Self-Conquest
Once a day, at least, recall very earnestly that
I Cor. iii. 15Ꚛ Twenty-second Day of December
Prayer is assuredly the ladder to heaven without which it is not possible to be saved. Scarcely anything else in Holy Scripture is recommended to us so frequently and with so much emphasis. Over and over again we meet with exhortations to prayer. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matt. vii. 7). “Watch ye and pray” (Matt. xxvi. 41). St. Paul bids us: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. v. 17).
The Royal Psalmist tells us; “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him; to all that call upon Him in truth. He will do the will of them that fear Him, and He will hear their prayer and save them” (Ps. cxliv. 18, 19).
In order to do right, to overcome temptation, to practise virtue, to observe God’s law, it is not sufficient to have received divine lights, to have meditated, and to have taken firm resolutions. God’s actual help is also necessary. Now. this actual help is only granted by Our Lord to those who pray perseveringly for it.
Alphonsus Liguori insists repeatedly that in all our devotions, at Mass, at holy communion, in all our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we should pray for these four graces for ourselves, namely: the forgiveness of our sins, the love of God, the love of prayer, and final perseverance. When these graces are secured, our salvation is assured.
As loyal Catholics we should also pray for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope; for his welfare and for the needs and interests of our Holy Mother the Church; for bishops, priests, and superiors; for our country; for universal peace; for the conversion of sinners, heretics, and pagans; and last but not least, for the poor holy souls in purgatory.
Ask yourself: how does this matter affect me personally, what lesson does it convey to me, what suggestion for a better life, how can I improve my conduct; resolve to become a saint at any cost; think upon the eternal years; pray to the Holy Ghost that He may lead you in the way of perfection; finally recite attentively and devotedly the following Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit:
Oh Holy Spirit, divine Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to Thee my understanding, heart, and will, my whole being for time and for eternity. May my understanding be always submissive to Thy heavenly inspirations, and to the teaching of the Church, of which Thou art the infallible guide; may my heart be ever inflamed with love of God and of my neighbor; may my will be ever conformed to the divine will, and may my whole life be a faithful imitation of the life and virtue of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to Whom with the Father and Thee be honor and glory forever. Amen.