Ask and You Shall Receive

One day Johnny and his grandmother were walking along the beach when a giant wave came ashore and swept Johnny away. Johnny's grandmother fell to her knees and wailed, "O Lord, please return him. Johnny is all that I have left in this world. Please send him back and I'll be sure to go to Mass every day for the rest of my life."

Just then a whale surfaced above the water carrying Johnny. The whale carefully placed Johnny on the beach and then swam away. Johnny's grandmother hugged Johnny and looked up to the sky and said, "You know, he had a hat."

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Why do we complain of not being heard? In the first place, we ought to be astonished by this fact: when we praise God or give him thanks for his benefits in general, we are not particularly concerned whether or not our prayer is acceptable to him. On the other hand, we demand to see the results of our petitions. What is the image of God that motivates our prayer: an instrument to be used? or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? (Catholic Catechism Par. 2735)

Are we concerned that "we do not know how to pray as we ought"? Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him, but he awaits our petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom. We must pray, then, with his Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what he wants. (Catholic Catechism Par. 2736)