.

Alleluia, alleluia. 
Alleluia, alleluia.

℣. Surrexit Christus, et illuxit nobis, quod redemit sanguine suo. 
℣. Christ is risen, and hath shone upon us, whom he redeemed with his blood.

Alleluia. 
Alleluia.

℣. Exivi a Patre, et veni in mundum; iterum relinquo mundum et vado ad Patrem, alleluia. 
℣. I came forth from the Father, and I came into the world; I leave the world again, and go to the Father, alleluia.


Gospel
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to John. Ch. XVI.

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, amen I say to you: if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name. Ask, and you shall receive; that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in proverbs. The hour cometh, when I will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will shew you plainly of the Father. In that day you shall ask in my name; and I say not to you, that I will ask the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and I go to the Father. His disciples say to him: Behold, now thou speakest plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now we know that thou knowest all things, and thou needest not that any man should ask thee. By this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

When, at his Last Supper, our Savior thus warned his Apostles of his having soon to leave then, they were far from knowing him thoroughly. True, they knew that he came forth from God; but their faith was weak, and they soon lost it. Now that they are enjoying his company after his Resurrection—now that they have received such light from his instructions—they know him better. He no longer speaks to them in proverbs; he teaches them everything they required to know in order to their becoming the teachers of the whole world. It is now they might truly say to him: We believe that thou camest forth from God! So much the more, then, do they understand that they are going to lose by his leaving them.

Our Lord begins now to reap the fruit of the word he has sown in their hearts: oh! how patiently has he not waited for it! If he praised them for their faith, when they were with him on the night of the Last Supper; he may surely do so now that they have seen him in the splendor of his Resurrection, and have been receiving such teaching from his lips. He said to them, at the Last Supper: The Father loveth you, because ye have loved Me;—how much more must not the Father love them now, when their love for Jesus is so much increased? Let us be consoled by these words. Before Easter, our love of Jesus was weak, and we were tepid in his service; but now that we have been enlightened and nourished by his Mysteries, we may well hope that the Father loves us, for we love Jesus better, far better, than we did before. This dear Redeemer urges us to ask the Father, in his name, for everything we need. Our first want is perseverance in the spirit of Eastertide; let it be our most earnest prayer; let it be our intention now that we are assisting at the holy Sacrifice, which is soon to bring Jesus upon our Altar.

The Offertory is taken from the Psalms; it is an act of thanksgiving which the Christian, united with his Risen Jesus, offers to God for his having brought him to the New Life, and made him the object of his choicest graces.

Offertory
Benedicite, gentes, Dominum Deum nostrum, et obaudite vocem laudis ejus: qui posuit animam meam ad vitam, et non dedit commoveri pedes meos. Benedictus Dominus, qui non amovit deprecationem meam, et misericordiam suam a me, alleluia. 
Bless the Lord our God, ye Gentiles, and make the voice of his praise be heard, who hath set my soul to live, and hath not suffered my feet to be moved. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me, alleluia.


In the Secret, the Church prays that this our earthly Pasch may introduce us to the feast of heavenly glory. The end of all the Mysteries achieved by God in this world is that we may be sanctified by them, and fitted for the eternal vision and possession of our Creator: it is this that the Church, adopting the style of the Sacred Scripture, calls Glory.

Secret
Suscipe, Domine, fidelium preces cum oblationibus hostiarum: ut per hæc piæ devotionis officia, ad cœlestem gloriam transeamus. Per Dominum. 
Receive, O Lord, we beseech thee, the prayers of the Faithful, together with these oblations; that by these devout celebration we may be admitted into heavenly glory. Through, &c.

Of the Blessed Virgin
Tua, Domine, propitiatione, et beatæ Mariæ semper virginis intercessione, ad perpetuam atque præsentem hæ oblatio nobis proficiat prosperitatem et pacem. 
By thine own mercy, O Lord, and the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, may this oblation procure us peace and happiness, both in this life, and in that which is to come.

Against the Persecutors of the Church
Protege nos, Domine, tuis mysteriis servientes: ut divinis rebus inhærentes, et corpore tibi famulemur et mente. Per Dominum. 
Protect us, O Lord, while we assist at thy sacred mysteries: that, being employed in acts of religion, we may serve thee, both in body and mind. Through, &c.

For the Pope
Oblatis, quæsumus Domine, placare muneribus: et famulum tuum N. quem pastorem Ecclesiæ tuæ præcesse voluisti, assidua protectione guberna. Per Dominum. 
Be appeased, O Lord, with the offering we have made: and cease not to protect thy servant N., whom thou hast been pleased to appoint Pastor over thy Church. Through, &c.


The Communion-Anthem, composed of the words of the Royal Prophet, is a canticle of gladness, expressive of the ceaseless joy of our Easter.

Communion
Cantate Domino, alleluia: cantate Domino, et benedicite nomen ejus: bene nuntiate de die in diem salutare ejus. Alleluia, alleluia. 
Sing to the Lord, alleluia: sing to the Lord, and bless his Name: publish aloud, from day to day, that he hath saved us. Alleluia, alleluia.


Holy Church teaches us, in her Postcommunion, how we should pray to God. We must desire the right thing; let us pray to have this desire, and then continue our prayer till the right thing is granted. Grace will then be given us; it will be our own fault if it be unproductive.

Postcommunion
Tribue nobis, Domine, cœlestis mensæ virtute satiatis, et desiderare quæ recta sunt, et desiderata percipere. Per Dominum. 
Grant, O Lord, by the power of the heavenly nourishment we have received, that we desire what is right, and obtain our desire. Through, &c.

Of the Blessed Virgin
Sumptis, Domine, salutis nostræ nubsidiis: da, quæsumus, beatæ Mariæ semper virginis patrociniis nos ubique protegi, in cujus veneratione hæc tuæ obtulimus majestati. 
Having received, O Lord, what is to advance our salvation; grant we may always be protected by the patronage of Blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, in whose honor we have offered this Sacrifice to thy Majesty.

