How do I pray?..Am I worthy to pray?

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english_matt

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I feel embarrased to ask this question.
Do I kneel, sit or stand?
Do I say the words out loud, or whisper, or say the words in my head as if talking to myself?
I have never prayed (well maybe a couple of times - in desparation, or more likely selfishness).
I feel like I take one step forward and half a step back.
My logical side and spiritual side are at war with each other, and I just KNOW that my spiritual side will win - I believe it’s what I want, and I KNOW it’s what He wants.
Sorry - I’m rambling.
Any advice would be most welcome.

Matt
 
prayer says St. Therese is conversation with Jesus, and none of us is worthy for that privilege, yet He himself has said he desires it, so just open up, sit stand or kneel, and tell him what is on your mind. no rules, but we do have formal prayers like the rosary, for those times when we can’t find our own words.
 
Those are excellent questions. If you are new to prayer, it may be easier to start out with a prayer book that helps you along. Something you can read and think about.

But prayer can be a simple as one sentence, “Jesus, I love you.” “Holy Spirit give me strength.”

Prayer can be just talking out loud to God about your day, or keeping your thoughts in your mind. I tell my sons to pretend you see Jesus sitting next to you and just talk to Him as they would talk to me. Telling Jesus about the day, problems they are having, worries, and thanking Him for things. Thanking Jesus is very important. Afterall, everyone loves to be thanked.

Jesus is a real person, always with you whether you can see Him or not. None the less, He is always at your side - so talk away both out loud and in your head.

One note, however, if you are gonna talk out loud, you may want to make sure you have a bit of privacy. I do this in my bedroom, or in my car or in the shower. Then I am comfortable chatting away.

There is no right or wrong way to pray.
 
I think this is the coolest question.
The answer is YES, all of the above at the appropriate time. 😃

I use about all of those methods.
When I first wake up lying there on my back I say a quick “good morning, thank you for another day - please help me get out of bed without falling on my face”. This preceeds morning prayers say an hour or so later. Regularily on my knees quietly outloud once a day for morning prayers. Then during the day I may be on my feet and pray little aspirations now and then. And while I am working I will pray - singing.
I am trying to incorporate the Angelus into my daily prayer life. If I miss it at noon sometimes I will still say it later. Then I am also on my feet and do the genuflection at “the Word was made flesh”.
At night before I go to bed I generally sit on the edge of my bed making an examination of conscience and night prayers. Sometimes I will just pray sitting there. Sometimes I will kneel. I wish I had a nice kneeler in my bedroom. They are expensive. I use a pillow though in the morning.
 
Those were wonderful questions, and so innocent.

My dear friend,
I am an old gray-haired man and I think for the first fifty years of my life the only prayers I said were memorised prayers, and some I read out of a book.
Code: 
I met and became friends with a missionary who had just returned after 27 years in South Anerica, he was Father Tim. He and I prayed, He saw how I prayed, all stiff, erect on my knees and spoke so softly the prayers. He kept telling my to pray the Our Father, but say the words slowly. Think about what each word means, take your time.
I have been told that God doesn’t care if you sit stand or kneel. But I still kneel, it is a sign of reverence! Say your Our Father slowly, then just TALK TO JESUS or GOD or your Guardian Angel. Fathers like for their children to talk to them! Talk just like you talk on the phone. After praying be silent for a while - this is when you listen. Try that, you might like it…Thank You for asking.
JMJ
 
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english_matt:
Do I kneel, sit or stand?
Do I say the words out loud, or whisper, or say the words in my head as if talking to myself?
Click to expand...
You can pray in all the ways you have asked about, but remember Mathew 6:5-6 when you are alone (not in Church or in a prayergroup): “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you”. 🙂

A link to “Lord, Teach us how to Pray” :
cptryon.org/prayer/index.html

A place to start if you want to pray the Holy Rosary (you will find the Rosery for the day after “Readings for Mass”) :
easterbrooks.com/personal/calendar/index.html

G.Grace
 
Jesus taught us how to pray the Our Father and he admonished us not to multiply words like the pagans.

