Letter of Cardinal Leonardo Sandri

The Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches - Vatican

Introduction

Prayer has a great importance in our Lord Jesus Christ’s life, as the Holy Bible tells us that Jesus used to spend a long time praying to His Heavenly Father, especially before taking a decision or before performing miracles. So, as Christians, we must follow our Lord and Master’s steps by devoting special times for prayer in order to feed our faith, and to strengthen our relationship with God our Father, also before taking any decision.

Therefore, based on all that, I printed the “Pray Like This” book in Arabic language, and distributed it to the believers since January 6, 2002. Then, on June 29, 2016, I added several prayers of His Holiness Pope Francis “our humble Pope, the Pope of the poor and the marginalized” at its sixth edition, and He blessed the book’s latest edition.

My only goal by reprinting this book is to help believers in expressing their faith, to reunite with God through praying, to glorify the Holy Trinity, to honor our Virgin Mother and the saints, and as well as to pray for the church, family and home.

According to the high demand by some honorable Bishops, the priests, the consecrated, and the lay people, and as I believe in the necessity of providing this book to everyone, I translated it to English language to make it helpful to those who speak it, especially for our beloved youth all around the world, and to get them close to God by nurturing their spiritual lives.

I would like to thank and appreciate all who helped me issuing this book.

We offer our work for God’s greatest glory and for the Holy church’s benefit.

Please remember in your prayers:

The late Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly Chaldean Patriarch.

My late father Faraj Hermiz Kareem

My late mother Hania Ziya Kareem

My late brother Emmanuel Faraj Kareem

My late sister Kareema Faraj Kareem

My late father-in-law Elias Toma Faranso and his late wife Marieam Hanna Shayota

Akram Faraj Hermiz Kareem

Jordan, August 15, 2020

The Assumption of our Lady Feast

What is Prayer?

The prayer above all is a hunger and thirst for God’s love. It is a special relationship to God the Father and being His children. It is as a child’s rest of the Son in the Father’s embrace, away from the hustle and bustle of the world, to listen to him, to know His will, to receive a message, and to talk to Him with confidence.

Prayer is an act of thankfulness God for all the blessings granted to us.

Prayer is like two pieces of wax that fuse together and nothing distinguishes them. When we pray, we build a unique relationship with God that would guide us to be united in Him.

Prayer is a life necessity; it is to refresh our soul and keep it alive.

“Prayer has been the saving of my life. Without it I should have been a lunatic long ago.” says Mahatma Gandhi, “Let everyone try and find that, as a result of daily prayer, he adds something new to his life, something with which nothing can be compared.” (YI, 24-4-1931, p274)

It was also said that it is the man’s power and God’s weakness. Prayer is the only power that God bends before.

A prayer is an act of love and an act of faith in that which our heart can only settle in. It's the way to meet the Lord.

Nothing can be done without prayer. St. John Vianney, who is known as Cures (priest) of Ars (1786-1859), who used to spend his nights in prayer, says about prayer: “Prayer is to our soul what rain is to the soil. Fertilize the soil ever so richly, it will remain barren unless fed by frequent rains.”

It means that all our actions take their strength from prayer. Every action should be accompanied by prayer. We need to pray at the beginning of our day, before starting any work, before making an important decision, and when we conclude our day.

Our lives are a reflection of our prayers. We live what we pray, or rather we act on the based on our prayers.

There is a story about how God sent two angels to earth to listen to the prayers of humanity (Two Baskets of Prayers, 2016). One angel was asked to collect all the prayers in which people asked God for something. The other angel was asked to collect all the prayers of thanksgiving.

The two angels descended on earth and began their task. They agreed to meet in a month with their findings. The angel collecting prayers asking God for something soon became extremely busy. The angel filled the basket with prayers that people had for worldly objects such as a bigger house, new car, latest computer, jewellery, expensive clothing and new toys for their children. Some people prayed to God for a husband or wife, for children or for better relationships.

In the meantime, the other angel travelled far and wide looking to fill the basket with prayers of thankfulness. One day passed, then two days and then the third, but no prayers of gratitude were heard. All that this angel heard were prayers asking for things. Wondering whether s/he was missing something, this angel contacted the other angel to ask whether his/her basket of prayers was getting filled, “Oh yes! I have not only filled one basket but many more,” said the angel. “But I too have not heard any prayers of thankfulness,” s/he added.

For the rest of the month, the two angels fulfilled their mission and were ready to return to God. The angel collecting prayers of the request was laden with many baskets. The angel collecting prayers of thankfulness hardly had any in the basket. There were a few prayers of thankfulness, but a tiny amount compared to the prayers of requests.

When God was presented with these findings, he sighed.

“This is nothing new,” said God. “You now have a taste of what it is like being God. People are always praying for something from Me, which is all right because at least they are thinking of Me. But few ever thank Me.”

Let us all make prayer as our daily bread. Let us make the prayer our strongest weapon in the battle of life. May our prayers be life, and our lives be a prayer.