Friendship and Prayer

In creating souls God established no difference among them. May this equality of rights among them serve as the principle of friendship, which is nothing other than unity in tendencies and in sentiments. True friendship exists only among virtuous men, who gather under the protection of the Almighty, to encourage one another reciprocally in the fulfillment of their duties. Every truly Christian heart possesses the sentiment of friendship. On the contrary, this virtue finds in the selfishness of vicious souls the obstacle which, like the seed fallen upon the barren rock, renders it unfruitful for good. Surround your soul with the protective wall of a prayer full of faith, so that the enemy, whether internal or external, cannot penetrate it.

Prayer raises the spirit of man toward God, freeing him from all earthly anxieties, transporting him to a state of tranquility, of peace, which the world could not offer him. The more confident and fervent the prayer is, the better it will be heard and the more pleasing to God. When the soul of man, wholly imbued with holy zeal, rises toward heaven in intimate and ardent prayer, the inner enemies, that is, the passions of man, and the outer enemies, that is, the vices of the world, are powerless to force the walls that protect it. Men, pray to God with all confidence, from the depths of the heart, with faith and truth! [Anonymous.]