Question about Prayer

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Seeking_Faith11

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Hello,

I have a question regarding the importance of prayer. Let me first start off by saying that I am a converted Catholic; I have been Catholic for about a year now. I converted while in school but I only attended half of the RCIA classes (I joined late). When I first joined the Church, I was so much stronger and passionate in my faith. I think a big reason I was so strong was bc I attended Daily Mass and really took time to say a formal prayer (on my knees).

Now, one year later. I am still Catholic and believe wholly in the teachings of the Church. I have since graduated from school and I am now working and thus don’t have the time to go to Daily Mass. (Actually, if I want to be completely honest, I could go to Mass at 6 30 in the morning but its too hard for me to wake up and I am a phd student-juggling class and lab time-so its hard.) Anyways, lately I have been doubting the strength of prayer. My question is this: God already has a plan, right? How will my praying change anything? Does God really listen to us and hear us? Part of me knows God hears our prayers but another part of me (which I fear is growing!) is doubtful. Can someone please interject some advice or thought on this subject?
Thanks a bunch!
 
Seeking_Faith11 said:
Hello,

I have a question regarding the importance of prayer. Let me first start off by saying that I am a converted Catholic; I have been Catholic for about a year now. I converted while in school but I only attended half of the RCIA classes (I joined late). When I first joined the Church, I was so much stronger and passionate in my faith. I think a big reason I was so strong was bc I attended Daily Mass and really took time to say a formal prayer (on my knees).

Now, one year later. I am still Catholic and believe wholly in the teachings of the Church. I have since graduated from school and I am now working and thus don’t have the time to go to Daily Mass. (Actually, if I want to be completely honest, I could go to Mass at 6 30 in the morning but its too hard for me to wake up and I am a phd student-juggling class and lab time-so its hard.) Anyways, lately I have been doubting the strength of prayer. My question is this: God already has a plan, right? How will my praying change anything? Does God really listen to us and hear us? Part of me knows God hears our prayers but another part of me (which I fear is growing!) is doubtful. Can someone please interject some advice or thought on this subject?
Thanks a bunch!
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Hello

I have been dealing with similar experiences and let me first say that God does hear our prayers. Yet sometimes we need to evaluate what we are praying for. God does have a plan for us but it is up to us (with Gods help) to stay on this course and we do this by prayer, fasting, and works of charity. With that said prayer is very strong and very important. Your prayers are very important! With all of the evil that happens in this worl I’m completely sure that it is prayer and works of charity are what reach God and compell Him to continue showing us mercy. One saint said “God governs the universe but it is prayer that Governs God.” Your doubts are nothing more than a test of faith, hope, and chairty. Overcome the doubt and your faith will be stronger. It is a strong faith that make our prayers strong.
 
I just thought of something. It was when my brother asked me what the importance of prayer was. I told Him prayer is the language of Heaven, and it is our means of conversing with God. If prayer is our only way of conversing with God then its importance is without question. With this it is also apparent that all prayer is benefical if done well ( meaning if done with love and honesty). One must ask themselves why you feel your prayers are not strong, or not important?

“All prayer is heard by God. All prayers are answered. The answer we receive may not always be what we are expecting, and we may not always receive what we are asking for. Sometimes the answer is silence. We must remember the words of Jesus, that our heavenly Father will give us only good things, those things we really need to help us (Matthew 7:11). Observing what we do not receive when we ask, and what we do receive even when we haven’t asked, becomes a method of learning what it is that we really need, what is truly good, and what is really helpful in living life as a follower of Christ. In this way prayer free us from illusions and delusions about what is of real importance in life, and this enlightenment in itself is a powerful grace” --Father Stephen Rehrauer
 
Seeking_Faith11 said:
Hello,

I have a question regarding the importance of prayer. Let me first start off by saying that I am a converted Catholic; I have been Catholic for about a year now. I converted while in school but I only attended half of the RCIA classes (I joined late). When I first joined the Church, I was so much stronger and passionate in my faith. I think a big reason I was so strong was bc I attended Daily Mass and really took time to say a formal prayer (on my knees).

