Using Sacred Scripture for prayer

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Sacred and Merciful HEART of Our LORD!!

Hello!

As silly as this question may sound, I want to use My Bible for actual Prayer. How do I go about doing that? Are there special parts (apart from the Psalms) that are actual prayers? Or how could I go about utilising it for Prayer? I love Sacred Scripture, Its as close as I can get to supernatural food without actually going to Daily MASS and Recieving Our LORD ( I can only go to Daily MASS on Tuesdays, and obviously, without question, Sundays and most Saturdays). I have been attempting to take the “Scholars” look at Scripture. Not as if that is a bad thing, and I would love to be a Sscripture Scholar, but at the moment, I want tangible Wisdom from Scripture. The scholar part can come later

Anyone here have any suggestions??

All answers welcome!!
 
I’ve been attending the ‘Catholicism’ class by Father Robert Barron at my Church. I know that many parishes are using this same study. Last night’s topic was all about prayer, and he talked extensively about Sacred Scripture as prayer. This is not exactly what he said in the film, but this is what I personally got from it:

Consider Sacred Scripture as a love letter from our Beloved. When reading it, set your heart on our Lord and contemplate His words as expressed through these love letters. Prayer is not just the exchange of our thoughts and God’s thoughts; rather, it is an opening of ourselves to communication. That is, opening our hearts and calming our minds that we might receive the Living God. Sacred Scripture is a wonderful tool for doing this.
 
Several have mentioned Lexio Devina, but no one said why.
First, there are many prayers in the Bible from David, To Jesus to Paul, but those are prayers to God Iam sure a web search will find many lists. Lexio Devina is much different and takes time to develop, but it is the way to develop in prayer where God speaks to you. I think Psalm 1 is an excellent example, blessed is the man who meditates on the word day and night, he is as a tree planted near streams of water, his leaf does not whither, he yields fruit in season, everything he does prospers. Lexio Devina. It goes by other names like Spiritual Exercises. There are different ways to do it, depending on personality and temperment. Practicing this discipline is absolutely life changing and the scriptures are the primary thing meditated on particularly the gospels.
Grace and peace,
Bruce
 
mymamamary said:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Sacred and Merciful HEART of Our LORD!!

Hello!

As silly as this question may sound, I want to use My Bible for actual Prayer. How do I go about doing that? Are there special parts (apart from the Psalms) that are actual prayers? Or how could I go about utilising it for Prayer? I love Sacred Scripture, Its as close as I can get to supernatural food without actually going to Daily MASS and Recieving Our LORD ( I can only go to Daily MASS on Tuesdays, and obviously, without question, Sundays and most Saturdays). I have been attempting to take the “Scholars” look at Scripture. Not as if that is a bad thing, and I would love to be a Sscripture Scholar, but at the moment, I want tangible Wisdom from Scripture. The scholar part can come later

Anyone here have any suggestions??

All answers welcome!!
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…other than the Psalms most of Scriptures are not in prayer form… however, most Bibles have special notations in the back highlighting special occasions, important Teachings, special names/events, and some even have a narrative of Jesus’ and the Apostles’ Missions… some may even have a vocabulary section… you can organize a personal prayer guide using those themes that are of best interest to you or, guided by the titles, you can use various indexes to emphazise a prayer request or intention:

ie: (I opened my Bible to a page and this was the very first title that caught my eyes)
Temptation: 1 Cor. 10:13
None of the trials which have come upon you is more than a human being can stand. You can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength, but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with it.
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You can meditate on this verse; see how you can appropriate it or adapt it to your present situation; ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you so that you may allow God’s Wisdom to rule you through that particular Scriptural passage; you can employ jaculatories, Rosaries, or short novenas or a simple “Our Father;” you can even go wild (which God does not mind) and employ your own words as a prayer (remember, the Holy Spirit will aide us in our efforts to communicate with God)–whatever you do… make sure that it is a very special “God” time–a time that you can remove yourself from the world’s thirst for attention!

May the Holy Spirit Guide your heart and mind in your quest to meet with God’s Heart!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
mymamamary said:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Sacred and Merciful HEART of Our LORD!!

Hello!

As silly as this question may sound, I want to use My Bible for actual Prayer. How do I go about doing that? Are there special parts (apart from the Psalms) that are actual prayers? Or how could I go about utilising it for Prayer? I love Sacred Scripture, Its as close as I can get to supernatural food without actually going to Daily MASS and Recieving Our LORD ( I can only go to Daily MASS on Tuesdays, and obviously, without question, Sundays and most Saturdays). I have been attempting to take the “Scholars” look at Scripture. Not as if that is a bad thing, and I would love to be a Sscripture Scholar, but at the moment, I want tangible Wisdom from Scripture. The scholar part can come later

Anyone here have any suggestions??

All answers welcome!!
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Yes, God let the bible be preserved for a reason i bet using the bible to pray with is one.
Just try to find out what helps you grow.

Hope this helps
Shalom
God bless
 
Start off by saying a prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Just read a paragraph or parable or story from one of the four gospels.
Then just sort of imagine it in you mind, or reveiw it in you mind.
If nothing comes, then just pause quietly for a while.
Then if nothing comes, then read the next paragraph, stop, imagine or review it, pause.
Then repeat.

There are times when a word or a thought will jump out for you to think about.
Then just talk to Jesus, the Father, or Holy Spirit about it.

It really isn’t hard once you do it a few times.

Main thing is to begin, and to try. It’ll come.

Just some thoughts.
 