Against the Persecutors of the Church
Quæsumus, Domine Deus noster, ut quos divina tribuis participatione gaudere, humanis non sinas subjacere periculis. Per Dominum. 
We beseech thee, O Lord our God, not to leave exposed to the dangers of human life, those whom thou hast permitted to partake of these divine mysteries. Through, &c.

For the Pope
Hæc nos, quæsumus, Domine, divini sacramenti perceptio protegat: et famulum tuum N. quem Pastorem Ecclesiæ tuæ præsse voluisti, una cum commisso sibi grege, salvet semper et muniat. Per Dominum. 
May the participation of this divine Sacrament protect us, we beseech thee, O Lord; and always procure safety and defense to thy servant N., whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church, together with the flock committed to his charge. Through, &c.

We will close our Sunday with the admonition wherewith the Gothic Church of Spain warned the Faithful during Paschal Time.
It is a season of joy; and yet we need to be cautious, for our enemy is sure to lay snares for us in the New Life we have received.

Missa

(Feria V. post Pascha.)

Habeant, dilectissimi fratres, vota cautelam, festa diligentiam, gaudia disciplinam. Exsultare decet quod resurrexerimus: sed timere convenit ne cadamus. Inter novam vitam veteremque mortem oportet scire quid evasimus, oportet scire quid evasimus, oportet eligere quid amemus. Non enim error, sed contemptus est peccare commonitum. Major post veniam pœna sequitur contumaces: gravius est captivos fieri jam redemptos. Habet ista pietas potestatem, habet potestas ista terrorem, habet terror iste vindictam. Non enim fuisset pius in homine, nisi prius iratus fuisset in dæmone. Confortamur gratia doni, si non corrumpamur lege peccati. Ratio parcendi est præviso corrigendi. Non mutamur indulgentia, si non renovetur offensa. Qui nobis quod oeccavimus indusit, et ne ultra peccaremus admonuit. Profuit clementia, si profecit disciplina. Jam quidem hominem gratia adoptavit, sed necdum dæmonem gehenna sucepit. Violentia peccatum perdidit, non naturam. Domicandi est facultas, non securitas otiandi. Spoliatus est adversarius, non exstincus. Gravius necesse est ut frendeat in amissis, quibus præerat dominando subjectis. Accepimus castra per fidem, arma per crucem, signa per carnem, vexilla per sanguinem: restat causa certaminis. Qui enim afferre necessitatem voluit pugnæ, spem voluit probare victoriæ. Præcessit quidem in adoptione donum, sed adhuc restat in conversatione judicium. Hic promissio est de munere, illic vicissitudo futura est post laborem. Sit itaque ille ante oculos nostros Domini miserantis affectus quod in taxatione nostra non argenti pondus non auri talentum dedit, non gratiarum fudit ornatum, sed convitio subdidit patibulo, sepulchro sustinens carneam injuriam sepulturam, nihil majus potuit dare, nihil melius. Ut utique sit probandum quod diligentius nos sibi servire voluit, qui pretiosius nos redemit. Ergo ut in nobis redemptionis suæ beneficia dignetur perficere, constanter nos convenit ac perseveranter orare. 


Dearly beloved brethren! let there be caution in your devotion, watchfulness in your festivity, modesty in your gladness. We should rejoice in that we have risen; but we should fear lest we may fall. We have been rescued from the death of old, and it behoves us to know how evil it was; we have been gifted with the new life, and we must cling to it as worthy of our love. To commit the sin we have been admonished to shun is not an error, but contempt. They that have been pardoned and relapsed, deserve the greater punishment; nor is there excuse for them that have been once ransomed if they again become slaves. The mercy of God implies power; and power, fear; and fear, chastisement. He would not have been merciful to man, unless he had first been angry with the devil. He strengthens us with his gratuitous gifts, that we may not be corrupted by our evil inclinations. No one spares another but with a hope of correction. Forgiveness can do no harm, when the offense is not repeated. He that pardoned us our sins, thereby admonished us to sin no more. Mercy has not been lost on us, if our conduct is what it should be. Grace has, indeed, made man the adopted child of God; but the devil is not yet shut up in hell. Sin, not nature, has been defeated. What we have gained is the power of fighting, not the privilege of inaction. Our enemy has been despoiled, not slain. His anger must be greatest against those who were once subject to his tyranny, but now are disenthralled. Faith has given us bulwarks; the Cross, armor; the Flesh (assumed by Christ), a standard: and his Blood, a banner: the battle then is to be fought. The God who willed us to have the battle, willed us to have the hope of victory. We have already received the gift of adoption; our conduct is to decide what sentence is to be passed upon us in judgment. In this world we have the promise of reward; in the next, our lot will be decided according to our works. Let us, therefore, be mindful of the tender mercy of our Lord, who, as the price of our ransom, gave not sums of silver or gold, nor granted princely favors, but subjected himself to the infamy of the Cross, and suffered his Body to be humbled even to being buried in a Tomb. He could give nothing greater or better. So that the more it cost him to redeem us, the more diligently should we serve him; and it is this he demands of us. Therefore, in order that the work of his Redemption be perfected in us, it behoves us to pray with constancy and perseverance.

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SERMON XXVI. FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. – ON THE CONDITIONS OF PRAYER

by St. Alphonsus Liguori

“Ask, and ye shall receive.” JOHN xvi. 24.

