Q: I am not doing what I should in order to enter the gates of heaven. Could you send me a daily prayer? I need to change my life, but do not know where to begin. 

A: I wrote this prayer to help you remain open to God’s grace and to accept the strength you need to cooperate with it:

“Heavenly Father, you know that I want to cooperate with your grace but you are also aware that often I fail to do that. Help me on my spiritual journey toward you. Show me how that journey influences the way that I deal with friends, family members, neighbors and even strangers. Give me the courage to make the changes that, deep down, I realize will bring me closer to you. I pray in the name of Jesus, your Son, and through the power of the Holy Spirit.”