Baltimore Cathecism

by Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead

Lesson 28
ON PRAYER



303 Q. Is there any other means of obtaining God's grace than the
Sacraments?
A. There is another means of obtaining God's grace, and it is prayer.


304 Q. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God to adore Him,
to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him
all the graces we need whether for soul or body.


"Hearts," because the mere lifting up of the mind would not be prayer.
One who blasphemes Him might also lift up his mind. We lift up the mind
to know God and the heart to love Him, and in so doing we serve Him--the
three things for which we were created. If we do not think of God we do
not pray. A parrot might be taught to say the "Our Father," but it could
never pray, because it has no mind to lift up. A phonograph can be made
to say the prayers, but not to pray, for it has neither mind nor heart.
So praying does not depend upon the words we say, but upon the way in
which we say them. Indeed the best prayer, called meditation, is made
when we do not speak at all, but simply think of God; of His goodness to
us; of our sins against Him; of Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, death,
judgment, of the end for which we were created, etc. This is the kind of
prayer that priests and religious use most frequently. As you might like
to meditate--for all who know how may meditate--let me explain to you
the method. First you try to remember that you are in the presence of
God. Then you take some subject, say the Crucifixion, to think about.
You try to make a picture of the scene in your own mind. You see Our
Lord on the Cross; two thieves, one on each side of Him, the one praying
to Our Lord and the other cursing Him. You see the multitude of His
enemies mocking Him. Over at some distance you behold our Blessed Mother
standing sorrowful with St. John and Mary Magdalen. Then you ask
yourself--for you must imagine yourself there--to which side would you
go. Over to our Blessed Mother to try and console her, or over to the
enemies to help them to mock? Then you think how sin was the cause of
all this suffering, and how often you yourself have sinned; how you have
many a time gone over to the crowd and left the Blessed Mother. These
thoughts will make you sorry for your sins, and you will form the good
resolution never to sin again. You will thank God for these good
thoughts and this resolution, and your meditation is ended. You can
spend fifteen minutes, or longer if you wish, in such a meditation. The
Crucifixion is only one of the many subjects you may select for
meditation. You could take any part of the "Our Father," "Hail Mary," or
"Creed," and even the questions in your Catechism. Mental prayer,
therefore, is the best, because in it we must think; we must pay
attention to what we are doing, and lift up our minds and hearts to God;
while in vocal prayer--that is, the prayer we say aloud--we may repeat
the words from pure habit, without any attention or lifting up of the
mind or heart.


305 Q. Is prayer necessary to salvation?
A. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and without it no one having the
use of reason can be saved.


We mean here those who never pray during their whole lives, and not
those who sometimes neglect their prayers through a kind of
forgetfulness.


306 Q. At what particular times should we pray?
A. We should pray particularly on Sundays and holy days, every morning
and night, in all dangers, temptations, and afflictions.


"Sundays and holy days," because these are special days set apart by the
Church for the worship of God. In the "morning" we ask God's grace that
we may not sin during the day. At "night" we thank Him for all the
benefits received during the day, and also that we may be protected
while asleep from every danger and accident. We should never, if
possible, go to sleep in mortal sin; and if we have the misfortune to be
in that state, we should make as perfect an act of contrition as we can,
and promise to go to confession as soon as possible. So many accidents
happen that we are never safe, even in good health; fires, earthquakes,
floods, lightning, etc., might take us off at any moment. If you saw a
man hanging by a very slender thread over a great precipice where he
would surely be dashed to pieces if the thread broke, and if you saw him
thus risking his life willfully and without necessity, you would
pronounce him the greatest fool in the world. One who commits sin is a
greater fool. He suspends himself, as I have told you once before, over
an abyss of eternal torments on the slender thread of his own life, that
may break at any moment. Do we tempt God and do to Him what we dare not
to do to our fellowman because He is so merciful? Let us be careful. He
is as just as He is merciful, and some sin will be our last, and then He
will cut the thread of life and allow us to fall into an eternity of
sufferings. "Dangers," whether of soul or body. "Afflictions,"
sufferings or misfortunes of any kind; such as loss of health, death in
the family, etc.


