Why do we pray?

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itullian

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If God’s going to do what he wants anyway.

i mean, isn’t it pretty useless?

don’t mean to be flippant, but i need to ask this.

thank you.
 
God is due five things from us (in order):

Adoration
Praise
Thanksgiving
Propitiation for our sins
Petition

Adoration, simply because He is. No other reason.

Praise, because He is all good, and all merciful, and all loving.

Thanksgiving, because we have the gift of creation, of life, of love, and of all that sustains us. Because all that we have, including our very beings, has come from Him.

Propitiation for our sins, because sin is the only thing that can separate us from God - both on earth, and in eternity.

Petition, because it establishes communication with God and because it relates us to God as being in need even of the air we breathe.
 
itullian said:
so it’s useless to ask for anything?
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Not at all. Ask away, but do so with faith, and in accord with God’s will. We must understand that our will is not always in line with God’s will. He does not go against His will when awarding grace. There are three answers to prayer: Yes, No, and not yet. We need patience. Saint Monica, for example, prayed for her son Augustine for some 20 years or so before he changed his ways.
 
but if the answer is yes it was his will anyway, so a waste of time

if no the same, might as well have not prayed

if not yet, that means wait and see, so the same thing.

the way i see it, it’s useless.

Jesus said the Lords prayer, it asks for nothing. yet he said ask and it shall be given, ha ha.

i don’t see where prayer fits. maybe to ask mercy for the dead, maybe.

what a waste except to just commune,i guess.
???
 
itullian said:
but if the answer is yes it was his will anyway, so a waste of time

if no the same, might as well have not prayed

if not yet, that means wait and see, so the same thing.

the way i see it, it’s useless.

Jesus said the Lords prayer, it asks for nothing. yet he said ask and it shall be given, ha ha.

i don’t see where prayer fits. maybe to ask mercy for the dead, maybe.

what a waste except to just commune,i guess.
???
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It seems as though you may need to spend some more time familiarizing yourself on the Catholic faith. Prayer is not useless or a waste of time. Time spent in communion with God is time well spent. One thing you need to remember is to put Him first and remember that your time spent in prayer also bodes well for your soul in eternity.
 
itullian said:
what about the horrors we have?
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God sees how the secular world has turned its back on Him. I believe we should be thankful it is not worse than it is. Consecrate yourself tho the two hearts of Jesus and Mary. The secular world does not put Him first. That is the 1st Commandment.
 
itullian said:
If God’s going to do what he wants anyway.

i mean, isn’t it pretty useless?

don’t mean to be flippant, but i need to ask this.

thank you.
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We pray because it wells up in us.
We pray because wish to talk with our Heavenly Father.
We pray because we wish to share our day with Him and listen to His council for us.
so it’s useless to ask for anything?
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Not at all. While it is true that Jesus tells us that the Father already knows what we need (Mt 6:8), Jesus also tells us to ask.
  • Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Mt 7:7)
  • If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!(Mt 7:11)
  • Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.(Mt 18:19)
  • And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."(Mt 21:22)
the way i see it, it’s useless.
Jesus said the Lords prayer, it asks for nothing. yet he said ask and it shall be given, ha ha.
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What do you mean the Lord’s prayer asks for nothing? Almost the entire prayer is made up of petitions.
Petition 1: “Thy Kingdom come…”
Petition 2: “Thy Will be done…”
Petition 3: “Give us our bread…” (our daily needs)
Petition 4: “Forgive us…as we forgive…”
Petition 5: “Keep us from temptation…”
Petition 6: “Protect us from evil…”
i don’t see where prayer fits. maybe to ask mercy for the dead, maybe.
what a waste except to just commune,i guess.
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Communing is precisely how we learn. Asking questions opens us up to listening and understanding.
When God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom.
How many do you think ask for wisdom when they pray?
Not many, and this points to the main problem with most people’s understanding of prayer. They don’t understand that prayer, communing with God and learning from God must be the first thing. To learn humility. To learn the ways of God. To seek to become conformed to God through Christ. Then, as one learns and grows in humility and in holiness will one understand what to ask for, and what to expect in answer.

In Mt 21:22 Jesus says, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Do we have faith??

Peace
James
 
itullian said:
what about the horrors we have?
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What horrors would that be?

Evil can take many forms and might be the results of many different sins or natures.

Yet in each is the opportunity for those of faith to work, to Love, to pray, to show Christ in the World…

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
We pray because it wells up in us.
We pray because wish to talk with our Heavenly Father.
We pray because we wish to share our day with Him and listen to His council for us.

