Videos on The Power of Prayer

Discover The Power of Prayer:
Strength, Hope, Answers, Courage, Trust, Community, Healing, Forgiveness

Parts of a Prayer:
Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication

The Power of Prayer

Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. God tirelessly calls each person to this mysterious encounter with Himself. Prayer unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation as a reciprocal call between God and man.

Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. The battle of prayer is inseparable from the necessary “spiritual battle” to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ: we pray as we live, because we live as we pray.

In the battle of prayer we must confront erroneous conceptions of prayer, various currents of thought, and our own experience of failure. We must respond with humility, trust, and perseverance to these temptations which cast doubt on the usefulness or even the possibility of prayer.

The principal difficulties in the practice of prayer are distraction and dryness. The remedy lies in faith, conversion and vigilance of heart. The Scriptures attribute efficacy to prayers performed by the faithful. James 5:16 states “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective”.

Catholic tradition has for centuries continued to attribute power to prayers performed by believers. The belief in the power of Christian prayer to change the world beyond physical efforts has been emphasized in the Catholic tradition over the centuries.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 states: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” This emphasizes the belief that prayer has more power than physical force.

Prayer is the best armor we have; It is the key which opens the heart of God. – Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

Without the aid of mental prayer, the soul cannot triumph over the forces of the demon. – Saint John of the Cross

By humble and faithful prayer, the soul acquires, with time and perseverance, every virtue. – Saint Catherine of Siena

For me, prayer is an upward leap of the heart, an untroubled glance towards heaven, a cry of gratitude and love which I utter from the depths of sorrow as well as from the heights of joy. - St Thérèse of Lisieux

I am certain of it that Our Lord will eventually bring to the harbor of salvation, the one who gives himself to prayer. – Saint Teresa of Avila

When the difficulties of life overcome us, let us always remember to preserve in prayer!