Can listening to music be part of prayer?

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I posted this too in Ask an Apologist and waiting for it to get answered. But I ask you now.
I like to listen to Christian music because the words make me feel good and there was a time when I was really touched by the words it felt like God was speaking to me and I teared. Can this be approved to be a way of prayer? I sing the lyrics in my head and feel the words.
 
I’ve had the same experience listening to Christian/sacred music. Keep in mind prayer is a two-way conversation – we listen as well as talk. God can certainly speak to our hearts through Christian music. If I remember correctly I think it was St. Augustine who said “he who sings prays twice.” I remember that when I’m singing a hymn in church because hymns really are prayers of praise and/or petition. I wouldn’t make listening to music the only way I pray, but I think it could be a good way to help keep your mind and heart lifted up to the Lord. Just allow some quiet time with Him, too 🙂
 
Prayer is communication. If a song draws your heart to God and you are communicating to Him through it, I say YES!

You know, the Psalms are songs, and they are prayed by the Church everyday!

I, myself, am particularly moved towards God by music, sounds like you too are wired that way.😃
 
Of course music wouldn’t be my only source of prayer, I just like that way of praying I guess. A lot of times I go to bed with earphones on listening to Christian music. So I guess by reading your post I end my day in prayer.

Is another way of prayer laying down on your bed in a comfortable position (for example laying straight flat with hands behind your head), then closing your eyes and thinking. There are many times when I had a question about Catholicism and I layed down on my bed and just closed my eyes and thought about it and later found the answer.

I ask because many people’s view of prayer is one who kneels with hands together.
 
Since on the subject of music. There is something I want to say. Now this might make you, I dunno, worried, because of the types of Christian music I listen to. I read somewhere that Catholics should listen to music coming from the Bible or something, and not to music about God or Jesus that was created by known Christian artists. Artists like Hillsong Church.

Is this true?
 
I very rarely pray kneeling with my hands together, except at Church. My prayer is almost always mental, and I’m almost always praying while I’m doing something really. I pray the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet when I’m driving along with a CD version of them. I know some people say you should have quiet time, and I have that when I go to bed at night and talk to God.

The rest of the day, I pray whenever my mind turns to God naturally, and I just speak to Him like he’s right there with me, inside my head.

I like to keep Christian music on in the house all the time. We keep a radio in the kitchen and it is always on a Christian radio station playing music, 24/7. It somehow sets a mood in the house of worship and prayer.
 
MarkA16 said:
Is another way of prayer laying down on your bed in a comfortable position (for example laying straight flat with hands behind your head), then closing your eyes and thinking. There are many times when I had a question about Catholicism and I layed down on my bed and just closed my eyes and thought about it and later found the answer.

I ask because many people’s view of prayer is one who kneels with hands together.
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I frequently pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy or the Rosary (or just my own mental prayers) while lying down in bed, and I often go to sleep while saying them. It’s a great way to go to sleep. It says somewhere in Proverbs or Psalms, I think, that God directs our hearts even as we sleep, so it seems like a good thing to go to sleep praying. I’ve never heard about any restriction on Catholics listening to music only from the Bible. I think the only thing to watch out for is the doctrinal content. I’ve heard some contemporary Christian music that is pretty banal or sometimes theologically off. My favorite Christian singer is Michael Card. He’s got very “deep” lyrics based very much on Scripture. He’s not Catholic, but he’s very solid and traditional.
 
Veritas41 said:
I frequently pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy or the Rosary (or just my own mental prayers) while lying down in bed, and I often go to sleep while saying them. It’s a great way to go to sleep. It says somewhere in Proverbs or Psalms, I think, that God directs our hearts even as we sleep, so it seems like a good thing to go to sleep praying. I’ve never heard about any restriction on Catholics listening to music only from the Bible. I think the only thing to watch out for is the doctrinal content. I’ve heard some contemporary Christian music that is pretty banal or sometimes theologically off. My favorite Christian singer is Michael Card. He’s got very “deep” lyrics based very much on Scripture. He’s not Catholic, but he’s very solid and traditional.
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Yes that’s what I meant. Songs based on Scripture. I really like Hillsong Church, but I don’t think the lyrics are based on Scripture. But I don’t know what “based on Scripture” means!
Hillsong Church songs like All For Love, From the Inside Out, Still, Awesome God, Shout to the Lord, etc.

