Petition Prayers

[jcunningham352]

Hi,
My sister and I were talking about this tonight: How do petition prayers work? We were trying to figure this out since God’s will is already set and He is pouring out all of the necessary graces on us to handle situations, how do our prayers help the situation? For instance if we pray for someone who we will never come in contact with (the victims of a natural disaster), how do our prayers help them since God’s will is already set (as stated above)? Thank you for the help!

 

[crystal_waters]

I cant help you with that im afraid, but do you know if you pray for the souls in purgatory, they will pray to god for your petition,

Click on the links in my signature and read testimonies of those who had prayers answered by praying for the souls in purgatory

 

[Glacies]

Hi,
My sister and I were talking about this tonight: How do petition prayers work? We were trying to figure this out since God’s will is already set and He is pouring out all of the necessary graces on us to handle situations, how do our prayers help the situation? For instance if we pray for someone who we will never come in contact with (the victims of a natural disaster), how do our prayers help them since God’s will is already set (as stated above)? Thank you for the help!

Summa Theologica, the Catholic Encyclopedia, and The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma explain that our prayers are meant to consolidate the Divine Providence rather than to alter it. Our prayers are a foreseen part of the Divine Providence and a secondary cause of their effects. Praying helps us as an exercise of good will, by acquiring merit and it brings us closer to God.

Summa Theologica on fittingness of prayer (S. th. II-II:83:2):

In order to throw light on this question we must consider that Divine providence disposes not only what effects shall take place, but also from what causes and in what order these effects shall proceed. Now among other causes human acts are the causes of certain effects. Wherefore it must be that men do certain actions. not that thereby they may change the Divine disposition, but that by those actions they may achieve certain effects according to the order of the Divine disposition: and the same is to be said of natural causes. And so is it with regard to prayer. For we pray not that we may change the Divine disposition, but that we may impetrate that which God has disposed to be fulfilled by our prayers in other words “that by asking, men may deserve to receive what Almighty God from eternity has disposed to give,” as Gregory says (Dial. i, 8)

Objection 2. Further, by prayer we bend the mind of the person to whom we pray, so that he may do what is asked of him. But God’s mind is unchangeable and inflexible, according to 1 Samuel 15:29, “But the Triumpher in Israel will not spare, and will not be moved to repentance.” Therefore it is not fitting that we should pray to God.

Reply to Objection 2. As stated above, our motive in praying is, not Divine disposition, we may change the Divine disposition, but that, by our prayers, we may obtain what God has appointed.

The Catholic Encyclopedia on effects of prayer:

In hearing our prayer God does not change His will or action in our regard, but simply puts into effect what He had eternally decreed in view of our prayer. This He may do directly without the intervention of any secondary cause as when He imparts to us some supernatural gift, such as actual grace, or indirectly, when He bestows some natural gift. In this latter case He directs by His Providence the natural causes which contribute to the effect desired, whether they be moral or free agents, such as men; or some moral and others not, but physical and not free; or, again, when none of them is free. Finally, by miraculous intervention, and without employing any of these causes, He can produce the effect prayed for.

The use or habit of prayer redounds to our advantage in many ways. Besides obtaining the gifts and graces we need, the very process elevates our mind and heart to a knowledge and love of Divine things, greater confidence in God, and other precious sentiments. Indeed, so numerous and so helpful are these effects of prayer that they compensate us, even when the special object of our prayer is not granted. Often they are of far greater benefit than what we ask for. Nothing that we might obtain in answer to our prayer could exceed in value the familiar converse with God in which prayer consists. In addition to these effects of prayer, we may (de congruo) merit by it restoration to grace, if we are in sin; new inspirations of grace, increase of sanctifying grace, and satisfy for the temporal punishment due to sin. Signal as all these benefits are, they are only incidental to the proper effect of prayer due to its impetratory power based on the infallible promise of God, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7); “Therefore I say unto you, all things whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive” (Mark 11:24 — see also Luke 11:11; John 16:24, as well as innumerable assurances to this effect in the Old Testament).

The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Ludvig Ott on the attributes of the Divine Providence:

By reason of God’s absolute unchangeability, the Eternal Plan of Providence is immutable. But this does not make prayer of petition purposeless, nor does it interfere with the Eternal Plan of Divine Providence. On the contrary, prayer is from all eternity, foreseen and included as “causa secunda” (secondary cause), in the Divine Providence.