Thoughts on prayer

"Prayer is a way to arrive at perfection, because in prayer God teaches the soul and through prayer the soul detaches itself from created things and unites itself with God.

Give yourself to prayer because communing with God in prayer brings it about that the creature does not care for naught but God.

Thirst for holy prayer; be eager to make time to retire with God, because it takes a lot of effort to make work and prayer tantamount (in our lives).

Go to God with humility, with distrust of yourself and with great confidence in God, recognizing yourself as mean and abject and as nothingness itself.

In prayer, strive to be humble, fervent, resigned and persevering.

Think that God willingly hears the humble and pure of heart, and that He hears us in proportion to our faith.

Pray with great reverence, thinking that you are before the divine Majesty, before Whom the Virtues of heaven tremble.

Do not set your desire or fix your aim on spiritual tastes and sweetness; and do not pay much attention to extraordinary sweetnesses or consolations.

Often ask the Lord to make you understand how worthy a thing it is to suffer for love of Him.

Frequently pray for holy Mother Church and for the Supreme Shepherd (the pope)."

Thoughts of St Mary Magdalen dei' Pazzi