How to Stop Viewing Prayer as a Boring Chore?

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Prayers are never wasted. Prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for our needs. Praises to God in chants or hymns. Offer your prayers for the souls in Purgatory, the sick, your friends and family. Prayers for people who don’t even know you are praying for them. Pray for yourself. Night time prayers we were taught: Our Father, Hail Mary 3 times, Glory be, Act of Contrition, Prayer to St. Michael, Prayer to our Guardian Angel. Ask the Holy Spirit for a true desire to speak directly to God. God made us. He only wants us to show our love for Him, through prayer and good works. Loving one another as He loves us. It’s not a burden but a blessing. He will never get tired of hearing from you. Do not pray for others to see you are Holy. Take time to read Catholic material, Lives of the Saints, or the Bible. Just expressing random thoughts.
 
Thanks for the replies! I will try to pray for the love of God and purposefully make myself suffer boredom. After all, suffering can be offered up as a prayer. 👍

My family doesn’t pray with me because they aren’t religious.
 
There are so many ways to pray. .formal prayer is just 1 way. I am guessing this is the area of struggle for you.

Perhaps you can read about different ways to pray, and different prayer methods.
 
mommy_k said:
There are so many ways to pray. .formal prayer is just 1 way. I am guessing this is the area of struggle for you.

Perhaps you can read about different ways to pray, and different prayer methods.
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Indeed, formal prayer is a struggle for me (as is making up prayers for random people/ideas/desires.) I just get into a habit if saying the same ones every single day. A reason I don’t choose to actively look for people to pray for is that I wouldn’t want to have to have a ridiculously long list I needed to pray for. :eek:

I’ve heard of something called Scriptural Prayer or something like that. I’ve tried doing what I think it is, reading some random sentence or two in the Bible, pray about it, and reflect on it. However, I feel I just didn’t get anything out of it but confusion. 😊

One of my favorite ways to pray is to just sit outside and realize God’s great creation. Unfortunately, in the colder weather and on rainy days this is not possible as I am trapped indoors like a rat in a cage. 😦
 
Melodeonist said:
Indeed, formal prayer is a struggle for me (as is making up prayers for random people/ideas/desires.) I just get into a habit if saying the same ones every single day. A reason I don’t choose to actively look for people to pray for is that I wouldn’t want to have to have a ridiculously long list I needed to pray for. :eek:

I’ve heard of something called Scriptural Prayer or something like that. I’ve tried doing what I think it is, reading some random sentence or two in the Bible, pray about it, and reflect on it. However, I feel I just didn’t get anything out of it but confusion. 😊

One of my favorite ways to pray is to just sit outside and realize God’s great creation. Unfortunately, in the colder weather and on rainy days this is not possible as I am trapped indoors like a rat in a cage. 😦
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Have you ever tried to follow the Divine Office … Liturgy of the Hours … I find that to be very beneficial to my prayer life. I use it as an opening to say hello to Jesus, and then find that I can have a spiritually moving time with our Lord.
 
Also there is a great resource for prayer … a book entitled “The Better Part” … it helps one find a way to pray to our Lord through the scriptures.
 
Melodeonist said:
Indeed, formal prayer is a struggle for me (as is making up prayers for random people/ideas/desires.) I just get into a habit if saying the same ones every single day. A reason I don’t choose to actively look for people to pray for is that I wouldn’t want to have to have a ridiculously long list I needed to pray for. :eek:

I’ve heard of something called Scriptural Prayer or something like that. I’ve tried doing what I think it is, reading some random sentence or two in the Bible, pray about it, and reflect on it. However, I feel I just didn’t get anything out of it but confusion. 😊

One of my favorite ways to pray is to just sit outside and realize God’s great creation. Unfortunately, in the colder weather and on rainy days this is not possible as I am trapped indoors like a rat in a cage. 😦
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Yes that’s very nice too.

If you want to develop a prayer life, it’s great to practice all different ways. If for example, the rosary is difficult for you…you can pray a decade or two at different times during the day, not in one sitting.
 
