Prayer Life during Discernment

  • Thread starter Thread starter discernmentinpr
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

discernmentinpr

Guest
I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood, and have found that the biggest challenge for me has been building a prayer life. I want to become a Catholic priest so bad. I have had regular spiritual direction, and have met with the vocation director. It is planned for me to attend right out of high school. However, yes, I pray, but I have to force myself to do it. It is not because I don’t like praying, because I do. I feel like my prayer life will come full circle as soon as I go to seminary. Part of me just feels slightly “empty” in a certain sense, because I have not yet fulfilled God’s plans for me. How to think about this?
 
So, if you are in high school, your class times, your study times, the times for your extracurricular activities, and those for your work are already prescribed, are they not? So schedule your time for prayer just as you schedule time for other things and hold to that schedule. A task left for when one simply feels like doing it will never be done. Don’t leave the devil room to lure you into a state of spiritual acedia, especially if you are called to be a priest and thus the welfare of many souls depends on you.

Bring this issue promptly to your spiritual director and obey his counsels.

God bless.
 
A possible future priest has hit a Brick Wall, of sorts** : “the biggest challenge for me has been building a prayer life.”**

My quick-and-easy answer : You don’t need to become a Prayer Warrior to study for the Priesthood.

As long as you don’t dislike saying the prayers during the Mass, then you are doing fine.
Even if you (some day) become a Priest, you STILL don’t need to become a Prayer Warrior.

Just hold some Spirituality in your Heart.
THIS is the most important thing a person can do.
God does NOT want people to become uncomfortable when they Pray.
Most of Spirituality is NOT about praying : Love, Honor, Respect, Caring.

It may well be that after your take your first vows (or, even after you take the final vows) that your attitude may change.
But, it doesn’t really matter.

You are the one who knows that you feel a tug to become a Priest.
And, you also know the duties a Priest has (none of which is to Pray 12 hours a day).
So, don’t worry about trying to be the Most PERFECT candidate.
Be grateful for your other positive attributes.
Do not let any other person (or, even Satan himself) make you feel less-Deserving than anyone else, to be accepted into the Training Program.

God bless you.
 
There are many excellent books on prayer in Catholic bookstores, and Catholic catalogs.

A committed prayer life is a great foundation for all Catholics, not just priests. Hopefully, our priests are able to help their flock in impressing them with that truth.

A good prayer foundation allows for better reception of grace at the Eucharist.

We are all on a journey, and a good prayer life is essential.
 
Dorothy said :** “A committed prayer life is a great foundation for all Catholics, not just priests. Hopefully, our priests are able to help their flock in impressing them with that truth.”**

Upon what basis do you state this seemingly inane idea?
The foundation for Christians is Christ, and loving and honoring Christ.
At BEST, being committed to a prayer life will provide hours of prayers to keep your mind in a spiritual place.
But, most people cannot get on with a lot of praying.
So, to these people, praying can eat-away at the foundation of their Faith.

I am annoyed that you are placing this “Burden” out there for Catholics.
The MORE ideas that people pretend are Universally Helpful to Catholics, the LESS Catholics feel like they are doing enough.
This type of pounding-away-at to become a Prayer Warrior is counter-productive.

Then, Dorothy claims : "A good prayer foundation allows for better reception of grace at the Eucharist."
This sounds like a REAL stretch.
And, it doesn’t actually even make sense.
I cannot see ANY correlation between how much EXTRA grace that God will provide me if I become a Prayer Warrior.
The Bible claims that EXTRA grace is given to those people who need it the Most (not Prayer Warriors).

And, I think you are unduly placing ANOTHER burden on the OP.
Do you really think that this type of approach is going to make the OP feel Better about NOT being able to get into a regimented prayer schedule?
 
4love2God said:
Dorothy said :** “A committed prayer life is a great foundation for all Catholics, not just priests. Hopefully, our priests are able to help their flock in impressing them with that truth.”**

Upon what basis do you state this seemingly inane idea?
The foundation for Christians is Christ, and loving and honoring Christ.
At BEST, being committed to a prayer life will provide hours of prayers to keep your mind in a spiritual place.
But, most people cannot get on with a lot of praying.
So, to these people, praying can eat-away at the foundation of their Faith.

I am annoyed that you are placing this “Burden” out there for Catholics.
The MORE ideas that people pretend are Universally Helpful to Catholics, the LESS Catholics feel like they are doing enough.
This type of pounding-away-at to become a Prayer Warrior is counter-productive.

Then, Dorothy claims : "A good prayer foundation allows for better reception of grace at the Eucharist."
This sounds like a REAL stretch.
And, it doesn’t actually even make sense.
I cannot see ANY correlation between how much EXTRA grace that God will provide me if I become a Prayer Warrior.
The Bible claims that EXTRA grace is given to those people who need it the Most (not Prayer Warriors).

And, I think you are unduly placing ANOTHER burden on the OP.
Do you really think that this type of approach is going to make the OP feel Better about NOT being able to get into a regimented prayer schedule?
Click to expand...
I am surprised that what I said has made you so angry.

Disagree with me, you have free will to do so, but I do not understand why.

From my own experience I am aware that prayer brings me closer to the Lord and more attentive to what He wants of me.
 
Dorothy falls back on a passive-aggressive response :
[1]"I am surprised that what I said has made you so angry.
[2] Disagree with me, you have free will to do so, but I do not understand why."

If it were only True that were surprised that I disagree with you … and Why.
I believe I made myself clear-enough for you (and others) to grasp my meaning.
So, if you have read it, you can see the reasons that certain of your statements were either Incorrect … or were inappropriate to be made to a person struggling with his lack of being able to Pray “well-enough.”

And, if you perceive what I said as Angry, that is in your Head … NOT in Mine.

Your response to a person pondering becoming a Priest, who is un-Happy that he has not been able to get into the practice of praying regimented prayers, IMHO was counter-productive to his emotional well-being.

So, I ended my Post with the following paragraph:
"And, I think you are unduly placing ANOTHER burden on the OP.
Do you really think that this type of approach is going to make the OP feel Better about NOT being able to get into a regimented prayer schedule?"

I also thought that I needed to correct the absolute LIE you said about prayer warriors getting more Grace from God … when the exact OPPOSITE is True.

As I said, when you make a claim that EVERY Catholic SHOULD …
that is not necessarily True … and in this instance is absolutely NOT True, it can easily provoke negative feelings.

Did you actually read my Post?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top