Prayer for beginners

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Jelly_Bean

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I’m working on forming some sort of prayer routine. Looking for ideas for beginners. Something simple that I am likely to stick with. Go easy on me, it’s been a while. :o
 
Jelly_Bean said:
I’m working on forming some sort of prayer routine. Looking for ideas for beginners. Something simple that I am likely to stick with. Go easy on me, it’s been a while. :o
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Hi “Jelly Bean” 👋 Welcome to CAF! Glad to have you here!

When you say… “it’s been awhile”… I’m not sure what you mean. Are you in the process of becoming Catholic? Or have you been away from the Church… and are now returning? Or is it more like… you just want to learn how to say the Rosary, or something along those lines?

I’ll wait for your reply, before making some prayer suggestions. God bless you! 🙂
 
Maybe just start with an Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be once or twice a day? For instance, when you wake up, and before you go to bed at night.
 
Jelly_Bean said:
I’m working on forming some sort of prayer routine. Looking for ideas for beginners. Something simple that I am likely to stick with. Go easy on me, it’s been a while. :o
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There are lots of ways to pray, but I suggest the following:

(1) As God to be with you and to guide you as you pray.

(2) Read a chapter from the New Testament or a Psalm (or the readings from the liturgy for the day).

(3) If a short passage from your reading stands out for you (that is, seems particularly appealing or important), read that shorter passage again, slowly and thoughtfully. Then go back over it again, repeating each word or phrase to let its meaning sink in. If it helps, imagine yourself in the passage. Think about how this passage relates to your own life.

(4) Ask God for what you (or others in your life) need or desire or simply talk with God about what is in your mind and heart. If the passage that you read and prayed about made you think about something that you need or desire in your following of Christ, that’s a good place to begin.

(5) Thoughtfully, prayerfully, close with an Our Father.

That’s pretty simple and straightforward. You could spend as little as 15 minutes or as long as you’d like.
 
To Marie Veronica: A few years ago I came back to the sacraments. I am now living life in union with the church’s teachings. Still fall of course, but I get up quickly now and get to confession. 😉 I wish to pray but find myself struggling to do just the basics of living a catholic life. Prayer is hard for me. Need all the help I can get.
 
Jelly_Bean said:
To Marie Veronica: A few years ago I came back to the sacraments. I am now living life in union with the church’s teachings. Still fall of course, but I get up quickly now and get to confession. 😉 I wish to pray but find myself struggling to do just the basics of living a catholic life. Prayer is hard for me. Need all the help I can get.
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“JB” Thank you. I understand more clearly now. I too, am a revert. I returned to the Church… oh, about 4 years ago.

I wanted to learn to pray the Rosary. And the thing that helped me the most… was following it, on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). I would watch “The Rosary” each night, with Mother Angelica and the Nuns… and I eventually, learned how to pray it on my own.

If you do not get EWTN on your cable or satellite stations… I would suggest that you order the following dvd from EWTN Religious Catalogue and perhaps you can watch it on a dvd player (if you have one). You can follow along, as the Nuns pray the Rosary. It is such a peaceful experience. And you learn, as you watch.

It really helped me! Here is the link… I hope that this will help you. God bless you.

ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/THE+HOLY+ROSARY+MOTHER+ANGELICA+THE+NUNS+DVD/keywords=Rosary+DVD/page_no=1/edp_no=6048/shop.axd/ProductDetails
 
Jelly_Bean said:
To Marie Veronica: A few years ago I came back to the sacraments. I am now living life in union with the church’s teachings. Still fall of course, but I get up quickly now and get to confession. 😉 I wish to pray but find myself struggling to do just the basics of living a catholic life. Prayer is hard for me. Need all the help I can get.
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Just think the name ‘Jesus,’ as a heartfelt sigh (stolen from Fadda Corapi).

And welcome back. 👍
 
Jelly_Bean said:
I’m working on forming some sort of prayer routine. Looking for ideas for beginners. Something simple that I am likely to stick with. Go easy on me, it’s been a while. :o
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There is a good book by Peter Kreeft called Prayer For Beginners.
 
