God and Praying confusions

[felicity1]

HI

As you may have read from my previous posts, I have only very recently had these strong feelings to come back to the church I was born into, but never practiced in very much.
Recently I have to try to pray and learn a bit more about the church, i have a very long way to go and I was strayed a lot.
In the last week I have been able to bless myself and have even started to be able say some short prayers (doesnt sound like much but its something i havent done in a long time), however I’ve been stuck on something the last few days so i would appreciate any advice/ideas etc…

Firstly I have got myself confused about God/Jesus, when we pray are we praying to both, ok i know about the concept of the Trinity, but who are are prayers addressed to??
I really struggle with accepting that God is always present. And, I started to think, who exactly is He in my life - and I don’t know, maybe this is something that becomes clearer in time??

I also am finding it a bit difficult to grasp the concept that my prayers are being listened to.Why would they be? I havent exactly been an ideal catholic in the last so many years. The idea of God’s love for me is one I can’t accept easily.

I struggle as I have no visual imagine in my head of who I am talking to, and at times this makes me think to myself ‘hey who are you talking to, what are you doing?’ it kinda discourages me. any advice with that one?

I know a lot of these things may seem trivial, but a few years ago I tried to return to my faith and didn’t succeed, these are some of the things that prevented me from doing so, so now I feel I have someone to ask I am hoping this won’t happen this time. Thank you.

 

[scapularkid8]

You have just blessed me, felicity. God just used you to answer my prayer. I have been feeling like I need to refocus my prayer life. Looking at your perspective on prayer will really help me do that. Praise God for His Wisdom.

I am a practicing Catholic, and I have been worrying about the same things lately and I didn’t even realize it! God’s Love is hard for all of us to find (esp. people like you and I at this time). His love is not like the love we know on Earth as ‘love’. Love dosen’t mean you get everything you want, it dosen’t entail you get your way all the time. It is someone (God) carefully listening to your request (prayer) and He uses that in accordance to His Will.

Private message me and I can anwer more of your questions that I know I didn’t address in this post.

 

[tkdnick]

Recently I have to try to pray and learn a bit more about the church, i have a very long way to go and I was strayed a lot.In the last week I have been able to bless myself and have even started to be able say some short prayers (doesnt sound like much but its something i havent done in a long time), however I’ve been stuck on something the last few days so i would appreciate any advice/ideas etc…

Welcome back felicity

Firstly I have got myself confused about God/Jesus, when we pray are we praying to both, ok i know about the concept of the Trinity, but who are are prayers addressed to??
I really struggle with accepting that God is always present. And, I started to think, who exactly is He in my life - and I don’t know, maybe this is something that becomes clearer in time??

You are free to direct your prayers to any one of the three persons of the Trinity. You can direct your prayers to God The Father, Jesus, or The Holy Spirit. Since they are all God, you are praying to God which ever way you choose. I know many people who pick 1 person of the Trinity to direct all of their prayers to. I also know many people who like to mix it up and direct their prayers to all 3 of the persons at different times.

I also am finding it a bit difficult to grasp the concept that my prayers are being listened to.Why would they be? I havent exactly been an ideal catholic in the last so many years. The idea of God’s love for me is one I can’t accept easily.

I think the words of this song say why your prayers are listened to. It’s called Favorite Song Of All and is by Phillips, Craig, & Dean

But His favorite song of all is the song of the redeemed
When lost sinners now made clean lift their voices loud and strong
When those purchased by His blood lift to Him a song of love
Nothing more He’d rather hear, nor so pleasing to His ear
As His favorite song of all

He loves to hear the angels as they sing, Holy, holy is the Lamb
Heaven’s choirs in harmony lift up praises to the great I Am
But He lifts His hands for silence when the weakest saved by grace begins to sing
And a million angels listen as a newborn soul sings, I have been redeemed

I struggle as I have no visual imagine in my head of who I am talking to, and at times this makes me think to myself ‘hey who are you talking to, what are you doing?’ it kinda discourages me. any advice with that one?

I think we all struggle with this at times. Yet God has asked us to talk with Him, and prayer is how we do that. Without prayer we have no real way to communicate with God.

 

[Della]

HI

As you may have read from my previous posts, I have only very recently had these strong feelings to come back to the church I was born into, but never practiced in very much.

Welcome home, little lost lamb! :extrahappy: The story of the Shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to find the lost one is YOUR story. That’s how much he loves you–he’d leave the rest of us behind just to go get you if that’s what it would take. He died on the cross for you and would have done it if you alone needed redemption! His love is like the sun–it shines on us all the time but the clouds of fear and sin can block his rays, so we don’t feel them, but those rays of his love are always there.