IN the thirty-ninth Sermon I shall show the strict necessity of prayer, and its infallible efficacy to obtain for us all the graces which can be conducive to our eternal salvation. “Prayer,” says St. Cyprian, “is omnipotent; it is one; it can do all things.” We read in Ecclesiasticus that God has never refused to hear any one who invoked his aid. “Who hath called upon him, and he hath despised him?” (Eccl. ii. 12.) This he never can do; for he has promised to hear all who pray to him. “Ask, and ye shall receive.” But this promise extends only to prayer which has the necessary conditions. Many pray; but because they pray negligently, they do not obtain the graces they deserve. “You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss.” (St. James iv. 3.) To pray as we ought, we must pray, first, with humility; secondly, with confidence; and  thirdly, with perseverance.


First Point. We must pray with humility.

1. St. James tells us, that God rejects the prayers of the proud: “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (iv. 6). He cannot bear the proud; he rejects their petitions, and refuses to hear them. Let those proud Christians who trust in their own strength, and think themselves better than others, attend to this, and let them remember that their prayers shall be rejected by the Lord.

2. But He always hears the prayers of the humble: “The prayer of him that humbleth himself pierceth the clouds; and he will not depart till the Most High behold.” (Eccl. xxxv. 21.) David says, that “The Lord hath had regard to the prayer of the humble.” (Ps. ci. 18.) The cry of the humble man penetrates the heavens, and he will not depart till God hears his prayer. “You humble yourself,” says St. Augustine, “and God comes to you; you exalt yourself, and he flies from you.” If you humble yourself, God himself comes, of his own accord, to embrace you; but, if you exalt yourself, and boast of your wisdom and of your actions, he withdraws from you, and abandons you to your own nothingness.

3. The Lord cannot despise even the most obdurate sinners, when they repent from their hearts, and humble themselves before him, acknowledging that they are unworthy to receive any favour from him. “A contrite and humble heart, God, thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. l, 19.) Let us pass to the other points, in which there is a great deal to be said.


Second Point. We must pray with confidence.

4. “No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded.” (Eccl. ii. 11.) Oh! how encouraging to sinners are these words! Though they may have committed the most enormous crimes, they are told by the Holy Ghost, that”no man hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded.” No man hath ever placed his trust in God, and has been abandoned. He that prays with confidence obtains whatever he asks. “All things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and they shall come unto you.” (Mark xi. 24.) When we pray for spiritual favours, let us have a secure confidence of receiving them, and we shall infallibly obtain them. Hence the Saviour has taught us to call God, in our petitions for his graces, by no other name than that of Father ( Our Father), that we may have recourse to him with the confidence with which a child seeks assistance from an affectionate parent.

5. Who, says St. Augustine, can fear that Jesus Christ, who is truth itself, can violate his promise to all who pray to him? “Who shall fear deception when truth promises?” Is God like men, who promise, and do not afterwards fulfil their promise, either because in making it they intend to deceive, or because, after having made it, they change their intention? “God is not as a man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he told, then, and will he not do?” (Num. xxiii. 19.) Our God cannot tell a lie; because he is truth itself: he is not liable to change; because all his arrangements are just and holy.

6. And because he ardently desires our welfare, he earnestly exhausts and commands us to ask the graces we stand in need of. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Matt. vii. 7.) Why, says St. Augustine, should the Lord exhort us so strongly to ask his graces, if he did not wish to give them to us? “Non nos hortaretur, ut peteremus, nisi dare vellet” (de Verb. Dom., ser. v.) He has even bound himself by his promise to hear our prayers, and to bestow upon us all the graces which we ask with a confidence of obtaining them. “By his promises he has made himself a debtor.” (S. Augus., ibid., ser. ii.)

7. But some will say: I have but little confidence in God, because I am a sinner. I have been too ungrateful to him, and therefore I see that I do not deserve to be heard. But St. Thomas tells us, that the efficacy of our prayers in obtaining graces from God, does not depend on our merits, but on the divine mercy. “Oratio in impetrando non innititur nostris mentis, sed soli divinæ misericordiæ” (2, 2, qu. 178, a. 2, ad. 1.) As often as we ask with confidence favours which are conducive to our eternal salvation, God hears our prayer. I have said, “favours conducive to our salvation ;” for, if what we seek be injurious to the soul, God does not, and cannot hear us. For example: if a person asked help from God to be revenged of an enemy, or to accomplish what would be offensive to God, the Lord will not hear his prayers; because, says St. Chrysostom, such a person offends God in the very act of prayer; he does not pray, but, in a certain manner mocks God. “Qui orat et peccat, non rogat Deum, sed eludit.” (Hom, xi., in Matt, vi.)

8. Moreover, if you wish to receive from God the aid which you ask, you must remove every obstacle which may render you unworthy of being heard. For example: if you ask of God strength to preserve you from relapsing into a certain sin, but will not avoid the occasions of the sin, nor keep at a distance from the house, from the object, or the bad company, which led to your fall, God will not hear your prayer. And why? Because “thou hast set a cloud before thee, that prayer may not pass through. “ (Thren. iii. 44.) Should you relapse, do not complain of God, nor say: I have besought the Lord to preserve me from falling into sin, but he has not heard me. Do you not see that, by not taking away the occasions of sin, you have interposed a thick cloud, which has prevented your prayers from passing to the throne of divine mercy.

9. It is also necessary to remark that the promise of Jesus Christ to hear those who pray to him does not extend to all the temporal favours which we ask such as a plentiful harvest, a victory in a law-suit, or a deliverance from sickness, or from certain persecutions. These favours God grants to those who pray for them; but only when they are conducive to their spiritual welfare. Otherwise he refuses them; and he refuses them because he loves us, and because he knows that they would be injurious to our souls. “A physician,” says St. Augustine, “knows better than his patient what is useful for him” (tom. 3, cap. ccxii). The saint adds that God refuses to some, through mercy, what he grants to others as a chastisement. “Deus negat propitius, quæ concedit iratus.” Hence St. John Damascene says that sometimes, when we do not obtain the graces which we ask, we receive, by not receiving them; because it is better for us not to receive than to receive them. “Etiam si non accipias, non accipendo accepisti, interdum enim non accipere quam accipendo satius est.” (Paral, lib.3, cap. xv.) We often ask poison which would cause our death. How many are there who, had they died in the sickness or poverty with which they had been afflicted, should be saved? But because they recovered their health, or because they were raised to wealth and honours, they became proud and forgot God, and thus have heen damned. Hence St. Chrysostom exhorts us to ask in our prayers what he knows to be expedient for us. “Orantes in ejus potestate ponamus, ut nos illud petentes exaudiat, quod ipse nobis expendire cognoscit.” (Hom. xv. in Matt.) We should, then, always ask from God temporal favours on the condition that they will be useful to the soul.

