A direct consequence of faith is prayer, but, at the same time, prayer lends greater "steadfastness to faith itself." The two are perfectly united. Therefore, everything we ask for should help us to be better; otherwise, "we would not become more pious, but more greedy and ambitious ". When we ask for a new house, for help in exams or in a competitive examination, we should examine whether it will help us to better fulfill the will of God. We can ask for material goods, for our health or that of someone we see suffering, to get out of a bad situation..., but if we live by faith, if we have unity of life, we will understand well that when we ask for and insist on material means or human goods, what we want, in the first place, are not those things in themselves, but God himself. The Lord is always the ultimate goal of our petitions, even when we ask for goods from here below, which we would never want if they took us away from him.
Prayer for the needs of the soul, both our own and those of our relatives, friends and acquaintances, is especially pleasing to God. How much we should pray for those we deal with every day, so that they may be close to the Lord. How much we should pray for our relatives, for our friends...!
Let us not fail to pray during this month of October, using the Holy Rosary as an ever effective prayer to obtain, through Our Lady, all that we and those who in some way depend on us need.