1. What is Prayer?
Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God.
“Watch ye and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing but the flesh weak” (Matthew26).:41
2. Why should I pray?
I should pray —
1) to adore God, to tell Him that He made me and that I depend on Him for absolutely everything.
“Thou shalt adore the Lord thy God, and Him only sbull thou serve” (Luke 4:5).
2) to thank God for the blessings He has given me.
“What have you that you have not received? (1st Corinthians 4:7).
3) to ask God’s pardon for the sins I have committed.
“O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
4) to ask God’s help in all things.
“Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find knock and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
3. When should I pray?
I should pray every day, especially
a) in the morning—to offer the day to God and ask His help for the temptations of the day.
b) during the day, especially during temptation.
c) at night-to thank God for the blessings of the day and to ask Him to forgive me for the sins of the day.
d) before and after eating.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God” (1st Corinthians 10:31).
Note: The prayers to be said every day are found on pages 118 to 121.
4. To whom should I pray?
1) I must pray to God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
2) I may also pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the angels and to the Saints. “And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel” (Apocalypse 8:4).
5. Why may I pray to the Blessed Virgin, the Angels and Saints?
I may pray to the Blessed Virgin, the angels and the Saints because they are God’s best friends, and God will listen more to them than to me because I am still a sinner.
“Go to My servant Job … and My servant Job shall pray for you; his face I will accept …. You have not spoken right things before Me, as My servant Job hath” (Job 42:8).
6. For whom should I pray?
I should pray
a) for everyone still on earth, even my enemies,
“I say to you, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you” (Matthew 5:44).
b) for the dead in purgatory (see page 33).
“It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins” (2 Machabees 12:46).
7. What should I pray for?
I should pray every day to get into heaven. When asking God for everything else, I should always say, “If it does not lead me away from You, Lord.”
“Your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:32 & 33).
“Not my will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42).
8. Does God always hear my prayers?
God always hears my prayers, but He does not always give me exactly what I ask for, because I do not always know what is good for me, and often ask for things which are bad for me.
“You shall pray to Me, and I will hear you” (Jeremias 29:12).
9. Does God hear the prayers of sinners?
God does not hear the prayers of sinners unless they are willing to give up their sins and do penance.
“Now we know that God doth not hear sinners; but if a man be a Server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth”
(John 9:31).
10. How should I pray?
I should pray
a) with attention, keeping my mind on my prayer
b) with humility, realizing that I am powerless without God
“Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
c) with confidence, realizing that God can do all things
“And this is the confidence which we have towards Him: that whatsoever we shall ask according to His will, He heareth us” (1st John 5:14).
d) with perseverance, that is, without giving up hope.
“Wait on God with patience” (Ecclesiasticus 2:3).
11. Is it necessary to kneel down when praying?
No, it is not necessary to kneel down when praying, but it certainly is much easier to pray while kneeling.
“Every knee shall be bowed to Me” (Isaias 45:24).
12. Why do Catholics have statues and pictures of the Saints?
Catholics have statues and pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Saints,
1) because they wish to honor the Blessed Virgin and the Saints
“To me, Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable. (Psalm 138:17). Just as the people of a nation erect statues and pictures of its heroes in public places so also the Church wishes to honor her heroes, the Saints.
2.) because it is easier to pray when looking at a statue or a picture.
For instance, it is much easier to tell Jesus how sorry I am for my sins while looking at a crucifix or a picture of Him hanging on the Cross.
13. Why is public prayer necessary?
Public prayer is necessary because as members of human society we owe God public recognition of Him as Supreme Master of society.
14. How does public prayer help the world?
Public prayer helps the world by demonstrating the great Christian ideal of the brotherhood of man, by uniting men and women of all ages, all races and all places in life in the worship of our heavenly Father.
15. Why should a family pray together?
A family should pray together
1) to ask God to bless them as a family
2) to imitate the Holy Family, (Jesus, Mary and Joseph)
3) to keep the family together
4) to give good example to the children.
“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
16. How often should a family pray together?
A family should pray together at least once a day, preferably after the evening meal, when all the members of the family are together.