Question about prayer methodology

[pprimeau1976]

Happy New Year Folks!

One of my new years resolutions is to dedicate more time to prayer. One thing I am doing is keeping a little prayer journal of people/things to pray for each day. I break the list down to 5 personal and 5 general prayer intentions. Before meditating on the mysteries, I spend a little time praying for the person/situation. But I am finding that there’s alot of things to pray for and not alot of time…Does anyone else do this and have any suggestions on how to fit things in?

Also, the my prayer before the mysteries is rather ad/hoc and more of a personal one way conversation. However, I wondered who should I be directing these prayers too? Father, Son, Holy Spirit? I know it’s all the same God, and I don’t even know if it matters, but I was just curious.

 

[Edward_H]

Happy New Year Folks!

One of my new years resolutions is to dedicate more time to prayer. One thing I am doing is keeping a little prayer journal of people/things to pray for each day. I break the list down to 5 personal and 5 general prayer intentions. Before meditating on the mysteries, I spend a little time praying for the person/situation. But I am finding that there’s alot of things to pray for and not alot of time…Does anyone else do this and have any suggestions on how to fit things in?

Also, the my prayer before the mysteries is rather ad/hoc and more of a personal one way conversation. However, I wondered who should I be directing these prayers too? Father, Son, Holy Spirit? I know it’s all the same God, and I don’t even know if it matters, but I was just curious.

A couple of thoughts, all given to me by a very strong priest. Our prayer should tend toward being “utterly” simple, the prayer of a child talking to his/her Father. A family chat. You can review your list of intentions quickly before a period of prayer, for example a Rosary, a period of mental prayer (unscripted, more conversational). You might finish your period of prayer, by simply asking Our Lord to give you inspirations in the next day or so, e.g., concrete ways that you might be able to help one of the persons on your prayer list…“Lord you know all things and can do all things, but let me help too!” the inspirations He may give you might be "write a letter, call them, send them a job posting, stop by for a visit. Leave them a message on facebook, invite them for dinner…make a sacrifice for them one day (skip dessert), etc. Small things done in conversation with God.

And if the list isn’t nearby…just ask God to look at the list Himself! He knows what’s on it. > utter simplicity. Regularity and sincerity and simplicity over “methodology”. But I understand what you mean.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

Am I right in assuming you are describing praying the rosary and saying a personal prayer before each decade?

You could direct the prayer to whomever you want, but it seems to me that the “flow” of the Rosary would be best maintained by directing the prayer to God in general or else specifically to the Father, since each would be said immediately before the Our Father and in four cases just after the Glory Be. Unless you include the Fatima Prayer just after the Glory Be, that is, in which case you might want to direct the prayer to Jesus as you will have just prayed to him.

 

[3DOCTORS]

Am I right in assuming you are describing praying the rosary and saying a personal prayer before each decade?

You could direct the prayer to whomever you want, but it seems to me that the “flow” of the Rosary would be best maintained by directing the prayer to God in general or else specifically to the Father, since each would be said immediately before the Our Father and in four cases just after the Glory Be. Unless you include the Fatima Prayer just after the Glory Be, that is, in which case you might want to direct the prayer to Jesus as you will have just prayed to him.

It may not be as widely known a practice in the everyday lay Catholic world as it used to be, but I still hear people mention praying a decade of the Rosary for an intention. Although if it works better for the individual, she could make the dedications all at once at the start. Perhaps each intention has some type of connection to the particular Mystery of one of the decades . . .

 

[pprimeau1976]

A couple of thoughts, all given to me by a very strong priest. Our prayer should tend toward being “utterly” simple, the prayer of a child talking to his/her Father. A family chat. You can review your list of intentions quickly before a period of prayer, for example a Rosary, a period of mental prayer (unscripted, more conversational). You might finish your period of prayer, by simply asking Our Lord to give you inspirations in the next day or so, e.g., concrete ways that you might be able to help one of the persons on your prayer list…“Lord you know all things and can do all things, but let me help too!” [the inspirations He may give you might be "write a letter, call them, send them a job posting, stop by for a visit. Leave them a message on facebook, invite them for dinner…make a sacrifice for them one day (skip dessert), etc. Small things done in conversation with God.

And if the list isn’t nearby…just ask God to look at the list Himself! He knows what’s on it. > utter simplicity. Regularity and sincerity and simplicity over “methodology”. But I understand what you mean.

Thank You!
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