How to Pray | How to Live
“Let’s be honest.”
“I’ll be honest with you.”
“Honestly…”
“Honest to goodness.”
These are all phrases we’ve either heard or spoken numerous times. As children, we were taught that telling the truth is the right thing to do. And yet how many of us got into trouble–or maybe even still do!–for lying?
But what does honesty with God have to do with our prayer? Read more »
It is important that we have the proper focus when we pray. Christian prayer is not about introspection; Christian prayer is Christ-centered. And so our awareness as we begin to pray is crucial.
When we quiet our minds and hearts by relaxing and focusing on our breath, we are not preparing to naval-gaze; we are preparing to enter into a prayerful awareness of God’s loving presence in and around us.
A Common Mistake
Many people mistakenly focus on themselves at the beginning of prayer. I still fall into this trap at times. It’s easy to do, because when we pray we want to pour our hearts out to God. But authentic prayer is meant to lead us to deeper communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yes, we should still pour out our hearts to God in prayer, but first our awareness ought to be on the Lord’s love for us. Read more »
Let’s go deeper into the subject of how to pray. In my last post I suggested four steps to help us enter into prayer. I’d like to explore each of these in more detail in the next few posts.
As we enter into prayer, we first choose to be still. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). That beautiful verse from Psalm 46 is the starting point for prayer; and the verse takes on even more significance as we approach Christmas.
For the next several days, traffic will be crazy and people will be running around finishing their Christmas preparations. I’ve always found it ironic that this time of year which ought to be the most peaceful–the time that we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace–is actually the most hectic. But in order to truly prepare for Christmas, we must allow our hearts and minds to be still. Read more »
“Master, teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1). After being in the company of Jesus, listening to His words, witnessing His healings, and seeing His deep relationship with His Heavenly Father, the Apostles longed to know how to pray as Jesus prayed. They were attracted by His holiness and His peace.
We, too, long to know God in a deeper way. As Jesus shares the most intimate relationship with His Father, we too desire to share that intimacy with God. Prayer is the way to God.
But how to pray? Can we learn how to pray? Can we really have an intimate relationship with God? The answer is, “Yes!” Not only can we have an intimate relationship with God; God desires that we be in an intimate friendship with Him.
So, whether you are just learning how to pray, or you want to deepen your life of prayer, here are four steps to guide you along the path of prayer: Read more »
There’s a renewed interest in spirituality these days, especially the practice of meditation. For the next several posts I’d like to reflect upon a great Catholic tradition that I believe is one of the best ways to practice meditation and to progress in contemplative prayer: the Rosary. Let’s start with the most obvious fact about [...]
I love you with my heart. I seek you with my heart. After Christmas, I spent a couple of days on quiet retreat. One evening, as I sat in silence before the Eucharist, I found myself praying these words to Jesus: (Breathing in) I love you with my heart; (breathing out) I seek you with [...]
What are you afraid of? We all have fears. Fear of the future. Fear of rejection. Fear of being vulnerable. Fear of failure. Some of us live in a constant state of fear. It’s no wonder then that the most frequent words in the Bible are, “Do not be afraid.” “Do not be afraid.” These [...]
“Why doesn’t God answer my prayer?” Let’s be honest: most of us have probably had this thought; many of us have probably even expressed it vocally. Why are there times when it seems that God is distant, that He just doesn’t seem to hear my request, that He doesn’t answer? Well, the truth is that [...]
“God is love” (1 John 4:8) A troubled Soul: Lord, sometimes I have a hard time believing that you love me unconditionally. Jesus: Why? Soul: Because I have so many imperfections. I feel weighed down by weaknesses. I commit the same sins over and over. Jesus: Your saying “I” a lot. Sounds like you’re focused [...]
“For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy” – St. Therese of Lisieux My first assignment was at St. Philip’s parish in Greenville, RI. St. Philip’s is a vibrant parish comprised of about [...]
Please note that I’ll be on retreat and then a little vacation until January 9. On my retreat I will pray for all of you who read my blog. I may not be posting again until mid-January. My new post is right below this disclaimer! ___________________________________________________________________________________________ “Make yourself a capacity and I will make myself [...]
“A God who became so small could only be mercy and love” (St. Therese of Lisieux). Last Monday evening I was blessed to visit Amy and Paul and their newborn baby boy, Joseph, at the hospital. It was last April when I celebrated Amy and Paul’s wedding, and it’s been a joy seeing them eagerly [...]
Sometimes when I pray I find myself pondering moments in my life that are deeply etched in my memory. These moments are unforgettable because the experience touched my heart so profoundly that it changed the way I see life. And what initially seems to be a distraction in my prayer actually ends as a consolation because the Spirit brings the grace of that moment back to me in a time when I need to relearn the lesson. The other day when I was praying I found myself in Peru in 1998. I’ll never forget that life-changing trip. I was a seminarian and I traveled with a group of seminarians and priests to visit the good work that the St. James Society does in that country.
So you have a problem. You find that you’re spending way too much time either dwelling on the past or thinking about the future. You truly want to stop, but you don’t know how; the past and the future are constantly luring you with their voices, and you keep listening to them. You wonder why you’re constantly restless and why you lack interior peace and joy, but the answer is right before you—literally right before you. It’s called the present moment.
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