A Prayerful Sensation?

[Matt_Tiza]

Over the years I’ve spoken with many people in various faiths and in various Christian denominations about faith and what it “feels” like to be spiritual.

Lots of people seem to feel a sort of spiritual connection in their faith and prayer lives such that they can “feel” their spirituality. You’ve probably all seen the videos of people in various Christian denominations who pray in church with their heads uplifted, eyes closed, and their arms outstretched. It looks like they’re having some sort of metaphysical experience. For some it seems like that spiritual experience is the driving force behind their prayer lives. They need a “real” physical sensation in order to feel connected to God.

For me I believe in the Truth of the Gospel. That is self-fulfilling to me. It’s all logic when you consider the various precepts of the Catholic Church. We do things for a reason, and we trust in God’s Wisdom to guide us.

I don’t look for any type of “feeling” or sensation when I pray. With that said I don’t notice any type of metaphysical sensation during prayer. It is just a time for me to be alone and to meditate on the Rosary. I don’t expect God to alter my mind or to provide some metaphysical sensation during prayer.

What are your thoughts on prayer and feeling spiritual?

Do you need to have some sort of sensation when you pray to feel connected to God?

 

[ParvaDei]

What are your thoughts on prayer and feeling spiritual?

I do agree with you that people look too much to feeling in terms of validating religion (“I can’t feel God during prayer, so God doesn’t exist”) - instead, people need to use both faith and reason, which society seems to be going towards one extreme or the other. At the same time, though, when saints have mystical experiences, it is expressed in terms of feelings and other non-rational descriptions that defy the imposition of pure logic. However, when they do happen (such as St. Teresa of Avila and the flaming arrow of love), they already have great faith and fidelity to the Church despite their feelings (one can look to St. John of the Cross as an example).

So, prayer is necessary to get closer to God, but one not need be purely rational (or irrational, for that matter), for at some point, it breaks down, since God is beyond the temporal confines of pure reason or pure emotion.

Do you need to have some sort of sensation when you pray to feel connected to God?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: When I was spiritually immature, I used to feel reassurances all the time in terms of “feelings” from God. (I am putting “feelings” in quotes because they are not “feelings” like visceral, human feelings are, but they are not pure logic either.)

But as I have grown more into my faith, God has slowly let me go of these “feelings”, and as I weaned from these feelings, I have learned to appreciate them when they come (since they are gifts from God), but at the same time, I have learned to not complain when they don’t occur (because prayer is supposed to focus on God and not His gifts, however pleasurable they may be). So now, I have no need to feel any sort of sensation (although it’s nice when it happens) because God is with me in the silence beyond any sort of temporal blip of the mind or heart.

 

[InLight247]

Do you need to have some sort of sensation when you pray to feel connected to God?

No, you don’t need any sensation in prayer to feel connected.

However, prayer is a conversation and communication with God. If our prayer is not merely a formality or routine but an intimate dialogue, our emotion could be stirred up and reflected. An affective prayer may include intense longing, thirst, love, thanksgiving, praise, trust, peace, repentance, contrition, resolution … The exchange of love with the Beloved should be the heart of our prayer that connects us with God.

 

[J_Peterson]

Feelings come and go, it’s hard to tell if they are from me or God. Most of the time I just assume that they are from me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy them while they happen but most of the time they are forgotten by the time I leave the church. I’ve been making an effort to try and ignore them because you end up praying for the feelings.

What hasn’t really gone away since my re-conversion is this awareness of God. I can’t put my finger on it, it’s not really a feeling or emotion but it’s there. There are times it’s more distant and times it’s fairly intense but it has never really goes away. I’ve been assuming that it’s normal for believers. Basically I don’t know what to call it but it has played a big role in my life and has been guiding me deeper into the Church.

 

[Aussieman88]

Personally I don’t pray for a sensation and I don’t think I need to feel it to feel connected to God. However, when I really pray hard and I’ve put feeling into my prayer I am often granted that sensation that I believe is the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it’s very gentle and leaves me with an overwhelming feeling of peace when it’s over. Sometimes its more intense and I can’t resist raising my hands. When I’m feeling the presence of God I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me. If they think I’m weird because I raise my hands that’s ok. I’m there for my God not for them.

These video’s we see with whole congregations doing that did seem funny to me at first. But now I know what they’re feeling, I say Praise God that so many would be so close to him at once.

For people who don’t know. If that feeling is God then Praise God. If it’s not God then Praise God anyway. If it’s demonic it will leave. Remember God said “in the last days I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh.” It began at pentecost and it’s still happening.

Jesus is lord
Justin…

 

[Matt_Tiza]

Thank you all very much for the insights, and may God bless you!

I’ve heard some say that fasting and other acts of Faith are beneficial to one’s prayer life and being able to “hear” God’s Will in life because you can see things more clearly when you are in a more sanctified and prayerful state.

What are your thoughts?

I really do appreciate everyone opening up on such a personal subject. It’s not easy to ask people in person how they feel when they pray. I’ve often wondered if most people felt something that I wasn’t feeling. I’m glad to hear that perspective and one’s beliefs have a lot to do with the experience.