Talking To God

How often do we pick up the phone and talk to friends? How often to we chat about the nothingness of things with acquaintances at work and never give it a second thought? Yet, when it comes to that time to talk to God, we push it back. It is not to say that all people do this, but ask yourself how many times have you done this? How many times have you put in endless hours of watching TV, or surfing the net, but not given a moment to prayer?



We are currently in the season of Lent and approaching the glorious time of Easter. As we fast approach this momentous occasion, ask yourself what have you given up to be with Jesus in the desert during his 40 days? How often have you spoken to Him to find out His will for you, or to give thanks?



Now, I am not trying to play a guilt trip on anyone, but I am just trying to get the wheels turning. I am trying to lead to the point that we should be talking to God. Jesus, while in the desert, was fasting and praying. Praying....what exactly is praying? Have you ever asked yourself that? Well, that is what I am going try to explain in today's blog.



Prayer in its most basic definition is an intimate conversation between your soul and God. It is you talking to your Heavenly Father and sharing your most hidden secrets, most intimate needs, and most sincere thanks. However, as Catholics we have a rich treasury to help us bring our souls close to God and are not only reliant on personal prayer to achieve our goal.



I have written about personal prayer in the previous paragraph because it has something that I use, but in some circles personal prayer is emphasized over other forms of prayer and while it is nice to have personal prayer we must not neglect the treasury of prayers that are part of tradition and have been found to be efficacious throughout time.

Treasury of Prayer

I will attempt to give a few varieties of prayers that can be used in daily life and I will begin with the Mass.

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  The Mass is the highest form of prayer that person can ever participate in. The Mass is nothing other than the worship and praise of the unbloody sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ on Calvary upon the altar. It deserves the highest reverence; additionally, it contains liturgical prayers. A point to keep in mind is that Catholic Mass is offered everyday. It is great to fulfill your obligation on Sunday, but if you have the time you should attempt to attend daily mass.
  For Daily Mass Reading in Singapore: http://www.veritas.org.sg/daily_readings.php
  (If the site is down) Daily Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/ (just click on the appropriate date)
  
  
  

• The Liturgy of Hours (Divine Office) is another treasury of prayers that is often neglected by laity. These prayers can be used by religious and laity alike and are excellent for consecrating hours of one's day. The amazing thing about the Liturgy of Hours is that it can be prayed alone or in a group. It is wonderfully rich biblical text, as one will meditate on psalms, scripture, writings of the church fathers (Office of Reading), and hymns. Praying the hours not only gives a person a consecrated day, but it allows them to gain a deeper knowledge of the bible and of our Lord. For the Liturgy of Hours: http://www.universalis.com/

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  The Rosary speaks for itself. It is quite well known, but can be neglected by some in their busy schedules. The rosary is "made up of two things: mental prayer and vocal prayer. In the Rosary mental prayer is none other than meditation of the chief mysteries of the life death and glory of Jesus Christ and his blessed Mother. Vocal prayer consists in saying fifteen [20] decades of the Hail Mary, each decade headed by an Our Father, while at the same time meditating on and contemplating the fifteen [20] principle virtues which Jesus and Mary practised in fifteen [20] mysteries of the Rosary." (Secret of the Rosary, St. Louis de Montfort) I substituted in [20] because of the addition of the Luminous mysteries by the late Pope John Paul II.
  For information about the history of the Rosary: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13184b.htm
  To learn how to recite the Rosary: http://www.newadvent.org/images/rosary.pdf
  
  
  

There are many other prayers in the Catholic treasury. I have only named a few. If you are interested in learning about prayers and the many various types such as litanies, etc., please visit: http://www.ewtn.com/ They have a wealth of information about the Catholic Church as well as excellent prayer resources. Additionally, EWTN offers Catholic Computer Broadcasting so that you can watch their television shows on your home computer. During this time, much of their programming has to do with Lent and our spiritual progression, but is not limited to only those topics.

As I draw today's blog to a close, I just wish to point out that in prayer "there are four great acts: Adoration, Thanksgiving, Petition and in the event of our having offended God, Contrition. The highest of these acts is Adoration, by which we acknowledge God's supreme majesty and our entire dependence upon Him." (Catholic Morality, pg. 67, Fr. John Laux, M.A.) It seems fitting that we close noting that adoration of our God is the highest form of prayer, especially as we approach Easter and remember the sacrifice He made for the redemption of mankind. Eucharistic Adoration is yet another way to pray and show love to our Lord and when all else fails, and the river of our heart has run dry and we are truly unable to converse with our God, sitting in the presence of the Eucharist is a sure way to open a conversation with Him, as He is truly present in the Eucharist. http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchd3.htm

Dominus vobiscum.