..."The Gift of Prayer"...

by roshini Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:23 pm

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Post n°1

..."The Gift of Prayer"...

by roshini Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:23 pm

Do you pray? Do you pray often, or only occasionally? Is prayer important to you?
I
ask you these questions because prayer and praying are essential for
your life of faith. Like breath to the human body, prayer makes the
spirit live. Without it, faith dies. On the other hand, a person who
prays grows in spirit and life.
Let me tell you some things that may encourage you to pray...
.

by roshini Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:25 pm

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Post n°2

Re: ..."The Gift of Prayer"...

by roshini Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:25 pm

..."Prayer is a Gift of God"...

To
begin with, prayer is a gift of God. "Gift" is a good word to describe
prayer, because praying is not something we can do of ourselves. " We
do not know how to pray as we ought," scripture says. Prayer is a gift
God must give.
And
God gives that gift generously, without consideration of our worthiness
or our unworthiness. Sinners as well as saints can pray. People of
every religious tradition receive the gift. In fact, every human being
is able to pray. The Catholic Catechism reminds us of that by entitling
its opening section on prayer The Universal Call to Prayer. (2566-2567)
Yes,
all are called to pray. All receive the gift. And, surprisingly,
sometimes those thought to be "ungifted" pray best and are graciously
heard. That's the lesson Jesus taught in his parable about the Pharisee
and the Publican who together went up to the temple to pray. The
Publican, an outsider who thought himself unworthy of approaching God
in prayer, was found more pleasing by God than the Pharisee, a
professionally religious person, who prayed so effortlessly.

Prayer, then, is God's gift to the strong and the weak, to the smallest
child and frailest of the old. It's given to those who say, " I'm not
really religious; prayer is beyond me." It's given to everyone, no
matter who you are.

That's not to say we can't refuse to pray or we can't neglect it. Like
any gift, prayer must be received. If someone gives you a beautiful
piece of clothing, you may use it or not. You may take it and wear it.
Or, you can throw it in the back of your closet and never look at it
again. The piece of clothing becomes a gift unused. "If you knew the
gift of God," Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well. A Gift was
there before her eyes, but she was blind to it.

How tragic to go through life leaving the gift of prayer unused!!!
.

by roshini Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:27 pm

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Post n°3

Re: ..."The Gift of Prayer"...

by roshini Thu Dec 25, 2008 2:27 pm

..."Prayer: God's Search for Intimacy with Us"...

Why
does God give the gift of prayer? The main reason is because of love
for us. God looks for intimacy with us. How strange that sounds! God
all-sufficient, all-powerful, all-knowing, wishes to draw close, to
communicate, to speak to us, to seek our response, to hear our prayer.
It may seem unbelievable, but it is true.

At
the same time, by praying we fulfill the desire we have as human beings
to know God. After all, we are made in God's image. Something
in in our being thirsts for intimacy with God. That thirst is described
in the psalms, O God, you are my God, for you I long. For you my soul
is thirsting. Like a dry weary land without water... so my soul longs
for you, my God. Something in us cannot be satisfied unless we are draw
near to God. "Our hearts are restless," St. Augustine says, "until they
rest in you." By praying, we rest in God.

The
church in her formal prayers often humbly acknowledges that prayer is
God's gift and asks God to give and strengthen that gift in us. At the
beginning of her daily prayers, the liturgy of the hours, the church
prays two verses of the psalms.

O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

O God, come to my assistance.
O Lord, make haste to help me.

Simple, truthful words. I cannot open my lips in prayer unless God give
me the gift. O God, come and assist me; help me that I may approach
you.

And
God does give this beautiful gift. In prayer God comes and helps; God
invites us into the divine presence where we can open our lips and our
hearts. There God welcomes our slightest word or cry, our smallest
effort.

Delighting
to give us the gift of prayer, God wishes that we come near to share
our hearts and minds, our very life with One who loves us. Prayer is
God's precious gift; cherish it always...
.