What are Intentions?

[SavedByFaith]

I have declared a fast from website posting until 8/1/05 in order to ascertain God’s will for me concerning conversion to the Catholic Church. If I post too much here or protestant sites I seem to get confused and lose track of the important issue (the truth). I have decided to pray the Rosary daily, 2 stations of the cross daily, daily mass prayers and readings and a Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every day for 6 weeks and listen for Jesus to tell me what to do. However, I have to post one more thing (even though I started this last week) because I don’t know what an intention is? Can someone tell me what a prayer intention is and how it works?

 

[Saint_Andrew]

Hello

An intention can be a pray for a particular thing you ask God for to answer. Providing it is a good intention. or else the pray intention might not get answered.

You can ask God to guide you for your Conversion to the Catholic Church as your pray intention for example.

God Bless
Saint Andrew.

 

[serendipity]

In Old English “pray” meant please, oten used when asking questions…like in Shakespearean dialouge "pray tell why you are here…(but that would probably be “thou” than you, in that example).

Intention in the sentence, would be why you are using the word “please/pray” Intent roughly translates to the aim or purpose. A prayer intention is the what you are seeking through prayer. Everyone who prays has intentions; they are usually asking for help with something; there is often an objective to their prayer, and that would be the intention.

The main difference between Catholcism and Protestantism is not the presence of an intention, but the idea that Catholics hold, which believes that not only people who are with us on this planet can join us in praying for our intention, but that people who have died can pray for our intentions too; the gist of the Communion of Saints.

 

[SavedByFaith]

Should I maintain a list of intentions? For instance, there would be things that we should always pray for: freedom from pride, forgiveness for sin, a humble and contrite spirit, divine guidance, government leaders, family, etc.

Should we have a list that we actively add to and take away from as they come up. Do we simply pray with these in mind or do we read them off while in prayer? Is it cool to include in prayer “unmentioned intentions” to cover ones that perhaps we MEANT to have but forgot to write down?

I know this is not a huge point, but I want to make sure that I have this correct.

 

[serendipity]

I don’t think there is one correct way. Do what you feel is most helpful. I recently read about some spiritual director who recommended that people keep a small note book, and write in it intentions, of every thing that they would like to pray for: for themselves, for others, and world issues, whatever. Then when praying, one could ask for God’s help with items written in the book, in addition to the daily conversations one has with God about specific help with the most pressing matters. I thought it sounded like a good idea.