*307 Q. How should we pray?
A. We should pray: first, with attention; second, with a sense of our
own helplessness and dependence upon God; third, with a great desire for
the graces we beg of God; fourth, with trust in God's goodness; fifth,
with perseverance.


"Attention," thinking of what we are going to do. Before praying we
should think for a moment what prayer is. In it we are about to address
Almighty God, our Creator, and we are going to ask Him for
something--and what is the particular thing we need and seek for? No one
would think of going to a store without first considering what he wanted
to buy. He would make, too, all the necessary preparations for getting
it. He would find out how much he wanted, and what it would cost, and
bring with him sufficient money. He would never think of going in and
telling the storekeeper to give him anything. Now it is the same in
prayer. When we have thought of what we want of God, from whom we can
obtain it, and of the reasons why we need it and why God might be
pleased to grant it, we can then kneel down and pray for it. We should
pray to God just as a child begs favors from its parents. We should talk
to Him in our own simple words, and tell Him the reasons why we ask and
why we think He should grant our request. We should, however, be humble
and patient in all our prayers. God does not owe us anything, and
whatever He gives is a free gift. We should not always read prayers at
Almighty God. If you wanted anything very badly from a friend, you would
know how to ask for it. You would never ask another to write out your
request on paper, and then go and read it to your friend. Now, that is
just what we do when we read the prayers that somebody else has written
in a prayerbook. Try, therefore, to pray with your own prayers. Of
course when the Church gives you certain prayers to say--as it does to
its priests in the divine office--or recommends to you such prayers as
the "Our Father," "Hail Mary," and "Creed," you should say them in
preference to your own, because then the Church adds its petition to
yours, and God is more likely to grant such prayers. I mean, therefore,
that we should not always pray from prayerbooks, and hurry through the
"Our Father" that we may give more time to some printed prayer that
pleases us. Our prayer should be a conversation with God. We should,
after speaking to Him, listen to what He has to say to us, by our
conscience, good thoughts, etc.


I must warn you against some prayers that have been circulated by
impostors for the purpose of making money. They pretend that these
prayers were found in some remarkable place or manner; that those who
carry them or say them will have most wonderful advantages--they will
never meet with accident; they will be warned of their death; they will
go directly to Heaven after death, etc. If there were any such wonderful
prayers the Church would surely know of them and commend them to its
children. When you find any prayers of the kind I mention, bring them to
the priest and ask his opinion before you use them yourself or give them
to others. Never buy prayers or articles said to be blessed from persons
unknown to you. Persons selling such things are frequently impostors,
who by suave manners and pious speeches unfortunately find Catholics who
believe them. These persons--sometimes not Catholics themselves, or at
least very bad ones--laugh at the superstition and foolish practices of
Catholics who believe everything they hear about pious books, prayers,
or articles.


In the early ages of the Church, when the enemies of Christ found that
they could not refute His teaching, they began to circulate foolish
doctrines, pretending that they were taught by Christ, and thus they
hoped to bring ridicule upon Christianity. So also in our time many
things are circulated as the teaching of the Catholic Church by the
enemies of the Church, in hopes that by these falsehoods and foolish
doctrines they may bring disgrace and ridicule upon the true religion.
Be on your guard against all impostors, remembering it is a safe rule
never to buy a religious article from or give money to persons going
about from door to door. If you have anything to give in alms, give it
to some charitable institution or society connected with the Church, or
put it in the poor-box, and then you will be sure it will do the good
you intend. Remember, too, that all the religious articles carried about
for sale do not come from Rome or the Holy Land, and you are deceived if
you think so, notwithstanding the assurance of their owners.


