Prayer

For some people the only time they pray is on Sunday at Church.  For others, they might say they pray the rosary everyday or we say grace before meals.  Some pray regularly for their family and friends.  If you read the gospels you will see that Jesus frequently went off to pray.  Jesus is one in being with the Father.  So, if he needed to pray regularly, then, clearly we need to do the same.

How often should we pray?  How should we pray?

Neither question has a clear cut answer.  It is not about quantity of prayer.  It is about the quality of prayer and our relationship with Jesus.  It is not enough to SAY our prayers; we must PRAY our prayers.

Do we think about our relationship with God as we pray?  Do we listen to the Holy Spirit as we pray?  Or do we recite our prayers from memory while we think about other stuff?

I have to admit quality prayer can be a challenge for me.  I do pretty good at praying often throughout the day but, especially when I am in a hurry, I don’t always pray well; hence quantity but not quality.  I say the prayer as fast as I can so I can get onto something else.  I have to force myself to stop and to truly pray.

As to how often we pray I think we should pray often enough and long enough throughout the day that God is always on our mind and heart.

When you pray, do you give God your list of wants or do you listen to what He has to say?

Peace,

Fr. Jeff