10. But spiritual favours, such as the pardon of our sins, perseverance in virtue, the gift of divine love, and resignation to the divine will, ought to be asked of God absolutely, and with a firm confidence of obtaining them. “If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from Heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke xi. 13.) If you, says Jesus Christ, who are so much attached to earthly goods, cannot refuse your children the blessings which you have received from God, how much more will your Heavenly Father (who is in himself infinitely good, and who desires to give you his graces more ardently than you desire to receive them) give the good spirit that is, a sincere contrition for their sins, the gift of divine love, and resignation to the will of God to those who ask them? “Quando Deus negabit,” says St. Bernard, “potentibus qui etiam non potentes hortatur ut petant?” (Ser. ii. de S. Andr.) How can God refuse graces conducive to salvation to those who seek them, when he exhorts even those who do not pray to ask them?

11. Nor does God inquire whether the person who prays to him is a just man or a sinner; for he has declared that“every one that asketh, receiveth.” (Luke xi. 10.)”Every one,” says the author of the Imperfect Work, “whether he be a just man or a sinner.” (Hom, xviii.) And, to encourage us to pray and to ask with confidence for spiritual favours, he has said: “Amen, amen, I say to you: If you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you.” (John xvi. 23.) As if he said: Sinners, though you do not deserve to receive the divine graces, I have merited them for you from my Father: ask, then, in my name that is, through my merits and I promise that you shall obtain whatsoever you demand.


Third Point. We must pray with perseverance.

12. It is, above all, necessary to persevere in prayer till death, and never to cease to pray. This is what is inculcated by the following passages of Scripture: “We ought always to pray.” (Luke xviii. 1.) “Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times”(xxi. 36). “Pray without ceasing. ” (I Thess. v. 17.) Hence the Holy Ghost says: “Let nothing hinder thee from praying always.” (Eccl. xviii. 22.) These words imply, not only that we should pray always, but also that we should endeavour to remove every occasion which may prevent us from praying; for, if we cease to pray, we shall be deprived of the divine aid, and shall be overcome by temptations. Perseverance in grace is a gratuitous gift, which, as the Council of Trent has declared, we cannot merit (Ses. 6, cap. xiii.); but St. Augustine says, that we may obtain it by prayer. “Hoc donum Dei suppliciter emereri, potest id est supplicando impetrari.” (de Dono. Per., cap. vi.) Hence Cardinal Bellarmine teaches that “we must ask it daily, in order to obtain it everyday.” If we neglect to ask it on any day, we may fall into sin on that day.

13. If, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved for no one can be saved without perseverance we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace. Now, to this chain of graces a chain of prayers on our part must correspond; without these prayers, God ordinarily does not grant his graces. If we neglect to pray, and thus break the chain of prayers, the chain of graces shall also be broken, and we shall lose the grace of perseverance. If, says Jesus Christ to his disciples, one of you go during the night to a friend, and say to him: Lend me three loaves; an acquaintance has come to my house, and I have no refreshment for him. The friend will answer: I am in bed; the door is locked; I cannot get up. But, if the other continue to knock at the door, and will not depart, the friend will rise, and give him as many loaves as he wishes, not through friendship, but to be freed from his importunity. “Although he will not rise and give him because he is his friend; yet, because of his importunity, he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth.” (Luke xi. 8.) Now, if a man will give his loaves to a friend because of his importunity, “how much more,” says St. Augustine, “will God give, who exhorts us to ask, and is displeased if we do not ask ?” How much more will the Lord bestow on us his graces, if we persevere in praying for them, when he exhorts us to ask them, and is offended if we do not ask them?

14. Men feel annoyed at being frequently and importunately asked for a favour. But God exhorts us to pray frequently; and, instead of being dissatisfied, he is pleased with those who repeatedly ask his graces. Cornelius à Lapide says, that “God wishes us to persevere in prayer, even to importunity.” (in Luc., cap. xi.) St. Jerome says: “This importunity with the Lord is seasonable.” (in Luc. xi.) That God is pleased with frequent and persevering prayer, may be inferred from the words of Jesus Christ: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Luke xi. 9.) It was not enough to have said ask but he added, seek, knock; in order to show, that, during our whole lives, we should be as importunate in supplicating the divine graces as beggars are in asking alms. Though they should be refused, they do not cease to cry out, or to knock at the door; they persist in asking relief till they obtain it.

15. If, then, we wish to obtain from God the gift of perseverance, we must ask it from him continually and with importunity. We must ask it when we rise in the morning, in our meditations, in hearing Mass, in our visits to the blessed sacrament, in going to bed at night, and particularly when we are tempted by the devil to commit any sin. Thus, we must always have our mouths open praying to God, and saying: Lord, assist me; give me light; give me strength; keep thy hand upon me, and do not abandon me. We must do violence to the Lord. “Such violence,” says Tertullian, “is agreeable to God.” The violence which we offer to God by repeated prayers does not offend him: on the contrary, it is pleasing and acceptable in his sight. “Prayer,” according to St. John Climacus, “piously offers violence to God.” Our supplications compel him, but in a manner grateful to him. He takes great complacency in seeing his mother honoured, and therefore wishes, as St. Bernard says, that all the graces we receive should pass through her hands. Hence the holy doctor exhorts us “to seek grace, and to seek it through Mary, because she is a mother, and her prayer cannot be fruitless.” (de Aquæd.) When we ask her to obtain any grace for us, she graciously hears our petitions and prays for us: and the prayers of Mary are never rejected.

