CHAPTER XVII.

ON THE NECESSITY AND UTILITY OF DEVOUT PRAYER.

DILIGENCE in prayer is of the first necessity to thee, for prayer is an impenetrable armour, a certain refuge, a secure haven, and a most safe asylum. This one thing repels from the mind all evils, and brings into it all that is good. It purities the soul, remits the punishment due to sins, repairs former negligence, impetrates divine grace, extinguishes evil desires, quells the unruly passions of the soul, conquers the enemy, 42overcomes temptations, softens calamities, puts to flight sadness, infuses joy, brings peace, unites man to God, and thus united raises him to eternal glory. By prayer thou wilt obtain all that can be useful to thee.

But if thou dost not at once obtain what thou askest, see that thou be not disturbed: for God in His mercy sometimes defers to grant those things which are rightly asked: not that He desires to refuse, but that He may afterwards grant more abundantly and more profitably, and that He may exceedingly reward the faith, the patience, and perseverance of him who asks.

Thou shalt never say to thyself that which was said by the blind man in the Gospel, whose bodily eyes were indeed enlightened, but the eyes of whose mind were not yet perfectly opened: “Now we know that God doth not hear sinners” (St. John ix. 31). Thou shalt not, I say, speak thus: for, in truth, God hears sinners, when, they pray with a humble heart; otherwise, it would be sad indeed for the people of God, since they are all sinners, and need the mercy of God.

And if anyone asserts with the blind man restored to sight, that sinners are not heard by God; that opinion holds good of those only who will not amend their lives. Therefore, although thou mayest be a sinner, thou must not on that account despairingly contemn thy prayer, which God contemns not, but holds in esteem, and keeps recorded.

Nor let it move thee if, when thou prayest, God Himself, or an Angel, or one of the Blessed from heaven, appear not to announce to thee that thy prayers are 43heard; for that is neither necessary, nor indeed expedient. Otherwise, what would be the merit of faith? Although, such is the goodness of God, that when required, He vouchsafes visible apparitions. Do thou, therefore, pray humbly, nothing hesitating, hut firmly believing that whosoever prays piously, will always he heard by God. Be strenuous, and persevere; and, without doubt, thou wilt in the end experience what Christ truly said; “Ask, and it shall be given you” (St. Luke xi. 9).

He will certainly give what thou askest, if it is expedient for thee to receive it; if not, He will give something else that is for thy good. He knows when and how far to satisfy our desires. When from human weakness thou dost ask what is not for thy good, may He never grant thee thy request. When thou knowest not whether what thou desirest is pleasing to Him, learn to pray in this or some similar manner: Lord, grant this if it is pleasing to Thee, if it is expedient; but if it is not pleasing to Thee, and is not expedient, let it not come to pass. Thy holy will be done in all things.

Strive to be recollected when thou prayest and praisest God. Do it diligently, and with due reverence; never deliberately consenting to the foolish wanderings of the mind. If, however, thy mind is so unstable and volatile that thou canst not attend to the words of thy prayers, be not on that account angry with thyself, nor cast down; but with a grateful, placid, and tranquil mind do all that is in thy power, offering thy good will to God, and exercising 44untiring patience. Be humble rather than pusillanimous. Although thou passest over many words without attention, and then attendest to only one little word; or even though thou canst not pronounce one word with attention, thy labour will not be lost, if thou art watchful and right at heart. Do thou ever wisely avoid interior perplexity, impetuosity, over anxiety, and vehement efforts, and beware of seeking after many various methods of keeping thyself attentive; for these things are apt to produce confusion in the mind, and to exclude the influence of divine grace.

Let the sense of the sacred words, which the Holy Spirit may suggest to thy understanding, sweetly affect and simply occupy thy mind; and let it not be fatigued or confused by images derived with labour from other sources. If the Holy Spirit should call away and attract thy spirit to more sublime thoughts, thou must not rashly oppose it, but ever follow His leadings; for He knows intimately where, in what manner, and how far thou oughtest to penetrate.

As I have said before, when thou prayest, thy will must be determined always to attend to what thou art saying; and thou must calmly free thy heart from unseasonable thoughts, especially at the beginning of thy prayer. In order that thou mayest the more easily do this, study to keep thy mind free at other times. Having done this, commit the rest to God, and remain tranquil and joyful. For God will not impute to thee the distractions by which through frailty thou art carried away against thy will. Thou 45wilt fully satisfy Him, even if thou art unable to at tend. Humble patience, cheerful gratitude of heart, and holy confidence in Him, will fully compensate for what may be sinful in the dissipation of the senses. God regards and delights no less in our reasonable endeavours and pious desires to do right, than in our work itself. He knows wherefore He permits us to be sometimes so unstable in mind; He knows in what manner He intends either to defend or to purify our souls from the stains of pride, self-love, and vain-glory.