How do YOU Pray

Friends

We know that all prayer is good prayer. Prayer can mean many different things and there are many methods. There is the Mass itself. There is vocal, meditative and contemplative prayer and I suppose the Rosary can be all three. There is the Jesus prayer. There is the Prayer of the Heart as taught in the Way of the Pilgrim and the Philokalia. There is the holy gift of tears as taught by St. Symeon the New Theologian and spoken of by Popes Benedict and Francis. There is the Transverberation as experienced by St. Padre Pio and St John of the Cross. There is the Seven Gardens of St. Teresa of Avila and discussed by Padraig. There is Little Way of St. Therese. There is the gift of praying in the Divine Will as taught to Luisa Piccareta.

Prayer has many forms like petition, adoration, joy, suffering, thanksgiving, peaceful resignation and ecstasy. All are good and efficacious in their own way but the question that i have for the group is: How do YOU pray? There is no right or wrong answer and I would benefit from your response and ask that you pray for me.

In IC XC

Robert

 

Welcome Robert,

We are lucky to have another trained soul joining our little family

You are correct...every path is different. But they all lead to the same place. Our goal is to find the path and Help others find theirs. We might cross paths (and walk together) but sooner or later we must follow our path alone.

How does Brother al pray...we are lucky because as you stated, we have lots of examples of how to find and follow the path.

I think prayer is like athletic training the more you practice the stronger you get.

My current spiritual life...i have been much stronger but currently.

My current path is

Going to mass daily...arriving 1/2 hour before, saying 1 decade of the rosary and then trying to clear my mind in silent prayer sometimes repeating the word Jesus over and over. Maybe another decade...if too much nonsense keeps popping in my mind.

After mass, i go home get my daily duties accomplished but throughout the day...at random hours i like to say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Angel of God and the Glory Be prayers. Sometimes outloud and sometimes in my head. Also, throughout the day, whenever i am doing little things, i either say Thank You Jesus or I give this up for you.

This is my current path...this is probably the baseline to my prayer life. If I go on a role...then it expands from there.

I am only sharing because you asked and I am also interested in how others are walking their path. I write this to cross paths...if we are able to walk together a few miles then what a great joy. But if on our journey, we briefly see each other...then I thank God for that moment.

May Gods Will be Done

I

 

Sounds like you are a good road Al. Please remember me at the prayer of the faithful at Mass as you are there quite often.

Quis ut Deus - Remember that our dear Lord prayed that this cup might pass from him in the Garden and then repeated his prayer not once but twice (Matt ch 20). So, repetitive prayer is good but "vain" repetition is not, meaning words only and no heart. In the silence of the heart God speaks or whispers, even as the Psalm says, Be still and know that I am God" (Ps 46:11). Even the most erudite theology uttered without love is cold and has little effect. A simple "I love you Jesus" or "Have mercy on me Lord" is taken as a jewel by the Most Holy Trinity.

The multiplication of words is not essential. The will and heart are

 

Bump...

Hey you guys this thread is actually interesting. Since most of us are only friends in this forum...there should be no modesty. I think it could be a spiritual learning experience. Robert wants to know and he is giving some good spiritual advice.

Baby Steps...two steps forward one step back

Brother al

 

I think that although there are many prayer forms there is one spiritual path we all follow.

Just as generals may have many different tactics but only one strategy

 

I think that the end stage of prayer is where we no longer pray but become prayer

 

rather like a couple who at first tell each other they love each other all the time but in the end tell each other this constantly through the relationship itself

 

Even here though prayer is like the angels in scripture who constantly ascend and descend the ladder.

But in general we move to a place were there is so much prayer that there is no prayer at all

 

I am sending this from a smart phone in the middle of nowhere, but it is a very good thread will write more when I get home

 

One of my all time favorite post on this forum.
A gem of spiritual wisdom you've penned here Padraig.

 

Padraig

I always enjoy your spiritual insights. They seem to me to be the product of lived experiences and not theoretical wonderings. When one grows in virtue and prayer then prayer becomes less arduous and turns into joy. It becomes par of you and unceasing. Your comment on the ladder reminded me of St John Climacus. Below is a small thought that I wrote for an online book a few years ago on the subject.





The Catechism says that virtue is, “an habitual and firm disposition to do the good” (CCC 1803) and the Church defines 63 different virtues by name. St. John Chrysostom said in the fourth century said, “It is impossible for man to grow in virtue without prayer” (CCC) and St. Gregory of Nyssa, a friend of his said, “The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God” (CCC). While grace is something that is freely given by God, virtue is something that we grow in. As we strive in the Christian life to be more Christ-like, God allows certain challenges to occur in our lives that provide us the opportunity to grow into “the full stature of Christ” (Eph 4:13). Many times a day, situations give us the chance to choose virtue or vice. In essence, no one’s spiritual state is ever static. You are either growing closer to God or further away from Him.

The Sacred Scriptures speak of a dream that that the Patriarch Jacob had. “When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Gen. 28:11-13). Our dear Lord would also tell the Apostle Nathanael in the Gospel, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (Jn 1:51). Indeed, the wood of the Cross forms a ladder by which we grow in his love and our lives are spent trying to climb that ladder that leads to Jesus himself with a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) watching and praying for us. St John Climacus (7th century) described this journey as the Ladder of Divine Ascent. Each rung of the ladder is attained by being tempted by a vice but through prayer and asceticism choosing the will of God instead. In fact, St. Teresa of Avila would say, “Do not think that you have acquired a virtue unless you have been tried by its opposite and have not had the occasion to faithfully practice it” (Spiritual Diary p. 26 Vatican II Weekday Missal p. 1275). If you ask the Lord for patience, you may be presented with occasions that try your patience. If one prays for purity, temptations to impurity may occur. The best example of this seemingly paradoxical ascetical practice is from our dear Lord himself.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

When we grow in virtue, we become friends of God and our prayers are more efficacious, even as the scripture says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). The more that we grow in virtue the more our prayers are aligned with his will and his desires increasingly become our desires. Hopefully, with God’s grace, we will act virtuously without thinking about it and we will prayer without even noticing that we are praying.

 

I think that just about sums it up Padraig.

Welcome Robert....A great thread... I will write more when I have time...

 

I have always been Type A/Hyper and now you can add Old-n-Cranky. I have never liked repetitive, wordy, redundant, awkwardly worded and filled with Elizabethan English prayers. The Lord gave us the Our Father and along came the Hail Mary. Those should set the Standard. I just try to "Talk" to God and my Heavenly Friends. John-Paul & Annie started sending me Novenas that I try to stick with ... most tend to be the sort that I find "tiresome". This week it's Saint Therese of Lisieux who we are "bugging".... but instead of all the extraneous verbiage .... I just ask St Therese for ......... and say the OF, HM & GB that are part of the Novena. I don't think St T. minds.. Each to their own ...God Knows Our Heart!!

GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

 

Saint Crewdog,

The repitition is part of the sacrifice ...it has to take a little work to get the benifits.

Brother al

he

 

I like the St. Crewdog title Al

Crew

St Therese said:

“God would not inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a Saint"

So, come to God as you are. He is only waiting to be gracious to you. St Therese also said:

". . . prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy”

If you like repetitive prayer, then do it. If you spontaneous prayer, then do it. If you like just talking to God in prayer, then do it. As the old Nike commercial said - "Just Do It". God will take care of the rest.

 

I have been having trouble with the rosary lately. I have been trying to say the Flame of Love Haily Mary in it. So I went to St. JoseMaria Escriva and read some of his quotes on the rosary.

That apparently monotonous

For those who use their intelligence and their study as a weapon, the Rosary is most effective. Because that apparently monotonous way of beseeching Our Lady as children do their Mother, can destroy every seed of vainglory and pride.
Furrow, 474

Blessed be that monotony of Hail Marys which purifies the monotony of your sins!
Furrow, 475

I think I'll go back to just letting the chant of the Hail Marys purify me.