Zillions of prayers!

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Didn’t Jesus say this:

Matthew 6:7
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

So, with the Divine Office and various other prayers said during the day / evening, do you think we are saying too much when a little would do as long as the prayers are meaningful?
 
The Divine Office and the Rosary and Novenas are Church prayers, said in union with the Body of Christ. They are not empty phrases.
 
bsroufek said:
The Divine Office and the Rosary and Novenas are Church prayers, said in union with the Body of Christ. They are not empty phrases.
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But, is it a case of saying too many prayers / words when sometimes an Our Father etc would suffice? Do you think we use too many words?
 
ajecphotos said:
But, is it a case of saying too many prayers / words when sometimes an Our Father etc would suffice? Do you think we use too many words?
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As long as you truly mean what you are saying when you pray, then you are not using empty phrases or vain repetitions…
 
ajecphotos said:
But, is it a case of saying too many prayers / words when sometimes an Our Father etc would suffice? Do you think we use too many words?
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No. I mean, if you just mindlessly say the words with no thought or prayerful intention, as though the words themselves have some magical power, then yes. But that is a problem of attitude, not with the prayers. I highly doubt God is sitting up there with a word counter, getting angry when our prayers exceed some specified length.
 
But, lots of words can get jumbled up in our minds and we can end up saying prayers without thinking about them. Endless paragraphs of words getting lost in the mist.

It happens for me and it saddens me as i can say word upon word, trying to concentrate but end up drifting through some prayers not realizing what has been said!

How much of the Divine office do we understand? All the Psalms etc. Some are just words to me with not much meaning. I do try to understand them. Is it wrong for me to recite something without knowing what i am praying?
 
ajecphotos said:
But, lots of words can get jumbled up in our minds and we can end up saying prayers without thinking about them. Endless paragraphs of words getting lost in the mist.

It happens for me and it saddens me as i can say word upon word, trying to concentrate but end up drifting through some prayers not realizing what has been said!

How much of the Divine office do we understand? All the Psalms etc. Some are just words to me with not much meaning. I do try to understand them. Is it wrong for me to recite something without knowing what i am praying?
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It’s not wrong, either from imperfect understanding our unintentional mind wandering, because you intend to pray it right. Actually doing it right is, I think, a matter of practice. I’m pretty sure most of us (certainly me) have to kick ourselves occasionally when our minds wander. It’s something to try to avoid, and to stop when it happens, but otherwise not something to worry about overly much.

Same with full understanding - the more time spent reflecting on a prayer or bible passage, the deeper our understanding gets. If we had to wait for full understanding, none of us would be able to pray until we get to heaven. Which would be something of a catch 22.
 
ajecphotos said:
Didn’t Jesus say this:

Matthew 6:7
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

So, with the Divine Office and various other prayers said during the day / evening, do you think we are saying too much when a little would do as long as the prayers are meaningful?
Click to expand...
D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

Ver. 7. Long prayer is not here forbidden; for Christ himself spent whole nights in prayer: and he sayeth, we must pray always; and the apostle, that we must pray without intermission, 1 Thessalonians v.; and the holy Church hath had from the beginning her canonical hours for prayer, but rhetorical and elaborate prayer, as if we thought to persuade God by our eloquence, is forbidden; the collects of the Church are most brief and most effectual. (St. Augustine, ep. 121. chap. viii, ix, x.) (Bristow) — Perseverance in prayer is recommended us by the example of the poor widow, who by her importunity prevailed over the unjust judge. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xix.) — The Greek word means, to babble or trifle.
 
From Pius XII’s encyclical Mediator Dei:
  1. . . . liturgical prayer, being the public supplication of the illustrious Spouse of Jesus Christ, is superior in excellence to private prayers. . . .
  2. . . . the worship that the Church renders to God . . . embraces by means of the divine office the hours of the day, the weeks and the whole cycle of the year, and reaches all the aspects and phases of human life. . . .
  3. The Psalms recall to mind the truths revealed by God to the chosen people . . . they show forth in splendid light the prophesied glory of Jesus Christ . . . In a similar way they express the joy, the bitterness, the hope and fear of our hearts and our desire of loving God and hoping in Him alone, and our mystic ascent to divine tabernacles.
  4. “The psalm is . . . a blessing for the people, it is the praise of God, the tribute of the nation, the common language and acclamation of all, it is the voice of the Church, the harmonious confession of faith, signifying deep attachment to authority; it is the joy of freedom, the expression of happiness, an echo of bliss.” (St. Ambrose, Enarr. in Ps. 1, n. 9.)
 
