15. The Power of Prayer
By
Roger Behra, B. S. Education *
* Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, New Mexico. He took five courses, 15 graduate hours, University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. 19 years experience teaching language arts in Arizona and Ohio, U.S.A. 10 years teaching religion in St. Ann Catholic School in Ohio, in addition.
A large part of the world’s population does not take advantage of a powerful spiritual tool at their disposal. The powerful tool I refer to here is……PRAYER.
Prayer is defined as words that you can say when you speak to God or the Blessed Virgin or to the Saints to ask for help or to give thanks.
Prayer, when used properly can yield very quick and/or powerful results. There are three kinds of prayer as followes:
1. Individual good prayer
2. Group good prayer
3. Evil individual or group prayer (not to be discussed here)
Good prayer, individual or group, is defined as words that you can say you speak to God, the Blessed Virgin, or a Saint to ask for help or to give thanks.
Good prayer can be formalized (written to be said over again) or said in one’s own words spontaneously. Good prayer brings graces and blessings from God. No prayer brings no graces or blessings from God. God’s graces and blessings are always available, but we must ask for them.
The Catholic Church has many formalized prayers that yield great results. Some are: the Rosary, the Hail Mary, the Act of Contrition, the prayer to release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said, and the Seven Graces Prayer to mention a few.
It is very advantageous to be counted among the large number of the world’s population that prays daily. Good and devout daily prayer should a practice in everyone’s life. Try it. It works.
Thank God often. Thank God morning and evening each day without fail, and His graces and blessings will continue without fail.
The prayer to release 1000 souls from Purgatory is a follows:
“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious blood of the Divine Son, Jesus, in union with Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinner in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”
Each time this prayer is said 1000 souls are realized. This prayer was given to St. Gertrude by our Lord, and the Blessed Virgin made the promise, we’ll deliver so many souls, so many souls!”
R. B.