"Where does Prayer come from?"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I came across these three paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church this morning and hope they will bless all, especially as we pray today:

CCC 2562 - Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.

CCC 2563 - The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place “to which I withdraw.” The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.

CCC 2564 - Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man.

These words helped me to appreciate even more Jesus’ words: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mt 11:28-30). Humble and immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Enable us to pray well.

 

[mommy_k]

Humble and immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Enable us to pray well.

Amen

Hail Mary,
Full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee.
blessed art Thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb
Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of death,
Amen.

 

[tawny]

As we teach in CCD; prayer is talking to God.

 

[wild_thing]

Thank you for this. It’s a good reminder, especially in these past few weeks of violence, upheaval, and corruption, to keep our hearts firmly focused on our Lord.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you for this. It’s a good reminder, especially in these past few weeks of violence, upheaval, and corruption, to keep our hearts firmly focused on our Lord.

Dear mommy k and wild thing,

Thanks so much for your replies. By God’s Grace, please let us continue praying…

 

[tawny]

The Nuns always taught us that prayer was “talking to God”. It should be as easy as that.

 

[eatpraylove11]

Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins my Mother;
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful;
O Mother of thy Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy clemency hear and answer me.
Amen

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

 

[MariaChristi]

The Nuns always taught us that prayer was “talking to God”. It should be as easy as that.

Dear tawny,

Yes, it should be, but I discovered as an adult, I had lost some of my child-like focus, and when I thought I was praying, I was really “talking to myself”.

Prayer needs two very important requirements, (as St. Teresa of Avila wrote): “attention and devotion”. She explained that we must know to Whom we are speaking, who is speaking, and what we are saying.

When we become distracted in prayer – we need, by God’s grace, to refocus the conversation to be sure we really are talking to God. Thanks for your sweet reply!

 

[MariaChristi]

Remember,
O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence,
I fly unto thee,
O Virgin of virgins my Mother;
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful;
O Mother of thy Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy clemency hear and answer me.
Amen

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with Thee;
Blessed art thou among women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Our Father,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Thanks, eatpraylove, for your reply and for the beautiful prayers!

 

[tawny]

Dear tawny,

Yes, it should be, but I discovered as an adult, I had lost some of my child-like focus, and when I thought I was praying, I was really “talking to myself”.

Prayer needs two very important requirements, (as St. Teresa of Avila wrote): “attention and devotion”. She explained that we must know to Whom we are speaking, who is speaking, and what we are saying.

When we become distracted in prayer – we need, by God’s grace, to refocus the conversation to be sure we really are talking to God. Thanks for your sweet reply!

Even when you may feel you are “talking to yourself”; rest assured God is listening. He hears our every word. He knows our needs before we even do. Remember, God Loves You. God bless.

 

[MariaChristi]

Even when you may feel you are “talking to yourself”; rest assured God is listening. He hears our every word. He knows our needs before we even do. Remember, God Loves You. God bless.

Yes, He is always present and He is Love! He knew I needed to know my focus was on myself and so in His Love for me He gave me that grace to know His Truth about myself! How good He is! Thanks for your continuing prayer.

 

[tawny]

Yes, He is always present and He is Love! He knew I needed to know my focus was on myself and so in His Love for me He gave me that grace to know His Truth about myself! How good He is! Thanks for your continuing prayer.

Continued prayers for all of your intentions. I really enjoy your posts/links. God bless.

 

[MariaChristi]

Continued prayers for all of your intentions. I really enjoy your posts/links. God bless.

Dear tawny,

Thanks so much for all your prayers and for your replies. If you find anything good in my posts/links you can thank the Lord for His Infinite Mercy and patience with me, and for the Holy Spirit He gave His Church to bring us into All Truth (cf Jn 16:13). By His Grace, I truly hope my intentions are the same as His, for I will only what God wills.