Disciplined Prayer Life

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As Catholics, should we all have disciplined prayer lives? Is there anything wrong with praying at set times?

I know this might come off as a ridiculous question, but in today’s day and age, it seems like many only pray when they are able to, and when they feel like it.

Isn’t it our moral responsibility as Catholic’s to lead lives of discipline, so far as living in the secular work allows it?

I strongly dislike how many people feel that monks, nuns, and priests are the only ones that need to pray, and I feel that sometimes people forget that we are what makes up the church. I think of my great grandmother, who led a DEVOUT, STRICT prayer life, up until the day she died. It may seem old fashioned according to today’s culture, but shouldn’t we all lead this type of lifestyle?
 
It was often encouraged that Catholics have a rule of life to follow (obviously not as strict as monastics) with regards to waking, sleeping, prayer, work, etc. but it had to be flexible enough to allow for daily life and not too onerous for one to realistically follow. It was strongly recommended for one’s spiritual director to go over it and approve it.
 
For me, a disciplined prayer life is a necessity because if I don’t have a set routine, I tend to forget to say my morning or evening prayers, or I forget the rosary or something. I think it is very beneficial and necessary.
 
Monastics follow a Rule of Life where group prayer is scheduled throughout the day.

My wife and myself are 3rd Order Carmelite’s(OCDS) and we are mandated to say Morning and Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, and to spend at least 30 minutes in mental prayer.

Having a schedule for prayer is a benefit and you carry the scheduled prayer time with you throughout the day.

It’s akin to doing morning exercises, where your body benefits from morning exercise, throughout the day.

Same is true with prayer. Begin with it and take it with you through the day. End with it and you take it to your dreams while you sleep.

Jim
 
This is by no means a silly question at all. In the rushed fever of life, we can often lose sight of the fact that prayer is necessary for salvation. Without prayer, we cannot resist temptation, nor can we obtain or grow or persevere in Divine grace. Lay faithful in the world, while not being canonically bound to pray the Divine Office at certain times as clerics and religious are, are nonetheless encouraged to do so, or at the very least Lauds and Vespers. I do wish that more pastors and others with cure of souls would be more assiduous to promote this practice among the faithful.

But even in the midst of secular work, we can often forget that old Benedictine slogan, “laborare est orare.” We all must work in the world, and the only way that we can ever fulfill that precept to “pray without ceasing” is by letting our prayer inform our work and vice versa.

God bless.
 
You know what’s really weird is that secular folks (Catholic or not) do understand and believe in the necessity of this type of discipline: exercise “regularly,” abstain from certain foods or even engage in “meatless Mondays,” women have serious “rules” regarding make-up, etc.

But tell one of these people that you abstain from meat on Friday, exercise your soul at set times each day, and never leave the house without having put on your armor of God through prayer, and they will think that’s really off-the-wall.

I think Catholics are beginning to discover that the babyfood they’ve been fed for the past few decades is not sufficiently nourishing for adults…
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having set prayer times. We are all called to a disciplined and orderly life. Having a set prayer time, such as praying the LOTH, gives order to the day.
That doesn’t mean that there can’t also be room for spontaneity, or that prayer should be relegated to a to do list that needs to be checked off. Having set prayer times does keep prayer from being forgotten.
Prayer, like other aspects of ourselves, that we consider important does needs to be scheduled so that like physical exercise it becomes a part of our daily routine. Everybody is aware of how important physical exercise is to overall health. Unless the time is carved out of daily and weekly schedules to walk and/or at least stretch our bodies become stiff and flabby. The same is true of our prayer life. We need to set aside the time to take care of both our bodily and spiritual needs.
 
Are we called to a disciplined life as Catholics in other aspects than pray? Waking up, going to bed, etc.
 
gospelofjohn said:
Are we called to a disciplined life as Catholics in other aspects than pray? Waking up, going to bed, etc.
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It helps to ward off things like sloth and gluttony. All things in moderation. I work at 5:00 am so I have to remain disciplined to make sure I get at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep to wake up at 3:30. Those religious folk sure sleep in late. 😃
 
My routine:

Rise - 5:30AM

Morning Prayer - 5:40AM

Bible Reading 6:15AM

Shower - 6:40AM

Evening Prayer - 7PM

Rosary - 9:10PM

Mental Prayer - 9:30PM

Read/TV/Bed - 9:45 to ?
 
gospelofjohn said:
As Catholics, should we all have disciplined prayer lives? Is there anything wrong with praying at set times?

I know this might come off as a ridiculous question, but in today’s day and age, it seems like many only pray when they are able to, and when they feel like it.

Isn’t it our moral responsibility as Catholic’s to lead lives of discipline, so far as living in the secular work allows it?

I strongly dislike how many people feel that monks, nuns, and priests are the only ones that need to pray, and I feel that sometimes people forget that we are what makes up the church. I think of my great grandmother, who led a DEVOUT, STRICT prayer life, up until the day she died. It may seem old fashioned according to today’s culture, but shouldn’t we all lead this type of lifestyle?
Click to expand...
We should live a disciplined prayer life and set aside time for daily mental prayer time, for daily morning and night prayers, for at least 5 decades of the holy rosary said daily. Some people would have to wake up a little earlier and/or go to be a little later, others would only have to cut back on their recreation time. But we all should make time to pray these prayers daily, and we should pray ejaculations all throughout our day. God bless you.
 
gospelofjohn said:
Are we called to a disciplined life as Catholics in other aspects than pray? Waking up, going to bed, etc.
Click to expand...
It all depends on your state of life. A religious will of course follow a stricter discipline than a layman, the discipline of the religious being set by his rule and that of the layman being set by his secular responsibilities.

As I presume that you are a layman, let your secular responsibilities determine your daily schedule, leaving your time apart from them for prayer and meditation.
 
Yes discipline is good for our spiritual life. Pope Emeritus Benedict recommended for laity at least Lauds, Vespers and Compline. the LOTH is par excellence.

Pax
 
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