Why pray? 

There are people who do not believe in the power of praying and consequently they do not pray during their entire existence. One day a difficult situation comes, such as a terminal illness or a financial problem, which slaughters their pride and leads them to meditate about God. 

A friend, who used to work as a volunteer in the city hospital during his spare time, has told us how some wealthy people behave when they are admitted in hospital and told about the seriousness of their illness. 

Aware of the circunstances, our friend suggested the sick patient to consult with a priest in private - who knows? – It might help if they get it out of their chest. However the first response was, invariably, the discouraging: "I do not believe in religion nor in any priest!" 

However day after day, every insidious disease shows the signs of its toughness and determination. The family starts to surround the patient, the relatives come from everywhere and of course the result is that the patient ends up sending the following message: " I do not mind if the priest comes," meaning, when science is helpless and money can do no more, we can only resort to religion as our last attempt of comfort and better days. 

When the same happens with simpler people, the things are different.  The scarcity of resources and the simplicity of their lives make these people to consider the prayer as an important element, and perhaps the only resource in the face of vicissitudes. 

Families living on the city suburbs are an example. These people, often, pray with seriousness and joy. Yes, with pleasure, joy, interest and understanding. The sincere prayer transforms our state of soul, and when done with enthusiasm,it brings an indefinite peace, settling up, for a few moments, a new life in our mental field. 

Why praying is so comforting?

What deep mystery this communion has, act which was already worshiped by the ancients?

The Spiritist Doctrine treats the topic with respect and affection when defining the prayer as an act of worship to God and at the same time, a conversation with the Creator or His messengers. 

As an act of worship, it pleases the Lord and makes us better. It does not need to follow a specific format or to be a long dissertation. What matters is the content, the attitude of the person who is praying. We all need to be aware that the prayer should be spontaneous, objective and full of good sentiments. 

Just as Jesus taught us, the Spiritism proposes that we should pray in private since it is an invocation and an intimate conversation, it requires the same treatment as when we speak to someone in private. 

Emmanuel teaches us: "The prayer should be cultivated intimaly, as the light that illuminates the dark path or as the indispensable food during a long and difficult journey, because the sincere prayer makes us vigilants and works as the biggest moral resistence factor during our most difficult atonements. "(The Comforter, question 245). 

As we know there are several models of prayer. The Lord's Prayer, the prayer of Caritas, the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, all have a high literary and sentimental values. The key, however, is not what they say but how we say it, how do we feel when saying it, how do we experience it, especially when putting them into practise.