Prayer should never be limited to "good feelings". God is our creator and as such is fully aware of the workings of our emotions and of all our needs and desires. God is our loving, caring, heavenly Father who desires us to share with Him all the ups and downs of our lives. But, you say, God is all-knowing, why should I tell God something He already knows?

WE need to pray and tell God what He already knows because WE, not He, need to express the events and emotions of our lives and actively involve and invite God, Our Father, to act within us, to be with us. God has endowed us with the glorious gift of free will. Our heavenly Father will not come where He is not invited. Our Divine Lover will not seduce or force Himself upon us. "I stand at the door and knock," Jesus tells us with exquisite sensitivity.

The value of prayer is that we INVITE Jesus, the Holy Spirit and our heavenly Father into our lives. This prayerful invitation allows God to begin to act from within us, leading us gently, powerfully along the path of salvation. Prayer puts us in touch with our humanity and God's divinity. Prayer anchors us in the reality our poor human eyes cannot see, the fullness of reality, the reality that encompasses God and all of His creation.

The very reason God became man in the person of Jesus, was to bridge the chasm our sins had cut between God and us. Baptism makes us children of God, heirs of heaven. As His beloved children, it is our privilege and need to communicate with our loving Father, to beg His living actions to continue from within our very selves.

The chasm has been bridged, our sins have been forgiven. Should we not keep close with the One who rescued us? Should we not be forever grateful? The person who does not pray is divorced from the fullest, richest part of his/her being. At times, we feel we don't know what to say. St. Paul assures us: "the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but he Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings."

A simple acronym may help us remember some of the kinds of prayer.
ACTS = A for adoration
C for contrition
T for thanksgiving
S for supplication.
We adore god for His goodness; we express Contrition or sorrow for our sins; we Thank God for all His manifold gifts to us; we Supplicate or ask His loving help in all our needs. St. Paul urges us: "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God."

The value of prayer? Not only do we touch our God, but we touch others when we pray for them. And so, I borrow once more from St. Paul, a prayer for each of you: "we do not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding."

GOD BLESS YOU!
Sister M. Veronica Sweeney