Now, one year later. I am still Catholic and believe wholly in the teachings of the Church. I have since graduated from school and I am now working and thus don’t have the time to go to Daily Mass. (Actually, if I want to be completely honest, I could go to Mass at 6 30 in the morning but its too hard for me to wake up and I am a phd student-juggling class and lab time-so its hard.) Anyways, lately I have been doubting the strength of prayer. My question is this: God already has a plan, right? How will my praying change anything? Does God really listen to us and hear us? Part of me knows God hears our prayers but another part of me (which I fear is growing!) is doubtful. Can someone please interject some advice or thought on this subject?
Thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...
If we know with certainty that God already has a plan for us (predestination?), then there would be no need for anyone to save us. Christ’s death would be useless. But He created us with a freewill, meaning we have a choice. This gift of choice is what makes up the life that we know: interesting, challenging, full of meaning. In the practice of this freewill, we commit mistakes, we become proud, we sin and are separated from God. It’s why we need a savior. While Jesus was walking on the lake, Peter asked if He was the Lord and if he can come to Him. Jesus replied “Come”. Peter walked towards Jesus, yet he doubted and so he began to sink. Peter cried out for help. The Lord took his hand, caught him as He said, “you of little faith, why did you doubt?”(Mt 14:25-31). At many instances in our existence, we are like Peter even as we are invited by the Lord to “Come!” We doubt and so we sink. But we are taught to pray, “Lord, save me!” That should be our prayer. St James likewise told us that when we ask, we must believe and not doubt “because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is double-minded man, unstable in all he does”(James 1:5-8). The bible is full of stories reassuring us that God is merciful and generous. Let’s trust Him some more.
 
Hello,

I can sympathize with you on what you are feeling. Having been a convert myself I can understand how your once spiritual high has now subsided and you calmed down from it and are starting to question things.

It is similar to a relationship with a boy/girlfriend, after the initial infatuation period has worn off you are looking at them wondering, do I really like this or that? Relationships take work, and this one is no different. Prayer is ABSOLUTELY needed in my mind, as stated before, how else would you talk with God? God does indeed hear all prayers, but the answer isn’t always what we want or expect. Remember God gives us what we need to follow and worship him, not always what we want.

Place yourself in complete trust with God, it will take work to keep God at the center of our lives, but with all the temptations about us today, is anyone really surprised?

To comment on what rtibs said, agreed he created us with free will, but he does know what will happen to all of us, whether or not that’s HIS plan, we might never know.

I will pray for you and offer up Mass and the rosary today for your strengthening of faith.
 
Thank you all for your replies and your prayers! What was said made a lot of sense. But I still have one nagging question and I don’t know how to word it. I think if I use an example my question will be a bit more clear.

Example:

Judas was prophesied to betray Jesus. Judas already had his path laid out for him. And Jesus, knew that Judas would betray him. Could it have been possible for Judas to get off that prophesied course and stay loyal to Jesus? Can we really change (through prayer) our destinies?

I don’t know if my question makes sense; I don’t even know if what I just asked is really what I’m looking to have answered. For some reason, something is nagging at me but I can’t really put it in to words. Until I can find the right words, the Judas question will have to do. Thanks again for your help.
 
I read a book by Peter Kreeft in which he told a story about his daughter having been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He asked many people to pray for her, that the biopsy would come back non-cancerous. The tests were done and the tumor came back benign. One of those who prayed for her said something to the effect that, “I guess we didn’t need to pray after all.” And Kreeft replied that the prayers worked. God knew in advance that we would be praying and so, when the tumor came it was benign because God anticipated the prayers that would be said on his daughter’s behalf. Remember, God isn’t limited in time like we are. He can see it all at the same time.

As for Judas, Jesus gave him opportunities to change. When you read the Gospels, you will see that Judas was there for all the teachings, just as the other apostles. Even though Jesus knew what Judas would do, He still treated him with love. God loved Judas, no matter what choices he made with the free will he was given.

