Prayer to St Michael the Archangel

O Sweet Virgin Mary

Memorare

Prayer: It’s Not About Changing God’s Mind, But Ours

Praying to God is not like going to the ATM machine. Punch in the right numbers and “Caching!” Cash out!

Asking things from God in “Jesus Name” do not make what you are asking for magically appears. If you think that just dropping the Name Jesus you will get what you want, regardless if it is good for you or not, you are not praying, you are wishing on a genie. The Name of Jesus is not a magic spell you can use because you cannot use God.

If your daily prayers are filled with self affirmations how great you are to the point you are even telling God who great you are, that is not a prayer… that is a monologue.

Prayer is a conversation between 2 persons in a relationship. A relationship between the Almighty and the creature. The one Who knows more do the talking and the one who knows less do the listening. The One Who knows better lead and the other follows. A child does not tell his Father what to do. The child obeys his Father.

Prayer can be summarize in this simple sentence, “Not my will, but Your (God’s) will be done.”

And what is that “will?”

Love God with all your being and your neighbor as yourself.

Our prayer must come from an unselfish heart. Our petitions must be first for others and even those for ourselves must give glory to God. Why do we pray for daily bread? So we can be alive and give glory to God. Our prayer should always boomerang back to God.

WHAT IS PRAYER?
For me, prayer is a surge of the heart;
it is a simple look turned toward heaven,
it is a cry of recognition and of love,
embracing both trial and joy

"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."
But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart?
He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer,
Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer.
"Man is a beggar before God."
(#2558-255 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)

The Power of a Humble Prayer

I often feel that a lot of my prayers were unanswered or took some time before they were answered by God. There are times that I think that my prayers are answered with the silence of Heaven. But maybe my prayers seem to fall on deaf ears because there is something wrong with the way I pray.

If we feel far away from God, guess who moved?

We.

God is love. God is generosity Himself. He exists to give Himself.

Aid is always available to those who want it.

If feel Divine Aid is not coming, could it be possible that I am not really sincerely asking for it?

Could it be that my prayers are still filled with pride and self-reliance?

Could it be that I am asking God’s help, yet at the back of my mind, I still believe I can do it on my own if God does not help? Do I still rely too much on myself and not to God?

I think when we ask God for assistance, we unconsciously ask God to be our Assistant. He is there for the assist and not to be the Problem Solver Himself. We want God to help us in our own terms, not on His. I think this is where the problem starts, when we think that our will is better than His.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” - Matthew 5:1-13

Why do the poor in spirit have the Kingdom? Because they sought it with all their hearts and it was given to them.

Those who seek shall find.

The poor in spirit are those people who know that they are helpless apart from God. Their very being relies on God. They know they cannot do anything in this world without God’s grace. They are beggars before God. And these beggars have always won God’s favor. Jesus healed a lot of beggars when He walked among us.

The poor in spirit are also those who have a child like trust in the Father. A child’s survival depends on their parents. Without any parent, the child will die. They have total reliance to their parents.

I think that is why God permits crisis in our lives. That it may draw us back to Him.

When we have reached rock bottom, lying on the ground and does not even have the strength to stand up that is when we realize the reality of our helplessness. It is when we cry out to God in these times that we really open ourselves to His Aid, to His Grace. When we cannot help ourselves, that’s when we find help from others. And God is the Great Other.

When we have tried everything we can do, and still things falls apart, that is when we really surrender to God. When we realize the futility of our plans and efforts that is when we really consider God’s plans for us.

Why do we have to wait for a crisis to learn to really pray and seek God’s help?

Because we are stubborn fools. We always want an easier way. We want to prove to ourselves we can do it without God. And we are always disproved in the end.

It is in times of helplessness can we really experience God’s Aid. His Love.

Why?

Because the more helpless we are, the more we empty ourselves of the pride of self-reliance. And now God has the opportunity to fill that emptiness with His love.

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” – Luke 1: 52-53

Prayer of St Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

LITANY OF HUMILITY

From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of comfort and ease, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being criticized, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being passed over, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being lonely, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being hurt, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering, deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, strengthen me with your Spirit.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, teach me your ways.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
help me put my self importance aside
to learn the kind of cooperation with others
that makes possible the presence of your Abba's household.

Adapted from a prayer by Rafael, Cardinal Merry Del Val,
from the prayer book, For Jesuits, 1963, Loyola University Press.