I understand how you feel. I returned to the church several years ago. What helped me the most was shutting off the radio on my drive to work. I started to pray during that time. I bought a cd of the rosary to refresh my memory. Before long it became a habit. Now I pray the rosary and chaplet of divine mercy before work everyday.
Anyway, that is what helped me. Hope it was helpful
 
Thanks guys and gals. There are some great suggestions here. Now all’s I have to do is get off my lazy butt and put them to use. 😛

MarieVeronica: It’s been about three years for me. We’ll have to stick together to help encourage each other along.
 
Jelly_Bean said:
I’m working on forming some sort of prayer routine. Looking for ideas for beginners. Something simple that I am likely to stick with. Go easy on me, it’s been a while. :o
Click to expand...
What I would do, as a “beginner” (I still feel I am a beginner) is to pray the Apostles Creed every morning when I woke up. After that was easy and automatic, I would add the Our Father to that on waking. When that, too, became easy, then add three Hail Mary’s and a Glory Be at that time. You will have then done the beginning of the Rosary.
Next, if you are still ready for more, do as puzzleannie suggested and while driving pray one mystery/decade of the Rosary. At that point, you are ready to join the Rosary Confraternity rosary-center.org/
Praying the rosary while driving, washing dishes, folding laundry, trying to sleep at night (perfect for insomnia - I’ve only gotten through all decades a couple times before falling asleep in Mary’s arms), etc. it is so very soothing and truly contemplative. Don’t try reading, driving in heavy traffic or watching TV while doing it, tho’ - unless it’s Mother Angelica saying the Rosary - or you won’t be able to really meditate on each mystery!
 
JB,

Here’s a book I found really helpful when I decided to get serious about prayer. You can read much of it online at this google books link:

Prayer Primer: Igniting a Fire Within
by Fr. Thomas Dubay

Blurb from back cover:
Fr. Thomas Dubay, a renowned teacher and writer on prayer and the spiritual life, presents a simple, profound and practical book on the most important of all human activities, communion with God.
This primer begins at the beginning: the very roots of the human person–a needy, aching, yearning being who is ultimately satisfied by nothing that even an extremely beautiful universe can offer. Learning to pray is really learning to fall in love–with supreme Beauty.
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Prayer Primer is written for intelligent adults (not teenagers) who want God and a serious prayer life, but it does not presuppose that they need or have a theological background. It does take up many questions rarely answered adequately in the classroom or from the pulpit, indeed often not mentioned at all: Why pray? (be ready for some surprises) Why vocal prayer is important and yet should be limited? What contemplation is and is not. Praying with Scripture. Family Prayer–even how to introduce children to group meditation. Prayer in a busy life. Pitfalls and problems–together with solutions. Buddhism? New Age? Centering prayer? What should you do when dry and empty and not at all inclined to pray? How do you even get started? Where and how to begin? Assessing progress. Growing in depth. All of these subjects, and more, are clearly and concisely explained for citizens of this 21st century.
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Thank you, thank you. Your suggestions are great. I think I might be making a teensy weensy bit of progress this week. Must be Easter graces working. Two things have happened so far. I have been faithfully remembering to pray a morning offering and the Divine Mercy Novena this week. I also joined the prayer warriors group today. I’m thinking that will help me remember to pray for others more. :o This site is definitely helpful in keeping me on track.
 
One word, okay two words:

Post-it Notes 😊

Whenever I try to encourage my prayer life, I put post-it notes up. One on the microwave, the bathroom mirror or where ever. It may say, Hail Mary or Pray for Tom or Glory Be. It reminds me to pray and it tells me what to pray.
 
Jelly_Bean said:
MarieVeronica: It’s been about three years for me. We’ll have to stick together to help encourage each other along.
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Absolutely, dear soul. Yes… we’re at about the same place. PM me anytime… (well, until my inbox fills up… that is. lol. I can’t empty it… due to a formatting snafu).

But I will follow your posts “JB”. God bless you! It is indeed thrilling to be back in the Church. I know that I will never leave “Home” again. I pray the same for you.

MV 🙂
 
maryjk said:
One word, okay two words:

Post-it Notes 😊

Whenever I try to encourage my prayer life, I put post-it notes up. One on the microwave, the bathroom mirror or where ever. It may say, Hail Mary or Pray for Tom or Glory Be. It reminds me to pray and it tells me what to pray.
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I think that is a wonderful idea!🙂
 
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