I think you have found that Daily Mass gave you a lot of graces, and you’re missing those graces now. Maybe you can commit to Mass once a week, or on first Fridays. Or look for a parish with Adoration and spend a little time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Last thought on this - you can pray all day long. Little prayers as you go through your day keep you connected with God. You might see a beautiful mountain and say, Thank you God. You might be stuck in traffic and ask God to be with you. You might be in a conflict situation or having a stressful day and say, Holy Spirit - give me peace. Each of these is a prayer. Prayers don’t have to be long and elaborate. They can be short and sweet.

Now here’s my last last thought - great book on prayer by Peter Kreeft called Prayer: The Great Conversation. It’s written as a dialog between two people - a new Christian and his mentor. It covers a lot of the questions about prayer. We are reading it this month in our parish Book Club. I have a list of questions we’ll be discussing around the book (will send if you think it’s useful).
 
Seeking_Faith11 said:
Thank you all for your replies and your prayers! What was said made a lot of sense. But I still have one nagging question and I don’t know how to word it. I think if I use an example my question will be a bit more clear.

Example:

Judas was prophesied to betray Jesus. Judas already had his path laid out for him. And Jesus, knew that Judas would betray him. Could it have been possible for Judas to get off that prophesied course and stay loyal to Jesus? Can we really change (through prayer) our destinies?

I don’t know if my question makes sense; I don’t even know if what I just asked is really what I’m looking to have answered. For some reason, something is nagging at me but I can’t really put it in to words. Until I can find the right words, the Judas question will have to do. Thanks again for your help.
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Regarding Judas.

If it was Gods Will for the course of events to be changed through prayer then Yes because all things are possible through God. We must understand that no one is predestined to go to hell or do evil. If God has made mention of future events such as Judas’ then He did so knowing what Judas would have done with his free will at that point in time. Also Judas betrayl while being a horrible sin was not unforgivable so regardless of if He betrayed Jesus or not he was not beyond saving. Judas down fall was him not beleiving in Christs mercy, asking forgiveness with true contrition for his sin, and performing penance for the wrong that was committed.
 
Heliotropium said:
Regarding Judas.

If it was Gods Will for the course of events to be changed through prayer then Yes because all things are possible through God. We must understand that no one is predestined to go to hell or do evil. If God has made mention of future events such as Judas’ then He did so knowing what Judas would have done with his free will at that point in time. Also Judas betrayl while being a horrible sin was not unforgivable so regardless of if He betrayed Jesus or not he was not beyond saving. Judas down fall was him not beleiving in Christs mercy, asking forgiveness with true contrition for his sin, and performing penance for the wrong that was committed.
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Yes. This is bound up with the mystery of Predestination, Grace and Free will. Calvin’s doctrine of Predestination was that God decides our individual destiny, to Heaven or hell, and there is nothing we can do to change it. A truly diabolical notion. Catholic predestination teaches that God doesn’t force our choices, it’s just that He sees them in His eternal Now.

When we make plans, we do not know what is to happen. But when God makes plans, he DOES know what is going to happen.

Might I recommend for your spiritual reading, S. Farncis de Sales’ ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’. He deals with much of this, in a very cheering and uplifting way, without diminishing Catholic dogma of damnation at all.

And might I also earnestly recommend the daily Rosary? Our Lady was sent from Heaven to Fatima and every single time she appeared, she said ‘Pray the Rosary every day’.

Sister Lucy of Fatima, one of the three children who saw her, stated in later life:
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The most holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or, above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary.  There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.  With the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves; we will sanctify ourselves; we will console Our Lord, and obtain the salvation of many souls.

*Conversation between Sr Lucy of Fatima & Father Fuentes, 26 Dec 1957.*
What a blessisng it is to actually know what we can do to save the world! This is a Special Grace that has not been given to those sadly without Faith. In the new Testament it says, “Do not mourn like the Pagans who have no Hope”.
 
One purpose of prayer is to get in tune with God’s plan and move with it.
 
He created us to love and serve Him in this world and be happy for ever with Him in heaven. We love Him with all our good deeds. He does not need of our prayers but we owe Him worship because He’s God.
It is not easy to form the habit of constant prayer but we always can pray to God to increase our praying life, precisely when we feel not inclined to do it. The quickest way to start a good spiritual life is by visiting Him in the Blessed Sacrament, powerful, you don’t want to leave the chapel because He brings you so close to Him, its beyond words. If we said we love Him, we better be closed to the beloved.
All the members of this Forum are in my daily prayers because I know its not easy to fight against the constant temptations of this world. Please, pray for me too!
Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners, now and in the our of our death.
 
