7 Reasons (You Will Almost Never Hear from a Novus Ordo Priest) Why Your Prayers Are Not Being Answered

This week we celebrated the feast day of Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Anne is a good example of persevering prayer. She prayed for a child for a long time, but was not heard. She, however, did not complain against God but continued in her prayers with undiminished confidence until she at last received what she was asking for. But, Saint Anne was holy. We know this from what is written about her in Sacred Tradition and by the fact the she is a canonized saint. What about us? Is undiminished confidence the only virtue we need to receive what we are asking for? Maybe there is more that we need. 

God has many reasons for not always hearing and answering our prayers immediately. Oftentimes, however, we only focus on superficial reasons for this. One example is a lack of faith; not that a lack of faith is superficial, but our response to this lack can be superficial if, without dealing with our sinful actions, all of efforts are focused on attempting to muster up more faith (God, I really believe that you can do this…) so that our prayers will be heard. Instead, we can use the following seven reasons for why our prayers might not be heard immediately as an examination of conscience. All of them point to a lack of faith and can help us to change our behavior in a deep and meaningful way so that our faith will grow and our prayers will become efficacious.

Unfortunately, I have never heard a Novus Ordo Catholic priest list them (especially #'s 1, 2 and 4) as a possible cause. Typically, they are too focused on a disordered understanding of God’s mercy that does not include His justice. I have never heard them use the word punishment at all as if our actions to do not have consequences and God does not punish. How unfortunate!

TLM (Traditional Latin Mass priests, for example, FSSP, ICRSS, Institute of the Good Shepherd, etc.), because of an ordered and synergistic  understanding of God's Mercy and Justice, are typically faithful to the traditional understanding of sin and its consequences and that God does indeed punish.

When I read these seven reasons today in a Traditional Latin Mass publication (Benedictus) I knew in my heart that they were true and that I need to make some serious changes in my life. What a grace! I hope they help you too. I am so thankful for the pockets of the fullness of Truth that we still have access to. Someday we might not be so fortunate. 

Here are the 7 possible reasons for why our prayers are not being heard:

1. Not in the State of Grace 

We sometimes pray when we are not in the State of Grace; or we live in sin without repentance or without the intention of bettering our moral life. In such cases our prayers cannot be acceptable to God. 

2. Lack of Devotion and Reverence

We also sometimes pray without devotion and reverence. And can such a prayer have power?

3. What we are praying for might be bad for us.

At another time, we pray only for things which God knows to be hurtful for us, although we imagine that they are for our good. In such cases, God bestows a grace upon us by not hearing us. 

4. As a punishment for our iniquities.

Often also the Almighty does not hear us, in punishment of our iniquities. We have so often offended Him, and have forfeited His grace, that we cannot reasonably expect that He should grant our request immediately. We have so frequently been deaf when God called to us; how can we ask that He should directly hear us? “What right have we,” asks Saint Salvianus, “to complain, when God does not hear us, or, so to speak, despises our prayers when we have so often not listened to Him, and so frequently despised His laws? What is more just than that He should not listen to us, because we heard not Him, and that He should despise our prayers, as we did His laws?”

5. In order that we may pray more fervently

Further, God does not always hear us immediately, in order that we may pray more fervently and esteem so much more highly the favors He bestows. 

6. To try our patience and our trust in His mercy.

He does it to try our patience and our trust in His mercy, or that we may be more deserving of His grace by continual prayers

7. To give us something better than what we asked for. 

Finally, besides other reasons, He may do it to give us something better than we asked for. 

When all this is rightly considered, tell me, can  you justly complain when the Almighty hears not your prayers immediately? Continue in them. Perform them in the right spirit, and you will experience the truth of the words of Saint Bernard: “God either gives us what we ask, or something else which is more useful to us.”

(Most of this is written by Father Francis Xavier Weninger (d. 1888))