CCC 2559

"Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."² St. John Damascene, Defide orth. 3, 24: PG 94,1089PG — Patrologia Graeca (Migne)C. But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart?³ Ps 130:1. He who humbles himself will be exalted;⁴ Cf. Lk 18:9-14. humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought,"⁵ Rom 8:26. are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."⁶ St. Augustine, Sermo 56, 6, 9: PL 38, 381PL — Patrologia Latina (Migne).