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 »
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 [...]
“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 [...]
One evening last week, I decided to take a walk with the Lord. The sky was moonlight and an autumn chill was in the air. So after dinner I put a sweater on and walked meditatively around the seminary property. I typically pray the examen in the late afternoon while sipping a fresh cup of hot coffee; but this day was different. I felt drawn to walk outside and talk with the Lord. I contemplated Jesus walking by my side, His right arm around my shoulders, listening attentively to me sharing my day with Him. Truthfully, it’s the type of prayer that several years ago I may have been tempted to call corny. Have you ever noticed that some of the things you used to think were corny are actually things that you now do?
Woody Allen once said something to the effect that eighty percent of success in life is simply about showing up. We can say something similar about prayer. If we desire a fruitful prayer life, then we must show up for it everyday. What do I mean? In my previous posts I wrote about the Examen Prayer, a time set aside to reflect on God’s love and our response to it in our daily lives. But how does one begin to pray the Examen? How does one begin to pray at all? The first step to prayer is simply showing up and acknowledging God’s loving presence. St. Ignatius called this first step the time of “transition.” Once again, I direct you to Fr. Gallagher’s excellent book that I referenced in my last post.
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