Fr Ronald Tangen Talk on Prayer

The speaker is giving a talk on prayer and mentions that they are a Roman Catholic priest because of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They discuss how Christians can ask Saints to pray for them, just as Saint Paul asked his community to pray for him. They emphasize the power of prayer and how the prayer of a just man avails much. The speaker also references the story of Job as an example of the faith of a just man. So the reason that I am here this evening giving this talk is because of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I was on the road to eternal damnation, to destruction. Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, she brought me to Jesus Christ, her Son. And I would not be here this evening as a Roman Catholic priest unless it was for the Mother of God. I would not be loving her Son as I do now. And so that is why this evening the talk is being dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yes, it is a talk on prayer that we're going to be discussing. And as the good Archbishop Sheen used to say, we will ask our lovely lady dressed in blue to teach us how to pray. You will note in my talk this evening on prayer that I will continually over and over again mention the lives of the Saints. Why is this? We know that in Scripture Saint Paul said, Brethren, pray for us. And the Prophet Baruch said, And pray ye for us to the Lord our God. Saint Paul asked his Christian community to pray for him. Just as this evening I could ask you to pray for me, and vice versa, you could ask me to pray for you. We know that as Christians we never die, that we will live forever. And so we can ask those who have gone before us to pray for us also, those who are in Heaven. If this evening someone would, on the way home, die in a car accident and go to Heaven, we could still ask that person to pray for us. Because we never die as Christians, we live forever. There is only one time in Scripture that Jesus Christ used the word death, and that was when he raised Lazarus from the dead. Remember what his Apostle said. He said that he was going to raise Lazarus because he sleeps. And his Apostle said, Well, Lord, let him rest, he's a sick man. And only then did Jesus say, No, Lazarus is dead, to emphasize the point. But as I've said, as Christians we will live forever. And so we can ask the Saints who have gone before us to pray for us also, just as Saint Paul asked his Christian community to pray for him. That is the communion of Saints. And because we know that the prayer of a just man avails much. I did not say necessarily the sinner, but especially the prayer of the good man or the just man. For in Scripture we read, Pray for one another, says Saint James, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. And remember the good servant, Job, in the Old Testament. Here this poor man was, sitting on a dung heap, boils all over his body. He had lost his property and lost his children. The devil was tempting him. He was suffering much. And three men went to console Job. And what did the Holy Spirit say to these three men? Go to my servant Job, and my servant Job shall pray for you. His faith I will accept. Didn't talk about the other three men, but the servant Job's prayers would be answered, because the Lord would accept the faith of Job, because he was a good and just man. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. And our Saints pray for one another, because the Lord will accept the faith of Job, because he was a good and just man. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. Because again, James says, Saint James, pray for one another, that you may be saved, for the continual prayer of the just man avails much. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .