Living according to Catholic teachings is doing a heck of a lot. Take a look at Mother Theresa, for example. For most people, it just means trying to make the lives of everyone else around you better, in simple ways, but even then, it’s only nothing if you’re not really trying…
Other than not having sex before marriage and just being a decent person in general I don’t think living by those tenets is a particularly difficult challenge.
You’ve boiled Christianity down to just about nothing, and if you see it that way, it’s no wonder it seems easy. Even simple things, like being friendly with someone who’s a jerk to you, or performing random acts of kindness whenever the opportunity shows itself are easier said than done.
Volunteering in soup kitchens; protesting unjust laws; doing every chore, school assignment, and task at your job to the best of your ability; donating a sizeable amount of what you earn to charity; being cheerful even when your day has been crappy; cleaning the toilets so another family member doesn’t have to do it instead; sacrificing your time to help an acquaintance – or a stranger – with some difficulty; visiting people in the old folks home or the hospital just to cheer them up; taking the time to talk (cheerfully, sympathetically, and patiently) to that person who just won’t leave you alone and feels the desparate need to tell you their life story; or not getting angry at the guy who cuts you off in traffic are just a few of the things that every good Christian should do consistently, so far as they are able. Do I do them all? No. Most of them, yes, but it is very difficult to take time out of your schedule and visit strangers, or to not be irritable when you’re having a bad day, so as not to make it a bad day for other people.
Being kind to someone who wronged you is hard I admit but that depends on the person. Also “easier said than done” does not equate to “difficult”. It’s only difficult if you have little free time but the acts themselves aren’t.
Those are just simple ways of following the teachings of my religion, and there are of course far more extreme ways, like becoming a fully-licenced doctor, and spending your time treating people in 3rd world countries for free, or selling everything you have and using all your time and money to help those in need, or joining a religious order and devoting your life to the service of others.
Also, comparing praying to asking a teacher for credit isn’t very accurate. It’s more like asking a teacher for help with homework, or to give another student extra help, because they are struggling. I could add all sorts of prayer-related things Catholics should do to the above list, because those can be difficult as well, but you no doubt think they’re a total waste of time.
I guess it would depend on the person that’s praying. A lot of prayers pretty much are people asking God to make stuff happen; not for guidance or anything of the sort.