Why do we pray?

If God already knows what will happen, if He always wants what is good, why do we pray? Is it not insulting to God to ask Him for something good as if there is a possibility that His love could allow anything less?

We pray because Christ Himself prayed, saying: "Father, not My will but Thine be done." We pray because we are sinful and do not love as God loves and do not desire good as God does.

We pray because Christ taught us to pray. Not only do we have the "Our Father" which is the text of prayer and catechism of prayer which Christ the Lord Himself conferred. We also have in the holy Mass the most perfect and efficacious of prayers. The Mass is Christ Himself at prayer in His self-offering on the Cross and, in Communion, Christ Himself Resurrected truly present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

We pray because Christ commanded us, "Pray always". Thus the Church universal prays the Liturgy of the Hours every day in every place until the end of the world.

And Mary, our Mother, prophetess of the end times, begs us, "Pray and do penance".

Special thanks to Patrick Rose, member of the Liguori Society, for posing this question.