Not at all. While it is true that Jesus tells us that the Father already knows what we need (Mt 6:8), Jesus also tells us to ask.
  • Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Mt 7:7)
  • If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!(Mt 7:11)
  • Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.(Mt 18:19)
  • And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."(Mt 21:22)
What do you mean the Lord’s prayer asks for nothing? Almost the entire prayer is made up of petitions.
Petition 1: “Thy Kingdom come…”
Petition 2: “Thy Will be done…”
Petition 3: “Give us our bread…” (our daily needs)
Petition 4: “Forgive us…as we forgive…”
Petition 5: “Keep us from temptation…”
Petition 6: “Protect us from evil…”

Communing is precisely how we learn. Asking questions opens us up to listening and understanding.
When God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom.
How many do you think ask for wisdom when they pray?
Not many, and this points to the main problem with most people’s understanding of prayer. They don’t understand that prayer, communing with God and learning from God must be the first thing. To learn humility. To learn the ways of God. To seek to become conformed to God through Christ. Then, as one learns and grows in humility and in holiness will one understand what to ask for, and what to expect in answer.

In Mt 21:22 Jesus says, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Do we have faith??

Peace
James
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Very, very well spoken…:clapping:
 
JRKH said:
What horrors would that be?

Evil can take many forms and might be the results of many different sins or natures.

Yet in each is the opportunity for those of faith to work, to Love, to pray, to show Christ in the World…

Peace
James
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horrors, like cancer, strokes, car accidents, etc.
 
There are two kinds of prayers, supplicative (or intercessory) prayers and meditative prayers. The OP strictly talks about the supplicative type, and rightfully observes that it is useless to ask for anything, because if you ask for something that coincides with God’s will, it will be granted anyhow, and if you ask for something that is not God’s wish, it will not be granted - no matter what. In both cases the prayer was useless. The logic is irrefutable and simple.

The OP does not talk about the meditative prayers.
 
Gods will is love. This is not something fixed forever without us being involved.

You won’t have a problem knowing why You ought to talk to a human person, will You?
And even if he/she knows You well enough to know what You like, I would still advise You to ask him/her, because it is also You offering something: Your openness to show Your need.

It is no different in Your relationship to God.

All in our faith is about our relationship to God: Praying. Church. Repentance. Behavior. Sacraments. Love for our enemies…

If You are already able to be in communion with both God and Your neighbor only by talking with Your eyes and heart, I would regard that enough. Until then You better should use words to express Your love.

Love,
Ilka
 
itullian said:
well spoken, but untrue.
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So - you disagree with what Christ has said?
been there, done that.
sounds great, that’s all.
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But have you been there and done it right?? I mean it’s obvious that you did not a grasp of the Lord’s prayer since you claim (quite wrongly) that it asked for nothing…

I do not mean to sound harsh, but it strikes me that you are not very deep into your faith. That you are quite immature spiritually and are struggling. You are asking questions but then seem resistant to trying to incorporate the insights offered.

I know that these things can sound trite and that, when one is spiritually blocked, it can seem hopeless. But please don’t be afraid and do not despair. There is a reason you are here and asking these questions.
Be patient with yourself, try to understand what is being offered with great Love and Truth.

Peace
James
 
Serious said:
There are two kinds of prayers, supplicative (or intercessory) prayers and meditative prayers. The OP strictly talks about the supplicative type, and rightfully observes that it is useless to ask for anything, because if you ask for something that coincides with God’s will, it will be granted anyhow, and if you ask for something that is not God’s wish, it will not be granted - no matter what. In both cases the prayer was useless. The logic is irrefutable and simple.

The OP does not talk about the meditative prayers.
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Excellent point…👍👍

To the OP, are you aware of the Catholic Tradition of meditative prayer??

Peace
James
 
JRKH said:
Excellent point…👍👍

To the OP, are you aware of the Catholic Tradition of meditative prayer??

Peace
James
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yes, i am. and i’m not immature in my faith. since you gave a thumbs up to my logic when stated by someone else. how do you jive that with Jesus saying ask and you’ll recieve?
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

and since i’ve recently lost my faith and have been religiously praying for it or “knocking” as Jesus said and recieve only silence and heartache i deduce it doesn’t work.

maybe there’s no one there? maybe, i’m knockin’, no answer…
 
When I pray to God, I focus exclusively on Him for a few moments. This allows me to know Him better and to understand why His will and mine don’t always agree. It teaches me about God’s way as opposed to the way of the world in which I live. Sometimes I actually feel a connection - I feel the Holy Spirit in my soul. Other times, I just know it happens. We don’t always experience God emotionally. However, I know that there is in the time of my prayer, a special connection to the Holy Spirit and I come away stronger for it.

My favorite part of the" Our Father" is “…Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The more time I spend with God in prayer, the better able I am to understand and accept that His will is the best way for things to happen. I find that this understanding changes me so that His will is more often my will.
 
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