I pray, how long has this been going on?

Whether I pray the "divine office" or whether others have called it this along the way, prayers have been going on since creation began. I went to Ireland last year and I thought I would find priests like Barry Fitzgerald on every corner. I was amazed to find that in the whole of Ireland, last year, only one new priest was installed. Do people pray less, need fewer people to hear what they are not saying, or what? To understand prayer, one needs to start with the prayer warriors of the past and then decide if it is worth the doing or just a crock of heritage that can be discarded along with the other religious traditions that no longer serve the present generation. Each of us must make that journey for herself.

VERSICLE: "I will not hesitate to remind you of these things again and again, although you already know them. I think it right to keep refreshing your memory." St. Peter
VENITE: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence." Psalm 139
COLLECT: (Formal prayer) As we look at the saints of prayer, Lord, let us resolve to follow in their footsteps, even if our knees never become blistered and our throat never becomes raw. Help us to find peace and purpose in the listening. Help us to find joy in the telling. Keep us at the task and responsibility. Help us to know that it is our time; we have come to thy Kingdom at this time. Amen.
CANTICLE: (Hymn of Praise) "Whisper a Prayer"
Come, linger here with the Master, Come with your burden and care.
Come with your sins and temptations, Whisper, o whisper a prayer.
Whisper a prayer, whisper a prayer, Bring him your burden, bring him your care;
Wait calmly here, Jesus is near, Whisper a prayer, whisper a prayer.

READING OF THE MESSAGE: "The Revival in True Prayer"
Text: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Psalm 66:18
Introduction:
Prayer is essential. Jesus prayed. What a contrast we present today!
Can a person receive the supernatural, you ask?
Elijah held the key for 3 years, 6 months. Paul and Silas shook the prison.
Churches select the wrong solution of their difficulties.
Foundations for prayer:
James says that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. What constitutes an effectual prayer? Our hearts must be clean. David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."
The spirit is sensitive. Once the lights went out in Boston. Faithful found that a nail had divided the current. A man in New York was paralyzed by pressure on one single nerve. Our power may be destroyed by prejudice. Maybe a sin of unforgiveness. We must forsake our sins and make restitution where possible. May have wronged somebody's good name; may have injured someone in substance.
We must labor as we pray:
Joshua did both at the Jordan.
As we pray for a sinner, we must work for his salvation.
Our work and prayer must be consistent.
We must be persistent, and submissive. We must be willing to follow Christ all the way and say, "Not my will but thine be done."