Does anyone find it hard to pray at times?

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I’ve been finding it hard to pray lately. I want to, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do it regularly. Is this just a temporary thing? Thanks.
 
Prayer, for me, can be a process and union / communication with God can take different forms.

There are times it’s easier to pray and other times it’s more difficult. For me, the most important thing it to TRY. Even if I think no words will come, or I’m so distracted that it’s hard for me to sit or kneel, I will get myself “into position” and close my eyes for a few minutes. Usually this effort is enough for words to come. Sometimes emotions will block my prayer and the emotion needs to be expressed before the words come. Other times, I will find myself simply thanking God for the things in my life that are good. But the main thing is to make the attempt. The rest will follow.
 
catechumen08 said:
I’ve been finding it hard to pray lately. I want to, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do it regularly. Is this just a temporary thing? Thanks.
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Praying on a regular basis, is a discipline. Unless you begin to discipline yourself to pray on a daily basis, you’ll only move further from it. It is through prayer that we receive grace from God, which feeds our faith. If you don’t turn to prayer, you won’t receive the grace and the desire to pray will always remain weak.

Jim
 
Sometimes, yes. And at those times it usually deals with my relationshyip with my wife.

This verse from St. Peter is one I keep handy:

1 Peter 3:7 (RSVCE) Likewise you husbands, live considerately with your wives, bestowing honor on the woman as the weaker sex, since you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered.
 
catechumen08 said:
I’ve been finding it hard to pray lately. I want to, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to do it regularly. Is this just a temporary thing? Thanks.
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Yes, I go through this every once in a while. In fact, I am going through sort of a dry spell right now. I haven’t done much bible reading lately either. 😦 Seems like I don’t know where to look. I think it is because I am worn out. I’ve had so much stress lately and it’s finally catching up to me.

How do I get out of it? I do say the Rosary before I go to bed even if I don’t feel like it and I do say a prayer before supper and pray with the kids before they go to sleep. Just because I don’t want to leave room for the temptor. Fortunately for me these periods don’t last too long but some people really do suffer long.

Now is the time to pray for others or start a novena or learn a new prayer. Sometimes I’ll get a biography or autobiography of one the saints and read it. I may do that again but I am open to suggestions as well.
 
Heck yeah! I go through patches when it’s hard to pray, or it’s boring or it’s just blah. In that case, I say short prayers thoroughout the day whenever I think of it. Just a Glory Be, or the St. Michael’s prayer, or something even shorter.

Once I went though an it’s hard to pray phase that lasted all through Lent:(
 
I often have difficulty praying.

Then I started attending daily Mass at a convent and retreat house not far from my office. The sisters there pray Morning Prayer (Lauds) from the Liturgy of the Hours (LOTH) just before Mass. I learned how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours from them and now that is one of my main forms of prayer.

Morning Prayer with the sisters takes about 15 - 18 minutes. Evening Prayer (Vespers), which I pray by myself, takes no more than 15 minutes. The Office of Readings (Matins), which I do not do regularly, only takes 10 - 15 minutes. The other offices take anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes.

It is a wonderful manner of praying and it is very rich. Once I understood how each office works it became very easy. Because it is so closely associated with the liturgical calendar, it helps keep me connected to what is going on in the Church.

Finally, LOTH is the prayer of the entire Church. All deacons, priests, bishops, and nearly all religious pray it. And they are all praying the same prayers at the same time of day everywhere around the world. It is truly the universal prayer.

It is a wonderful expression. A wonderful way to pray, whether you are feeling inspired or not.

If you want to learn more, there are many threads about the Liturgy of the
Hours.

Here is one: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=211750

Here is another: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=211803

May God grant you His peace. 🙂
 
Thank you all for your kind words. If I may ask, what motivates you to pray?
 
What motivates me to pray? To stay on track with my life. I feel a greater peace in my heart afterwards. And honestly, I couldn’t imagine NOT acknowledging God upon waking each morning. I exist because of Him.
 
rpp said:
I often have difficulty praying.

Then I started attending daily Mass at a convent and retreat house not far from my office. The sisters there pray Morning Prayer (Lauds) from the Liturgy of the Hours (LOTH) just before Mass. I learned how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours from them and now that is one of my main forms of prayer.

Morning Prayer with the sisters takes about 15 - 18 minutes. Evening Prayer (Vespers), which I pray by myself, takes no more than 15 minutes. The Office of Readings (Matins), which I do not do regularly, only takes 10 - 15 minutes. The other offices take anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes.
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What a blessing! Back in my country I used to attend mass where there were religious brothers and sisters whose convents were not far from our parish. I now hardly see any sister except one who is our Spiritual Director for our Legion of Mary group.
 
catechumen08 said:
If I may ask, what motivates you to pray?
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What motivates me is a lonliness for wanting to just be with God.

One day I heard a man on the radio who said," 95% of our faith is
just showing up". I really thought about that. You know, police
and firefighters are like that. They need to come prepared for
their job even if there are no fires at all or no criminals come
along. Imagine if one of them went a long stretch without an
emergency on his watch. What if he decided, “well, there
hasn’t been a fire in so long, I think I’ll just stay home today”.
Just by chance, there could be a fire that day!

So anyway, I want God to be able to depend on me to show up
on a regular schedule. Even if He doesn’t seem to have much
to say for a while, I need to show up every day.
 
Thanks for this post - You’re not alone ! I’ve spent years of having dry spells when it comes to prayer. Although in recent months, I offer a prayer almost before my eyes open in the morning - at least the Sign of the Cross and Morning Offering as I rise from bed.

I wish I were better. Oftentimes, just sitting down to say a Rosary (God & Our Lady forgive me) is either tiring or too long. I remember the nuns telling us to say a rosary if you can’t sleep at night…I think it works. I love the Rosary of the Holy Wounds since it’s shorter and so beneficial for the Poor Souls.

I would love to get in the habit of saying The Hours. A friend recently started them - only to learn they’d bought the Episcopal version ! :eek: 😃
 
I think it’s a very human thing. What I do is try to focus some of my attention on God, even if for a short time.

Even taking a minute to say the Glory Be will help.
 
Maybe it’s just me, but I find it easier to pray for others than it is to pray for myself.
 
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