What is prayer? You have surely seen a rocket leave the ground in a single thrust and rise swiftly toward the sky. Prayer is something like that: it is to lift ourselves above the small things of earth and rise toward the heights where our soul meets God.
Prayer is an elevation of the soul to God, in order to render Him our homage, present our needs to Him, and ask for His graces. This definition clearly shows why every Christian must pray.
God is a great King, the most powerful of all. Just as crowds gather around earthly kings, we too must, several times a day, come before our Creator, acknowledge that we receive everything from Him, and thank Him for His blessings. But that is not all. By ourselves, we are like poor beggars who stand at the street corner asking for alms. We possess no spiritual goods. As true beggars before God, we must constantly implore His goodness for the graces necessary for our salvation.
Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself commands us to pray: “Ask, and you will receive… You do not receive because you do not ask… One must always pray and never grow weary.”
But you may ask: how should we pray?
Mr. Géraud belonged to the Protestant religion, but he had quickly abandoned all religious practice. He had chosen as his wife a Catholic woman and, at the time of their marriage, had agreed to an explicit condition: that their children would be raised as Catholics and receive the sacraments. Without realizing it, he was thus preparing the way for his own salvation.
Indeed, his young daughter, only nine years old yet enlightened by grace beyond her years, was deeply saddened to see her father remain distant from religious practice. Often, she confided to her dear father how sorrowful she was that he did not share the faith of the family.
He would reply:
“Do not worry, my dear child. I am not far from it. If ever I fall ill, I will become a Catholic.”
Alas, that moment came all too soon for his family. Géraud fell ill. His wife, amidst her very real fears, remembered his repeated words about wanting to die a Catholic, yet did not dare speak to him about it. She chose their daughter as an intermediary, thus calling her to fulfill a true angelic mission.
The child approached her father’s bedside in tears, reminded him of his promise, and added that that very morning, at Mass, she had asked God for his conversion. The father’s heart was moved. An inner struggle arose within him, a turmoil that was already a sign of coming peace. At last he said:
“Leave me for a few moments, my dear child. You will come back later.”
That afternoon, when the child returned to his room, he called her and said:
“My daughter, I reproach myself for having poorly rewarded your courage when, this morning, you spoke to me with such sincerity. Well then, I will announce it myself to your mother: my decision is now firmly made – I wish to die a Catholic.”
That evening, several former magistrates and men of letters, who usually formed Géraud’s circle, gathered at his home. He himself announced his decision to them and explained his reasons with the fervor that marked his character.
He had studied religion all his life, and conviction – the fruit of his reflections and research – had long been present in his soul, awaiting the hour of grace. He declared that he renounced Protestantism with full knowledge, without fear of what others might say or think. He affirmed his certainty that the truth is found in the Catholic faith – and there alone.
It was into the hands of a country priest that Mr. Edmond Géraud made, on May 14, his abjuration and profession of faith. He pronounced the words with such conviction and piety that they strengthened the faith of those present and brought tears to their eyes. The newly converted man, who also wept – but with joy – declared that he believed, without any reservation, all the articles of the Catholic faith and submitted himself entirely to the commandments of God and of the Church.
As his illness rapidly worsened, Géraud died on May 21, 1831, in the deepest spirit of piety, surrounded by his daughter, whose prayers and innocence had undoubtedly helped him enter Heaven.