Many thanks to you all for helping me here. Something to think about. 👍
 
Sometimes, I often think that maybe Jesus is thinking that why don’t people pray simply. All these words that we say. All these different prayers. Word after word. Maybe when a few words will mean more that many?
 
It depends. Are you saying (praying) it from your heart? You can be saying the same thing over and over, but if you’re saying the prayer from your heart it shouldn’t matter! 🙂
 
Tons of words! With so many is it a case of quantity when it should be quality? You get books of prayers and prayers. All types. Do you think God shakes his head at all these when maybe only a few would suffice?
 
I am probably on about the divine office where each group has numerous psalms etc etc. Some are confusing in what they mean. I like to say the divine office but sometimes feel it is a matter of too many words without too much meaning. Am i right in thinking that?
 
If I remember correctly, the aforementioned Bible verse doesn’t refer to having standard named prayers, or even to saying a lot of prayers like in the Rosary. I heard once (it might even have been on the CAF) that it’s condemning a Pagan belief that if you asked your god for something enough times that he’d have to make it happen.

So if you can pray a Rosary or the Divine Office and focus on and understand every single word, good for you. But equally as efficacious, I would think, would be the prayers of a person who loses himself in the words and instead allows the prayers to focus his mind on God.
 
Been several months now since I started this thread and I still struggle with my prayer life!

I do say the same prayers every day.

Morning office, Morning office for the dead and some other simple prayers

Sometimes a rosary in the daytime

Evening office, Evening office for the dead and some simple prayers

Plus various tiny prayers while doing work etc etc.

This keeps the same.

What I really hate is the feeling of ‘Oh got to say the office now!’ Sometimes I can’t relax until it is said and done. It shouldn’t be like that. I should look forward to saying it, shouldn’t i?

I do try and think of ways why I shouldn’t say it but I feel guilty if I miss it. I ‘have’ to say it!
 
Dear OP,

May I offer some advice on the Master of Prayer, St. Teresa of Avila?

Chapter 31: But, speaking for myself, I sometimes long to die because I cannot cure this wandering of the mind. At other times the mind seems to be settled in its own abode and to be remaining there with the will as its companion. When all three faculties work together it is wonderful. The harmony is like that between husband and wife: if they are happy and love each other, both desire the same thing; but if the husband is unhappy in his marriage he soon begins to make the wife restless.

Just so, when the will finds itself in this state of -]quiet/-] prayer, it must take no more notice of the understanding than it would of a madman, for, if it tries to draw the understanding along with it, it is bound to grow preoccupied and restless, with the result that this state of prayer will be all effort and no gain and the soul will lose what God has been giving it without any effort of its own.

Our faculties are composed of three essences, the will, the understanding, and the imagination. They do not always work in perfect harmony, but provided we WILL to pray and worship God with our intention, it matters not that we are arid with respect to devotion. Nor should it concern us that our understanding does not concentrate or grasp what the words mean, nor should we be alarmed that the imagination wanders everywhere else in the middle of our prayer.

The important faculty, the WILL is praying, and God blesses our efforts. This is excellent advice from our Doctor of the Church, Master of Prayer. If you discern that you are not willfully entertaining these wanderings of the other two mental faculties, be at peace and trust that God is listening with love.

One more question. Why are you praying the Office of the Dead in addition to Lauds and Vespers? The only two requirements are the latter two. Perhaps you have family members that you feel this office will help in purgatory. May I suggest then, that you obtain for them a plenary indulgence which the Church grants every year between November 1 and 8, with the only provision that you visit a cemetery and offer prayers for the departed (and of course, the other conditions of confession, holy communion and prayer for the Holy Father’s intention.) I no longer worry about my friends and relatives, for each day during this special time period, I offered a plenary for each of them for the last couple of years. For those other poor souls who are in need of God’s mercy, I pray the chaplet at 3 PM and many other times while I’m driving, etc.

I think you may be under temptation to abandon your prayer … don’t listen to the tempter! Be steadfast, remembering your pure intention!

Hopefully, this will help you sort things out somewhat and put your mind in peace. 🙂
 
Thanks.

My dad used to say the Office for the Dead religiously and I like it. I say it for them and all souls.
 
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