How to listen during praying?

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Ok, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me.
I’ve been wondering, praying is supposed to be like talking instead of something like broadcasting a one way radio to God. So how do you pray effective so that you can “listen to God’s voice in your heart”? Any tips?
 
There’s no formula, you just do it earnestly. I suspect you want prayer to be very experiential (inner utterances almost loud enough to hear; unmistakable divinity), but I can tell you factually, that’s not going to happen. If God’s voice just sounds like thoughts in your head, respectfully, you can draw your own conclusions as to why that is.
 
totallylost said:
Ok, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me.
I’ve been wondering, praying is supposed to be like talking instead of something like broadcasting a one way radio to God. So how do you pray effective so that you can “listen to God’s voice in your heart”? Any tips?
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Not a stupid question at all!! My spiritual director has been working with me on the effectiveness of prayer. I asked him, “How do I the difference between God’s will and my own?” “How can I tell if what comes to me is truly from God?” “How do you hear God’s voice in prayer?” and “How do you keep other thoughts out of your mind while you are trying to listen in silence to God?” Silence is not especially comfortable for me, so I tend to ‘talk’ too much and not listen enough. He has me taking an hour for prayer. He said I can ‘talk’ to God for 5 minutes, then listen the other 55. He wants me to keep a record of the sorts of things that come into my mind in that 55 minutes. I have just started this. I can tell you the list is long and not at all cohesive! I hope it gets shorter and the silence more tolerable. He says it is a matter of discipline. We watched Father Corapi’s lesson on Prayer, part II, from his series on the Catechism just yesterday. It gave me much to think about.

I, too, would appreciate any tips. How do you keep out the thoughts that tend to invade the silence?

Thank you.
 
LindaSK said:
I, too, would appreciate any tips. How do you keep out the thoughts that tend to invade the silence?

Thank you.
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I cannot sit for and hour, silence or otherwise. As it is, I get up at 5 a.m. just to have 30 minutes of silent time where I read the daily mass readings and a meditation booklet. I sometimes write what I think, how I feel, what is going on in my life (a spiritual journal) to keep me focused and sometimes I am drawn to silence, and sometimes I am drawn to pray for people, and yesterday for the first time, I was drawn to go to the Prayer Intention section of this forum and write brief prayers. I consider all of that listening to God in prayer.

My spiritual director told me to bring myself, distracted and not to God in prayer. It doesn’t matter what state I am in at all. Just show up and be who I am at the moment on that day. It will change each day. Trust that God is at work in me regardless.

My spiritual journal helps me as I accumulate stuff and I bounce that off my sp. dir. monthly. Also, I have had experiences of powerful dreams… actually, a word or two in a dream… which I also lay before my sp. dir. These are very rare. Mostly, I only find God’s will as it evolves in my life. It is more an unconscious thing for me. It is discovered in retrospect. And if that discovery is while I am in process of the change, I go in the direction of the change. For example, in January, I looked back at 09. I discovered that I lost interest in MORE magazine and had let the subscription run out. I also discovered I had lost a bad habit. Seeing that, I found the virtue in those things: purity and patience. So, I figured that is God’s will for me to emphasize now and I cancelled another magazine and only read two Catholic ones now.
 
+Pray:gopray2:er is essentially the heart of one’s soul “talking” to its God . . . on the other hand . . . meditation is taught in Sacred :bible1: Scripture and by Holy Mother Church as essentially being the heart of one’s soul “listening” to its God . . . the ultimate goal of these actions of the soul being that at the center . . . of the deep interior quiet within the heart of the soul . . . the soul enters into . . . *constant holy conversation and communion with its God *. . .

Lectio Divina (divine reading) is perhaps the clearest most well lit holy pathway for the soul to “listen” to its God . . . essentially it is encountering God in the reading of a literary level of holy writings in Christendom believed to be especially blessed and anointed of God . . . first order and always primary of which is God’s **Holy Word **. . . Sacred :bible1: Scripture . . . and which group of writings can also include The Holy Rule of St. Benedict . . . The Catechism of the Catholic Church . . . writings of the Fathers of the Church, etc., . . . and as such . . . when prayer:gopray2:fully read the . . . **Holy Spirit **. . . Wonderful Counselor of Our God . . . is abundantly available to help regarding the reading and understanding of same . . .

