There was one day in my life when I deliberately refused to pray the Rosary.

That was the day after the "wrong" candidate was declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election.

Thousands of conservative Catholics all over America and the world had been organized to pray the Rosary for the re-election of the conservative pro-life candidate.

We were confident that it would be like the Miracle of Lepanto. At least that's how I saw it.

Well, our guy didn't get elected, and I stopped praying the Rosary.

Yet, didn't Jesus himself spell out the conditions for answered prayers?

Again I say to you,
if two of you agree on earth
about anything they ask,
it will be done for them
by my Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 RSVCE

Two people is not a large group; surely thousands of people agreeing in prayer must have even more power.

But on reflection, it would be implausible that any group of Christians could simply agree in prayer and force God to grant their requests.

Groups of Christians will disagree; how could God grant all of these conflicting requests?

There must be something that I missed.

Perhaps it was not a question of numbers, but of authority.

Some of the things that Jesus taught were intended only for the twelve apostles who would become the leaders of the Church.

When those first apostles left this earth, their ministry was passed on to their successors.

Today that would mean the pope and the bishops in union with him. They and their teaching authority are known as the Magisterium of the Church.

Although thousands of Catholics were praying the Rosary for the outcome of the presidential election, the Magisterium of the Church was not on board.

That apparently makes all the difference.

During the Battle of Lepanto, the Church throughout Europe was praying the Rosary at the request of Pope Pius V, and the result was a miraculous victory.

So, what prayers can we confidently offer up that have the backing of the Magisterium?

Right away the Lord's Prayer comes to mind.

Jesus himself gave us the very words of the prayer and told us to pray it. Who can doubt that this prayer will be fully answered?

The Lord's Prayer really does cover all the crucial things that need to be prayed for, both in the world and in our personal lives.

We don't even have to fret about the elections as long as the Church faithfully prays "Thy will be done" concerning politics.

Then there is the Eucharist a.k.a. the Sacrifice of the Mass, which is called “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

Of course, the Lord's Prayer is included in the Mass, and there are several other prayers including the Universal Prayer (a.k.a. Prayer of the Faithful, or Bidding Prayers) which can address many specific issues.

These are prayed by the Magisterium and the Church all over the world. So Universal Prayer is a very appropriate name.

We can expect these prayers to be answered.

Are there any other prayers we can pray with that level of confidence?

Yes. There's the Liturgy of the Hours (a.k.a. the Divine Office or the Breviary) which the pope and all the bishops, priests and deacons all over the world are obligated to pray every day.

Members of religious communities are also bound to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and the laity are encouraged to pray it.

Again, the Lord's Prayer is included; it appears in Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.

And near the end of each session there is also a set of specific intercessions and prayers, some of which are very specific and even bold.

The Magisterium is on board with all the prayers in the Liturgy of the Hours as it is officially The Prayer of the Church.

When we come to these prayers both in the Liturgy of the Hours and in the Mass, we would do well to take special notice of them.

Finally, despite my previous doubts, the Rosary also seems to be a prayer that will be answered — at least the specific prayers within the Rosary itself.

The Rosary is not a Liturgy like the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, and the clergy are not obligated to pray it, but all the faithful are encouraged to do so.

It is after all, the Lord's Prayer repeated several times, plus asking the Blessed Mother for her prayers.

Intentions we attach to the Rosary are apparently in a different category as people can pray for all sorts of things which may or may not be in God's will.

But if we conform our will to God's will, and our words to God's words, then we can pray with confidence.

And we have a good list of prayers at our disposal.

• The Lord's Prayer
• The prayers in the Mass
• The Liturgy of the Hours
• The Rosary

These are prayers that will get answered.