Praying?

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godsent

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I have a question about prayer.

At what point do words become a ‘prayer’,when we make the sign of the cross?

If saints can hear our ‘prayers’,then surely they can hear our EVERY word?

Really what im getting at is,what constitutes a ‘prayer’?

Many thanks.
 
Isent the definition of prayer communicating with God? If we are speaking to the saints we are really communicating to God with them.

Making the sign of the cross or blessing ourselves/others is simply asking God to help us/the other person(s) along their spiritual journey.
 
godsent said:
I have a question about prayer.

At what point do words become a ‘prayer’,when we make the sign of the cross?

If saints can hear our ‘prayers’,then surely they can hear our EVERY word?

Really what im getting at is,what constitutes a ‘prayer’?

Many thanks.
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For those of us who have faith, everything is a prayer. All we do and say is directed towards God. All our work, all our actions are completed with God in mind.
 
Something becomes prayer when it is specifically directed to God, either directly or through a saint, rather than, for example, being directed to a fellow human being, or something one says/thinks entirely to oneself.

Something becomes prayer to a particular saint when it’s particularly directed AT that saint and not, for example, directly to God or to an entirely different saint.

Prayer is basically a conversation or communication, directed to or with God or a saint, and it’s made so by our intending it to be so.

In this it is similar to our conversations with other humans. Let’s say I talk to a friend on the telephone - obviously that’s a conversation with my friend, because my intent was to dial his or her number and talk to him or her and no-one else.

Let’s then assume that my little brother overhears this telephone conversation. It remains a conversation with my friend alone, because I didn’t intend it to be a conversation with my brother as well. Even if I know he’s overheard, because I didn’t INTEND what I said to be for his hearing it’s still NOT a conversation with my brother.

If, however, I INTEND him to also be involved - for example I say to my friend ‘wait, my brother’s here, I’ll ask him if he also wants to come to that party you mentioned’ or something, then it becomes a conversation with my brother as well.
 
godsent said:
I have a question about prayer.

At what point do words become a ‘prayer’,when we make the sign of the cross?

If saints can hear our ‘prayers’,then surely they can hear our EVERY word?

Really what im getting at is,what constitutes a ‘prayer’?

Many thanks.
Click to expand...
I would add that the saints only hear our prayers if God permits it. Hearing the prayers of us living on earth is not a ‘right’ of those in heaven. Only Our Lord is ‘all-knowing’ and ‘all-powerful.’
 
godsent said:
I have a question about prayer.

At what point do words become a ‘prayer’,when we make the sign of the cross?

If saints can hear our ‘prayers’,then surely they can hear our EVERY word?

Really what im getting at is,what constitutes a ‘prayer’?

Many thanks.
Click to expand...
Whether or not something is a prayer depends on the inner attitude, not on something we do on the outside.
If I talk to my Lord, then it is prayer. I can pray driving in my car and for that purpose I do not need to make a sign of the cross, fold my hands or close my eyes.
If I kneeled down, folded my hands, made a sign of the cross and recite the Lord’s Prayer without my heart being in it, it is not prayer.
 
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