St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote, “God wills us to be saved; but for our greater good, he wills us to be saved as conquerors.”

Prayer is our main weapon in spiritual combat. St. John Chrysostom said, “He who uses this great weapon knows not death, leaves the earth, enters heaven, lives with God.”  

St. Alphonsus explained: “He falls not into sin; he loses affection for the earth; he makes his abode in heaven; and begins, even in this life, to enjoy the conversation of God.”

According to St. Bonaventure, “As the king would think it faithlessness in an officer, when his post was attacked, not to ask him for reinforcements, he would be reputed a traitor if he did not request help from the king; so God thinks himself betrayed by the man who, when he finds himself surrounded by temptations, does not run to him for assistance.”

St. Bernard said, “The powers of hell are mighty, but prayer is stronger than all the devils.”

St. Augustine said, “By prayer all hurtful things are chased away.” 

St. Josemaría Escrivá wrote, “Prayer is the foundation of the spiritual edifice. Prayer is all-powerful.” 

God is always ready to hear us. St. Bernardine of Sienna said, “Prayer is a most faithful messenger, known to the King, who is used to enter his chamber, and by his importunity to influence the merciful mind of the King, and to obtain us assistance in our toils.” 

St. Alphonsus wrote, “If God were to allow us to present our petitions to him once a month, even this would be a great favour. The kings of the earth give audiences a few times in the year, but God gives a continual audience.” 

St. Alphonsus said that we should not limit ourselves to asking for little things. He wrote, “If a man went to a king to ask some trumpery coin, like a farthing, methinks that man would but insult his king. On the other hand, we honour God, we honour his mercy, and his liberality, when, though we see how miserable we are, and how unworthy of any kindness, we yet ask for great graces, trusting in the goodness of God, and in his faithfulness to his promises of granting to the man who prays whatever grace he asks: Whatsoever you will, ask, and it shall be done unto you.”

St. Bonaventure said, “Any day a man gains more by devout prayer than the whole world is worth.”

St. Augustine said, “It is better to pray than to read: by reading we know what we ought to do; by prayer we receive what we ask.” 

According to St. Alphonsus, to pray is better than to meditate. He wrote, “By meditation we see what we want; by prayer we receive what we want.”

St. Bernard said, “Let us mount by meditation and prayer: the one teaches what is deficient, the other obtains that there should be nothing deficient.”

The principal advice of the ancient Fathers was to have recourse to God with short but frequent prayers. St. Laurence Justinian said, “We must endeavour to offer a prayer at least in the beginning of every work.” St. Alphonsus wrote, “We ought to do this the first thing when we awake in the morning; and then to continue doing it in all our needs, and when attending to our business, whether spiritual or temporal; and most especially when we find ourselves troubled by any temptation or passion.” 

St. Bonaventure said, “Sometimes a man can sooner obtain by a short prayer what he would be a long time obtaining by pious works.”

The prayer of Our Lady is powerful. According to St. Alphonsus, “we only have access to the Father by means of the Son, who is the Mediator of justice, so we only have access to the Son by means of the Mother, who is mediator of grace, and who obtains for us, by her intercession, the gifts which Jesus Christ has merited for us.” 

St. Bernard said, “Let us seek grace, and let us seek it through Mary; because what she seeks she finds, and she cannot be disappointed.”

 

天主讓我們不停地覲見祂

聖亞豐索寫道『天主願意我們得救；但為了我們更大的好處，祂願意我們作為一個征服者而得救。』在我們靈性的戰爭中，祈禱是我們主要的武器。金口若望說：『利用這強大武器的人不知道死亡，離開世界，進入天國，與天主一同生活。』聖亞豐索解釋道：『他不為罪惡跌倒；他失去對現世的愛慕；他在天堂建造他的住所；並開始，甚至在這生命中，享受跟天主的交談。』

根據聖文都辣所說：『一位君王會認為他的軍官是不忠信的，如果他被攻擊的時候，不要求增援，如果他不向他的君王要求幫忙，他會是稱為叛徒；所以天主會認為祂是被背叛了，如果人為誘惑環繞時，不奔向祂請求幫忙。』

聖伯爾納鐸說：『地獄的力量是強大的，但祈禱比所有的魔鬼更強。』聖奧斯定說：『祈禱可以趕走所有能夠傷害我們的事物。』聖若瑟瑪利亞、施禮華寫道：『祈禱是靈性建築的根基。祈禱是萬能的。』

天主時時都在俯聽。聖納定說：『祈禱是最忠誠的傳訊者，他是君王所認識的，他慣常出入他的內室，藉著他恆常不息對富憐憫的君王的影響，為我們勞累中得獲幫助。』聖亞豐索寫道：『如果天主容許我們每月只是一次向祂呼求，這亦已是一個很大的恩惠了。地上的君王，一年中給他的子民幾次覲見的機會，但天主讓我們不停地覲見。』

聖亞豐索說，我們不要限制自己只去要求小的事物。他寫道：『如果一個人跑到君王處要求一些低價值的錢幣，依我看來，這對君王只是個的侮辱。另一方面，我們尊敬我們的天主，我們尊重祂的慈悲，和祂的慷慨，當想及我們是那般的可憐，和那般的不堪，我們仍要求一大的恩典，相信天主的仁愛，和祂忠於承諾去給世人祈禱所求的一切恩典：你們願意什麼，求罷！必給你們成就。』聖文都辣說：『任何一天，一個人熱心祈禱所得的，都比全世界一切的價值為多。』

聖奧斯定說：『祈禱比閱讀更好：閱讀讓我們知道我們所要做的；祈禱讓我們得到我們所求的。』根據聖亞豐索，祈禱比默想更好。他寫道：『默想讓我們看見我們所願望的；祈禱讓我們得到我們所願望的。』聖伯爾納鐸說：『讓我以默想和祈禱來攀登：其一是教導什麼是不足的，另一是得到一切，沒有任何的不足。』

古代的教父基本的勸誡是以短的和經常的祈禱來投靠天主。聖老楞佐·查士丁尼說：『我們最低限度在每件工的開始時嘗試奉上祈禱。』聖亞豐索寫道：『每天我們醒來，這事是我們應該做的第一件事；然後在我們一切需要時繼續去做，當處理無論是精神上的還是世俗的業務時去做，尤其是在我們為誘惑或私慾困擾的時候去做。』聖文都辣說：『有時，一個人可以通過短的祈禱更快地獲得他長時間通過虔誠的工作獲得的東西。』

聖母的祈禱是有力的。根據聖亞豐索說：『我們只有能藉著聖子、公義的中保的名而到達天主，我們只能藉著聖母、恩寵的中保到達聖子，以她的代禱她為我們取得耶穌基督為我們贏來的恩寵。』聖伯爾納鐸說：『讓我們追尋聖寵，並讓我們藉著聖母追尋它；因為她追尋的，她找到，和她不會被致於失望。』