Praying with Scripture

[St_Annes]

I help out with the local Secular Franciscan fraternity that meets here at St. Anne’s.

Recently, someone from their regional leadership emailed some materials to us about praying with scriptures in the Franciscan tradition, wanting us to encourage our local members to utilize this type of prayer.

Consequently, I made up a little handout, adapting material from something I have given out previously at our residents’ Bible study. It is a simple way of prayer which I learned during my college years and which I still use.

To me, it is so important just to sit and take time to listen to Jesus speaking to us in the gospels.

I thought I would take this opportunity to encourage readers to do so and to offer some helpful, simple steps (please see below).

…Read more

 

[psalm90]

Thank you.

There are so many options for prayer, starting with the psalms. But, I haven’t made a habit of praying these. They seem to have a context that I am not always familiar with, they don’t seem to express my doubts and fears and concerns.

1 Co 14 tells us to seek the gift of prophecy. I never hear a prayer at Mass for this gift. I was brought up in the generation of “following” and “obedience” (at my best), not prophesying to others. I need a good prayer for seeking this gift. God grant me the gift of prophecy.

It seems to me that reading scripture simply tells me what I should be asking for and thanking God for. If there’s “more” to praying with scripture, I’ve not understood the concept.

I think there are different levels or categories of spirituality. I don’t say the Divine Office. I’m horribly distracted saying the rosary (I listen to rosary recordings of Fr. John Riccardo).

I have “defused” some of my anxiety about quality of prayer by recalling somebody’s advice that when we pray, we don’t need a lot of words - get to the point.