Why does the Catholic church believe in recited prayers?

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Welcome to CAF, where a lot of people think the style of music, prayer, etc. that they prefer is the “right” one and should be practiced by everybody.

There’s nothing wrong with ad lib prayer. I ad lib a lot of prayers in private. I have also heard my share of Baptist “Father God” type prayers at family funerals, and there’s nothing wrong with them. Some people may prefer a more formal prayer or a less formal prayer. It’s important that we remember this is a preference, not a requirement.
 
po18guy said:
OK, I attended the funeral of a former co-worker. A CoC pastor officiated. I counted 17 Lords in the opening prayer and 19 in the closing. He already had the Lord’s attention without calling His name 36 times!

This is the trouble when you depart from formulaic prayers. Can you still do it?
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Yet, we have people who pray by just repeating the word “Jesus” over and over.

I don’t think the minister was repeating “Lord” this and that to get the Lord’s attention, any more than we say 50 Hail Marys in a Rosary to get the Lord’s attention. We had Him at “Hello”. The repetition of the Lord’s name is comforting and it is a stylistic choice. If you don’t like it, fine, but you shouldn’t be denigrating it if it’s sincere.

I’m also not sure why you would be sitting there counting how many times the preacher said “Lord” instead of focusing on the prayer or making your own mental prayer if you didn’t like his.
 
Ogie_Reeves said:
I’ll eventually understand Catholicism better as I continue to study and learn about your church.
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Perhaps it would help to understand why you are trying to learn the Rosary if you’re not Catholic? Please don’t take this as being argumentative, I’m sincerely interested in your situation. There may be better advice to give you based on the context.

Are you just curious about Catholicism, in RCIA, etc.?
 
I don’t take it as that. I should’ve stated above that I’m not Catholic. I must’ve been a bit tired when I wrote that. I’m very curious about Catholicism.
 
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I think I know what you mean. I have seen and heard that, not too often though, and I thought saying the ‘Lord’ in nearly every sentence was probably a pause the pastor needed to think of the next sentence to say. It sound kind of unnatural for the ‘Lord’ to be said so many time there (in the prayer).

I am often a speaker in our gathering, there would be times when you said ‘my brothers and sisters’ too often, it could be just filling that gap while finding the next sentence.

Repeating unnecessarily the same word in a prayer is more due to inefficiency rather than on purpose.

I prayed with my own word when doing it publicly, sometimes quite long, I thoight I had refined my prayer a bit, and usually I would be rather satisfied with it. Sometimes as Catholics, we have the option perhaps to include the Hail Mary or the Our Father to end the prayer.

However, I believe that the efficacy of prayers is not in the words spoken but more from the sincerity of the hearts. Thus any type of prayers will always be useful as more importantly a person needs to pray, more and always.

Regards.
 
I am left handed and suspect that I have Asperger’s Syndrome. Therefore, it is quite common for me to think differently and be misunderstood.

Kindly disregard any and all posts which do not make sense.
 
This is one of the best posters in CAF. I think there is no problem is voicing an opinion and certainly we do not expect to think the same. And that’s the beauty of the many contribution - diversity. Well written posts always make sense. Agreeing or disagreeing with them always depend on a person’s personal reasoning.

God bless.
 
Oh, ok! I think it’s great that you’re interested in Catholicism. I’d say that the rosary isn’t the easiest place to start, but I’d never discourage you from learning and praying it. It will just take time and patience. Many Catholics don’t even understand the depth and beauty of the rosary, and I’d venture to say that the majority, sadly, no longer pray it. Stick with it. It takes a while. I’ve been praying it most days for almost two years and I’m just getting a good rhythm and having success in meditation.

As far as recited prayers, I think there have been many great answers in this thread. Recited prayers were a Jewish tradition at the time of Christ. The Shema, the Aaronic blessing, the Psalms, etc. Jesus gave us the Our Father, and he prayed “the same words” three times during his agony in the garden.

The Hail Mary is part biblical verse, and part petition.

But as pointed out, not all Catholic prayer is rote. There should always be a balance of recited/memorized prayer and spontaneous prayer. In my personal prayer life, I use both methods all the time.

I wish you the best in your studies. I pray that the Holy Spirit guides you along the way.
 
Thanks. I’ve saved a few links that was posted on this forum to my previous questions to look at, someone lent me a book about the basics of Catholicism, and I’m seeking better understanding of your church. As I keep studying, I’m sure that I will have a better understanding!
 
Imagine for a moment that at your friendly neighborhood non-Catholic congregation next Sunday morning the worship leader stood up and began to improvise a song. The other musicians, the congregation, they could simply listen to him or they could begin improvising their own songs - but that would lead to a cacophony.

The improv would be nice in a jazz ensemble or when the musician is at home simply playing alone, in fact it is a good practice that develops the musician.

If there is a hymnal, everyone who is literate can sing along. They tend to sing louder and stronger when it is a song that everyone knows by heart.

Standing beside complete strangers at the ballpark, we can together sing the Star Spangled Banner and it is moving to hear all of those voices in unison.

The same holds for prayer. While improved, or extemporaneous prayer, has it’s place and it helps to build our faith. At the same time, it is wonderful to pray in unison with other believers.
 
I would also recommend picking up a copy of the Youcat (youth catechism) or the older Baltimore Chatechism. Both are available on Amazon. Very simple format and designed to help learn all about Catholicism.
 
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