 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
Kayla
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Emmitsburg, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 369 |
| First Name: | Kayla | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Atheist, kind-of Mormon, Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 12:10 am |
|
Okay, I understand that this question is quite subjective, but I'm curious as to what people here think would be an ideal prayer life for the everyday, out in the world Catholic. Amount of time spent in prayer (rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, contemplative, etc)? Amount of time spent in devotional readings? Amount of time spent reading the Bible? Morning? Day? Evening? What about in the time span of a week- Adoration, Mass, service?
I realize that there is a lot of flexibility in these questions, especially because they depend on many different factors. But in general... what do you think?
____________________
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
David W. Emery
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2117 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
| Status: |
Online
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 01:08 am |
|
How to organize your prayer life? What are your needs?
From your blog:
Some might say that I am being scrupulous. I was told, during my last confession, that I have a very sensitive soul and that I am in danger, if I am not careful, of developing a scrupulous conscience.
This confuses me. First they tell me to always strive for prefection, to examine oneself nightly, to drive out even the smallest of sins. Then I am told not to worry about such small and trivial matters. That I should focus on the fact that God loves me, that He wants the best for me.
And again:
I need some particulars. It is well known by all that we must let go of our pride and become humble. How do we increase in humility? How?
I think, Kayla, that these questions and dilemmas are interconnected. You are seeking practical ways to express your new relationship with God.
No one can tell you what you want to hear right now, for it depends on your own perceived needs.
Yes, your daily routine should include significant time for prayer. One way or another, I pray probably two hours a day. It isn’t done all at once, and I don’t do it all the same way. I do it as I have need, as I have time, as I have inspiration, as I bog down in the responsibilities of the day, as I am transitioning from one activity to another.… My goal is to pray — one way or another — constantly. I don’t achieve that, but I do manage to achieve something. By the grace of God I, as an elderly “hermit,” have time and opportunities that you, as a young college student, don’t have. You may need to “make time” for some “quiet time” with your Maker. I often find early morning right for this, before the whirl of the day’s activities takes over. My regular time with Jesus in the Eucharist is scheduled with this in mind. This may be suitable for you; it may not be.
Regarding the types of prayerful activities you need, again this is a personal thing. Experiment with bible reading or lectio divina (spiritual reading on a broader scale), adoration, mental prayer, vocal prayer, etc. Find what works best for you. The important thing when learning is to keep at it. Give yourself a chance to benefit from each activity before deciding if it belongs in your daily or weekly routine. But if you find something not working, move on.
What “works”? Feelings don’t count here. The way you know something is working is that it produces fruit. You see yourself sinning less, exercising the virtues more, etc. This may come with really bad feelings of darkness, disconnect or loneliness, or it may be flooded with light and love that overwhelm you. The benefit is in spiritual growth in spite of any feelings to the contrary. Your confessor should be able to point out what seems to working and what does not in your life. But of course this presumes that you are telling your confessor what you are doing and what you see as a result.
But progress can also be made without intellectual engagement. It may be a matter of an “obscure presence” rather than “light.” Or there may be no presence at all, and in fact it all seems like you are stuck in a rut. Here, progress is measured strictly in the containment and reduction of sin and in the acting out of your faith.
Don’t overdo it. Beginners can be too ambitious, and this leads to discouragement and laxity. But don’t underdo it, either. You have to do something, and you have to do it on a regular basis. Once you start giving excuses and dropping your prayer time, you are dead.
Finally, you should never be satisfied. The moment you are satisfied, you stop growing. If you do not “need” God, if you do not “desire” him — even without feeling it — then you have lost the scent and need to backtrack.
I won’t make any concrete suggestions here — read this, follow this method — because I see you already have ideas. Give those ideas a chance; stay with what works.
David
|
|
|
Kayla
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jul 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Emmitsburg, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 369 |
| First Name: | Kayla | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Atheist, kind-of Mormon, Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:08 pm |
|
Ah, yes, thank you David.
I guess I was thinking on a more broad sense, not necessarily on a personal one.
With the strong presence of seminarians and religious on campus, it's interesting to see the differences between them and the college students. Even between them and the devout college students. I was talking with a few seminarians about this and it seems as though, as a generalization, lay Catholics don't take their prayer lives as seriously as they ought. In reality, (besides like monks or nuns who are contemplative) there should be quite a similar prayer life/attitude between religious and lay Catholics. Each are called to holiness, just going about it in different ways.
____________________
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
David W. Emery
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2117 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
| Status: |
Online
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 5th, 2007 10:53 pm |
|
Kayla wrote:
I guess I was thinking on a more broad sense, not necessarily on a personal one.
And I thought that was the level on which I answered you, Kayla: general principles that can be applied and adjusted to fit the individual. This is why, as I said, I didn’t include specific and concrete things like, “Read this, follow this method.” So even if I thought you wanted the information for your own use, it was still general enough to fit a wide swath of humanity. By the way, I also think a general response is the only kind that should be given on the open forum. Any personal advice should always be given privately, don’t you think?
In reality, …there should be quite a similar prayer life/attitude between religious and lay Catholics.
True, because we are all human and have human needs, weaknesses and aspirations.
Grace and peace,
David
|
|
|
Current time is 11:17 am | |
|
|
|
|
|