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Fr. Hewko's Sermons for the Fifth Sunday after Easter



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Fifth Sunday After Easter
by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876

"Ask, and you shall receive."--John 16.

Today, and during the following days of this season, the Church exhorts her children to pray earnestly, to assault heaven with their petitions, if they would desire to follow Jesus, and end their earthly pilgrimage by ascending, like Him, into the glory of God.

Prayers, said in spirit and in truth, are the means which God has given us to obtain divine grace; and the necessity of these means was clearly pointed out by our Lord, when He uttered that memorable admonition: "We must pray always." Through the hypostatical union of the human nature of Christ with the person of the Son of God, the entire being of Christ was an intimate union with God, and, consequently, a prayer. Our continual union with God in prayer should be a reflex of this union of Christ. How impressive, therefore, is the admonition: Pray!

But so many pray, and their prayers seem not to have the least effect in rendering their lives holy. Why? I answer: Because they do not pray in the right manner. And why not? Because they do not pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, because they do not pray in the spirit of these three holy names, with which we are accustomed to begin every prayer, and especially that prayer which Christ Himself taught us.

Let us consider today the meaning of the words: To pray in the name of the Father. Mary, Mother of God, teach us, thy children, to pray as thou wast wont to pray in the name of the Father! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God.

I said before, that if we wish our prayers to be effectual, true, and pleasing to God, we must pray, above all, in the name of the Father. The first word in the prayer which Christ taught us verifies this; for we commence the Lord's prayer, according to Christ's instructions, with the words: "Father, Our Father! " This word "Father," when spoken with attention, and meditated upon, raises our hearts at once from this earth heavenward, swifter than the eagle's flight; and thus puts our minds in a proper disposition to pray, which is nothing else than the raising of our thoughts to God.

The word "Father" addressed to God also suddenly lifts the veil, and allows us to look into the depth of His divine nature; and places before our eyes clearly and comprehensively the relations that exist between the infinitely perfect qualities of the God-head and us children of men; tor we add: Our our Father!

It reminds us, too, of the relation which the Son of God, as God, bears to the eternal Father; and calls up before us the remembrance of how God the Son became incarnate, that He might save and sanctify us, and, after death, unite us with our Father in heaven. These are the thoughts that should warm our hearts when we approach our dear Lord in prayer, and fill them to overflowing with praise and thanksgiving for His goodness towards us.

The entire outer world, which we see, does not possess the happiness of calling God Father. Not the firmament, with all its magnificence, with all its sparkling worlds; no, not to these, but to us alone is it Driven to call God Father, for God is only their Creator, not their Father. Through the fall of Adam we lost the happiness of calling God Father; but Christ, when He became Man, regained for us this our lost nobility, and, with it, the great prerogative of calling Him, the Son of God, Brother--a privilege which the angels do not possess.

Now, such being our relations with the Almighty, how can the word "Father," addressed to God, fail to move us to praise Him and thank Him; and give us a sure confidence that our prayers will be heard? If we have this confidence, we may hope all things; for we have it on the authority of our divine Lord Himself, that the prayers of the man who trusts in God can cast mountains into the sea; that is, obtain everything that conduces to his salvation. Remember, too, that this confidence is necessary, for "he who prays and doubts," says St. James, "must not expect God to hear him."

That this confidence, strengthened by the thought that God is our Father, may have place in our hearts, and that we may be convinced that prayer, without it, can neither be pleasing to God nor honor Him, but that it rather dishonors Him, let us consider attentively the state of mind in which man is when he prays without confidence. What can be the reason of his mistrust? Nothing but the doubt! Does God know that I pray? that I ask His aid? or can He, will He, really help me? Each of these doubts, it is evident, must offend God. How, therefore, can such a prayer be pleasing to Him, and obtain an answer? To doubt that God is aware that we pray, that we ask His aid, is to deny the omniscience of God; to doubt if He can help us, implies the doubt of His omnipotence. To doubt that He will help us means to deny His infinite goodness, and His fidelity to His promises; for He has often and solemnly promised us, by His prophets and by His Son, that every true prayer addressed to Him in the name of Jesus will be answered.

Now, the word "Father" dissipates these clouds of doubt, and calls up distinctly before our minds those attributes of God from which flow the motives that animate the heart of a child with sure hope of being heard when it asks anything of its Father. And the first of these causes which on the part of the Father makes the heart of the child confident when it asks Him for anthing, is the fact that it is its Father whom it asks. Even an infant, resting in the arms of its father, feels confidence, though ignorant of the reason of such a confidence. In those arms it feels safer than if guarded by an army of soldiers; and, in case of danger, the little one would stretch out its arms for protection not to the soldiers, but to its father.

Now, no father on earth is to his child what God is to us, who are His likeness and His children. Does not Christ Himself say: "Your Father, who is in heaven?" Therefore no father is as willing to assist his children as God is, for besides being our Father He is our Creator.

Join the loving hearts of all fathers into one heart, melt all their loves into one great love for one only child, and yet this one heart, this one love, can never be compared to the deep divine desire to save a human soul. God is by His nature imparting kindness, if the creature itself does not prevent Him. A child, when it asks some favor from its father, feels all the more confident of obtaining its request, if it knows that the father has it in his power to grant it, and if it knows by experience that he always helps his children when they go confidingly to him.

Children of God, how great a trust should fill our hearts when we draw nigh to God in prayer! He can help us, for He is Almighty. He has already helped us, and will further help us. The grand work of the Redemption gives us the assurance of this, not to mention the particular favors which each one of us have received, such as our vocation to the true Church of God, and the many instances in which His divine providence has influenced our life.