Don’t put off praying until the evening. You wouldn’t want to put off eating and then eat three meals in one go.

Pray different prayers.
 
Prayer is a virtue. If a person finds prayer to be difficult or boring, it’s because they lack the virtue. Virtue is formed by consistently doing something despite the difficulty and despite the temptation to do something else. That difficulty and temptation to quit happen to be rooted in the vice that’s undermining the virtue. It’s also an attachment of some sort.

So how do you stop looking at prayer as being boring and a chore? By actively fighting against the desire for entertainment and play time. Sometimes it’s time to work. A man is able to do his work when it’s required of him, and he puts aside his emotions and gets the job done. Sloth and softness make that very difficult.
 
Well, it can seem like that for sure. I have the same issue. Here are some tricks to try to get more into it…for me as much as for you, really.

I try different versions of the rosary on Youtube and say it along. There are many different ones.

I vary it with the DIvine Mercy chaplet.

Go to different churches and pray there. If it’s locked pray outside or in the car.

Find a beautiful panorama of nature to remind you of God’s love and creation and magnificence.

Take a good long look at the Hubble Deep Space Field pictures.

Sing your favorite hymns. That counts. On youtube, too.

Read the Bible.

You don’t have to pray prewritten prayers, you can do other things too.

Write a new prayer.

I watch videos on Youtube that are inspirational, Catholic Answers channel, sensus fidelius, different ones. It helps me. That counts too, though, I think.

I imagine myself arriving in heaven and running to hug Jesus and feel the love! lol

Think of something you want to pray for for someone else or some good cause. Make a list for when your imagination fails you.

I made my own rosary, it makes it feel more personal.

I made a photo slide show of pictures to go with the rosary prayers and mysteries. But that was time consuming and maybe that is just me.

I also like near death experience video accounts, but you have to be careful to discern the ones that are godly and not the Enemy playing head games.
 
Prayer is “opening up our hearts and minds to God.”
It is communication.

Instead of thinking of prayer as something to “tick off your to do list,” think first about the relationship that you are trying to develop with God. This relationship, of course, is begins with God. “We love because He first loved us.”
Any love relationship requires communication.
As Catholics, there are certain prayers that we know by rote. We are familiar with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Doxology that are keystones of the rosary.
I begin each decade of the rosary with a meditation on a scriptural passage as recommended by St. John Paul II in order to keep my mind focused on the Gospel. But this thread is not about how to pray the rosary effectively.

In the story of Mary and Margaret, Our Lord would not deny Mary the better part when she simply sat at his feet and listened. Sometimes prayer is not about reciting memorized prayer, but simply being in the moment, basking in the presence of Our Beloved.

Am I saying to neglect set prayer times? Of course not. In order for any relationship to grow, we need to set aside time for that relationship, times for scriptural reading, praying the rosary, etc.
There will be times when it feels like being on a mountain top (after or during a retreat, etc.), and other times when nothing seems to be happening at all. Trust regardless of the feelings that God is always with you.

Bishop Curlin told Mother Teresa, when she told him about not feeling God’s presence in her life, that incense always travels upward.
 
“Opening our hearts an dminds to God”, yes!

And sometimes that means just sitting there in silence. That can be boring. But I think it has more to do with developing sensitivity. We are so over stimulated that we have to practice awareness of God’s presence. It is subtle, but God is present all the time everywhere. Why do we not recognize, feel, experience, be overwhelmed by that presence? Because we are habitually distracted. Silence an dstillness can take us to another level. but we have to be patient because it is not like turning on the TV or clicking a web link. It requires patient listening, waiting and quiet.
 
Michael_Mayo said:
“Opening our hearts an dminds to God”, yes!

