It was late at night in the Corrêa de Oliveira residence. Dona Lucilia, however, was far from retiring. Surrounded by the silence and calm of that advanced hour, her soul turned confidently to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, represented in a small, pious statue on display in the living room, while she waited, like a watchman for the dawn, for her son Plinio to return from the headquarters of the Marian Congregation. When they were finally together, they would begin a short but blessed conversation about the day’s events, according to a custom that would only end with Dona Lucilia’s entry into eternity. Dr. Plinio eagerly awaited this pleasant conviviality, as it was a true oasis in the midst of the battles he waged for the Holy Church and for his own perseverance on the path of virtue. His mother’s affection, combined with the pervasive spirit of piety and elevation that characterized her, provided him more rest than hours of sleep would have done, and communicated special blessings and graces to him. Nor was that “midnight chat” less consoling for Dona Lucilia herself. In her view, to live was “to be together, to look upon and to love one another,” and that is why she was delighted to be able to listen to her son, taking the opportunity to counsel him, warn him against the surprises that come in this vale of tears and attend to his needs.1 Now, the consolation of these two souls in their relationship is but a pale reflection among creatures of the incomparable joy that the human soul and its Creator experience in their relationship through prayer.

God rejoices in communicating with us

By praying, man truly converses with God and unites with Him in a very special way, which results in an indescribable happiness, similar to that which is savoured in Heaven. In these august moments, man satisfies his intrinsic desire for God and provides repose for his restless heart.
Prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours: He thirsts that we may thirst for Him, and He ardently anticipates a simple prayer of ours
The Lord delights even more when we seek Him: “Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for Him.”2 Like the most tender of mothers, the Most High longs to be in contact with us, His children, and wants to take part in our personal lives, helping us both spiritually and materially; to this end, He waits with holy eagerness for a simple prayer from us. In order not to be indifferent to this Divine Friend, let us try to follow the example of King Hezekiah: “I will cry like a young swallow” (Is 38:14). In the same way that this little bird constantly chirps to ask its mother for food, let us also do the same with our Heavenly Father. At all times, let us praise God for who He is and, in every situation, let us give Him thanks, because everything works for the good of our soul, even though appearances often declare otherwise.
At all times, let us praise God for who He is and let us give Him thanks, for everything works for the good of our soul
In times of joy, let us show Him our gratitude for the benefits we have received; and, in a special way, let us pray when temptations assail us, for we are very weak and the enemies of our salvation are numerous and strong. Through prayer, says St. Lawrence Justinian,3 we build an impregnable tower, in which we remain safe from any wiles of the devil.

Common obstacles to prayer

How much easier and more praiseworthy our time on this earth would be if we knew how to pray! How easily we would win the eternal prize! St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori declares that “it is not necessary, in order to save our souls, for us to go to the heathen, and give up our life. It is not necessary to retire into the desert and eat nothing but herbs, but it is necessary to pray. What does it cost us to say, ‘My God, help me! Lord, assist me, have mercy on me!’ Could anything be easier than this?”4 However, there are obstacles that can get in the way of this aspect of our life of piety. The most common of these – but no less harmful on that account – is pragmatism. Today’s world almost irresistibly entangles us in endless materialistic pseudo-solutions that are supposedly capable of solving all our needs, problems and desires. However, they only yield constant dissipation, the loss of faith and a drifting away from Catholic morality… If only we would turn our hearts to the supernatural more often, we would see that the true peace we so long for is found only in God, and that He alone has the solution to our difficulties and the balm for our sorrows. Often, too, the thought that we are sinners and therefore unworthy of being heeded by Providence keeps us away from prayer.
“The Angelus”, by Jean-François Millet - Musée d’Orsay, Paris
St. Alphonsus de Liguori5 resolves this impasse by showing us that God does not act like those people who, when offended by others, are immediately unwilling to do them any good, reminding them of the wrongdoing committed. Our Heavenly Father, in contrast, when called upon with humility and repentance by a sinner, even one of the worst in the world, receives him as if his offences had never existed. This kind divine disposition is further demonstrated by the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. The latter, does not boast of his works before the Creator, as does the Pharisee, but, without daring to raise his eyes to Heaven, beats his breast saying: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk 18:13). And he obtains justification. Finally, we must consider that, as baptized and living members of the Church, we are clothed in the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and that, therefore, the Father takes our prayers as if they were offered by His Son. We do not need to present ourselves to God with a sum of virtues in our hands, like someone who wants to purchase benefits from Him… In order for our prayers to be answered, it is enough for us to invoke divine mercy.

The secrets of infallible prayer

It can happen that we ask for something and we do not seem to be answered. In view of this, some grow cold in their faith and stop praying… Moments before the Passion, the Divine Master left us an oath: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, He will give it to you in my name” (Jn 16:23). Therefore, we cannot be deceived, because it was the Truth Himself who promised it. However, for our prayer to be effectively answered, it must fulfil certain requirements, as we saw in the previous article. These include humility, importunity and confidence. Once these conditions are met, our prayer becomes infallible and – why not say it? – omnipotent! And even if, out of weakness, we pray for something that is not suitable for us, our hope will not be in vain: the Lord will give us something much better, because prayer is never without fruit.
Statue of Our Lady of Grace

Let us knock on Heaven’s door!

As if showing so much love for mankind in the person of the Incarnate Word was not enough, the Most High has also left us His own Mother as a mother, the utmost expression of His infinite mercy, to help us at every moment of our pilgrimage through this vale of tears.
Under the patronage of Our Lady Gate of Heaven, let us try to make our earthly life into a constant conversation with God
She is the Gate of Heaven, at which we can “knock” whenever we wish… even though somewhat lacking in humility or confidence. If we invoke her help, She will correct our defects and obtain unimaginable favours for us with particular ease, because She has the fullest approval of her Divine Son. Under her patronage, then, let us try to make our earthly existence into a constant conversation with God, so that one day we can continue it, no longer under the veils of faith, but face to face, in the Heavenly Kingdom! ◊  

Notes

1 Cf. CLÁ DIAS, EP, João Scognamiglio. Dona Lucilia. Città del Vaticano-Nobleton: LEV; Heralds of the Gospel, 2013, p.316.

2 CCC 2560.

3 Cf. ST. ALPHONSUS MARIA DE LIGUORI. A oração: o grande meio para alcançarmos de Deus a salvação e todas as graças que desejamos. 4.ed. Aparecida: Santuário, 1992, p.44.

4 Idem, p.55-56.

5 Cf. Idem, p.83.