Prayer is a Battle: Strategies for Victory

When we read the lives of the saints it can appear like prayer
comes so easily to them; almost as if they were soaking in a hot
tub of grace. But then when we go to pray we are confronted with
the harsh reality that "Prayer is HARD." It can feel much more like
struggling to swim laps in an Olympic sized pool. Today, Fr. Mike
shares some wisdom from the fourth Pillar of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church: Our Life in Prayer. – "Prayer is both a gift of
grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes
effort. The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before
Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself,
all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against
ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can
to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as
we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act
habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray
habitually in his name. The "spiritual battle" of the Christian's
new life is inseparable from the battle of prayer." CCC 2725