Let's Say A Hail Mary?

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robdaddyf

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I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
 
robdaddyf said:
I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
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Welcome to the beginning of RCIA! In my opinion, a Hail Mary or an Our Father are the most basic prayers that Catholics learn, as you can confirm. However, some do it for their own reasons. Plenty of us regular or new-age Catholics say a specialized prayer 🙂
 
That, and since God knows our minds and hearts, a formulaic prayer is just as effective as a spontaneous prayer with specific wording.
 
Hey Thanks! I knew it would be a relatively easy answer. I suppose both prayer “types” are good…formulaic and extemporaneous…both are offered to the Lord…good stuff.
 
robdaddyf said:
I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
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Congrats to you, I went through RCIA 8 years ago 🙂

I often tell people I will say a decade of the Rosary for them. When I say that decade I have them (or their intention) on my mind as I ask the Blessed to also pray for them.
 
An Our Father reminds us that it is all about God and that we do His Will and he gives us what we need.

A Hail Mary asks that we ask Our Lady to pray with us for the intention.

We don’t have to pray these prayers, though, we can use our own. However, words don’t come as easily to some people and Our Father IS the prayer Jesus taught us, so, if there’s any prayer that would be heard, though they all are, it’s this one.
 
Thanks…good points here too. I’m just needing to readjust from my protestant/evangelical sensibilities a bit. However, all of what you say seems very good.
 
robdaddyf said:
I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
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Jesus gave us the Lords Prayer. The Hail Mary’s first half is from the New Testament. The second half asks for prayers " now and at the hour of our death."
I have heard many prayers in my lifetime, but none to compare with these two.
 
robdaddyf said:
I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
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I can’t speak for other people of course, but here is the reason for my saying a Hail Mary and/or the Our Father.

When someone asks for a prayer or I see someone in need of a prayer I generally will mentally think about and pray a specific request. “Dear God, Please help my friend in the time of need. She needs your help.” then I will often say a Hail Mary, Our Father or both. This focuses my thoughts. These beautiful prayers say so much more than my own words. These prayers, for reasons I can not understand, bring me closer to God and help me see and understand the needs of my friend is a clearer light.

Instead of focusing on my words, I am able to focus more closely on God.

In any case. The important thing is prayer and God will always know and understand what is in your heart. Sometimes what we ask for can not be put in words. A sigh, a tear, a cry of pain can be a prayer and with the help of a more formal prayer we are able to find the words we need.
 
Something I like to do is a little of both. I will pray a Hail Mary for an intention, only when I get to the second half of the prayer, say “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, esp. for (name person or specific intention), now and at the hour of death. Amen.”
 
robdaddyf said:
I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
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It’s ingrained in us, I guess. We see Mary as an advocate for us, and the most perfect intercessory prayer that we can utter is the Hail Mary. I know, it takes up time, but it is many times automatic in us to recite this. Of course, we can still pray directly to God to grant us the request. Somehow, the love of God is represented in the humanness and love of Christ’s mother.
 
dusza said:
Matthew 6: 7-13
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It’s much easier on your readers and therefore more polite to give the text to which you refer rather than just the citation. Not everyone has a Bible handy or every possible verse memorized.

Thanks,
Betsy
 
baltobetsy said:
It’s much easier on your readers and therefore more polite to give the text to which you refer rather than just the citation. Not everyone has a Bible handy or every possible verse memorized.

Thanks,
Betsy
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Agreed, but, since you asked, I thought I’d look this up.

7 And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. 8 Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. 9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

www.drbo.org
 
adstrinity said:
Agreed, but, since you asked, I thought I’d look this up.

7 And when you are praying, speak not much, as the heathens. For they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. 8 Be not you therefore like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you, before you ask him. 9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our supersubstantial bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

www.drbo.org
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What translation are you using? I have not seen the word “supersubstantial bread” in any translation that I have read.

Give us this day our daily bread.
 
robdaddyf said:
I’m in RCIA…still getting to know Catholic customs and practices…why is it that when someone asks for a specific request that, often, I hear Catholics responding, simply, with a Hail Mary or an Our Father instead of praying specifically for the request made? A small thing…just curious.
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Someone posted about the Our Father being in Matthew. If you read the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel you will find most of the Hail Mary prayer. The last part of the Hail Mary being a request for intercession. So when praying a Hail Mary one is citing scripture. Of course this is also true of the Our Father. (Who says Catholics don’t know the Bible :rolleyes:)

May God bless you in your journey
 
What is the form of an evangelical’s extemporaneous prayer?

Let’s say the prayer request is “please pray for my Aunt Sally who is dying.”
*

“Oh God, we come before you to ask you, to plead with you, to please, Lord, be with Aunt Sally, and HEAL HER, Lord, we pray that you would be beside her, and be with her ,and bring her healing ,in the name of Jesus, Heavenly father, please have mercy on her, and heal her in Jesus name, for you are all powerful, and can do all things, and we trust you, Lord, and we LOVE you lord, because your words says that the prayer of the righteous man availeth much, and we come before you today, right here, because your word says that when two or more are gathered, you will be with us, in our midst, and you will hear us Lord. Please be with Aunt Sally and heal her Lord. In your most precious name, the name above all other names Jesus, Amen.”*

Not a bad prayer. We are focusing on what we want, that Aunt Sally won’t die.
And we muster up as many bible quotes that we know that pertain to it, that would be pleasing to God’s ear, and we pray our guts out for a few minutes, hoping to effect God to work a miracle. Over time, and years, these prayers come out sounding almost as recitative as Catholic prayers, just not as eloquent.

And this is how I prayed for 20 years. And sometimes today I still do this.

The Lord’s Prayer includes this formula:
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are reciting words, yes, we are reciting these words of our own free will. We have a specific prayer request on our mind, “Sally’s Mom is dying.” We don’t know what God’s will is. So we pray THY WILL BE DONE. The more we make a habit of praying the Our Father, the more our will becomes like God’s will.
We are reciting words that are effective, and we are meditating on our request.

When we pray the Hail Mary, we are asking Mary to pray for us and with us for the same request that we hold in our hearts. We know that the Lord is with her and she is with the Lord.

When we pray a series of recited prayers, our thoughts are not so much on the words we are reciting but on using that time to focus our prayers on God, meditating on Christ, and miracles, and bringing our request to Him.

I will be honest, when I’m tired, or stressed, it is hard to come out with a quickie eloquent extemporaneous prayer. That is a gift that some people have and others don’t. Prayer warriors don’t need to be eloquent in prayer, they are just diligent in prayer. It’s not what we say so much that we are saying something.
 
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