The holy monk Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki , O.S.B. of the Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania here in the United States . . . recommends that we . . . *slow down radically *. . . when reflecting on inspired material . . . so as to . . . ***open up freely ***. . . to the treasury of insights contained therein . . . he goes on further to share with beautiful simplicity:

Lectio Divina (divine reading)
Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki , O.S.B. (Order of St. Benedict)

“It is the **monastic insight **that reading, if it be authentic, cannot be undertaken simply with the eyes and the mind. Rather it must involve the whole person: mind, heart, body and spirit. It is reading not so much for information as for formation, that is, for encounter with the living God in this moment in such a way that one’s heart ❤️ catches fire and one’s life is transformed … In St. Benedict’s day reading a sacred or spiritual text was practiced not so much for the sake of ‘information,’ but rather in order to be ‘formed’: that is, to be inwardly changed or shaped. …

Thus the aim of lectio divina (divine reading), i.e., pondering the material in a slow, prayer:gopray2:ful way, is to dispose ourselves to welcome God’s ever-present grace and His efforts to conquer our hearts and transform us more and more into a holy people . . . ”
​
. . . :coffeeread: . . .
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCHPART ONE: THE Profession of Faith
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Article 2 - THE TRANSMISSION OF DIVINE REVELATION
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81 Sacred Scripture is **the speech of God **as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.
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Article 3 - SACRED SCRIPTURE
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104 In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it ** not** as human word, "but as what it really is, the Word of God."

In the sacred books,
the Father who is in heaven
comes lovingly ❤️ to meet his children,
and talks with them.
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. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy St. Benedict+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Church+​
 
I would recommend not to try to enter into a conversation with God as if you are sitting across from Him at lunch, like you would with a friend. Instead, try listening in silence. Don’t go into prayer expecting God to “speak” to you, as you will be preoccupied with this and quite honestly, I’m not sure it really works that way. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you in discerning God’s will and want you can do to better know Him, love Him, and serve Him.

The above poster mentioned Lectio Divina. This would be a good thing to try. Also try sitting in silence and asking the Holy Spirit and your guardian angel to help keep you focused on God.
 
Jesus_123 said:
+Pray:gopray2:er is essentially the heart of one’s soul “talking” to its God . . . on the other hand . . . meditation is taught in Sacred :bible1: Scripture and by Holy Mother Church as essentially being the heart of one’s soul “listening” to its God . . . the ultimate goal of these actions of the soul being that at the center . . . of the deep interior quiet within the heart of the soul . . . the soul enters into . . . constant holy conversation and communion with its God . . .

Lectio Divina (divine reading) is perhaps the clearest most well lit holy pathway for the soul to “listen” to its God . . . essentially it is encountering God in the reading of a literary level of holy writings in Christendom believed to be especially blessed and anointed of God . . . first order and always primary of which is God’s **Holy Word **. . . Sacred :bible1: Scripture . . . and which group of writings can also include The Holy Rule of St. Benedict . . . The Catechism of the Catholic Church . . . writings of the Fathers of the Church, etc., . . . and as such . . . when prayer:gopray2:fully read the . . . **Holy Spirit **. . . Wonderful Counselor of Our God . . . is abundantly available to help regarding the reading and understanding of same . . .

The holy monk Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki , O.S.B. of the Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania here in the United States . . . recommends that we . . . slow down radically . . . when reflecting on inspired material . . . so as to . . . ***open up freely ***. . . to the treasury of insights contained therein . . . he goes on further to share with beautiful simplicity:

Lectio Divina (divine reading)
Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki , O.S.B. (Order of St. Benedict)

“It is the **monastic insight **that reading, if it be authentic, cannot be undertaken simply with the eyes and the mind. Rather it must involve the whole person: mind, heart, body and spirit. It is reading not so much for information as for formation, that is, for encounter with the living God in this moment in such a way that one’s heart ❤️ catches fire and one’s life is transformed … In St. Benedict’s day reading a sacred or spiritual text was practiced not so much for the sake of ‘information,’ but rather in order to be ‘formed’: that is, to be inwardly changed or shaped. …

