Above Everything, Pray for the Holy Spirit.
"Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’
"And he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’
"I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
"For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
"What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
"If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Luke 11: 5 - 13).
Thursday October 12th 2023 in the 27th Week of Ordinary Time.
In the Gospel of today, Jesus gives one of His most profound and beautiful teaching on the Prayer of Petition. Here is what I got from reflecting on Jesus' teaching on the Prayer of Petition:
#1. Prayer works more than most people believe.
#2. One of the greatest and most consequential falsehood of the Big Liar is that God does not answer prayers. Consequently why bother praying.
#3. Ask the Lord to open your mind and heart and show you how many of your prayers have been answered.
Many times, there is a lag between the time of your petition and the answer. It would appear that it is our responsibility to track our petitions and our answered prayers. Faith grows when you count and record your Answered Prayer.
I sent prayer intentions containing 4 points to EWTN on the occasion of Divine Mercy Sunday some years ago. Fortunately, I made a copy of the prayer requests and the date and pinned it to the wall near my workstation. I forgot all about it till about five years later. God answered everyone of the prayer intentions. I had been enjoying peace and serenity in all the areas of the prayer petitions without giving God one iota of thanks!
#4. God's commitment to answer prayers is ironclad. This is the unanimous teaching of the Sacred Magisterium, all the Church fathers and doctors and all the saints. And above all, Sacred Scripture. You will be amazed by God's mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence when it comes to prayers.
God regards it an injustice to promise answers to our prayers and then fail to do so. (Cf Luke 18: 1 - 8).
#5. What is the the Best and Highest Thing to pray for? THE HOLY SPIRIT! THE HOLY SPIRIT! THE HOLY SPIRIT!
Prayer is the Activator of Power. Power is the dominant attribute of the Holy Spirit. Prayer and the Holy Spirit are like inseparable twins.
The Bible commands: "Taste and See that the Lord is good." If you do not pray habitually, you will never be able to taste much less attest to the truth that God is good.
#6. Do not be unbelieving. Believe and experience the joy of answered prayer. It is sweet.
October is the Holy Rosary Month.
"Your Rosary is like a ladder that you climb step by step, drawing you closer to our Lady, which means finding Christ. It is a devotion which leads us to Christ through Mary." (Pope St Paul VI, Marialis Cultus).
Say the Holy Rosary every day in October.
For Prayers, Consecration, Litany, Testimony of Jesus about those who pray the Rosary, click the link below:
https://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/09/october-devotion-to-holy-rosary.html?m=1
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