Praying Questions?

[khmsct99]

I have seen another post from someone else, but I have a few questions of my own.

1. How do you pray to Mary? Do you just say, Dear Mary…? Or do you say something else? What about the Hail Mary? When I pray… I usually say, Dear Lord… then my prayer, then Amen. I have heard people (in my church I attend, Baptist) say when they close the prayer, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. But I usually say… Amen.
2. I know, this probably sounds a bit bad, but I have grown up as a Protestant, Baptist… and so I have never prayed to Mary, or Saints. So, it feels a bit different or odd for me to pray to them. I am wanting to feel much more confident and much more comfortable praying to them, since I have never done that before? How could I feel better about it?

 

[Edward_H]

I have seen another post from someone else, but I have a few questions of my own.

1. How do you pray to Mary? Do you just say, Dear Mary…? Or do you say something else? What about the Hail Mary? When I pray… I usually say, Dear Lord… then my prayer, then Amen. I have heard people (in my church I attend, Baptist) say when they close the prayer, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. But I usually say… Amen.
2. I know, this probably sounds a bit bad, but I have grown up as a Protestant, Baptist… and so I have never prayed to Mary, or Saints. So, it feels a bit different or odd for me to pray to them. I am wanting to feel much more confident and much more comfortable praying to them, since I have never done that before? How could I feel better about it?

Yes you can pray like that. Wonderful! …or "Mom…help me help Jesus! Help me in this work…or situation. Help me just like you helped Jesus. I am tour son/daughter too…don’t leave me.

Talk to her as a child talks confidently and naturally and straightforwardly and JOYFULLY to his or her mother. She is our Holy Mother, too. Be little. Be as a child.

My resolutions this month are littleness and cheerfulness. When I see an image of Mary I ask for her help to be little…when I see Jesus on the Cross I ask Him to help me be cheerful.

These are just ways of staying in the presence of God…close union to God, and his daughter Mary…who is our Mother!

 

[JohnGerard]

I am wanting to feel much more confident and much more comfortable praying to them, since I have never done that before? How could I feel better about it?

1. Remember that Christians are connected to one another as Christ’s Body (1 Cor. 12).
2. Death does not disconnect us from Christ’s Body. (Romans 8)
3. We are commanded to pray for one another. (1 Tim. 2 1-4, Romans 15:30-32, Eph. 6:18, and elsewhere).
4. Nowhere does the Bible release us from these commands to pray for one another…not even after our earthly deaths.
5. Remember the spiritual realm is very close to us (Hebrews 12:22+ and Eph. 6:10+)

I think we can talk to Christians that have left this earth with the same form and language that we talk to fellow Christians on earth.

 

[mrsjennymulhall]

I asked an old priest how to feel less awkward in prayer and he told me of giving last rites to a devout and elderly parishioner.

When he went in to the old fellow’s bedroom, there was one chair by the bed and he made to sit there. The old fellow prevented him and told him why nobody sat there. Apparently, his wife and child died in labour and the man left the church in his grief. He couldn’t pray, nor enter a church. A Dominican advised him to address God as he would a friend, so the man brought a chair from the kitchen and imagined God sitting there. At first; he roared him up and down, furious with his loss. As time and years went by, he would sit on his bed and converse with God, as he imagined him sitting there, visiting with Him and chatting as he would his oldest and dearest friend.

I’m not at that stage yet, but I address Mary as my mother and when I call upon the intercession of the saints, I speak in my heart as I would if they were in front of me. Truly; there is no great divide between you and God, your mother Mary or all the Saints in heaven. Let your heart speak to their heart.

Take care.

Jenny x

 

[JLDMP]

Mama Mary always pray for me…

 

[khmsct99]

Yes you can pray like that. Wonderful! …or "Mom…help me help Jesus! Help me in this work…or situation. Help me just like you helped Jesus. I am tour son/daughter too…don’t leave me.

Talk to her as a child talks confidently and naturally and straightforwardly and JOYFULLY to his or her mother. She is our Holy Mother, too. Be little. Be as a child.

My resolutions this month are littleness and cheerfulness. When I see an image of Mary I ask for her help to be little…when I see Jesus on the Cross I ask Him to help me be cheerful.

These are just ways of staying in the presence of God…close union to God, and his daughter Mary…who is our Mother!

Is it okay to pray to Mary even though I really have not converted to being a Catholic yet?

