Forgotten Truths To Set Faith Afire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation or mental prayer may be defined as the silent application and elevation of our heart and mind to God to offer Him praise and homage, and to promote His glory by our advancement in virtue…”True prayer,” says St. Gregory, “is not in the sound of the voice, but in the desire of the heart; not our words but our desire to give power to our cries in God’s hearing.”    In mental prayer, along with the elevation of the heart must go the elevation of the mind and these must produce acts of the will if mental prayer is to be fruitful.   Father Charles Hugo Doyle

 

Let me show you a good way to ask for happiness, even in this world.   It is a way that will oblige God to listen to you.   Say to Him earnestly: either give me so much money that my heart will be satisfied, or inspire me with such contempt for it that I no longer want it.   Either free me from poverty, or make it so pleasant for me that I would not exchange it for all the wealth in the world.   Either take away my suffering, or – which would be to Your greater glory – change it into delight for me, and instead of causing me affliction, let it become a source of joy.   You can take away the burden of my cross, or You can leave it with me without my feeling its weight.   You can extinguish the fire that burns me, or You can let it burn in such a way that it refreshes me as it did the three youths in the fiery furnace.   I ask for either one thing or the other.   What does it matter in what way I am happy?   If I am happy through the possessi...

Dear Lord, teach me to be generous.   Teach me to love and serve You as you deserve –   to give without counting the cost; to fight without heeding the wounds; to toil without seeking rest; to labor without seeking any reward, except that I know that I am doing Your Holy Will.   Amen.  Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola  

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons )   No sincere prayer is left unanswered.   If He does not always give me what I want, it is because that would not be for my spiritual welfare, but in such a case, He gives me something that is just as good or something better.  Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.

Why are the prayers of Mary so highly regarded by God?   Let us remember that the prayers of the saints are the prayers of His servants.   But the prayers of Mary are the prayers of His Mother.   This is the reason for their efficacy and authority.   Since Jesus has an incredible love for His Mother, He responds to her every request... To go deeper in our understanding of Mary's importance, we need only turn to the Gospel text…the wine failed at the marriage feast of Cana.   The bridal party was at risk of great embarrassment.   No one asked Mary to become involved, to seek her Son's assistance.   Here we see the heart of Mary quick to respond with sympathy for the family…she takes the task of intercession upon herself.   Acting on her own initiative, she asked Jesus for a miracle… If this was her way of acting when no one had asked her for help, what will be her response to those who pray for her intercession?    St. Alphonsus Liguori

    My God, I give you my heart, and since You are so good as to give me another day, give me the grace that everything I do will be for Your honor and for the salvation of my soul.  St. John Marie Vianney

Photo©Michael Seagriff     Won't you agree with me that, if we do not receive what we ask God for, it is because we do not pray with faith, with a sufficiently pure heart, with enough trust, or because we do not persevere in prayer as we should?   God has never denied and never will deny anything to those who ask for his graces in the right way. St. John Marie Vianney     [This is just one of 1200 faith-building quotations you will find in Forgotten Truths To Set Faith Afire!- Words to Challenge, Inspire and Instruct .]