St. Thomas Aquinas says: “Praise be to Jesus.”

“I invite you to contemplate this for a moment. A skillful chef uses only the best ingredients for his dishes. A skillful carpenter chooses the best wood and uses the best tools when he creates a piece of furniture. When a soul prays or sacrifices, he is, in fact, creating a gift to give to Jesus or to Jesus through Mary. Like the skillful artisans in the world, he should choose the best implements and finest materials.”

“In prayer and sacrifice, the ingredient most important–the tool which lends most power and effectiveness–is Holy Love in the heart. Next to this should be Holy Humility, which combined with Holy Love, allows the soul to surrender completely to the Divine Will of the Father. The stronger these two are in the soul during prayer and sacrifice, the more effective the petitions of the heart.”

“In Christ's agony in the Garden, you can plainly see these two–love and humility–at work. Once Jesus resolved to accept His suffering, He never looked back. He allowed Himself to be stripped of everything at the Tenth Station out of love and humility.”

“Consider, now, the crosses in your own life, and pray to increase in love and humility. This way, you will surrender more completely to God's Divine Will, and your prayers and sacrifices will be more worthy.”