*****Two sites worthy of recommendation are the Online Ministry resources of Creighton University and Sacred Space, run by the Irish Jesuits.
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****I'm one that needs direction in my prayer life. Left to my own devices nothing would ever get accomplished. I'm sure there are others like me. Take a few minutes and investigate these sites and see if they would be a help for you.
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Re-post from December 17, 2007
****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.
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****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?