Again, children go to their father with much more confidence, when the father knows that the welfare of their entire life is concerned in the request they lay before him, and that in granting it he grants the desires of his own heart. Children of God, go, therefore, to your Father, who is in heaven, with confidence, when you wish for some favor which in any way concerns your salvation.

Consider this, child of God, when you pray. Pray as a child of the Lord should. When you have committed sin, make your peace with God. Pray as His child in the state of sanctifying grace; and pray with undivided trust in the name of God the Father, and your prayer will be heard! Amen!

"Hitherto you have not asked anything in My name."--John 16.

We pray, but our prayer is often wanting in confidence. It is the design of divine Providence that prayer should be a means of our salvation; and, as such, it signifes that we should pray for that which is truly useful for us. When a child, with filial confidence, begs for anything, a prudent father will, nevertheless, not grant the request, if he knows that what the child asks will prove hurtful to it rather than advantageous.

When we make the sign of the cross, and pronounce the second word, the second name "and of the Son," we have at once before our minds the object which we must keep in view when we address God in prayer. I ask: What does it mean to pray in the name of the Son, and to ask really for something?

I shall endeavor to make this clear to you today. O Mary, Mother of Jesus, teach us, thy children, how to pray, so that we ask of our heavenly Father, in the name of His Son, whose Mother thou art! I address you in the holy name of Jesus, for the greater glory of God!

I said before, that if your prayer is to be pleasing to God, to be efficacious and sure of finding favor, it must refer to what the name of the Son indicates: Jesus--salvation. How many are there that pray and take no heed of this condition! They pray and beg of God things that have direct reference to their temporal well-being only. They begin business, leave a place, journey over land and seas, marry this or that person, and all for temporal motives for the sake of money; and they expect that God should bless all these their under takings.

But was your enterprise really for your salvation? For this, above all, you must consider when you pray. It would surely be no blessing if God permitted you to continue unmolested in all your perverse ways. We are reminded daily and effectually by the Lord's prayer, what in particular we should ask. It begins with these words: "Our Father, who art in heaven." Christ admonishes us to examine ourselves before we pray, and to inquire: Do I live as becomes a child of God? am I in the state of sanctifying grace? is there no mortal sin weighing on my conscience? If there be, how can I dare call God my Father? " Who ever sinneth," says Jesus, "is born of his father the devil."

If we weigh each of the following petitions, we shall find that in the mouth of the sinner who wishes to persevere in sin, they are but mockery, derision and blasphemy. Perhaps some unfortunate sinner will now say to himself: "I may not pray, therefore, since I am a sinner." Truly, you may pray; but first of all you must pray and beg of God that He may grant you, a sinner, the grace of a true conversion, and that He may let you see the evil and vileness of sin; and you must, moreover, be reconciled to Him by a good confession.

But those also, who, if they do not live in mortal sin, still commit venial sins without number, should pray above all: " Lord, wash me clean, and cleanse me from every stain of sin."

If heretofore this has not been in your thoughts while you prayed, then you have not prayed in the name of the Son, the Saviour of the world; you have not prayed for anything.

"Hallowed be the name," is the second request of the Lord's prayer, and it exhorts us to pray that He assist us and make us partakers of His grace, that we may glorify His name on earth by a life ot sanctity. Was this always the burden of your prayer and desire? Have you, perhaps, prayed to God only that He might make you honored and respected on earth? Alas! then your prayer has not been in the name of the Son; you have not prayed for any thing.

But the heart of a child of God must not rest satisfied with serving God, and glorifying His Christ by a virtuous life, for its own good alone. The Lord teaches us to say further: "Thy kingdom come." God has sent His Son to redeem the race of sinful men, and we should desire and endeavor to do our best to make them acknowledge Christ, and become members of His Holy Church. As a means to this end, let each one endeavor as much as possible, that the parish in which he lives may provide for its pastor, church and schools, and let him also aid in the good work generously.

Another means, more over, is that every one, on his part, labor that his brethren, who err in their faith, and who live in his neighborhood, may be converted to the Church, and that Catholics may be reconciled to God, if they live in sin, and that they may serve their Creator as zealous children of the Church. Let him more especially consider those who are related to him; his wife, children, relatives. The means to this end are instruction, exhortation, prayer, and, above all, the example of a truly Christian life.

But even with respect to heathen nations over the entire earth, how much could be done towards their conversion if Catholic missionaries were properly assisted, which, unfortunately, is not always the case, while Protestants are overzealous in disseminating error and hatred against the Church! What do you do in this respect? Is the cry of your heart that of the heart of St. Francis: "Lord, give me souls?" Are you indifferent to the salvation of others? Then you have not prayed in the name of the Son; you have not prayed for anything.

"Thy will be done." We must pray for the grace to wish and do that only which God desires, and to wish and do it only because it is the most holy will of God. There are, however, faults of indiscretion and ill-regulated zeal.

"Give us this day our daily bread." After first praying to God for the needs of our soul, we next implore Him to provide for our temporal wants, so that in this, too, we may employ everything as a means to serve Him, and fufill our duties here upon earth. In relation to this, we would do well to remember the prayer of David: Lord, protect me from too great riches and too great poverty.

We only too often set our hearts upon riches, and offend God by the abuse of them. But in the same manner, when care for the necessities of life engrosses our attention and occupies our time, abject poverty can become dangerous for our salvation. If you have not prayed in this spirit, you have not prayed in the name of the Son; you have not prayed for anything, even if you had asked for the possession of the whole world.

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We must forgive if we desire to be forgiven, otherwise our prayer is ineffectual.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." This evil is sin. We see, therefore, that the first and last words of the Lord's prayer teach us that it must be our first and chief endeavor to live in sanctifying grace, and to persevere in it. It is not unfrequently the case that men pray for even less than nothing, when they ask for things that are dangerous for their souls.