YES I know we are hoping subjects like crazy! 🙂
 
Some sacred music is so wonderful that the words don’t even have to be in English! (e.g. gregorian chant, renaissance polyphony, etc.)
 
MarkA16 said:
Since on the subject of music. There is something I want to say. Now this might make you, I dunno, worried, because of the types of Christian music I listen to. I read somewhere that Catholics should listen to music coming from the Bible or something, and not to music about God or Jesus that was created by known Christian artists. Artists like Hillsong Church.

Is this true?
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I don’t think so. I think we should be careful to discern the message in some of the music, because some of it can have doctrines, say, that may be contrary to the Church, but all in all, I think that it can be very uplifting to your soul and it absolutely keeps your mind on God and the spiritual life.

I watch Life on the Rock on EWTN, which is geared mainly toward the youthful audience, and they use Contemporary Christian Music on their show all the time. And they are very faithful to the Magisterium in their Catholicism!

But this, of course, is different than liturgical music at Mass. You could start a whole other argument on that topic, so let’s not go there! I think your post is more about what you do on your own time.👍
 
MarkA16 said:
Yes that’s what I meant. Songs based on Scripture. I really like Hillsong Church, but I don’t think the lyrics are based on Scripture. But I don’t know what “based on Scripture” means!
Hillsong Church songs like All For Love, From the Inside Out, Still, Awesome God, Shout to the Lord, etc.

YES I know we are hoping subjects like crazy! 🙂
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I would say as long as they are in *harmony *with Scripture and do not contradict Scripture they would be okay, even if they aren’t explicitly on a particular passage or story in the Bible
 
Jeanette_L said:
I don’t think so. I think we should be careful to discern the message in some of the music, because some of it can have doctrines, say, that may be contrary to the Church, but all in all, I think that it can be very uplifting to your soul and it absolutely keeps your mind on God and the spiritual life.

I watch Life on the Rock on EWTN, which is geared mainly toward the youthful audience, and they use Contemporary Christian Music on their show all the time. And they are very faithful to the Magisterium in their Catholicism!

But this, of course, is different than liturgical music at Mass. You could start a whole other argument on that topic, so let’s not go there! I think your post is more about what you do on your own time.👍
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Second this statement - very occasionally music will have lyrics that are contrary to Catholic theology, so be alert but don’t give it up entirely.

Also ditto for the non-English music. Sometimes it doesn’t have to have words at all to be spiritually uplifting - sometimes I listen to what you might call a bit new-agey music, doesn’t have words but it gets me in a meditiative frame of mind.
 
MarkA16 said:
I posted this too in Ask an Apologist and waiting for it to get answered. But I ask you now.
I like to listen to Christian music because the words make me feel good and there was a time when I was really touched by the words it felt like God was speaking to me and I teared. Can this be approved to be a way of prayer? I sing the lyrics in my head and feel the words.
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Not only listening, but playing (or singing:) ). Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD, speaking once, after she had become a nun, about a little girl who was apprehensive about performing in a concert, said: “She needs to forget about the people who are listening and imagine herself alone with the Divine Master. When one does that, one plays for him with all one’s heart, and one draws the best from the instrument – strong and sweet music. I used to love speaking to him that way.”
 
Last Easter the Jesuits created the website Pray-As-You-Go. Each weekday they have a podcast containing scripture reading for the day, reflections on the reading and the most beautiful music. Everything from monks singing gregorian chant to celtic hymns to gospel music sung in Zulu (by LadySmith Black Mamabazo - that was a wonderful surprise to hear!).

It is a wonderfully different way to pray - I download them to my PC and listen as I work.

pray-as-you-go.org/index.htm

Go with Love, Go with God!
 
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