Thus the aim of lectio divina (divine reading), i.e., pondering the material in a slow, prayer:gopray2:ful way, is to dispose ourselves to welcome God’s ever-present grace and His efforts to conquer our hearts and transform us more and more into a holy people . . . ”
​

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+
. . . thank you Blessed Holy St. Benedict+
. . . thank you Holy Mother Church+​
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Thank you for this. I do do a lot of reading - from the CCC, the Bible, meditation booklets, biographies of the Saints. Perhaps I misunderstood my spiritual director. I presumed he wanted me to just sit in silence. If I could read and meditate on those readings during that time, I could deal with the silence better. Thoughts still creep in, but are easier to dismiss. For me it is often about “location, location, location.” In the church, I can sit quietly for fairly long periods of time, and find some peace. At home - and I, too, am up early and I read and/or pray before my feet hit the floor - it is VERY difficult to just sit in silence and not feel the space of that silence crowded out with many invading thoughts. My mind tends to rerun conversations and actions from yesterday, and remember things that need to be done in the near future, and there are always ‘surprises.’

To totallylost, it helps to know I am not alone!
 
+Your most welcome LindaSK . . . to God alone be the glory . . . below is a link to a wonderful book regarding an extraordinary holy monk who lived many years ago . . . which material is along the subject lines of this post . . . (the book is now available on-line) . . . the Lord graciously brought this beautiful book into our church some years back . . .and it swept through the church as a new favorite . . . it’s a marvelous read . . . and worthy of true meditation in the Spirit . . .
. . . :coffeeread: . . .
The Practice of the Presence of God*- Brother Lawrence*

"A gentle man of joyful spirit, Brother Lawrence shunned attention and the limelight, knowing that outside distraction “spoils all”. It was not until after his death that a few of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, counsel to the Paris archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year, in a second publication which he titled, 'The Practice of the Presence of God, de Beaufort included, as introductory material, the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence.

In this small book, through letters and conversations, Brother Lawrence simply and beautifully explains how to continually walk with God - not from the head but from the heart ❤️ . Brother Lawrence left the gift of a way of life available to anyone who seeks to know God’s peace and presence; that anyone, regardless of age or circumstance, can practice -anywhere, anytime. Brother Lawrence also left the gift of a direct approach to living in God’s presence that is as practical today as it was three hundred years ago."
​
​
- from the Editor’s Preface​
**​
:compcoff: **Link: ** practicegodspresence.com/brotherlawrence/practicegodspresence09.html

:bible1: “1 Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence. 2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.” - Psalm 1:1-3​
. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Dear Blessed Lord+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+​
 
Jesus_123 said:
+Your most welcome LindaSK . . . to God alone be the glory . . . below is a link to a wonderful book regarding an extraordinary holy monk who lived many years ago . . . which material is along the subject lines of this post . . . (the book is now available on-line) . . . the Lord graciously brought this beautiful book into our church some years back . . .and it swept through the church as a new favorite . . . it’s a marvelous read . . . and worthy of true meditation in the Spirit . . .
. . . :coffeeread: . . .
The Practice of the Presence of God*- Brother Lawrence*

"A gentle man of joyful spirit, Brother Lawrence shunned attention and the limelight, knowing that outside distraction “spoils all”. It was not until after his death that a few of his letters were collected. Joseph de Beaufort, counsel to the Paris archbishop, first published the letters in a small pamphlet. The following year, in a second publication which he titled, 'The Practice of the Presence of God, de Beaufort included, as introductory material, the content of four conversations he had with Brother Lawrence.

In this small book, through letters and conversations, Brother Lawrence simply and beautifully explains how to continually walk with God - not from the head but from the heart ❤️ . Brother Lawrence left the gift of a way of life available to anyone who seeks to know God’s peace and presence; that anyone, regardless of age or circumstance, can practice -anywhere, anytime. Brother Lawrence also left the gift of a direct approach to living in God’s presence that is as practical today as it was three hundred years ago."
​
​
- from the Editor’s Preface​
**​
:compcoff: **Link: ** practicegodspresence.com/brotherlawrence/practicegodspresence09.html

:bible1: “1 Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence. 2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.” - Psalm 1:1-3​
. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Dear Blessed Lord+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+​
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Thank you again!

I am still reading. What a great site!