And sometimes that means just sitting there in silence. That can be boring. But I think it has more to do with developing sensitivity. We are so over stimulated that we have to practice awareness of God’s presence. It is subtle, but God is present all the time everywhere. Why do we not recognize, feel, experience, be overwhelmed by that presence? Because we are habitually distracted. Silence an dstillness can take us to another level. but we have to be patient because it is not like turning on the TV or clicking a web link. It requires patient listening, waiting and quiet.
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What I am thinking about right now is how we feel when we climb a mountain. Climbing the mountain is work, but we sit in awe as we look from the top of the mountain at the panorama around us. Of course, after the Transfiguration, Our Lord told his Apostles they need to go back into the market place. We do need to go back to work after “mountain top experiences” we may have during prayer. There is day to day tedium of routine.

The other quiet time I am thinking about is just simply sitting in a park, or walking in the middle of the woods. When Our Lord talks about prayer, he criticizes those who pray to be seen. There is a time for praise. He says to go into your closet where only your Heavenly Father sees. This is quiet listening prayer of the heart that can be done anywhere.
In her book, The Way of Perfection, written for nuns under her guidance, Teresa of Avila writes about the Our Father. She writes about contemplative prayer as gift. When we pray we pray with our whole being, slowly while reflecting on each word. In this way she responded to critics of meditative or contemplative. When we pray, we are giving ourselves to our Lover whom we love because He first loved us.

When we reach the top of the mountain and look at the view, or walk through the woods, how often do we use words? Find your own prayer spot. I have a prayer corner in my apartment. I have also lived in an apartment that allowed me to walk out on the roof, as Peter prayed. Prayer may take place while walking, as I have done while praying the rosary. It is about developing relationship with the Holy Spirit leading the way. Allow that love relationship to develop even in the tedious tasks of everyday life. Light a candle remember the upward flow of incense.
 
Try groaning and/or praying in tongues. All throughout the Bible, people groan in prayer. It’s basically the 911 call of Heaven. When you groan, you are telling God that you need Him now. Sometimes there are so many things I want to say in prayer, but I can’t find the words to convey it. Romans 8:26 says “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”.

As for tongues, it’s one of the gifts of the Spirit that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12-14. It’s a spiritual language that God blesses people with. You won’t know what you’re saying, but the Holy Spirit knows. Be careful not to do this in public, though, because there is always a danger of showing off. In other words, don’t do it so that others will think “Wow, look how devoted he/she is”. Paul said that only two or three [at a time] should speak in tongues, preferably with someone to interpret. You can do it any other time, though (when you are alone).

For me, tongues is a private language that’s between me and the Lord. Pray for the gift of tongues. It’s not for everyone, but you should at least pray for it if that’s what God puts on your heart 🙂
 
Melodeonist said:
I’ve heard of something called Scriptural Prayer or something like that. I’ve tried doing what I think it is, reading some random sentence or two in the Bible, pray about it, and reflect on it. However, I feel I just didn’t get anything out of it but confusion.
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One must prepare properly for mental prayer. You can begin (this is just a suggestion) with an Act of Contrition. Then, pray Psalm 122 (concluded with a Glory be to the Father…). Continue with “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. O God, who teaches the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit, grant us, by the same Spirit, to have a right judgment in all things and to rejoice forever in His holy comfort. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

After your meditation, ask yourself, What did I read? What conclusion must I draw? What have I done to imitate this? What must I do in the future? Answer these questions the best way you can and you will have made a good meditation. In meditation, three faculties of the soul are employed. The memory recalls the subject of consideration. The intellect thinks the matter over. The will utilizes it for acts of faith, charity, humility, contrition and petition.

Mental prayer seeks the light to know, and the strength to accomplish, the will of God in our regard.
 
drac16 said:
Try groaning and/or praying in tongues. All throughout the Bible, people groan in prayer. It’s basically the 911 call of Heaven. When you groan, you are telling God that you need Him now. Sometimes there are so many things I want to say in prayer, but I can’t find the words to convey it. Romans 8:26 says “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words”.

