Being a Catholic Christian, though rewarding in many ways, can be difficult to practice if one is not active in the faith. The activity of which I am speaking is to take time to personally grow in faith beyond attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, living a sacramental life beyond Eucharist and Reconciliation and following the Gospel in reaching out to others. It is about understanding God’s gifts and how to best practice them.
In this blog, I will focus on prayer. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, 55 percent of Americans say they pray every day, 21 percent pray weekly or monthly and 23 percent say they seldom or never pray. For those who are religiously unaffiliated, 20 percent pray daily of which 64 percent are women and 46 percent are men. And Americans older than 65 (65 percent) and those under 30 (41 percent) pray daily.
The survey also found that 45 percent of Americans, and many Christians (55 percent), say they rely a lot on prayer and personal religious reflection when making major life decisions. The same survey found that 63 percent of Christians in the United States say praying regularly is an essential part of their Christian identity.
Looking at these statistics indicates there is room for growth. What the survey results did not illustrate is what they consider as prayer, how they pray and for how long a time do they spend. A question for us is where do we fall within the survey?
As a clergyman, there is an expectation that I pray daily at least in the morning and evening. The primary prayers I use come from my four-volume set of the Liturgy of the Hours which includes a systematic plan of Bible readings, letters from saints and Church teachings, to mention a few. The prayers can average between 10 to 30 minutes or go for an hour depending on how engrossed I am and for what I am praying. I also pray throughout the day at various times depending on what is happening in periods known as daytime, midmorning, midday, midafternoon and night prayer in addition to the morning and evening prayers.
My main reason for doing so is that I want to emulate Jesus who constantly prayed to His Father. It is God’s language and I want to understand, the best I can, what God is saying and how if affects me to be a better disciple for Him. My second reason is I learn more about God and His ways so that I make less mistakes in my life and avoid sinfulness as often as possible.
Prayer is unique between every person and God. There are many reasons for prayer and each of them are in answer to a need. In addition to the Liturgy of the Hours, there are specific prayers such as I have listed below along with a brief idea as to what the prayer focus is and a scriptural reading that references the prayer subject when applicable:
Blessing: For God in our life when we receive
His best (Philippians 1:9-11);
Adoration: Worship of God out of love, respect
and admiration (Psalm 148:13);
Petition: Communicate deepest needs of what we
want and need (Ephesians 6:4);
Intercession: Prayer for others’ needs
(Colossians 1:9-12);
Thanksgiving: Answered Prayer or in
appreciation of our life (1 Chronicles 16:34-35);
Praise: Reverence for God for who He is and
what He does (Deuteronomy 32:3);
Confession: Reconciliation to help us be one
with God in His grace (Psalm 32:5);
Contemplative: One Word Focus and how it
affects our life to be better (Luke 2:51);
Meditative: Lectio Divina is a way to pray to
help understand the Mysteries of Christ (John 6:51);
Vows: Promise to God for life-changing
commitments (1 Samuel 1:10-11);
Quiet Reflection: Silent Prayer to listen to
God and to reflect on His Goodness (Psalm 63:6);
Healing: Restoration in physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual wholeness (Jeremiah 17:14);
Deliverance and Help: To receive a breakthrough
in all types of challenges (Psalm 107:6); and
Transformation: Motivated by a need for
healing, help or a grateful heart (Psalm 139:23-24).
Whether one uses formal prayers or spontaneous
ones, if they are used to communicate with God to strengthen our relationship
with Him, they will be accepted. Let us take this week to focus on prayer;
first by looking at what we currently do. Do we need to change, add or continue
what we are doing? Whatever decision is made, make sure prayer is always a part
of daily life, no matter when it is done. God will understand it and eventually
we will appreciate it as a profound base for our life in this world and for the
world to come for all eternity.
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