“Do not lose heart at prayer; do not neglect to give alms.“
Ecclesiasticus (Jesus ben Sirach) 7: 10
“Various factors which may lead to our prayers being heard“ according to Abba Isaac
Abba Isaac is the one teaching Saint John Cassian and his friend Germanus the art of prayer. But at one point Germanus tells him in a downcast manner that people like him, “whose consciences are still stung with the thorns of sin“ (Cassian, p. 215), lacking in virtues, cannot trust and “presume (that) (their) prayers are being heard“ (ibid.).
Abba Isaac then recalls what Sacred Scripture has to say concerning the “various factors which may lead to our prayers being heard“ (ibid.): when two or more brethren “on earth agree on any matter, whatever (they) ask“ (Mt 18: 19); when a man asks with faith; when a man gives alms and does works of mercy; when a man abundantly suffers. And, finally: persistence, importunity.
“Remembering our wretched state, let us suppose that we are completely destitute of all the virtues we have described, and cannot even find two to agree in a praiseworthy manner, nor have so much as a mustardseed‘s worth of faith, nor the works of charity which the prophet describes – are we not still capable of that importunity which will gain for us all we desire? For that alone, Our Lord promised that he would grant all our prayers. We must therefore insist on our prayers with no doubt or hesitation; fear not that we shall fail to obtain everything we ask of God with such persistence. Our Lord encourages us, for it is his will to grant us the eternal good things of heaven, to press upon him determinedly, for he neither despises nor refuses such importunity, nay, he invites it and praises it. (…) Even if we are devoid of all the causes which we have listed as leading to our prayers being answered, let our stubborn insistence encourage us, for that is within the power of whoever chooses, without either merit or effort. (…) We can learn from the example of blessed Daniel how tirelessly we should entreat the Lord, for although he was heard from the first day that he began to pray, he only received the result of his prayer after twenty one days (…).“
John Cassian, Abbot of Marseilles: The Collations. Being a Collection of Twenty-Four Conferences Divided into Three Parts, translated by a Father of the Oxford Oratory, Gracewing 2015, p. 216-217
“Then he told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. He said, ‘There was a judge in a certain town, who had neither fear of God nor respect for any human person. In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent!‘ For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, ‘Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person, I must grant this widow justice since she is such a nuisance, or in the end she will come and slap me in the face.‘‘ And the Lord said, ‘Do you hear what the unjust judge has to say? Now, will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who keep calling to him day and night even though he delays? I promise you, he will grant justice to them, and speedily. But when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?‘“
Luke 18: 1-8
“‘So I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!‘“
Luke 11: 9-13
Saint John Cassian, pray for us!