My Prayer Book_LASANCE - the Catholic Kingdom!

Vocal Prayer
I45
All the damned have been lost by not praying; had
they prayed, they would not have been lost. And this
is and will be their greatest torment in hell, to think
how easily they might have been saved, had they only
prayed to God for His grace; but the time of prayer
is now over for them." St. Augustine is, then, right in
calling prayer "the key of heaven."
Since prayer is the sficient grace for salvation, it is
evident that our prayers should have reference, either
directly or indirectly, to our salvation. If their object
is directly connected with it, they will surely be heard,
for our divine Saviour, as we have seen, has solemnly
promised that His Father would grant us whatsoever
we should ask in His name, because He, as Our Redeemer,
purchased for us all the graces of salvation
with His most precious blood. St. Alphonsus repeatedly
insists that in all our prayers, at all the Masses we hear,
at all our holy communions, and in all our visits to the
Blessed Sacrament, we should pray for these four
graces, viz., the forgiveness of our sins, the love of God,
.the love of prayer, and final perseverance. If we obtain
these, our salvation will be assured.
When our prayers for temporal favors, either for
ourselves or in behalf of others, are not granted, we
should consider God's refusal a real benefit rather than
a misfortune. In beseeching God for temporals we
should be indifferent as to the result of our prayers,
being equally ready to accept a refusal as a favorable
hearing from Him. If such should be our dispositions,
God, when refusing our request, will not fail to compensate
us by bestowing on us more excellent favors
which we do not think of asking. We have no reason
to hope that God will hear our prayers for those temporal
favors that may prove hurtful to our salvation, or
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