I liked this:
“Brother Lawrence related that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s presence by continually conversing with Him. It was a shameful thing to quit His conversation to think of trifles and fooleries. We should feed and nourish our soul with high notions of God which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him.” I tend to ‘talk’ too much! Curious, because with someone standing right in front of me, I am actually a very good listener.

He spoke of “a complete act of resignation.” Our priest asked us, in his homily this past Sunday, to think of how many times we begin a sentence with “I.” We/I have this need to be in control. Perhaps, that is what gets me into so much trouble. It affects both my sleep and my prayer, thinking of all “I” need to do, and what “I” should/could/would have done or said, instead of just listening to what God wants to do through and in me. Father told me to pray for Trust. Father also suggested ‘The Serenity Prayer,’ which I am very familiar with. As I have told him, I don’t feel I have that “Wisdom.” My first instinct tends to be to act and ‘fix things.’ Father told me to pray for Wisdom. It worked for Solomon!

Just on Monday, in a class our priest leads on the Catechism, we heard Father Corapi speak to this very thing in ‘Prayer, part III’ from his series on the Catechism. Yesterday, I happened to turn on EWTN in the middle of ‘FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY PRESENTS,’ and there was Scott Hahn, and others, discussing the value and importance of silence in prayer and ways to accomplish it. God must certainly be trying to get my attention!

Usually, that 55 minutes seems so long. I spend much of the time pushing away distractions. Sunday afternoon, though, an hour and a half went by without realizing it! And it felt more peaceful, not a struggle.

So, thanks again! I have bookmarked this site. I have already reread some parts!

God bless,
Linda
 
totallylost said:
Ok, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me.
I’ve been wondering, praying is supposed to be like talking instead of something like broadcasting a one way radio to God. So how do you pray effective so that you can “listen to God’s voice in your heart”? Any tips?
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These three books…

frjacquesphilippe.com/books/time_for_god.html

frjacquesphilippe.com/books/school_ofthe_holyspirit.html

frjacquesphilippe.com/books/called_to_life.html

frjacquesphilippe.com/themes/themes.html

these are some of the BEST books on this…prayer and listening to God…

and of course completely orthodox Catholic…

he was even mentioned on CA radio not long ago
 
A divine inspiration cannot ask us to do something that contradicts what the Word of God teaches and asks of us. This means not the Word of God as compiled by each individual’s fantasy and interpretation, but Holy Scripture as transmitted and explained by the teaching authority of the Church. For example, a divine inspiration cannot ask me to commit acts that the Church considers immoral. In the same way, true inspirations always go in the direction of a spirit of obedience to the Church.
— In the School of the Holy Spirit, p.47
 
Some of my favorite books for true beginners like me:
Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom
The Art of Praying by Romano Guardini
Christian Meditation by Hans Urs von Balthasar
 
totallylost said:
Ok, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me.
I’ve been wondering, praying is supposed to be like talking instead of something like broadcasting a one way radio to God. So how do you pray effective so that you can “listen to God’s voice in your heart”? Any tips?
Click to expand...
I am highly distractable. I suffer from “intrusive memory” as well as a tendency to lose my train of thought if interrupted by noise, etc.

So, here is how I have gotten my prayer life to a good start, using the time-honored Rosary.

I began by focussing just on the effort to do it each day up to three "Hail Mary"s (the first string on the rosary beads.) Because we start by praying first the Apostle’s Creed and then the Our Father, we are set on the right path, with our attention drawn directly to God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Mary is really there and ready to help us pray, just like the Blessed Mother she is. We are asking her, in the “Hail Mary”, to pray with us.

By the third repetition my mind is free of whatever distractions and I am ready to state my intentions for that prayer time and listen. Sometimes I do this in silence, sometimes with Gregorian Chant in the background. God doesn’t necessarily answer when we pray. We might get our answer later in the day, and whenever we feel we are getting an answer, we should check it carefully with more prayer and reading Scripture.