Recently I have to try to pray and learn a bit more about the church, i have a very long way to go and I was strayed a lot.
In the last week I have been able to bless myself and have even started to be able say some short prayers (doesnt sound like much but its something i havent done in a long time), however I’ve been stuck on something the last few days so i would appreciate any advice/ideas etc…

God appreciates any effort on our part–like a mother encouraging her child to take his first steps. He just loves it!

Firstly I have got myself confused about God/Jesus, when we pray are we praying to both, ok i know about the concept of the Trinity, but who are are prayers addressed to??

You may address your prayers to any Person of the Trinity. But, generally we pray to the Father through Christ because Jesus is our mediator in justice between us and the Father.

I really struggle with accepting that God is always present. And, I started to think, who exactly is He in my life - and I don’t know, maybe this is something that becomes clearer in time??

It’s good to ask these questions. Catholicism is all about keeping it real. Still, we can’t always feel God’s presence–for many reasons, not all of them having to do with the state of our souls. It is an act of faith to say God is present, which is an act of our will. This is why it doesn’t really matter what we feel at any given moment. And a good thing, too, because human feelings are much too unreliable to base our faith on.

I also am finding it a bit difficult to grasp the concept that my prayers are being listened to.Why would they be? I havent exactly been an ideal catholic in the last so many years. The idea of God’s love for me is one I can’t accept easily.

The Father always loves us no matter what we do. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want. But, it does mean that we can come to him at any point in our lives to make amends and to place our lives in his hands. He is eagerly waiting for us to do so just like the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son–another story that fits most of us.

I struggle as I have no visual imagine in my head of who I am talking to, and at times this makes me think to myself ‘hey who are you talking to, what are you doing?’ it kinda discourages me. any advice with that one?

This why religious images can be helpful–a statue or picture of Jesus or a crucifix to focus our prayers. After a time, such things take on less importance while becoming, in a way, dearer. If you use a religious image to focus your prayers, you’ll come to see what I mean.

I know a lot of these things may seem trivial, but a few years ago I tried to return to my faith and didn’t succeed, these are some of the things that prevented me from doing so, so now I feel I have someone to ask I am hoping this won’t happen this time. Thank you.

Anything that takes us away from our faith and God is not trivial. We’re only glad we can be here to help you with our poor words and our prayers, which are not poor but rich in God’s love for you.

 

[Keikiolu]

HI

As you may have read from my previous posts, I have only very recently had these strong feelings to come back to the church I was born into, but never practiced in very much.

The “strong feelings” you have are your connection to God.

Simply know that that “line” exists, and that it will never fail to be your communication link to God.

Recently I have to try to pray and learn a bit more about the church, i have a very long way to go and I was strayed a lot.

In the last week I have been able to bless myself and have even started to be able say some short prayers (doesnt sound like much but its something i havent done in a long time), however I’ve been stuck on something the last few days so i would appreciate any advice/ideas etc…

Firstly I have got myself confused about God/Jesus, when we pray are we praying to both, ok i know about the concept of the Trinity, but who are are prayers addressed to??

Jesus is the man-God who is “most like you”, and is a great (the greatest!?) person to send your prayers to. I’d start there.

I really struggle with accepting that God is always present. And, I started to think, who exactly is He in my life - and I don’t know, maybe this is something that becomes clearer in time??

How could God NOT be always present everywhere and everywhen? God is capable of doing anything, so what is to stop Him?

I also am finding it a bit difficult to grasp the concept that my prayers are being listened to.Why would they be? I havent exactly been an ideal catholic in the last so many years. The idea of God’s love for me is one I can’t accept easily.

God doesn’t take bribes. He is totally consumed by listening and responding in the wisest way possible to every single one of His creations.

The only thing you need to remember about God’s love is that it is always offered freely and in larger amounts than any creature could possibly use at all times.

The only way it doesn’t “get to you” is if you don’t accept it,… so don’t not accept it…!

I struggle as I have no visual imagine in my head of who I am talking to, and at times this makes me think to myself ‘hey who are you talking to, what are you doing?’ it kinda discourages me. any advice with that one?

Start with Jesus, for the reason given above. He is most like you, which He did on purpose so that you could more easily “relate” to Him.

You are talking to a real person. Talk to Him as a real person.

I know a lot of these things may seem trivial, but a few years ago I tried to return to my faith and didn’t succeed, these are some of the things that prevented me from doing so, so now I feel I have someone to ask I am hoping this won’t happen this time. Thank you.

Just hold onto that “strong feeling” and send your prayers over it to Jesus.

…that,… and go to Mass…!

Mahalo ke Akua…!
E pili mau na pomaikai ia oe. Aloha nui.