"A trust"--with full confidence that God will grant our petitions if we
really need or deserve what we pray for. It is a fault with a great many
to pray without the belief that their prayers will be answered. We
should pray with such faith and confidence that we would really be
disappointed if our prayer was not granted. Once when Our Lord was going
about doing good, a poor woman who had been suffering for twelve years
with a disease, and who, wishing to be healed, had uselessly spent all
her money in seeking medical aid, came to follow Him. (Mark 5:25). She
did not ask Him to cure her, but said within herself, "If I can but
touch the hem of His garment I know I shall be healed." So she made her
way through the throng and followed Our Lord till she could touch His
garment without being seen. She succeeded in accomplishing her wishes,
touched His garment, and was instantly cured. Our Lord knew her desires
and what she had done, and turning around told the people, praising her
great faith and confidence, on account of which He had healed her. Such
also should be our confidence and trust when we pray to God for our
needs.


"Perseverance." We should continue to pray though God does not grant our
request. Have you ever noticed a little child begging favors from its
mother? See its persistence! Though often refused, it will return again
and again with the same request, till the mother, weary of its
importunity, finally grants what it asks.


St. Monica prayed seventeen years for the conversion of her son St.
Augustine. St. Augustine's father was a pagan, and Monica, his wife,
prayed seventeen years for his conversion, and he became a Christian.
Just about that time her son Augustine, who was attending school, fell
in with bad companions and became a great sinner. She prayed seventeen
years more for him, and he reformed, became a great saint and learned
bishop in the Church. See, then, the result of thirty-four years'
prayer: Monica herself became a saint, her son became a saint, and her
husband died a Christian. If St. Monica had ceased praying after ten
years, Augustine might not have reformed. We never know when God is
about to grant our petition, and we may cease to pray just when another
appeal would obtain the object of our prayer. So we should continue to
pray till God is pleased to grant our request. Some say their prayers
are not heard when they mean to say their prayers are not granted; for
God always hears us. But why does He not always grant our request? There
are many reasons: (1) We may not pray in the proper manner, namely, with
attention, reverence, humility, patience, and perseverance; (2) We may
ask for things that God foresees will not be for our spiritual good.
This is true even for things that seem good to us, such as the removal
of an affliction, temptation, or the like. It often happens that God
shows us His greatest mercy in not granting our prayers. Suppose, for
example, a father held in his hand a bright and beautiful but very sharp
instrument, for which his child continually asked. Do you believe the
father would give it if he loved the child? Certainly not. The child
thinks, no doubt, it would be benefitted by the possession of the
instrument, but the father sees the danger. As God is our loving Father,
He acts with us in the same manner. (3) Our prayers are not granted
sometimes that we may learn to pray with proper dispositions, and God
withholds what He intends finally to give, that we may persevere in
prayer and have greater merit. Have you ever observed a mother teaching
her child to walk? What does she do? She goes at some distance from the
child and holds out an object that she knows will be pleasing to it, and
thus tempts it to walk to her. When the child draws near she moves still
farther away, and keeps it walking for some time before giving the
object. This she does, not through unwillingness to give the article,
but in order to teach the child to walk, for she loves to see its
efforts. When it falls, she lifts it up and makes it try again. So, too,
God teaches us to pray; and though He loves us, He withholds His gifts,
that we may pray the longer, and thereby afford Him greater pleasure.


308 Q. Which are the prayers most recommended to us?
A. The prayers most recommended to us are the Lord's Prayer, the Hail
Mary, the Apostles' Creed, the Confiteor, and the Acts of Faith, Hope,
Love, and Contrition.


309 Q. Are prayers said with distractions of any avail?
A. Prayers said with willful distractions are of no avail.


"Distraction"--that is, when we willingly and knowingly think of
something else while saying our prayers. It would be better not to pray
than to pray with disrespect. If there is any time at which we cannot
pray well, we should postpone our prayer: for God does not require us to
say our prayers just at a particular time; but when we do pray, He
requires us to pray with reverence and respect. We would pray well
always if we reflected on the great privilege we enjoy in being allowed
to pray.