26. What about non-believers? ....... ........ ....... 35
23. What is more important: prayer or grace?
The necessity of prayer is bound essentially to the necessity of grace, since, "God has desired that in spiritual combat we might fight rather with prayers than with our own strength."" For Augustine, the need of prayer and the need of grace are bound up together. "God does not command the impossible, but when he commands, he orders you to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot do on your own in order that he help you to do what you cannot accomplish on your own ... [T]he very fact that we believe with the firmest faith that the just and good God could not command the impossible makes us see what we ought to do in easy situations and what we ought to do in difficult ones. As a result, all situations become easy for charity that grace has inspired in our hearts.""
With that in mind, it is clear that we do not fight alone. Further, we do not simply have God on our side: living in a state of grace, we have God within us. "It is said that the Holy Spirit dwells in those persons in virtue of his secret action within their souls, in such a way that they become his temple, which he brings to perfection in those who progress and are persevering in progress ... In those in whom he dwells, the Holy Spirit begins the construction of his own dwelling place, which he finishes, not in this life, but in the one after this, when death will be absorbed by victory, and it will be said: Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, 0 death, is your victory? Where, 0 death, is your sting? (1 Cor. 15:55)."'2
To have the Blessed Trinity within us is an ineffable gift. To have God dwelling within means to have heaven, God's glory, already on this earth, but in an invisible way. This means a certain paradigm shift in the way heaven is frequently understood. Heaven is not what comes after this life. In grace heaven already accompanies us - from the inside. This means that eternity is in the here and now. "Join your heart to the eternity of God, and with him you will be eternal ... Join yourself to the eternity of God, and together with him wait for those things which are beneath you. Because when you heart cleaves to God, all mortal things are beneath you."73
"God gives help so that the command becomes possible,"74 since "he does not abandon us unless we abandon him first. And what is abandonment of God -'death's sting' - if not sin itself?"75
To persevere in grace requires our active cooperation. "It is certain that God has prepared some gifts even for those who do not pray, such as the beginning of faith; but other gifts only for those who pray, such as final perseverance."76 Thus prayer is the means of obtaining grace, but is also the effect of grace.
24. Do we really have to pray for God's grace? Can't we make it on our own?
Augustine's nemesis was Pelagius, an English monk who believed that man was capable of saving himself. To those who thought they could go it alone, without necessary recourse to God's grace, Augustine had the following to say: "The Pelagians think themselves possessors of a great truth when they say that God would not give an order if he knew we could not possibly fulfill it. But who does not know that? Rather, it is precisely because of this that God orders us to do things that we cannot do so that we understand what we should ask for from him. Faith is that which - with prayer - obtains what the law commands."" "They [the Pelagians] attribute much power to the will but at the cost of prayer, of Christian piety."78
Augustine wanted to protect the role of grace in the order of salvation, while at the same time maintaining man's free will. Prayer plays an all-important role in the paradigm of grace/free will/salvation. Only grace can save us, but we need freely to ask for it in order to receive it - hence, our prayer of petition. "God does not command the impossible, but orders you to do what you can, and to ask for what you cannot do, and he helps you to do it all."" Notice how Augustine's theology of grace protects human freedom ("do what you can"), which requires divine assistance ("God helps you to do it all"), but only if we ask God through prayer ("ask for what you cannot do").
Clearly, our weakness expressed in our prayer of petition makes a perfect match for God's strength, manifest in his grace. Thus, St. Augustine can pray, "Give to me what you command of me, and demand of me whatever you want.""
"When the Lord tells us convert to me and I will convert to you, what else is he saying than: `do what I command you'? And when we say to the Lord: `turn to us, Lord, and we will turn to you,' what else are we saying than: `give us what we need to accomplish what you command'?"81; "(for) the law was therefore given, in order that grace might be sought [through prayer]; grace was given, in order that the law might be fulfilled."82
At the end of the day, both prayer and grace are necessary for salvation. Prayer is born of grace yet effects it, too. The grace of prayer brings us still more grace and the strength we need to fulfill the will of God.
"We fight more with our prayer than we do with our efforts, because these efforts, although necessary, are submitted and ordered by him who prays."83 "[Sol fight with prayer to overcome the
25. St. Augustine speaks of obtaining grace for oneself through prayer. Can we obtain grace for others through prayer? Is there a social element to prayer?
Augustine speaks amply about our ability to win grace for others, but also about the Christian duty to do so. He sees this responsibility founded primarily on human relationships:
Friends pray for each other: "Many more thanks still shall be yours, if you not only claim an interest in my prayers, but also do not cease praying for me. For intercession on behalf of a brother is more pleasing to God when offered as an oblation of love."85
Augustine's mother's prayer effected not only his conversion, but his father's as well. "Finally, her own husband, toward the end of his earthly life, was won over for you ... Whoever knew her, glorified, honored and loved you in her, for it was through her witness and the fruit of her holy conversation, that they all perceived your presence in her heart. Indeed, she had been the wife of one man, was faithful to her parents, guided her household in a holy way, was renowned for good works, raised her children after having suffered the travail of each one's birth, and saw them serve you.""
Augustine prayed for all humanity including the Church's persecutors. "We pray for all the human race, for the entire world, for all people ... We do so that they correct themselves and become pure of heart, turning to God and his rectitude, and thus adhere to him.",'
For conversions: every faithful within the Church prays for those who are outside of her. But what does he ask? "Lord, in this time which is under the reign of grace, save sinners, save infidels, save the sterile.""
• For each other's conversion and forgiveness."
For those who do not seem predestined to salvation: "Let us pray for those not yet called, that they may be called. It could happen that they are predestined in the following way: that their salvation is dependent upon our prayer in such a way that through it they receive the grace to choose to be among the elect.""
For those suffering injustices: in this case, Augustine is speaking about three sisters who have been kidnaped. "Pray to God for them, and beg him to enable them to say what holy Azariah said, as we have mentioned, who poured out his prayer and witness before God.""
Pastors and faithful should pray for each other.12