 

[Edward_H]

Is it okay to pray to Mary even though I really have not converted to being a Catholic yet?

Yes, of course. She is still Our Mother. And she is most interested in what Jesus’s friends are up to! Just the way the most perfect mother in the neighborhood would be interested in the lives of friends of her son. Pretend you’re just a child in Nazareth!

 

[HoosMommie]

I love talking to the Blessed Virgin Mary, so I usually begin, "Mother Mary . . . "

 

[Immacolata]

I have seen another post from someone else, but I have a few questions of my own.

Before I continue with the post, I wish to say that I am overjoyed at reading of the initiation of your conversion (—if you are converting, that is).

1. How do you pray to Mary? Do you just say, Dear Mary…? Or do you say something else? What about the Hail Mary? When I pray… I usually say, Dear Lord… then my prayer, then Amen. I have heard people (in my church I attend, Baptist) say when they close the prayer, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. But I usually say… Amen.

When I pray to Mary, I refer to her as “Holy Mother Mary,” as well as, at times, “Mama Mary” (particularly when in need of a mother’s love).

I have heard of Protestants ending prayer with “in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.” I, like yourself, end prayer with simply “Amen.” As far as I know, it would not be wrong to end prayer with “in Jesus’ name I pray, amen,” but it is more prevalent to end with simply “amen.”

1. I know, this probably sounds a bit bad, but I have grown up as a Protestant, Baptist… and so I have never prayed to Mary, or Saints. So, it feels a bit different or odd for me to pray to them. I am wanting to feel much more confident and much more comfortable praying to them, since I have never done that before? How could I feel better about it?

It is reasonable to expect that you would feel “strange” in your shift from “not praying to saints” to “praying to saints.” As a cradle Catholic, I do not know if my advice may be of much help to converts, but perhaps you can read this tract from Catholic Answers? I would also suggest to simply pray to Our Lord to ask for the grace to feel “comfortable” in praying to, and venerating, His Mother and His saints. I will pray for you as well.

God bless.

 

[khmsct99]

Before I make my first prayer to her tonight , what do I say really? I have seen many things that you could do… like ask her things like we would God? Or asking her to pray for us? Praying with her?

Thanks everyone for support This is actually the very first forum I have ever been on that provides very good support!

 

[khmsct99]

Before I continue with the post, I wish to say that I am overjoyed at reading of the initiation of your conversion (—if you are converting, that is).

When I pray to Mary, I refer to her as “Holy Mother Mary,” as well as, at times, “Mama Mary” (particularly when in need of a mother’s love).

I have heard of Protestants ending prayer with “in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.” I, like yourself, end prayer with simply “Amen.” As far as I know, it would not be wrong to end prayer with “in Jesus’ name I pray, amen,” but it is more prevalent to end with simply “amen.”

It is reasonable to expect that you would feel “strange” in your shift from “not praying to saints” to “praying to saints.” As a cradle Catholic, I do not know if my advice may be of much help to converts, but perhaps you can read this tract from Catholic Answers? I would also suggest to simply pray to Our Lord to ask for the grace to feel “comfortable” in praying to, and venerating, His Mother and His saints. I will pray for you as well.

God bless.

Yes, I actually prayed to God and asked if He could show me if this is the right thing to do. I have prayed many times about this. Also, I will continue praying to Him about it. Thank you!

 

[ajecphotos]

I asked an old priest how to feel less awkward in prayer and he told me of giving last rites to a devout and elderly parishioner.

When he went in to the old fellow’s bedroom, there was one chair by the bed and he made to sit there. The old fellow prevented him and told him why nobody sat there. Apparently, his wife and child died in labour and the man left the church in his grief. He couldn’t pray, nor enter a church. A Dominican advised him to address God as he would a friend, so the man brought a chair from the kitchen and imagined God sitting there. At first; he roared him up and down, furious with his loss. As time and years went by, he would sit on his bed and converse with God, as he imagined him sitting there, visiting with Him and chatting as he would his oldest and dearest friend.

I’m not at that stage yet, but I address Mary as my mother and when I call upon the intercession of the saints, I speak in my heart as I would if they were in front of me. Truly; there is no great divide between you and God, your mother Mary or all the Saints in heaven. Let your heart speak to their heart.

Take care.

Jenny x

Really lovely story about the chair