I am also a convert to the Catholic faith. I think prayer is very important, well it is to me. Although God has a plan for us we can still pray. God will listen to our prayers, and whilst he may not always do what we want him to do he will listen, and decide what is best for us. Everything (good/bad) happens for a reason, and that reason is it’s God’s plan for us! I pray as often as I can, sometimes for my own selfish needs but mainly for other people. I teach my class the importance of taking the time to have a conversation with God and to think about others. Never underestimate the power of prayer, just because you don’t ge the outcome you may want from your prayers it does not mean that God didn’t listen to you. :signofcross:
 
The best thing to do would be to look toward Jesus as an example of Christian perfection which is what St. Paul tells us He was. I always said to myself if Christ did such and such then it is important for me to do it 🙂 Jesus always prayed and one of the most noted examples is while in the garden before His passion. In that example He prays to know His Fathers Will and follow it, and He does this because it is through prayer that we ask this of God. As I started coming back to Christ I noticed my prayers start to change from asking for specific things to just asking for the ability to know Gods Will, the strength to follow it, and to always love it. I figured since Gods Will is perfect why would I want anything else? Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with asking for certain things. I still do it from time to time because it is always good to tell God what you want. I now tell Him what I want but also say weather if it is to be granted to me or not, His Will be done. I want to also share I prayer I found to be helpful to me.

O sweet and tender Providence of my God, into Thy hands I commend my spirit; to Thee I abandon my hopes and fears, and my desires and respugnances, my temporal and eternal prospects. To Thee I commit the wants of my perishable body; to Thee I commit the more precious interests of my immortal soul. Though my faults are many, my misery great, my spiritual poverty extreme, my hope in Thee surpasses all.
Though temptations should assail me, I will hope in Thee; though I should break my resolutions, I will look to Thee confidently for grace to keep them at last. Though Thou shouldst kill me, even then I will trust in Thee; for Thou art my Father, my God, the support of my salvation. Thou art my kind, my tender and indulgent Parent, and I am Thy loving child. I put my trust in Thee, and so trusting, shall not be confounded. Amen —Blessed Claude de la Colombiere

The answer is assurd. The time may be delayed, the manner be unexpected, but the answer to prayer is sure to come. Not a tear of sacred sorrow, not a breath of holy desire, poured out in prayer to God, will ever be lost.
 
Seeking_Faith11 said:
Hello,

I have a question regarding the importance of prayer. Let me first start off by saying that I am a converted Catholic; I have been Catholic for about a year now. I converted while in school but I only attended half of the RCIA classes (I joined late). When I first joined the Church, I was so much stronger and passionate in my faith. I think a big reason I was so strong was bc I attended Daily Mass and really took time to say a formal prayer (on my knees).

Now, one year later. I am still Catholic and believe wholly in the teachings of the Church. I have since graduated from school and I am now working and thus don’t have the time to go to Daily Mass. (Actually, if I want to be completely honest, I could go to Mass at 6 30 in the morning but its too hard for me to wake up and I am a phd student-juggling class and lab time-so its hard.) Anyways, lately I have been doubting the strength of prayer. My question is this: God already has a plan, right? How will my praying change anything? Does God really listen to us and hear us? Part of me knows God hears our prayers but another part of me (which I fear is growing!) is doubtful. Can someone please interject some advice or thought on this subject?
Thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...
I wonder if you’ve ever seen the movie “Shadowlands” starring Anthony Hopkins. He plays C.S. Lewis in the movie. At one point in the movie Lewis’s fellow professors in the university ridicule him for praying and they ask him why he bothers to pray when he knows God is perfect. If God is perfect, what need does he have to change on anything? Lewis responds that he doesn’t pray in order to change God, but rather in order to change himself. Prayer is an attempt to conform ourselves to the will of God, not have God conform himself to our will. Shadowlands is an excellent movie by the way and I highly recommend it.
 
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