Pray, therefore, as the Saviour's prayer teaches you to pray, for then you will pray rightly, and in a manner pleasing to God; you will ask for what is expedient for you, and what is, in reality, something; and you will, moreover, pray effectually in the name of God the Son! Amen!






"Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."--John 16.

To pray in the name of the Father, means to have recourse with confidence to God. To pray in the name of the Son, means to beg for whatever is necessary for our salvation, that in the place, vocation, and circumstances in which we live, we may know and accomplish the most holy will of God. It means, through prayer, to secure the continual succor of grace, in order that we may thus be occupied in the affair of our salvation by the imitation of Christ.

If we ask ourselves, How is it that our prayer often does not exercise this influence on the sanctification of our lives? we are compelled to answer: Because we do not pray in the name of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of love. Hence it is that our prayer is lukewarm, distracted, and without effect. Let us consider today the truth of this assertion.

O Mary, Spouse of the Holy Ghost, chosen vessel of devotion, Mother of pure love, pray for us that we may love God as thou dost, in order that the Holy Ghost, through prayer, may make our life fruitful in the imitation of Christ! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, to the greater glory of God!

Do we wish our prayer to be a true prayer, pleasing to God, and worthy to find a hearing? then we must pray in the state of grace, that we may have the right to call God our Father, as the first word of Our Lord's Prayer reminds us to do. In other words, our heart must be a temple of God, in which the Holy Ghost dwells, and into which He has poured out His love. It must be a heart inflamed with the fire of divine love through the Holy Ghost.

I recall once more the reply of the venerable Armella. When asked: "How do you occupy yourself so long in prayer?" She answered: "I love." Ah, indeed! were our hearts inflamed with the love of God as was the heart of a Teresa, a Xavier, a Francis of Assisi, an Ignatius, how would we then pray! It would no longer surprise us that the saints experienced such sweetness in prayer, and raised them from the earth--had, even on earth, a foretaste of heavenly bliss.

It is narrated in the life of St. Peter Regala, that on a certain occasion, whilst he was alone in the choir buried in prayer, a flame burst through the roof towards heaven. People thought that the monastery was on fire. They ran to the choir and beheld a visible flame, which, rising from the heart of the praying saint, made its way through the roof towards heaven an image and a sign of the love of God burning in his bosom. But even if we withdraw our minds from this extraordinary phase in the lives of the saints, whose prayer was an outpouring of their love for God, we may learn how important and necessary this condition of love of God is for every real, effective and acceptable prayer from the very nature of prayer.

For what is the nature and meaning of prayer? It is a raising of the heart to God, a colloquy with God, a union with God by praising Him, thanking Him. begging Him. In each of these aspects our love of God is an essential condition of true prayer.

First, then, prayer is a raising of the heart to God. If you do not feel your soul elevated--if, whilst you pray, your soul is not lifted up, and you do not bear in mind the presence of God--but, on the contrary, if you allow your thoughts to wander, thinking of your work, of other people, of pleasures already enjoyed or still looked for, to what is this owing? I answer: To a want of love.

Those who really love one another, think of the object of their love, approach it in spirit, and take advantage of its presence to commune with the same. Such would be the case with you, were your heart more inflamed with the love of God. How gladly and effectually would you then pray, and praying feel yourself, to the greatest delight of your soul, in the presence of God!

In the second place, we said: Prayer is a colloquy of the soul with God. When Moses, after his prayer, came forth from the tabernacle, his face shone so brilliantly that the children of Israel were unable to look at him. And what produced this effect? Holy Scripture tells us: Moses, praying in the tabernacle, spoke to God, as a friend speaks to his friend.

You pray and hardly know what to say to God, unless you are saying your beads, or reading some formulas from your prayer-book. And even when you do really speak to God, how cold, and vague, and distracted is your prayer! Although your lips move, you often hardly know what you say. What is the reason? You love God too little.

Those who love one another know how to converse with one another; hours pass by and they scarcely perceive it. And you so soon grow tired of prayer and become silent! How different would it be, were you to speak to God, impelled by your love for Him, not only as a friend speaks to his friend, but as a child to its father, a brother to his brother, a culprit to his judge, a poor man to him who, he knows, is able to enrich him! Think of the seraphic St. Francis, who spent whole nights in prayer, without saying anything, except now and then the ejaculation: "My God and my all!"

Prayer, finally, is a union with God, which may become so close, as it was in many of the saints, that even on earth is experienced a real foretaste of the happiness of heaven. How little does your soul experience of this in prayer! Why? You are wanting in love towards God. Hence, too, it is that your prayer is not what it ought to be, a necessity of the soul, and a union with God, which accompanies you throughout the day, which keeps you in the presence of God, nay, which even overshadows your night's repose, so that the word of Christ is fulfilled: "Pray always!"

For you, prayer is only a duty; it is not for the soul what breathing is for the body. On this account your acts of praise, of thanksgiving, of petition, which are elicited during prayer, are weak and languid. A soul that loves God praise's the Lord, praying in spirit and in truth; and the more she loves, the more she lauds Him; she adores and praises each of His infinite perfections.

A soul that loves God also thanks God with all the fervor of her soul, for all that she has received from Him. And as to petitions, a soul that loves God, finally prays all the more ardently and fervently, the more she knows the value of grace and its necessity for doing God's holy will through love of His infinite goodness.

From the love of God, springs particularly the prayer for forgiveness of sins, for grace; to expiate past offenses, and to become ever purer and purer in the sight of God. But not for ourselves only are we to pray, but for the welfare and salvation of others, through motives of love. If the Holy Spirit has poured out this love in your heart, then, as St. Paul asserts, it is the Holy Spirit Himself, who prays in us with unspeakable groanings. Such a prayer cannot but be effective in promoting the sanctification of our lives! Amen!

