www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Elements of a good prayer life

Dear Friends,

Do you mind sharing your thoughts and reflections on what should go into a well-balanced and vibrant prayer life?

Alex

Alex,

I think a good prayer life is one that is interwoven with whatever one's "mundane" life may be. That is - it ain't gonna be the same for a working parent with young children and a long commute as it would be for someone retired with no calls on his/her time, and different still for a Religious living a vowed life in community.

It's an ongoing dialogue of love, but sometimes there's room for poetry, sometimes silence, sometimes only the opportunity for a quick glance, or even just a list "pinned to the refrigerator." (Ya does what you can does) The Beloved is always there - it's we who are in the rush....

Incoherently yours,

Sharon

Dear Mother Sharon,

Baruch haShem Adonai!

Yes, that's it, m'Lady!

God is always there, near us, in front of us, above us, but never far away.

It is we who have to calm down and engage His Presence.

Now that I have you here, could I ask you something about Ven. Fr. Solanus Casey?

He said to people seeking him out, that they don't have to.

They should only pray more than what they are accustomed to for their particular needs.

Could you comment on that when you have a moment?

B'shem haAv v'haBen v'Ruach haKodesh, Elohim echod. Amen.

(as with everything else, if you don't use it, your gonna lose it)

Alex

Alex,

I'm not familiar with the quote, but if it's what I think it is, it would be pure Fr. Solanus. Like most saints, he wasn't particularly interested in celebrity, or in being regarded as The Instrument Through Which Miracles Happen. He prayed. We should pray. God listens to all, and loves us - but we need to love Him too.

I think what he was saying was kinda like job preference - you could get the promotion because your uncle (Fr Solanus), who knows the Boss very well, wrote the Boss a letter on your behalf, or you could get the promotion by working hard, and asking the Boss yourself.

I think Fr. Solanus was saying you didn't need the "letter" but you wouldn't get far on your own if you didn't work hard either. (Of course we know the Boss is a notoriously soft touch, especially if you know his Mama, )

Make sense?

Sharon

Alex,

Outstanding thread to start!

I expect this thread should top number charts over time. Or it should. What a fate for a professed Christian to face the eternal heavens after her death to only say: I have never prayed but I have always been Christian.

+++

I can't lecture on prayer as an expert. I don't qualify. But I have learned the importance of some things. To do it. To do it even when your really not doing it. And to do it with an intent as pure of heart as one can muster - this is not always as possible as one would like.

Another thing I believe important is prayer that requires physical pain and discomfort at times. I still get on my knees at times, leaning back on my heels and straightening up with no support, praying the rosary. As I'm not really a confessed Christian anymore, I use the rosary and pain as disciplining factors and submission to sufferance. For me the discomfort can really get great at times. This is also humbeling for me to remind me I am not to good not to suffer. I in all honesty am pretty much a whimp, I should suffer in greater pain then I do and should seek to do it. Kneeling on rocks would be better so would blood issuing from my body, but I fear to suffer like Christ - and Christ and His Father knows it.

Justin