The Theology of Prayer

What is prayer? What part of us prays? What is the cause of prayer and what is the effect of prayer? Is prayer necessary? Who can pray? Pray to whom? Pray for what? (Spiritual benefits? temporal benefits?) How should we pray? On what conditions will our prayer be heard? Petition or worship? The prayer of Christ, the prayer of the Church, the prayer of the saints, the prayer of the Holy Souls, the prayer of individuals; vocal prayer and mental prayer: how do they differ and how do they relate? What are the degrees of prayer? How does prayer sanctify? The foremost American theologian of the twentieth century gives the Catholic answers to all these questions and more in this invaluable work.