Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/2079

2079 Prayer bridge over the gulf to God....

September 19, 1941: Book 30

The distance from God means an insurmountable gulf for the human being if he does not utilize the grace of prayer, for he will never come close to God.... Prayer first testifies to the human being's will to approach God and it increases the supply of strength which the human being needs in order to be able to carry out his will. But a person who never seeks contact with God in prayer will never be able to receive grace and will therefore be powerless. Prayer is the bridge that leads across the gulf to God. Those who do not believe they need this bridge will find no other way across.... God's infinite love has given man this possibility; the gulf is therefore no longer insurmountable for those who make use of this bridge, who therefore seek a path to God and walk on it.... And it should be used, without interruption, because it leads directly to God. Man can speak to God, Who is beyond this gulf, and he will be heard by Him.... God will not let any supplicant go back unheard who has taken the trouble to ask God Himself for His support.... Prayer is only the expression of the will turned towards God, for anyone who still resists God does not take refuge in Him in prayer, for he does not recognize any power over himself. This is why it is justified to worry about such people that they will never find God if they are unable to pray sincerely.... They burn all bridges behind them as soon as they feel too exalted to send up a silent prayer. No help can be offered to them in any way; neither grace, nor truth, nor strength can be imparted to them, for prayer is the first thing needed for everything.... Grace cannot be given to a person unasked and therefore no imparting of strength can take place.... But truth can just as little be offered to him, because truth is again God Himself, but God is not recognized as the giver of truth.... because a giving being is asked for the bestowal of His gifts. Therefore, prayer can never ever be switched off, and it is the most precious gift of grace that God has made available to every person.... Every human being can make use of prayer, but God must be recognized and union with Him must be striven for, then the gulf is overcome, it is made passable and the human being is granted access to God as soon as he prays sincerely....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers