When we neglect prayer, evil can penetrate our hearts. Ask yourself: Do I pray? How do I pray? Do I feel the need to pray? When prayer is difficult, do I try to find a book that could help me? At those times, do I pray for a longer period of time and more frequently, with greater fidelity? Do I make up a prayer that I have missed? Do I follow a method of meditation that will help me to pray? Do I have some small aspirations that I pray often? Both penance and aspirations will help us grow in the spiritual life.
Prayer is a sacred duty and sublime mission. We ascend the altar of prayer, conscious of the many urgent needs and interests of others, taking up our Rosary, embracing all the other spiritual exercises with great longing. We go with confidence to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and seasonable aid for ourselves and for souls.
–Mother Teresa, Thirsting for God
lamehousewife
I am going to be very honest and admit I am weak. Some times, not always, but some times, I get so frustrated at the situation not improving for Al, I want to give up on prayer, thinking he is not listening
Terry1954, you are not alone in feeling this way. God seems to be mostly silent and hidden, as Philip Yancey discusses in his book, “Disappointment with God.” I highly recommend it. God hears and loves. I now think prayer is more about communing with God, and strengthening our relationship with Him, than asking for and receiving the answers we so dearly desire. I don’t know your situation, but I am sorry for whatever you are going through. Life can be very, very tough.
i care for my brother who is terminally ill with Parkinson’s Disease. He is also mildly mentally challenged and a heart patient. I go through this alone, for the most part, and I hear my brother pray daily to die. It is something i have prayed for months, to have him healed, even if it means letting him go to the Lord
I’m so sorry. My dad wanted to die long before he did. How hard it must be to listen to your brother’s prayers. I don’t pretend to understand all of God’s ways. I guess that’s where faith is especially important.
Hi Linnea. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
I hope you don’t mind that I will be giving my class your links on Erik tonight. We are talking about genes and the fact that so many people abort our little ones. I also have provided the link to the story done on http://www.teachingsofJon.com Have you seen that video? I was wondering what your thoughts were. God bless you sister!
Just watched it. Cried through the whole thing. He’s so beautiful. Still crying. Spiritual teacher is a great description. Erik has taught me much about God’s character. Of course, I don’t mind you sharing. That’s my hope, in fact. I can’t believe almost 79% of babies diagnosed as Down’s during the pregnancy are aborted. It kills me.
It kills me too…I am having to be more proactive about certain things than I ever thought I would have to be. God bless…
Hi Terry! I love your honesty. I too am very weak, but it sounds like you are winning many spiritual battles despite the weakness and frustration you feel. Despite the fact that you want to give up, you don’t. That is the power of God working through you. You are so very precious to Him, but I believe He appreciates your perseverance maybe even more than you realize. It is hard to climb some of these steep mountains, but I am so thankful that you continue on sister. So so thankful. God bless you…I will continue to keep you in my prayers.
i liked what you have said to me. it makes me feel better. bless you
I always wondering how Christian’s pray? any good short articles and pic.
Hi hifzan shafiee. It is good to hear from you again.
Christian prayer begins in the heart. Prayer is a conversation with God. Prayer can be done at anytime during the day because God, as you know, is always watching and available. It should be done in humility so that the one who prays can hear God’s truth in return. As to the motions that come with Christian prayer, this varies from country to country because each physical expression is valid (as long as it is not sinful). We are taught to pray with our whole heart, our whole mind, our whole soul, our whole strength. In the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 22), Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” In essence, when a Christian prays, his behaviors should be showing this love of God and neighbor as self. In my opinion, Mother Teresa was one of the most excellent examples of authentic Christian prayer. Christian prayer is a way of life. Prayer can be vocal; prayer can be sung; prayer involves the mind with meditations on Jesus; prayer can be gazing at Him and Him gazing at me; prayer can be difficult sometimes because it is very much a spiritual exercise; prayer can be very vibrant and can bring much joy. Saint Francis de Sales is also an excellent teacher on prayer. And as noted above Jesus Himself is the first and most important guide as to what Christian prayer ought to be. Here are some links: 1) Mother Teresa article http://www.catholicplanet.com/articles/article115.htm 2) Mother Teresa praying picture http://www.mcpriests.com/02_bio.htm 3) the Catechism of the Catholic Church
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm For the Catechism, there are several pages on prayer. The arrows to move forward are at the bottom of the page on the Catechism link. It is about 80 pages long.
Blessings to you…
Thanks for your reply.