As for tongues, it’s one of the gifts of the Spirit that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12-14. It’s a spiritual language that God blesses people with. You won’t know what you’re saying, but the Holy Spirit knows. Be careful not to do this in public, though, because there is always a danger of showing off. In other words, don’t do it so that others will think “Wow, look how devoted he/she is”. Paul said that only two or three [at a time] should speak in tongues, preferably with someone to interpret. You can do it any other time, though (when you are alone).

For me, tongues is a private language that’s between me and the Lord. Pray for the gift of tongues. It’s not for everyone, but you should at least pray for it if that’s what God puts on your heart 🙂
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For Nelka and others,

Praying in tongues is a charism. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit which He gives as He wills. If your parish has a charismatic prayer group, and not all do, you can learn how to be open to this gift, as well as how to use it. I don’t want to side track this thread, as there are others that deal with the charismatic gifts.
It is true that we do not always know how to pray as we should. God knows what is in the deepest recesses of our heart. Whatever means of prayer used, the focus needs to be on further developing the relationship.
Our Lord said, “It is not the one who cries 'Lord,Lord who enters the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the Will of the Father.” When praying, seek to align personal will with God’s Will above all things.
How does the scripture I am reading apply to my life today, not simply what it says historically or what we may have heard preached. Look for the practical aspects. Maybe you would see anything immediately. which comes to the instructions of “Don’t judge” what you are reading. Maybe Papa just wants His child to cuddle in His arms for a good bedtime story. Allow that love to happen. Don’t try to analyze everything, my tendency.
Lovers don’t analyze the time spent with each other even when fussing and fighting over doing the dishes. It’s all part of personal growth.
I’m thankful for lost arguments.with God.
 
JM3 said:
One must prepare properly for mental prayer. You can begin (this is just a suggestion) with an Act of Contrition. Then, pray Psalm 122 (concluded with a Glory be to the Father…). Continue with “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. O God, who teaches the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit, grant us, by the same Spirit, to have a right judgment in all things and to rejoice forever in His holy comfort. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

After your meditation, ask yourself, What did I read? What conclusion must I draw? What have I done to imitate this? What must I do in the future? Answer these questions the best way you can and you will have made a good meditation. In meditation, three faculties of the soul are employed. The memory recalls the subject of consideration. The intellect thinks the matter over. The will utilizes it for acts of faith, charity, humility, contrition and petition.

Mental prayer seeks the light to know, and the strength to accomplish, the will of God in our regard.
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Thanks for this! 👍

I hope you don’t mind. I’m going to try fixing something up in Photoshop and make some little cards with your post’s info on them so I can read them in my car with my Bible. 😃
 
Melodeonist said:
This is something I struggle greatly with and I want to stop. Recently I have begun praying more again (first thing when I wake up, a rosary, and essentially the same exact prayers I said in the morning before going to bed. Also some assorted random prayers throughout the day.) However, praying just feels like a hideous chore. I want to do it out of faith to God, but when I pray I can’t help constantly checking my watch getting eager to finish the prayers.

What are some tips on making prayer less of a grindy chore and something more meaningful? Thanks! 👍
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I know exactly what you mean. I heard a priest once say that this is God’s way of perfecting you. If He consoled us (aka - made His spirit intimately apparent to us) all the time, then we’d get addicted to the consolation, rather than to Him. Oddly enough, this is a sign you are maturing in your faith.

Think of it like this: when we’re babies, our parents had to carry us everywhere. We felt the closeness of their embrace, because they HAD to tote us around. As we mature, however, that closeness must diminish (it’d be pretty silly for a parent to carry their grown child around!) In a nutshell, God wants you to exercise your “big boy/girl muscles.”

It’s hard though, I get it. Sometimes, love is a choice, and not necessarily a feeling. Just as we have duties to the loved ones in our physical life, we have duties to God in our spiritual life. I try to remember this when prayer seems dry, which it often does. Just trust that God is working in your life, even if you don’t see/feel Him.

The fact that you’re concerned about this is a very good thing, however. You’ve got your priorities straight! 😃
 
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