Question of Catholic prayers

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slh3016 said:
Our eyes didn’t widen because we were offended. It was just that, in our families, we’d never been taught a memorized prayer for saying grace (and our children had certainly never experienced it). It was just very new and different for us, as are most things Catholic 😛

The three year old was the funny part because she obviously knew every word by heart and when she sealed it with kissing her fingers, it was precious 🙂

I just googled the kissing the fingers and found this:
“…some people end the Sign by crossing the thumb over the index finger to make a cross, and then kissing the thumb as a way of “kissing the Cross.””
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Thanks again. Learn something new everyday. 👍
slh3016 said:
We walked into Mass last Sunday (my second, DH’s first) and were warmly greeted and even asked if we’d like to take the gifts forward :eek: My husband stumbled for an answer but it was painfully obvious that we were out of our element, especially when we walked right by the holy water to take a seat in the next to back row. Even during the service, we struggled to understand the Missal and order of things. DH even got up to go the restroom right before the consecration of the Eucharist and I jerked him back to his seat. He just had no idea 😊

I could tell that he was feeling a little antsy with some things he was observing but was quite surprised that he actually had a better attitude after we left Mass than I thought he would have 🙂

Thanks, everyone, for all the insight!
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Thanks for sharing this. It made “my eyes widen”…LOL.

Yup the whole missal thing can be daunting if you are not use to it. If you would like we can give you links to places that explain the mass - or have you already looked at some of these?

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
Yup the whole missal thing can be daunting if you are not use to it. If you would like we can give you links to places that explain the mass - or have you already looked at some of these?

Peace
James
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Would love the links…thanks!!

I have the Laudate app and it is helpful to some degree. I just don’t like to have my phone out in church.
 
slh3016 said:
Would love the links…thanks!!

I have the Laudate app and it is helpful to some degree. I just don’t like to have my phone out in church.
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You might like to get “The Catholic Mass for Dummies” and “Catholicism for Dummies” from your local library. I found both very helpful during my journey through RCIA.
 
slh3016 said:
Would love the links…thanks!!

I have the Laudate app and it is helpful to some degree. I just don’t like to have my phone out in church.
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Yes - I like the Laudette App but agree about having the phone out…I would not want to do that either.
Here are some links that might help - - of course it depends on how much detail you want to get into right now…
catholicmass.org/commentary.html

catholicbridge.com/catholic/mass.php

youtube.com/watch?v=co0qalRkEJs

Hope these help.

Peace
James
 
slh3016 said:
My husband and I are contemplating Catholicism in search of the fullness of truth. One thing, however, that is “different” to us (not bad, just different) is the way we see Catholics around us praying (i.e., scripted prayers, sign of the cross, etc.)

Are these things *required * for a Catholic to do or can prayers be less “formal” and less scripted?
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As a former Protestant turned Catholic, I found some things didn’t just happen at the snap of a finger.

When I first started going to mass, it took me a while to get used to ‘crossing’ myself for example. It was probably a few months before it became a regular practice. Now it’s almost a habit, in appropriate circumstances.

The Catholic Church has some memorable formal prayers (so does the Church of England for that matter), and I usually recite a couple of those each morning (when I’m not careless enough to miss my quiet time), by working my way through a book of Catholic prayers. Eventually I’ll make a short list and use those rather than trying to work my way through the lot.

On the other hand, extempore (improvised) prayer is just as important as the ritualistic type. If you want to ask God for something, that’s about the only way you can ask him.

It’s a mixture. As a Protestant you’d be far more familiar with extempore prayer. But I also think something is missing when there’s no formality at all. Probably the only formal prayer you’re used to is the Lord’s prayer (which we call the “Our Father”). Incidentally the bit at the end “for the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever” is not said at the same time in the mass, but a bit later. If you read the Gospels, you’ll find that bit is not there when Christ told His disciples how to pray. So in that respect the Catholic Church sticks closer to the Biblical text.

I mention that because the first few times I attended mass I found myself automatically rambling with on “for the kingdom, the power etc.” after everybody else had shut up.

So my advice to you is to use both formal and personal prayers. If your husband is a minimalist as you state, then maybe a very short list of formal prayers might stand you in good stead.
 
Bob_Crowley said:
As a former Protestant turned Catholic, I found some things didn’t just happen at the snap of a finger.

When I first started going to mass, it took me a while to get used to ‘crossing’ myself for example. It was probably a few months before it became a regular practice. Now it’s almost a habit, in appropriate circumstances.
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It’s funny, but even though I’m still “technically” Protestant, I find myself saying to myself at the end of a pastor’s prayer saying “In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”. It’s as if it comes out of nowhere…😛
I mention that because the first few times I attended mass I found myself automatically rambling with on “for the kingdom, the power etc.” after everybody else had shut up.
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That is funny 🙂
 
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