Praedicare: Catholic Homily Podcast · Fr. Matt Nagle

(Seemingly) Unanswered Prayers?

July 27, 2025·11 min·1 clip

Why does God require persistent prayer if He already knows our needs?

The episode opens by establishing prayer as essential to Christianity, likening it to oxygen for the soul. Fr. Nagle focuses on intercessory prayer, where believers ask God for blessings, as highlighted in the day's Gospel readings. He notes that Jesus emphasizes persistence and confidence in prayer, which can be challenging in a skeptical modern context. To address why persistence is needed, Fr. Nagle explains that God wills human participation in salvation, with some graces contingent on asking. He uses the analogy of college scholarships: some require application, while others, like those for elite athletes, come unsolicited. This illustrates how God sometimes gives blessings only if petitioned. The episode then tackles the objection of unanswered prayers, clarifying that Jesus does not present prayer as a blank check. Fr. Nagle cites St. Augustine's view that unanswered prayers result from asking for bad things or asking badly. He gives a hypothetical example of a promotion that seems good but might harm family life. The discussion deepens with the harder case of praying for a sick person who dies, drawing from Fr. Nagle's memory of a family friend with cancer who passed away despite widespread prayers. To resolve this, the episode turns to Jesus's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he asked to avoid crucifixion but submitted to God's will. Fr. Nagle explains that this shows God can bring good out of evil, as the cross led to atonement and adoption as God's children. He concludes that unanswered prayers may involve the cross, which is not vindictive but a loving path to heaven, encouraging listeners to pray persistently and confidently while accepting suffering.

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