Do you have a Missal? The old 1962 Latin/English Missal that was published with the Vat-II changes is a wonderful tool for learning to discern God’s voice. The readings of each Mass are laid out and if you are attending Mass regularly you can follow the priest’s own direction more easily (even if using a more modern one. this is just my preference because I learned the old way.) and you will find God speaks in unison with these readings. There are meditations in the back to use every day.
 
totallylost said:
Ok, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me.
I’ve been wondering, praying is supposed to be like talking instead of something like broadcasting a one way radio to God. So how do you pray effective so that you can “listen to God’s voice in your heart”? Any tips?
Click to expand...
two words

shuddd uppp

the prayer may begin with you talking but the meat of the prayer is listening
actively to God’s word in reading scripture directly, meditating on mysteries revealed through prayers such as the rosary which is a meditation on the whole gospel, or the Divine Mercy which is a meditation on the passion, lectio divina which builds in listening time and contemplation, but all prayer should include silence which is where the real prayer, conversation, happens.

silence of spirit, silence of the senses, silence of the tongue, the thoughts, no music, no words, no books. Silence, the hardest art of all.
 
totallylost said:
Ok, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me.
I’ve been wondering, praying is supposed to be like talking instead of something like broadcasting a one way radio to God. So how do you pray effective so that you can “listen to God’s voice in your heart”? Any tips?
Click to expand...
I don’t have any tips but I just wanted to thank you so much for creating this thread! I have wondered about this same question for a long time now. This thread is helping with that! 👍

Thank you! 👍👍
 
Great thread! Let me echo the thoughts on Lectio Divina and the Rosary.

You may also love to read about Ignatian spirituality. Saint Ignatius goes into great detail into such things as the discernment of spirits, methods to pray over the Scriptures, etc.

Centering prayer is also a very beautiful way to spend time with the Lord. It can be difficult at first, but the rewards are worth it. I recommend Fr. Thomas Keating’s “Invitation to Love.” It explains how to do this wonderfully.

Good luck!
 
Thank you all for the wonderful advice and resources. Also good to know I am not alone!

God bless.
 
Lifeisawesome said:
Just a note on Centering Prayer. Any discussion on this topic is banned in this forum. If you would like to learn about Catholic Answers view of CP, as well as related links from Vatican documents regarding divergent forms of spirituality that have crept into the Catholic Church, you can find them here here:

rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2009/06/05/centering-prayer-ie-keating-menninger-herington
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My friend in Christ, with respect I disagree with these views on Centering Prayer. Centering Prayer is a practice that is focused soley on Jesus. It is a form of prayer in which the pray-er gives God his/her whole being, in order to replace this personal will with the will of Christ.

Fr. Dreher’s article has come under criticism. For example, his conclusion that the devil approached the little girl because of Centering Prayer is not based on fact or even, many would argue, reason. Personally, I find his statement foolish and offensive. What are Father Dreher’s credentials on writing such a scathing article? When reading his article one must wonder if Dreher had ever bothered to read any of Fr. Keating’s books.

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have spoken out against New Age beliefs, and that cannot be taken lightly. However, in regards to the thought that Centering Prayer is inherently condemned because New Age practices are: Centering Prayer is not New Age. While some may quote a sentence from Keating out of context to prove their anti-Centering Prayer stance, it can be argued that there is no evidence that Centering Prayer is explicitely linked to New Age practices. If there are any connections, it is not because Centering Prayer has borrowed New Age principles. Rather, it is because New Age has some hints of Catholic divine truths. While we Catholics may not believe New Age as a whole to be true, that doesn’t mean that the New Age movement is completely void of any truth.

I was not aware that this topic was banned on this forum. It is truly unfortunate if it is, as there are intelligent and faitful arguments for and against Centering Prayer. As far as I am aware, some Catholics have condemned the practice, but that does not mean the Church has. Many religious and laymen have embraced, endorsed, and grown closer to Christ with the practice. I in no way want to hijack this thread. If anyone wants to discuss this more, maybe we can start a thread in Apologetics, or discuss over PM:)

To the original poster, I will pray for your prayer. There are different types of prayer within the Church, and the Lord speaks with us in individual and collective ways. We have the beauty of the Mass as a collective way, for example. Individually, Lectio Divina may be the best for Catholic A, the Rosary for Catholic B, Centering Prayer for Catholic C, or Ignatian Spirituality for Catholic D. There are many other methods, too. I recommend reading a few books, trying a few methods, and going from there. Good luck and God’s love to you:D
 
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