Today’s second reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans reminds us of the importance of prayer and that the Holy Spirit is always present with us to help us in our prayer.
 
            Why do we need to pray? We need to pray because, as St. Paul reminds us, we are weak. This is not something that we generally want to admit, but even St. Paul recognizes that he is weak. “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness.” Paul was an extraordinarily strong and dynamic preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite the sufferings and hardship that he endured, he spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through all of Asia Minor and then into Europe. Yet, Paul says that the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness. Paul admits his own weakness. He admits that he needed the strength of God to do what God wanted him to do. So, Paul was a person of prayer; a person who regularly sought the strength and guidance of God to help him do what God wanted him to do. All of us must admit that we are weak. We need the strength and guidance of God to help us do what God wants us to do. Therefore, we must pray regularly.
 
            How does the Spirit of God help us in our prayer? Sometimes we are uncertain as to what we want from God. Sometimes we are very certain what we want from God. Other times we are simply tired and weary from life. When we are uncertain as to what we want from God, uncertain as to the help we need from God, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand what our need is and to present that need to God, our Father. When we are certain of what we need, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand and accept that God’s wisdom is greater than our own so God may have different plans for us, or for the persons for whom we are praying, than what we want done. The Holy Spirit helps us conform our hearts to the will of God. Finally, the Holy Spirit is simply a source of strength and grace for us when we are tired, overwhelmed, and unable to express all that is within our heart. The Holy Spirit compensates for our weakness!
 
            Pray today and every day. Be confident that the Spirit is with you in your prayer.