I can’t fathom why any Christian would even raise the question about being worthy. The idea of unworthiness is a guilt trip laid on us by external sources not by Jesus.
 
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english_matt:
I feel embarrased to ask this question.
Do I kneel, sit or stand?
Do I say the words out loud, or whisper, or say the words in my head as if talking to myself?
I have never prayed (well maybe a couple of times - in desparation, or more likely selfishness).
I feel like I take one step forward and half a step back.
My logical side and spiritual side are at war with each other, and I just KNOW that my spiritual side will win - I believe it’s what I want, and I KNOW it’s what He wants.
Sorry - I’m rambling.
Any advice would be most welcome.

Matt
Click to expand...
Matt,

Your questions really touched my heart. I believe your struggle pleases our Lord. I hope when you get the particulars down, you maintain your earnestness. Prayer is meant to bring us to love so when the loving starts remember to let the prayer slip away and just love.

A friend of mine asked a little boy what he said to God when he prayed. The youngster answered, “I say my ABC’s for Jesus.”

Joanna
 
God is omnipotent, He knows everything.

When you pray, you do not need to utter a word. He knows what is in your heart. Pray to God for forgiveness. Ask him that you may know his son Jesus and why he died.

Prayer the prayer Jesus Gave us.

Our Father who art in Heaven.
Hallowed Be thy Name.
Thy Kingdon COme.
Thy will be done.
On Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
and Forgive us our tresspasses (Sins)
As we forgive others who have tresspassed againts us (sins)
lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
 
Understand that Jesus will listen to all your prayers, even if you think you don’t know how to pray…he KNOWS your intention and your heartfelt reason to reach him with your words.
I sometimes lite a candle next to a cross and kneel before it and bow my head…there is something about doing this that takes me into a spiritual mood 🙂
 
Dear friend

You are a child of God, a son or daughter of God, therefore you should talk to Him and listen to Him and this is prayer. All the Hail Mary’s in the world and all of the Our Father’s said are second best to the opening of your heart and the words of honesty and humbleness you speak to your Father in Heaven.

Find somewhere you feel closest to God and sit , kneel, lie or stand, whichever feels right, and say what is in your heart and on your mind, in the words you use daily and talk to your Father.

If you do not talk to your Father in heaven how do you expect to have a relationship with Him? If you didn’t talk to a friend of yours for a year you would expect that relationship to fall apart and therefore it’s the same with God. You have to invite Him, He will not impose Himself on you. You invite Him by talking to Him.

You are worthy, you are as worthy as any. Most feel due to their sinful nature they are not worthy. But the Lord is Lord of sinners and saints and all are His children. Who may be the sinner today is the saint tommorrow.

Love the day you are in, don’t think about tomorrow at all and talk with your Father. His Son died for you to resume your relationship with Him, if you are urged by the Holy Spirit but feel unworthy shake that off because satan so desires to prolong the rift between God and humanity when the rift is healed in Christ Jesus and man and God are unified again in Him. Talk to your Father, Brother and King Jesus and the Holy Spirit and ignore anything that urges you to do otherwise.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
your question is a wonderful one, and the replies more wonderful still. you do not even have to say anything to Jesus, just yearning to know him is enough…he will help you, because he wants us to talk to Him about everything. (I am reminded of a story I read some time ago, about a man who was dying of a terminal disease, and his having trouble praying. He was returning to the faith after many years, and after his confession, he asked the priest how to pray, since he had forgotten. The priest told him to just imagine Jesus was sitting in the chair beside him, and talk to him like family. Some days afterward, he died. His daughter told the priest that he died in peace, though disease was a painful one, but that a short time before he took his nap (and died in his sleep) she heard him holding a conversation with the chair next to his bed. She wondered if dad was losing his marbles. Imagine her consolation at finding out that he was talking with Jesus only hours before his death. I have a feeling he had the wonderful experience of a ‘happy death’.
 
I love this question!!!
What a neat poster!

Every answer here is wonderful. I have to agree completely about talking to Jesus like a friend and brother. I sometime even share a particularly funny joke with him.

