7 November Optional Memorial in the Provinces of Spain

In his providence God has disposed that our evils should not be remedied and that his graces should not be granted to us except through prayer, and that through the prayer of some others should be saved (cf. Jas 5:16 ff). If the heavens dripped from on high and the clouds made the righteous rain, if the earth opened and the Savior sprang forth (cf. Is 45:8), God willed that the cries and supplications of the holy Fathers and especially of that singular Virgin who persuaded the heavens by the fragrance of her virtues and drew the uncreated Word into her bosom should precede his coming. The Redeemer came and through continuous prayer reconciled the world to his Father. For the prayer of Jesus Christ and the fruits of his redemption to be applied to some nation or people, for there to be those who enlighten them with the preaching of the Gospel and administer the sacraments to them, it is indispensable that there be someone or many who by groanings and supplications, by prayers and sacrifices have won over that people and reconciled them with God.

To this, among other ends, aim the sacrifices we offer on our altars. The holy host that we present on them daily to the Father, accompanied by our supplications, has not only the purpose of renewing the memory of the life, passion and death of Jesus Christ, but also of obliging through it the God of goodness so that he may deign to apply the redemption of his Son to the nation, province, city, village, or to that or those people for whom holy Mass is celebrated. It is precisely in it that the redemption, that is, the conversion of the nations, is dealt with the Father. Before the redemption was applied to the world or, which is the same, before the banner of the Cross was raised among the nations, the Father arranged for his Only Begotten, made flesh, to deal with it by means of “continual supplications, with loud cries and with tears” (Heb. 5:7), by anguish of death and by the shedding of all his blood, especially on the altar of the Cross, which he raises on the summit of Calvary.

In order to grant his grace even to those who neither ask for it nor can ask for it, or do not want it, God arranged and commanded, “Pray for one another, that you may be saved” (Jas. 5:16 ff). If God granted the grace of conversion to St. Augustine, it is due to the tears of St. Monica; and the Church would not have St. Paul, says a holy Father, if it were not for the prayer of St. Stephen. And it is worthy of mention here that the Apostles, sent out to preach and teach all nations, recognize that the fruit of their preaching was rather the effect of prayer than of their words, when in electing the seven deacons to be in charge of the external works of charity they say, “We will devote ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Note well: they say that they will devote themselves first to prayer and only later to the ministry of the word, because they undoubtedly never went to convert a people before they obtained their conversion in prayer.

Jesus Christ spent his whole life in prayer and preached only three years.

Just as God does not dispense his graces to men except through prayer, because he wants us to acknowledge him as the source from which all good comes, neither does he want to save us from dangers nor heal sores nor console us in afflictions except through prayer itself.

To read more on the life of Blessed Francesco Palau, OCD ...