Petitions of St. Augustine

Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee,
And desire nothing save only Thee.
Let me hate myself and love Thee.
Let me do everything for the sake of Thee.
Let me humble myself and exalt Thee.
Let me think nothing except Thee.
Let me die to myself and live in Thee.
Let me accept whatever happens as from Thee.
Let me banish self and follow Thee,
And ever desire to follow Thee.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in Thee,
That I may deserve to be defended by Thee.
Let me fear for myself, let me fear Thee,
And let me be among those who are chosen by Thee.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in Thee.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of Thee.
Let me cling to nothing save only to Thee,
And let me be poor because of Thee.
Look upon me, that I may love Thee.
Call me that I may see Thee,
And for ever enjoy Thee.    Amen.

(Indulgence of 500 days)

[Stone]

Taken from By Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen's Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Everyday of the Year:

175. EFFICACIOUS PRAYER
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

PRESENCE OF GOD - O Jesus, make me understand that my prayer is of no avail unless it is made in Your Name; that my faith is vain unless I convert it into works.


MEDITATION

1. In today’s Gospel, taken again from the discourse of Jan ‘after the Last Supper (Jn 16,23-30), the Church continues to prepare us for the Ascension and Pentecost. “I came forth from the Father and am come into the world,” Jesus said, “again I leave the world, and I go to the Father.” Thus He announces His approaching Ascension. Having reached the end of His ministry on earth, Jesus presents it in synthesis as a long journey from the Father to the world and from the world to the Father. These words repeat the idea of “ pilgrimage,” which every Christian should apply to his own life, considering it as “a night spent in a bad inn” (T.J. Way, 40), a “night” during which his heart is turned toward the radiant tomorrow of eternal life.

“The hour cometh when I will no more speak to you in proverbs, but will show you plainly of the Father.” Jesus is now referring to Pentecost, to the intervention of the Holy Spirit by whom Jesus will enlighten His Apostles, giving them a clear understanding of the divine mysteries, so that the Father will no longer be unknown to them. All that we can study and learn about the things of God is a dead letter if the Holy Spirit does not enlighten us concerning them. Our need for Him is absolute; our desire for His coming should be unbounded.

Yet another subject is brought to our attention in today’s Gospel. Jesus had spoken to the Apostles many times about prayer and the way they should pray; today He reveals the secret of efficacious prayer: “If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it you.” Jesus is going, but He leaves the Apostles an unfailing means of approach to the Father: to present themselves in His own Name, the Name of the God-Man who, because He sacrificed Himself for the glory of His Father and for our salvation, deserves to be “ heard for His reverence” (Heb 5,7).


2. To pray “in the Name of Jesus” establishes the conviction that our prayers, as well as all our good works, have no value unless they are founded on the infinite merits of Jesus. We must be persuaded that, however much we do or pray, we are always “ unprofitable servants” (Lk 17,10); we have no sufficiency in ourselves, but all our sufficiency comes from the Crucified. Consequently, the first condition of prayer made “in the Name of Jesus” is humility, an ever deeper and more realistic sense of our nothingness. It must be complemented by the second condition, a boundless confidence in the merits of Jesus, which surpass all our poverty, misery, necessities, needs. In view of Jesus’ infinite merits, we can never ask too much in His Name; we can never be too bold in imploring the plenitude of divine grace for our souls, in aspiring to that sanctity which is hidden, perhaps, but genuine. There is no fault, no want of fidelity, no evil tendency, no sin, which, if sincerely detested, cannot be cleansed, purified, and pardoned by the Blood of Jesus; there is no weakness which He cannot cure, strengthen, and transform. Moreover, there is no creature of good will, no matter how weak and insignificant, who, in the Name of Jesus, cannot aspire to sanctity.

However, in order to make our prayer effective, a third condition is required: our life must correspond to our prayer, our faith must be translated into good works. “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if a man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass. For he beheld himself, and went his way, and presently forgot what manner of man he was.” This strong exhortation of St. James, which is found in today’s Epistle (1,22-27), is an urgent reminder of the practical character of the Christian life. Vain is our prayer, vain our confidence in God, if we do not add our generous efforts to perform all our duties, to live up to our high vocation. We can, and we should, hope for everything in the Name of Jesus, but He expects a constant effort on our part to be entirely faithful to Him.


COLLOQUY

“Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, You who are so merciful, be merciful to me, for whatever I can find that is most precious, I devoutly offer You; I present in humble supplication all that is dear to me. I have nothing that I have not offered to Your Majesty; I have nothing more to add, since I have sent You my Hope, my Advocate: Your beloved Son. I have sent Your glorious Son as a Mediator between You and me; I have sent Him as an Intercessor, by whom I hope to obtain pardon. I have sent that Word whom You sent to atone for my guilt, and I show You the Passion which Your Son suffered for me. He is the Sacred Victim whom I offer to appease You, so that You will look favorably upon me. Great, indeed, is my wrong-doing, but my Savior’s justice is much greater. Even as God is superior to man, so is my wickedness inferior to His goodness, in quality as well as in quantity.

“What fault committed by man has not been expiated by the Son of God made man? What pride can be so immeasurably inflated, that it could not be brought down by such humility? Truly, O my God, if we were to weigh both the offenses committed by sinners, and the grace of God the Redeemer, we would find that the difference equaled not only the distance between east and west, but the distance between hell and the highest heaven. O wonderful Creator of light, by the terrible sorrows of Your Son, pardon my sins! Grant, O God, that His goodness may overcome my wickedness, that His meekness may atone for my perversity, that His mildness may dominate my irascibility. May His humility make amends for my pride; His patience, for my impatience; His benignity, for my harshness; His obedience, for my disobedience; His tranquility, for my anxiety, His sweetness, for my bitterness; may His charity blot out my cruelty!” (St. Augustine).