You can use the mass readings for daily prayer and meditation. That way you know that you are together with the rest of Catholics world-wide in hearing God’s message. You also know that the Bible will be more or less covered in a period of two years. Refer to the Bible when necessary or when you have other biblical inspiration.

The steps that can be taken:
  1. Pray for the guidance and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
  2. Prayerfully read and study the Bible passage assigned daily (1st Reading, Psalm, Gospel acclamation and the Gospel) and note the words, phrases and verses that touch your heart or which have significant effect or meaning for your life.
  3. Prayerfully write or note all your reflections, prayer response and intended actions in the light of what the Holy Spirit may inspire or teach you as you meditate on the word of God.
  4. Thank the Lord for His message for you and pray that the Holy Spirit will help you live it out in your daily life.
  5. Choose from the given passage MMV (Memory & Meditation Verse) as you memorize and meditate upon this verse throughout the day and simultaneously put into practice the word of God.
God bless.
 
mymamamary said:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Sacred and Merciful HEART of Our LORD!!

Hello!

As silly as this question may sound, I want to use My Bible for actual Prayer. How do I go about doing that?
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From your login name, I assume you are a rosary devotee.
If so, each of the mysteries of the rosary has old testament and new testament parallels.

You can do a scriptural rosary, where you pray two hail marys and then read one sentence from the bible that are from that mystery. It’s a contemplative prayer when done that way.

You can, for example, trace the crucifixion of Jesus – by reading it through the eyes of prophecy with Abraham; As he took his son up mount moriah, and Isaac carried the wood upon his back.

You can trace out the Agony of the Garden, with it’s olive trees, which was a betrayal by an intimate friend (judas) – through the eyes of King David when his son Absalom tried to steal his kingdom from him; and David fled to a garden outside Jerusalem with olive trees; and wept over his son.

David too, was escorted (like Jesus with Simon the Cyrenian) by a foreigner on his journey.

There are many places you may look, and you may of course use the new testament accounts from each of the four Gospels during the rosary.

As you do this more, you will notice the similarities – and some of the differences – and have time to consider what God was trying to tell us with these images in the past.

🙂 May God bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you, and give you peace.
 
The Catholic Encyclopedia has an article on Canticles which are sacred songs from the Holy Scriptures. It is possible to employ them for use in private prayer. The list of the Canticles with verse locations is given as follows:
From the Old Testament the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:
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Code: 
On Sundays and Festivals, the "Canticle of the Three Children" (Daniel 3:57).
On Mondays, the "Canticle of Isaias the Prophet" (Isaiah 12).
On Tuesdays, the "Canticle of Ezechias" (Isaiah 38:10-20).
On Wednesdays, the "Canticle of Anna" (1 Samuel 2:1-10).
On Thursdays, the "Canticle of Moses" (Exodus 15:1-19).
on Fridays the "Canticle of Habacuc" (Hab., iii 2-19).
On Saturdays, the "Canticle of Moses" (Deuteronomy 32:1-43).
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These canticles take the place of a fourth psalm at Lauds. From the New Testament the Breviary takes the following:
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Code: 
At Lauds, the "Canticle of Zachary" (Luke 1:68-79), commonly referred to as the "Benedictus" (from its first word);
At Vespers, the "Canticle of the Bl. Mary Virgin" (Luke 1:46-55), commonly known as the "Magnificat" (from its first word).
At Complin, the "Canticle of Simeon" (Luke 2:29-32), commonly referred to as the "Nunc dimittis" (from the opening words).
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2. Prayerfully read and study the Bible passage assigned daily (1st Reading, Psalm, Gospel acclamation and the Gospel) and note the words, phrases and verses that touch your heart or which have significant effect or meaning for your life.

How does one find the above info for each day please? The right passages?
 
Thank You everyone!!

I hope Ajecphoto can find the information that he is looking for…
 
ajecphotos said:
2. Prayerfully read and study the Bible passage assigned daily (1st Reading, Psalm, Gospel acclamation and the Gospel) and note the words, phrases and verses that touch your heart or which have significant effect or meaning for your life.

How does one find the above info for each day please? The right passages?
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Lots of ways.

For example, my CTS Bible has the tables for the daily cycles of readings and psalms in the back, as well as the cycles for Sundays. If you know which week of the year, and which year we are in, you can look them up (my parish bulletin notes this every week, or you could ask someone at your parish).

Or you could buy a Daily Missal, although this is a somewhat expensive option.

Or you can visit any of a huge number of websites that do this for you, most of which can be found by googling “today’s Mass readings”. Some nice examples include:

Universalis (Matches the UK lectionaries): http://www.universalis.com/mass.htm
Catholic Calendar Webpage (just gives the verses to look up): easterbrooks.com/personal/calendar/index.php
 
ajecphotos said:
2. Prayerfully read and study the Bible passage assigned daily (1st Reading, Psalm, Gospel acclamation and the Gospel) and note the words, phrases and verses that touch your heart or which have significant effect or meaning for your life.

How does one find the above info for each day please? The right passages?
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There are various places online where you can find the readings – Google is your friend. My favorite is the US Conference of Catholic Bishops – the calendar is on their home page: usccb.org/
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
There are various places online where you can find the readings – Google is your friend. My favorite is the US Conference of Catholic Bishops – the calendar is on their home page: usccb.org/
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I understand that the usccb website uses the NAB for the readings, as it is an American website, rather than the Jerusalem Bible, as other places (such as the UK) use in their lectionaries. However, I thought the US still used the Grail Psalms like everyone else? But the responsorial psalms on the daily readings section of the usccb website don’t appear to be the Grail Psalms.
 
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