…I’m trying to strengthen my relationship with God I’m continuously trying to pray.
No-one can continuously pray, for we got to master our daily life as well. We all however can dedicate our life to God in living it in Christ’s doctrine, which is LOVE. Love to others! To ALL people. It’s absolutely of no use at all to love God, if we don’t love our next as well. Hence: Concentrating on God only - neglecting people, is versus Christ’s doctrine and such worthless, for as Christ emphasized; the greatest of all commands is these two in one: Love to God AND to our next! See Mt 25,40: ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
how do I pray continuously throughout the day without using formatted prayers such as the Hail Mary, Glory Be and other little exclamations of love to our Lord. How do we have an open conversation, a continuous prayer, to God?
„Formatted prayers“ such as the Hail Mary, are absolutely essential in our connection to God and anything but " little exclamations of love to our Lord“. The „Hail Mary“ for one was formulated by the holiest of all Holies - in this case the Arch-Angel Gabriel, when He was send to bring the great news to Holy Mary in Luke 1,28.
It then was repeated by Holy Elizabeth, a relative to Holy Mary and when Hol Mary arrived at her and the Priest Zacharias house, she was pregnant with John Baptist in the sixth month, and the unborn John jumped of joy in her womb, when he felt the mother von God approaching. In Luke 1,42-43 Holy Elizabeth repeats the words of Arch Angel Gabriel. This precious prayer we must never name a „formatted prayer“ for it’s a huge treasure of the Catholic and the Anglican Church and a close connection to God.
Another „formatted Prayer“ is the Lord’s prayer. It was never „formatted“ but presented to us by God Himself - by Jesus Christ. The most precious prayer we possess, testified in Mt 6,9–13 and Luke 11,2–4.
I’m not a talkative person, in fact above all I value my silence and personal time, so talking to God all day long really becomes a challenge for me.
That’s ok, and a great sample or this way of life are the monks and nuns - mainly in the Orders of silence of for instance the "Ordo Cartusiensis“ of St. Bruno of Cologne ( my name-patron *1030 †1101) and others Holy Orders. But please mind, that these monks pray all day not for themselves, but for others - for the world.
Without their eternal, everlasting, continuous prayers of all these monks in countless Monasteries around the world, the world would have perished long ago and did not exist any more. This is these monk’s love Christ called the foremost command, covering all others in Mt 22,37-40.
To pray all day long in private talks to God is just „sort of ok“ if the „formatted prayers“ of Jesus Christ, Arch Angel Gabriel and Holy Elizabeth or Holy Mary (Magnificat) are minded all the same, but they are worthless, if not connected with what God said in Lev 19,18: You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself, and He added: I am the Lord.
The only way I can now, is to use the formatted prayers, so, how do I get to that deeper relationship, that continuous prayer and never ending adoration of God?
These "formatted prayers“ bring you closer to God than you ever imagined. Given by God Himself - by Jesus Christ in Mt 6,5-13, they (especially THE LORD’S PRAYER) even are the „Key to God“. Then, when these "formatted prayers“ finally have brought you into a close relationship with God, and you got the feeling to be touched by God, your very personal „never ending adoration of God“ will come „automatically“.
But anyhow: Any believer is free at any time and in any situation, to speak to God freely as talking to a good friend; for God is much more than any „good friend“, for He created you, because He wants you to be His.
Yours
Bruno
