QUESTING FOR GOD THROUGH PRAYER

Someone asked the question: What is the proper way to pray?  I initially thought, Well, that's a stupid question.  But in thinking it over I can see where someone might ask that.  I don't know if there is a definitive answer for that question.  Each of us are different and the "proper" way to pray will be as unique as the individual offering up the prayers.

If I were to be asked what Prayer was or is, I guess that the best answer that I could perceive is that we are communing with God.  I don't know if prayer can be defined through words or in a literary sense.  For some prayer might be the written word in a prayer book or the digestion of "The Word" as found in the Bible, preaching or teaching from a hill top as Christ often did.  For others prayer may be the recitation of prescribed daily practices such as the prayer of the Holy Rosary.  The Catholic Church has declared the The Liturgy of The Hours as the official prayer of the church.  As we are to pray "unceasingly" the psalms and readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament are the revered prayers of the Church.  They are "as old as the hills"and were offered up in prayer from the time of Abraham and Moses...and before.

 There are different levels of prayer and communing with God.  Deep spiritual mediation is what I hope to obtain one day, along with all the other prayers of the Church. Structured prayers of and in the Church are important and will always be the center of our Church as that is where we seem to "knowingly" to have begun.  Even the celebration and adoration of the Mass is derived from the Old Testament and the readings or teachings of Jesus.  But faith and the quest for the knowledge of God seem to me, to be of equal importance.  What lights that little fire within us is God seeking us as well, for He s always within.  The more we pray the more we love.  The more we love our God, the more we pray.  We become God centered and God is centered within us.  I will call it a sacred circle for want of a better word or understanding.

I have been "accused" in the past of being too intellectual which hurt me deeply at the time as it was not meant as a compliment, but rather as a criticism.  It was far from being accurate as I have a simple mind and try to convey my thoughts in a simple, understandable missive.  Many of my readers are from Asia, Russia and Europe and I try to write so they can follow what iam posting.  I must admit 'though, sometimes even I don't understand what I have written; I just sit down and let The Spirit guide me as I seldom know what I will write about.  After I have authored my poor post I have to sit back and edit as I can't spell.  That tells the reader a lot, doesn't it?   Not to smart, but I think a lot!

My mind is always full of distractions when I pray.  I try to be content with the knowledge that everything I say or do for the glorification of God, is a prayer.  Good, bad or mediocher, it is the intent and reverence offered, that is my prayer. I have to watch myself at times, as I am sure that many people may do, because sometimes what I say or do is self-serving, for the glorification of ME...the prayer of ME... and my humanness that can and does trip me up...way too often.


I can not tell someone how to pray.  There are enough books available that try to tell us or guide us in and to prayer.  I think for many of us prayer is inclined to be a process and we learn as we go, depending on our desire to be close to and commune with God.  For some of us(esp. me) the learning curve is a bit slow and life long.  For many of the great saints prayer was a time of suffering and questing to commune with God. Prayer was also a time of joy and an thirst for more. One more thought that I would add:  We will never totally know Christ/God/the Holy Spirit, in this life.  We can strive to know Him and love Him better or to the best of our ability. 

If you, the reader can not understand any of what I have written...well, that is OK.  If you can correct me or open my eyes a little bit wider, than you can make/submit a comment.  As some of you know I now monitor the comments due to over 1.000 ads for illegal drugs coming up from Mexico...please don't do that.

END

P.S.

The first prayer I learned
was "Now I lay me
down to sleep.."

I am partial to the Rosary
which I pray daily.

I do pray the LOTH's
but not too well.
I can't sing!

Now you know
all my secrets...
or some!