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Anonymous Phil wrote:

Hi, guys —

According to Saint Alphonsus Liguori, one of the conditions for a prayer to be answered is that one must remove all obstacles that would make that prayer unworthy.

i.e., if your prayer is to cease a certain sin, but you fail to avoid the occasion of that sin, you deem yourself unworthy of being answered.

  • But what if my prayer is the will and grace to cease or cut out the occasion of sin, preventing my prayers from being answered while still actively participating in that occasion of sin?
  • Will my prayer still be answered?
  • If the answer is no, then how does one proceed?
  • In summary, how do I obtain the grace and will to cut out a certain occasion of sin from my life if my prayers will not be answered because of a failure to cut out that occasion of sin?

Phil

  { How do I obtain the grace to cut out a certain sin in my life if my prayers won't be answered because I fail to cut out that sin? }

Bob replied:

Phil,

You are absolutely right; you should ask for the grace to overcome the first steps in this process; it's like peeling an onion.  You take one layer off at a time.  

For example, with sins of the flesh, if you were practicing a sinful behavior, you must stop the behavior, then you can get to the next step, which is an even deeper interior conversion that eliminates even the desire for that sin.  

It is comparable to an alcoholic: he must get sober to work on his recovery.  The 12 steps lead one on the path to not just a sober but integrated life.  Seldom is there an alcoholic who walks in and says I'm all good now; I don't have any more problems with alcohol, even after tests of sobriety.  

So, persistence is the key.  Persistent prayer, over perhaps years, coupled with the discipline to avoid setbacks, is the path to holiness.  St Alphonse's guide is a shortcut or condensed version of what we strive for, but God often allows this process to unfold very slowly because he has some greater purpose for it.  So God may only be saying "not yet" rather than "no".

Peace,

Bob Kirby
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