Is inconsistency in prayer a sin?

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angell1

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I find sometimes I can manage about half an hour just fine andn other days I barely make 5 minutes. or I forget if I’ve prayed or not. or else I pray at night and end up falling asleep halfway through. I also tend to get distracted sometimes

I’m really trying to work on being more consistent. does this require confession though?
 
Maybe you should ask for tips on how to improve your prayer life instead of worrying if it is a sin to fail.😉

Maybe you can keep a prayer journal, you will know whether you prayed or not. And you can keep track of who or what you are praying for.

Change your prayer time so you will stay awake. Say the rosary while driving or on a bus, etc.

Search for a prayer book that has all different kinds of prayers. When you are feeling spiritually dry, you can find something that touches your heart.

Create a prayer corner in your room. Add a crucifix, statues, holy pics or cards. A candle, even the flame less kind works.
 
When failure to pray becomes a sin is when we put other things before God.

If you say I was going to prayer, but I was too tired because I had basketball, then beers after the game, and finally had that movie I had to watch than might be a sin. On the other hand making the attempt even when tired is a good thing. Even if we are not giving everything to God it is not simply because it wasn’t high enough on your priorities. Now if you always find you are passing out 5 minutes into prayer then I would suggest finding a better time to pray or looking at what other things you could reduce to relieve some of the pressure on your time.

Sometimes the best option is setting 30 minutes for prayer at the same time every day. Personally I find if I don’t make the time then other things can start to creep in and push things out. It’s a little like planting a garden and not keeping an eye on it. After a few weeks of neglect weeds can start to invade and choke out the plant’s you wanted to nurture.
 
Usige said:
When failure to pray becomes a sin is when we put other things before God.

If you say I was going to prayer, but I was too tired because I had basketball, then beers after the game, and finally had that movie I had to watch than might be a sin. On the other hand making the attempt even when tired is a good thing. Even if we are not giving everything to God it is not simply because it wasn’t high enough on your priorities. Now if you always find you are passing out 5 minutes into prayer then I would suggest finding a better time to pray or looking at what other things you could reduce to relieve some of the pressure on your time.

Sometimes the best option is setting 30 minutes for prayer at the same time every day. Personally I find if I don’t make the time then other things can start to creep in and push things out. It’s a little like planting a garden and not keeping an eye on it. After a few weeks of neglect weeds can start to invade and choke out the plant’s you wanted to nurture.
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yeah, I do try at different times now.

some days I am literally out of the house for nearly 15 hours a day between volunteering and evening classes and the commuting in between everything so I do pray on the bus.

I dont’ really have much leisure time for things you described like sports and movies

I always try to, I just don’t manage as well on some ddays
 
Sometimes in life we think we’re not good enough,
Could be in the Work place,or family, or in the eyes of God because of our own personal failings, we might think we don’t Pray enough, or just mess up a lot,
That’s why opening up the Bible and reading random verses on Random pages is such a good idea, you get little messages in your memory that you have read, and after a while it all comes together like pieces of a puzzle ,

Read this, Matthew 5:3

Blessed are those who know their need for God

Says it all I think 🙂
 
It could be a venial sin, yes.

But mostly, I would think it is an imperfection, since prayer is a good habit/virtue, and what you describe is simply a lack of such a virtue.

Prayer can be hard work, and forming a truly strong virtue of prayer takes a lot of grace, effort, and time. We shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves if we aren’t there yet, but we should also consciously strive to get there.
 
angell1 said:
I find sometimes I can manage about half an hour just fine andn other days I barely make 5 minutes. or I forget if I’ve prayed or not. or else I pray at night and end up falling asleep halfway through. I also tend to get distracted sometimes

I’m really trying to work on being more consistent. does this require confession though?
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No. I do not know where Catholics get this idea that they must do everything perfectly. Making effort to pray is more than some people do. Do not be so legalistic. You are praying to God and He understands.
 
I agree that it is an imperfection - not a sin. You should definitely try to overcome it and become more consistent in prayer but out of love for God not because it is or is not a sin.

This consistency could be carving out a block of time each day but as busy as you are it is probably better for you to work on making regular little prayers or acts of devotion throughout your days. I often think these little prayers require more discipline even though they require next to no set aside time. Try to remember and honor God everywhere and to “pray always”.
I suggest drawing up a definite plan of prayers, setting a few reminders on your calendar or little alarms on your phone until you have yourself trained.
 
Hi,
As Deditus Domina said, it does help to say small little prayers throughout the day. They help you turn your focus back to God and they can be quite calming as well, especially on stressful days.
Here are a few short prayers that you could say that will only take a few seconds:

:gopray2: ❤️

“Jesus, I trust in you.”

“Jesus, I love you.”

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

“Thank you Lord for all that you do.”
:gopray2: ❤️

Hope this helps!

God bless! 🙂
 
There are four tides a day: Two highs and two lows. It’s like this for many aspects of our lives and to expect to always stay at a high point is not realistic. Failure to maintain what you may have come to regard as the ideal state of your prayer life is only natural. Life throws stuff at us to get us off track. What’s important is that you always come back to God.
 
angell1 said:
I find sometimes I can manage about half an hour just fine andn other days I barely make 5 minutes. or I forget if I’ve prayed or not. or else I pray at night and end up falling asleep halfway through. I also tend to get distracted sometimes

I’m really trying to work on being more consistent. does this require confession though?
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Heavens no. Only if you stop praying altogether and no longer practice your faith is it a problem.

You, being a scrupulous and anxious soul, are going to have days where you have the strength to pray and you will have days where you feel that prayer is some form of torture. I know as I also struggle with anxieties and scruples.

Jesus when he was suffering immeasurably during his passion on the cross said very little. In fact, one of the few prayers he said was a cry to the Father that he felt alone and abandoned by God the Father himself. When you have your anxious days you are suffering your own passion. God knows and understands this. Your scruples and anxieties on those days are their own prayer. God knows all this. He won’t hold it against you.

Remember how the scribes and pharasies put large sums of money in the collection and drew great attention to themselves in so doing? Well Jesus said that it was the widow who put in two pennies that gave the most. She gave out of poverty, they out of wealth. Anxiety is our poverty. A single Our Father or Hail Mary on those days is putting in our two cents. We will be rewarded for it in the next life. 🙂

Be at peace! :hug3: 🙂
 
Maybe try and make a goal to pray the Rosary (or a decade or two) every day? I have done that recently and it has really helped my prayer life. Sure there are times my mind will drift, but I am able to accept that I am human and bring it back to what is important.
 
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