How long & how do you pray "petition" prayers?

[wisdom_3_5]

I was wondering when you pray for someone or an intention how long do you pray it? Do you list it a few days in a row or every day? Do you pray over it for 1 min 5 min etc? Do you say any special prayers like novenas. WHich ones?

Thanks!

 

[Sir_Knight]

No fixed rules need be laid down, generally speaking, for the making of a novena beyond that of persevering in prayer through the space of nine days – following the example of the Apostles who prayed for nine days for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Novena can also be done for 18 days – 9 days of prayer of petition followed by 9 days of prayer of thanksgiving even if the request hasn’t been answered yet. There is also a 54-day novena – three 9-day Novena’s in prayer of petition followed by three 9-day Novena’s in prayer of thansgiving.

There are numerous Novena’s out there (Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, to St. Jude, St. Therese, etc.). The efficacy of any novena depends in great measure on the piety and devotion of the individual. The following suggestions will increase the fervor of your novena:

1. *] Participate, if possible , in the public novena services, since there is added efficacy in the union of the faithful at prayer.
   
   *] Receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion during your novena.
   
   *] Promise an act of public gratitude, should your petition be granted; have holy Mass celebrated in thanksgiving; make your favor public for the encouragement of others; spread devotion to the Novena
   
   *] While making your request, be sure to honestly leave yourself open to God’s will.
   … Hope this helps.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

I heard a sermon touching on this by a non-Catholic preacher that has been hard to ignore.

Hebrews 11:1 states that “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” In Matt 21:22, Jesus says “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive,” and again in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.”

This guy’s point was that if you believe you will receive it, you will not need to pray a second time unless your faith was not strong enough the first time.

As far as the reading from last week’s Gospel about the persistent widow, I always hear how that scripture means we should “nag” God. (Yes, a theologian in our diocese writing in the Catholic Advance weekly newspaper actually used the word “nag.”) What I haven’t heard addressed from the pulpit, and it was addressed by that other preacher, was the last verse, Luke 18:8,“I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Why is this last question asked? Doesn’t it imply that God will answer those whose cry out to him day and night, while at the same time saying their nagging resulted from their lack of faith? Does this not correlate with Jesus’ calming the storm, in which he calmed the storm because they cried out to them, but then told them they had little faith for doing so?

In direct response to your question, if I feel stronger in faith than when I prayed for something the first time, I might pray for it again. Otherwise I try to avoid repetitions of petition prayer.

Alan

 

[Mysty101]

wisdom 3:5:

I was wondering when you pray for someone or an intention how long do you pray it? Do you list it a few days in a row or every day? Do you pray over it for 1 min 5 min etc? Do you say any special prayers like novenas. WHich ones?

Thanks!

St Monica prayed for St Augustine for 17 years.

SuZ

 

[Binary_Paul]

I simply ask the Holy Spirit, in the same vein as the private to the drill sergeant, How do you want me to pray sir, and for how long.

It is very interesting that there is often an idea of how to pray in a different way than I am accustomed to. I have received 2 big prayer burdens for people whom I didn’t know except casually. One for 9 months, and God gave me the grace to pray a rosary for her every day. The other, for better than 3 years. I’ve prayed for her in all kinds of ways, including; fasting and prayer for as many as 3 days, the rosary, offering up Masses, praying in tongues, praying for her while she is sleeping, praying before the Blessed Sacrament,…………it goes on and on. And then one day, I had a sense, as did some of my friends who had joined in the effort, that we had completed the task. We were praying for her conversion.

 

[puzzleannie]

you may never know the effect of your prayers, but it reminds me of something I forget, the courtsey of letting people know the outcome of a situation I have asked for prayer about. e-mailing everyone on the prayer chain to let them know the baby and mother are fine, the soldier is coming home, the surgery was successful. by the way, I did ask for prayer here for a young single mom with a cancer diagnosis. She had a biopsy, surgery removed tumor completely, no radiation or other treatment will be necessary. Through intercession on the part of her daughter’s friends, and incessant prayers of the daughter throughout confirmation process, mom has returned to the Church, amended harmful living situation, and brought younger children to the sacraments. thank you to the great and glorious Lord and Father of us all.

 

[mtr01]

AlanFromWichita:

I
Why is this last question asked? Doesn’t it imply that God will answer those whose cry out to him day and night, while at the same time saying their nagging resulted from their lack of faith? Does this not correlate with Jesus’ calming the storm, in which he calmed the storm because they cried out to them, but then told them they had little faith for doing so?

Alan

Just a quick response (so as to not get off track)

I don’t think it’s saying that the one’s nagging are without faith. In the homily I heard on this reading, the priest suggested that the “nagging” was an example of faith. Jesus then asked if when he returns he will find people with this kind of faith. The other 2 readings give insights also to the type of faith Our Lord will be looking for.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

I keep a prayer journal in which I keep a list of intentions for which I’m praying. I pray through the list whenever I sit down to pray. When a prayer is answered I cross it off and add it to my “answered prayers” list in the back of my journal for which I give thanks.

I totally disagree that praying for something more than once reveals a lack of faith. I will pray for my husband’s conversion of heart until the day it happens or I die, whichever comes first. I will pray for my children to stay close to the Lord until my dying day. Being persistent in prayer shows a reliance on the Lord, not our lack of faith.

The “name it and claim it” teaching that someone mentioned here is just not right. I feel badly for those who espouse it. I’m sure there are times that they want to pray for something more than once but are afraid that it will mean they don’t have faith. I can’t imagine God would want his children to be worrying about that.

In Christ,
Nancy