Pray with Perseverance
Continue to pray with … perseverance, often and as well as you possibly can. Do not worry if you fail to find any consolation … Persevere and act with confidence! You will receive the fruits without being conscious of them. (OCL, IV, 1062, p. 352).
For St. Vincent Pallotti, another important element of prayer is perseverance. Prayer offered in faith and trust and in the name of Jesus, must be a continuous reality in the life of a person. Persevering in prayer becomes more difficult when a person does not receive the favor for which he is praying. But according to St. Vincent, perseverance in prayer is very vital, as it is capable of moving the heart of God. He based this conviction on the parable of Jesus that dealt with the unjust judge and the woman asking him to vindicate her against her adversary. Though the judge neither feared God nor valued the friendship of men, he took time to do for her what she asked of him because of her persistence in her request. Her perseverance in asking moved the heart of the unjust judge. If the persistent request of this woman moved the heart of the unjust judge and made him comply with her request, God, who loved his elect, would also grant them their request when they persevere in their prayer to him. St. Vincent was deeply convinced of this truth. Therefore, he wished that his followers must never falter in persevering in prayer. He wanted them to persevere and act with great confidence in God without being anxious about receiving the favor for which they are asking. In doing so, they will receive the fruits of their prayer without even being conscious of them.
Do I persevere in my prayer to God? Am I tempted to give up prayer when I do not receive the favor for which I am asking? Do I believe that God who loves me would never let me down? Do I continue to place my needs before God, without being anxious about receiving them?
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, [and] persevere in prayer. (Rom. 12: 12)