Praying to our Heavenly Father was a bit harder to me, since my own dad died when I was only 4 years old. I was very close to my Grandpa so this helped.
A very good friend, a Priest gave me the sweetest suggestion that has always worked wonders for me and for folks I share it with.
He said to picture myself climbing up into my Daddy’s lap (Abba =Daddy, thats what Jesus said to call His Daddy), giving him a huge hug and then thanking him and telling him how much I love him. Then I enjoy the wonderfu feeling of Him hugging me back and telling me how much he loves me.
Every time I have done this, the experience becomes more real and more wonderful.
 
If you look at the bible you will see that jesus shows us and tell us how to pray. He did it standing at the beatitudes, he did it sitting at the table at the last supper and he knelt at the garden of getsemine. If you go to mass you will see this done at the course of the mass. even the apostle did it walking out of the synagoge after being whipped by the sanhedrin. It is said in the mind , the heart and the voice , and one of the most powerful prayers by action is the sign of the cross. A prayer though should always be from the heart and lifted to our lord, he wants to hear our joy and sorrows especially when we are in the most desperate need of his love and grace which he is willing to pour out generously to all who ask. The only one that jesus rebuted was the self center braggart prayer who bragged about great he was and did not give the proper credit to god and looked his nose at others as sinners and not worthy. Jesus came for the sinner and he poured out his love in his blood and words from the cross saying father forgive them. the only way we cannot be forgiven is when we don’t pray. so don’t be embrassed our ashamed to pray. But if you need one prayer say the Lords prayer it is one that Jesus gave us to help us Love god as our father who loves us all. God bless you and keep you always in his hands.
 
From St Josemaria. Bear in mind it is someone who was a spiritual champion speaking. It is a goal to be striven for.

239http://www.escrivaworks.org/images/misc/pixtrans.gifLet us turn our gaze to Jesus Christ, who is our model, the mirror in which we should see ourselves. How does he act, even in his outward behaviour, in the great moments of his life? What does the holy Gospel tell us about him? I am moved by Our Lord’s habitual attitude of prayer, the way he turns to the Father before beginning his public life, retiring to the desert for forty days and forty nights, to pray.

Forgive me if I insist, but it is very important to note carefully what the Messiah did, because he came to show us the path that leads to the Father. With Our Lord we will discover how to give a supernatural dimension to all our actions, even those that seem least important. We will learn to live every moment of our lives with a lively awareness of eternity, and we will understand more deeply man’s need for periods of intimate conversation with his God, so as to get to know him, to invoke him, to praise him, to break out into acts of thanksgiving, to listen to him or, quite simply, to be with him.

Many years ago, as I reflected upon Our Lord’s way of doing things, I came to the conclusion that the apostolate, of whatever kind it be, must be an overflow of the interior life. This is why the passage which relates how Christ decided to choose the first twelve seems to me to be so natural and at the same time so supernatural. St Luke tells us that before choosing them ‘he spent the whole night in prayer’. Think also of the events at Bethany. Before he raises Lazarus from the dead, after having wept over his friend, he lifts his eyes to heaven and says, ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.’ This is his message for us: if we wish to help others, if we really wish to encourage them to discover the true meaning of their life on earth, we must base everything on prayer.
 
Never feel you are too unworthy to pray. We are all sinners.Our Lord said, " The healthy have no need of a physician, but the sick do". He came to save what was lost. And that’s all of us.

Another quote from St Josemaria Escriva you might like.
180http://www.escrivaworks.org/images/misc/pixtrans.gifIt is not that I lack true joy; on the contrary. And yet, painfully aware of my unworthiness, it is only natural that I should cry out with Saint Paul, ``wretched man that I am!’’

It is at such a time that you should increase your desire to tear down once and for all the barriers you yourself have set up.
 
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english_matt:
My logical side and spiritual side are at war with each other, and I just KNOW that my spiritual side will win - I believe it’s what I want, and I KNOW it’s what He wants.
Matt
Click to expand...
Don’t worry about the two sides being at war. Just keep praying first and foremost. Then, do whatever you can to learn about the Church and it’s teaching and you’ll see the logical and spiritual sides both start to work together. 🙂
 
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