Prayer must be founded on this specific virtue

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, if we want our prayer life to be authentic, it needs to be rooted in humility.

As Christians, we might recognize the importance of prayer, but we may not always pray on a daily basis. Furthermore, when we do pray, we may be tempted to demand things from God, instead of being open to receive his will for our lives.

In order to combat any sinful tendencies we may have during prayer, it is essential to base our prayer in humility.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this fundamental truth in one of the first paragraphs in its section on prayer:

“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or “out of the depths” of a humble and contrite heart? He who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that “we do not know how to pray as we ought,” are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. “Man is a beggar before God.”
CCC 2559

If we pray from our prideful heart, we will not be open to God’s grace in our lives.

God does not barge into our hearts, forcing us to accept him. Instead, he comes quietly and gently, knocking softly at the door, waiting for us to open.

Only in humility will we be able to hear his soft knock and let him in.