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Howard the Pilgrim
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| Joined: | Sun Dec 16th, 2007 |
| Location: | Lamar, Colorado USA |
| Posts: | 20 |
| First Name: | Howard | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | United Presbyterian, non-denom, American Baptist, non-denom, Conservative Baptist, United Methodist ... |
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Posted: Wed Jan 30th, 2008 05:44 am |
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Hello,
One of the things that has drawn me to the Catholic Church are the rich resources to help me in my prayer life with God. I used to feel like Indiana Jones with his father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when they were on the airship. Indy was confronting his father about how lonely his childhood was because they didn't talk. So his father said, "Okay, let's talk" and Indy couldn't think of anything to say. That is how I felt when I tried to pray.
As an evangelical Protestant, I participated in prayer meetings where we prayed for people, for our concerns, about our celebrations, answered prayer and so forth. Privately I would occasionally pray when I was burdened about things or the Holy Spirit would sometimes bring things and Scripture to my attention but most of the time I was pretty prayerless. And I couldn't pray for very long. I also couldn't find the words to express what I was feeling in my heart.
Then I discovered prayer books and was amazed at how the prayers often expressed what I was feeling and gave me the words to pray. And the section on prayer in the Catechism is fantastic.
So thanks!
Howard
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 4981 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Wed Jan 30th, 2008 11:27 am |
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Howard the Pilgrim wrote: Then I discovered prayer books and was amazed at how the prayers often expressed what I was feeling and gave me the words to pray. And the section on prayer in the Catechism is fantastic.
You know, Howard, one of the things many Protestants attack Catholics on is our tendency to rely on written prayer rather than spontaneous prayer, but what is a written prayer? It's nothing more than a prayer someone else came up with spontaneously! Who am I to say that a prayer I can compose is better than one composed by St. Teresa of Avila, or Pope John Paul II, or St. Thomas Aquinas? How is my prayer somehow better than the Te Deum or the prayers of the mass such as the Gloria in Excelsius Deo? And of course, I can add my own thoughts to the words of the greatest thinkers and pray-ers in human history.
I think the prayer life of the Church is definitely underappreciated by most Protestants. I'm glad you are able to appreciate it.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 1715 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Jan 30th, 2008 12:28 pm |
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Howard, prayer is the beginning of our life in God. All prayer is a sign of his grace. This is because, as Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
He goes on (vv. 6ff): “If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
This is what prayer is all about: abiding in God’s love, being fruitful and growing as a plant nourished by the streams of grace that he supplies through that love (Psalm 1:3).
In and through prayer and our consequent acts of love for God and man, we move ever deeper into God. Hence this section of the forum, Spiritual Growth and Union with God. The rich Catholic understanding of the spiritual life and its power and efficacy in the spirit of the saved towers above what is available elsewhere. It was the clincher in my own conversion.
And the section on prayer in the Catechism is fantastic.
Yes, isn’t it! Definitely the most beautiful and penetrating section of the Catechism. It was written by an Eastern Catholic priest. But there is more, lots more. If you go to any outlet for Catholic books and check out the Spirituality category, you will see dozens of resources enlarging on what you see in the Catechism. Each preaches the words of Christ: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
David
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Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 859 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Jan 30th, 2008 07:56 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote:
The rich Catholic understanding of the spiritual life and its power and efficacy in the spirit of the saved towers above what is available elsewhere.
Amen.
A small example: although I grew up on church pews and spent my adult years in active church service, I had never heard of Imitation of Christ until it was mentioned on EWTN. Nor did I know anything about St. John of the Cross. Unreal.
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"If our charity is arrested by the difficulties encountered in dealing with our neighbor, . . . our relations with our brethren are not regulated by our love of God, but by our love of self." Divine Intimacy p. 781, Fr. Gabriel, O.C.D.
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