There's a prayer and a patron saint for almost everything. But somehow, that doesn't seem to make praying any easier. Neither do the countless resources -- both classic and contemporary -- that offer Catholics instruction for how to pray. Sometimes, I think it's because the sheer number of options make it more difficult to get started. Adoration, the rosary, Ignatian imaginative prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, this or that chaplet, this or that novena, lectio divina: looking for the right way to pray can feel a lot like looking for the right size screw at Home Depot. Even when you know the aisle and the bin, you may not come out with what you went in there for.

It's easy to get lost in the church's treasure house of spiritual goods. The truth is we have accumulated a ridiculous amount of wisdom and wealth over the past 2,000 years. So much, in fact, that it's difficult to avoid being overwhelmed -- even discouraged -- about where to begin, even when we know what we're looking for. But no matter what method we use, or what form of prayer seems to work best for us, the shortest and most sincere prayer can be reduced to a single word: Help.

That's probably why so much of the Divine Office begins with the words, "God, come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me." It's also why the Blessed Virgin Mary is known by several titles that include the word "help." We call on the Mother of God under the titles of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Good Help.

I love how our faith is both profoundly universal and deeply local. In the Gulf South, we rely on the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor -- a title that sounds even more charming when said with a southern accent. During hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 until Nov. 30, every parish adds an OLPS prayer to the intercessions at Mass. It's offered with growing fervor after we cross the threshold into the most active time of the year for significant storms.

While the words "prompt succor" don't exactly roll off my tongue naturally, I appreciate that the assistance the Blessed Mother gives us isn't just good, but fast. Sometimes it needs to be. It's reassuring to know that when the storms of life are tracking for a direct hit, I don't have to endure them alone. The Blessed Virgin Mary is happy to intervene, to join me in prayer, to provide the help and encouragement only a mother can.

When we need help, all we have to do is ask. But that seems to be part of the problem. So many of us don't want to admit that we can't do it all on our own. We struggle to acknowledge that we need help, so much so, that we do everything in our power to avoid asking for it. We are committed to self-sufficiency and don't want to be a burden to anyone else. So, when someone offers to help us, we find it difficult to accept their generosity. Even if the one who offers is the Virgin Mother of God -- or even God himself.

Help! Is the most honest and authentic prayer we have. It's a prayer heaven always hears -- one God always answers. And there is always something we need help for. Help me to get through this day, Lord. Help me with this test, this diagnosis, this treatment. Help me pay the bills, find a job, stop drinking. Help me to know your plan for my life, to accept your will, to sacrifice my own desires. Help me find someone to marry. Help my marriage. Help us to start a family, help me to raise the children you've given us. Help me move forward. Help me to love a person I find difficult, to forgive the family member who hurt me, or ask for forgiveness from someone I have hurt. Lord, help me to believe, and when I struggle, help my unbelief.

We know that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps 46:1). When we learn to ask for his help as a first response rather than a last resort, we will see the power of God's kindness in our lives.



- Jaymie Stuart Wolfe is a Catholic convert, wife, and mother of eight. Inspired by the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, she is an author, speaker, and musician, and provides freelance editorial services to numerous publishers and authors as the principal of One More Basket. Find Jaymie on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @YouFeedThem.