“A person’s prayer often keeps step with his moral life. The closer our behavior corresponds to the Divine Will, the easier it is to pray; the more our conduct is out of joint with Divinity, the harder it is to pray.”

-Fulton J. Sheen

For Reflection:

On a scale of one to ten, with one being “easy” and ten being “most difficult,” how would I rate my experience of prayer? In light of Bishop Sheen’s quote, is a serious examination of conscience in order? (Please note the word “often” in Bishop Sheen’s quote. Other reasons exist for difficulty in prayer such as distraction or aridity. However, it is always good to examine our conscience as a first prevention against difficulty in prayer time.)

Page 12 But this brave protestation, notes Catholic apologist and philosopher Peter Kreeft, "verges on culpable dishonesty, the sin against the Holy Spirit, and requires something more like exorcism than refutation....Even John Stuart Mill, one of the shallowest minds in the history of human thought, said that it was better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied."