Prayer
Prayer as a subject keeps coming up because we in the blogoshere seem to be forever talking about it. We ask for prayers, offer prayers, tell others to pray, and relate what we are praying about. Many of the people reading this may feel pretty inadequate when it comes to their prayer life.
The word "Pray" comes from the Latin word precari, which simply means to entreat or ask. Our Catechism lists five types of prayer: Blessing and Adoration, Petition, Intercession, Thanksgiving, and Praise. These types of prayers can be accomplished in the form of vocal prayer, meditation, or contemplative prayer.
For years, I have attempted to read every book on prayer, including some by excellent Protestant authors. After all, Catholics don’t hold a patent on praying. And the result of all this reading? A whole lot of information and very little praying.
Spending too much time analyzing and not enough time doing will produce prayer that will become a duty and a chore. Take a look back at the five types of prayer. Take a few moments each day to simply bless and adore God for who He is. Ask Him for what you need and forgiveness for what you may have done. Of course, don’t forget to thank Him for what He has already given you, ask for help for your friends, and simply recognize who He is – the one who creates and sustains all life.
If you don’t think you are getting what you need from your prayer, or you are not praying well enough, you are too focused on yourself. We live in a society that promotes the concept of the importance of self. When we complain about our prayer life, we may be searching for an “experience.” We think we are not “holy enough” if something dramatic doesn’t happen. If you recall Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, you will “see” many dramatic things taking place, none of which included an obvious answer to all His prayer. There were no bolts of lightning or exploding rocks. If anything, God the Father seemed pretty quiet. Should we expect more than the Son of God?
Prayer as a subject keeps coming up because we in the blogoshere seem to be forever talking about it. We ask for prayers, offer prayers, tell others to pray, and relate what we are praying about. Many of the people reading this may feel pretty inadequate when it comes to their prayer life.
The word "Pray" comes from the Latin word precari, which simply means to entreat or ask. Our Catechism lists five types of prayer: Blessing and Adoration, Petition, Intercession, Thanksgiving, and Praise. These types of prayers can be accomplished in the form of vocal prayer, meditation, or contemplative prayer.
For years, I have attempted to read every book on prayer, including some by excellent Protestant authors. After all, Catholics don’t hold a patent on praying. And the result of all this reading? A whole lot of information and very little praying.
Spending too much time analyzing and not enough time doing will produce prayer that will become a duty and a chore. Take a look back at the five types of prayer. Take a few moments each day to simply bless and adore God for who He is. Ask Him for what you need and forgiveness for what you may have done. Of course, don’t forget to thank Him for what He has already given you, ask for help for your friends, and simply recognize who He is – the one who creates and sustains all life.
If you don’t think you are getting what you need from your prayer, or you are not praying well enough, you are too focused on yourself. We live in a society that promotes the concept of the importance of self. When we complain about our prayer life, we may be searching for an “experience.” We think we are not “holy enough” if something dramatic doesn’t happen. If you recall Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, you will “see” many dramatic things taking place, none of which included an obvious answer to all His prayer. There were no bolts of lightning or exploding rocks. If anything, God the Father seemed pretty quiet. Should we expect more than the Son of God?
6 comments:
Good comments on prayer, especially the part about too much reading about it, and not enough time doing it. That could apply to me.
I love the beautiful flower picture. Is that one of your day-lilies?
We tend to make prayer sooooooo hard. I told my kidlets yesterday in RE class to make their whole life a prayer. If everything we do is for the glory of God then our life becomes a prayer.
The daylily is Bayou Bride, hybridized in 1995 by Salter. I realy like the daylilys with edges and eyes.
The most important point that you are missing is the actual definition, content, and purpose of prayer; union with God. And how does this union occur? (besides through the sacraments) Through dialogue with God. A conversation. A recognition of who we are in relation to God.
If there is no dialogue, there is no prayer. Monologue is not a prayer; it is a shopping list.
People often forget about this aspect of prayer. They go in and do all the talking. They sit in silence, but their silence is punctuated by constant silent demands to God. He doesn't get a word in edgewise.
And people wonder why there's suffering?
There is suffering because we define "dialogue" as a list of stuff we have to say to God, be it in praise, adoration, petetion, etc. But nowhere in there do we give God a chance to respond. That's when He opens up a can of whoop-ass and we suffer. And in our suffering, we learn how to listen.
And that's when the conversation occurrs.
There can be no true union or conversation with God without suffering...and we really only learn that aspect through our own bumbling.
And EVERYONE can identify with this concept.
Adoro, You are absolutely correct! We all need to listen more and stop our constant yammering! Thanks for bringing that up:) You are an angel.
I am really glad Fr. Tim tagged you adrienne. God has used your blog several times to speak to me. Thanks also to Adoro.
Very good posting, especially since I feel I am going through this dark night of the soul. Just what I needed to read without getting too personal.
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