This photograph shows the morning sunlight on the Hill of Slane in County Meath, Ireland. This 518-foot elevation is famous because St. Patrick, in the year 433, lit the Easter fire here, in spite of the king's law that no one should have a fire until he lit his own on the Hill of Tara, 9.9 miles away. This courageous act of St. Patrick, in keeping with the liturgy of the Church, was the beginning of his inflaming the fire of faith in the hearts of the Irish. The king sent men to see who had broken the law, and St. Patrick explained his mission. The king was so impressed that he allowed St. Patrick to continue his missionary work among the people of Ireland.

Courageous prayer, filled with faith, can light the flame of fervor in our hearts and those of others. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini wrote:

"Whatever you ask you shall receive, for by prayer born of faith you can obtain everything....How prayer enlivens faith and does everything! Prayer and Faith united are powerful beyond thought...He who prays with faith has fervor, and fervor is the fire of prayer. This mysterious fire has the power of consuming all our faults and imperfections, and of giving to our actions, vitality, beauty and merit. The fervor produced by a lively faith...lightens all our sufferings and troubles, and purifies all that is faulty and earthly, and gives everything its proper virtue, value and splendor."

(Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland. The monks from here illuminated the renowned "Book of Kells".)

"We ought always to pray..." (Luke 18:1)