Mother Teresa

“My Secret is simple… I pray.”
“If you want to pray better, you must pray more.”

---Blessed Mother Teresa

Prayer with the Heart

Prayer is an affair of the heart. Not your heart organ, or an emotion, but the center of your being.  The heart symbolized what is deepest in the human person. Biblically, the heart represents the inner temple, the core of intimacy, the proper terrain of the spirit and therefore the place to encounter God.

Pray Deeply

Praying at the level of the heart requires the effort to go beneath the surface of our awareness. Superficial prayer cannot satisfy us or God. Limiting ourselves to surface prayer will lead to inner dryness and abandonment of prayer all together. It is the heart that is the true seed of you transformation. Once deeper, more contemplative prayer begins, thoughts have done their job and are no longer of service.
Move the focus of our awareness away from the surface. Towards the center of our soul.Shift from your level of the head to the level of the heart.

Silence of the Heart

“In the silence of the heart God Speaks.”  
All deep prayer is anchored in interior silence. It brings us beyond petitions, praise or our own activities, into a wordless communion. We stand silent and still before God. “We cannot put ourselves directly in the presence of God if we do not practice internal and external silence”

“Endeavor to live alone with Jesus in the sanctuary of our inmost heart.” 

---Blessed Mother Teresa

 

Prayer the answer for everything

How can it be the answer for everything?  Well for those of you who pray a lot, you already know it is the answer. For those who have never prayed or have not really considered making it a daily thing like watering your plants, or reading the news, you will have to take a leap of faith and just try it for awhile.

This, believe it or not, is also a good place to start even if you do not believe in God. Those who have not yet found the Love of God can start by taking an honest and sincere shot at the Skeptics prayer.


If you are one of those people who has never tried praying, perhaps do not know where to start, or maybe never really gave it the proper time, here are some basics of prayer.  The more you do it the more you will get out of it. For some free form prayers from the heart may feel more natural, and for others a few memorized prayers might be better start. The more you pray the more you will desire not only both of these approaches but other kinds of prayer styles. In the beginning you might try spending just fifteen minutes and start it with “Our Father (The Lord’s Prayer)  followed by some thanks to the Lord for recent blessing and perhaps offering up or give Him some of your concerns. Before I go too much into prayer let’s start with some basics:

deep prayerWhat is Prayer?

In simplest terms prayer is loving conversation with God. It is the raising of one's mind and heart to God.  Prayer is a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God.  Prayer can be praise or thanksgiving, but most often it is a petition asking for proper gifts or graces from God.  

Why Pray?

By prayer we acknowledge God's power and goodness, our own neediness and dependence.  Prayers are powerful. Prayer can stop wars! Prayers can save lives. Prayers can heal the sick. Prayers can stop depression or anxiety. Anything is possible for those who believe. Our Lady also has said on July 21, 1982: “…Through fasting and prayer, one can stop wars, one can suspend the laws of nature…”prayer sky

When should I pray?

  1. In the morning
  2. In the evening
  3. In the middle of the day
  4. Whenever possible
  5. All  of the above

Where should I pray?

  1. In a quiet /peaceful  placefree from distractions  in or outdoors
  2. In a private place
  3. In a church
  4. With two or more other believers in the true and living God
  5. All of the above  

 How should I pray?

  1. Externally vocally
    1. By yourself
    2. With two or more
  2. Internally
    1. Meditation
    2. Contemplate
  3. Scripture based
    1. Mass
    2. The Rosary (20 mysteries of Jesus said in a meditative way)
    3. Lectio Divina (holy reading)
    4. Liturgy of the Hours
    5. Worship service  
    6. Church service

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpts from Mother Theresa’s Secrete Fire”
By Joseph Langford

 

The Rosary is a Prayer Tool for ALL Christians

As an ex-protestant, I can honestly tell you that I went through several phases before the rosary became my favorite prayer. 

 

The Skeptics’ Prayer


"God, I don't know whether you even exist. I'm a skeptic. I doubt. I think you may be only a myth. But I'm not certain (at least when I'm completely honest with myself). So if you do exist, and if you really did promise to reward all seekers, you must be hearing me now. So I hereby declare myself a seeker, a seeker of the truth, whatever it is and wherever it is. I want to know the truth and live the truth. If you are the truth, please help me."

(by Peter Kreeft)

Lectio Divina (divine reading)

Scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to increase in the knowledge of God's Word

Preparation

Pick a time in the regular time in the day (morning, evening or both) and a place free from distractions. Prior to reading, it is important to engage in a transitional activity that takes one from the normal state of mind to a more contemplative and prayerful state. Take a few deep, regular breathing and a short prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the prayer time helps to set the tone and improve the effectiveness of the Lectio.
Once the stage is set it is time to begin the prayer. There are four phases of the prayer, which do not necessarily progress in an ordered fashion. One may move between different phases of the prayer very freely as the Holy Spirit guides.

Lectio (Reading)

This first moment consists in reading the scriptural passage slowly, attentively several times. Many write down words in the scripture that stick out to them or grasp their attention during this moment.  Start anywhere in the Bible.

Meditatio (Meditate)

The Christian, focusing on the passage as a whole or one of its words, takes it and meditate about it, thinking in God’s presence about the text. He or she benefits from the Holy Spirit’s ministry of illumination, i.e. the work of the Holy Spirit that imparts spiritual understanding of the sacred text. It is not a special revelation from God, but the inward working of the Holy Spirit, which enables the Christian to grasp the revelation contained in the Scripture.

Oratio (Prayer)

This is prayer: In this prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. ...God invites us in lectio divina to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences to Him, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase He has given us in our lectio and meditatio. In this oratio, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.

Contemplatio (Contemplate)

This moment is characterized by a simple, loving focus on God. In other words, it is a beautiful, wordless contemplation of God, a joyful rest in His presence.