In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity (Jeremiah 31:31-34) every person can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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Christian Prayer – How to Pray Alone
For busy people – the simple approach to prayer
Prayer is simply visiting with God – the Creator of the Universe – who is always present. Jesus revealed God to be a Trinity, a Community of Divine Persons: the Father, the Son – who also became human through Mary and is known as Jesus – and the Holy Spirit. Here are the simplest steps for visiting with God in prayer.
PRELIMINARY NOTES FOR ALL WHO PRAY
1.
BUSY PRAYER IN THE DUTY OF THE
MOMENT: We can pray – visit with God – anywhere,
anytime. If you’re driving, pay attention to the road!
2. PRAYER OF SILENCE: Friends of God find Him in the silence we learn to keep within, quieting our mind, heart, and spirit, like a baby in the parent’s lap.
3. CONTEMPLATIVE NATURE WALK: Taking a leisurely walk in nature, without any errand to run, just for the sheer pleasure, and without rushing - can open us up to a visceral realization of being a living "creature" like all the other "living things" around us. That moment of "awe" and "wonder" lifts our spirit "into God" or opens us to "sense" the "living presence of God" within us. Silence helps us "savor it".
4. PONDERING THE WORD OF GOD: You can "listen" to God as you slowly read Sacred Scripture, paying attention to the Lord, and personally "respond" to Him.
5.
OTHER FORMS OF PRAYER: You can pray TO God while contemplating the Mysteries of the
Rosary; at Holy Mass; or in the company of the saints.
6.
PRAYER TIME & PLACE: Choose a time and place to visit with God by setting aside
any other activity.
7. IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO REALLY DOES THE PRAYING WITHIN US: Let the Holy Spirit carry you in the praying, especially when you are doing something else.
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ACTUALLY PRAYING
1.
“BE NOT AFRAID!” Remember: God will always remain mysterious to us, but
what’s life without mystery? Trust in God and take a step....
2.
DECIDE: Simply decide to take some time to personally visit with
God.
3. ASK: Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and help you to pray, to visit with God.
4.
SELECT: Choose the "prayer method" or "avenue" or occasion you want now.
5.
ENTER INTO YOUR PRAYER METHOD: In “silent prayer” OR with a Scripture text OR with the Mysteries of Jesus in the Rosary OR Nature Walk OR…
6.
“WORRY NOT – ENJOY!” Enjoy the presence and the love of God the Father, his Son Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit. Don't look at your feet but just walk on ahead....
7.
AT THE END GIVE THANKS: Say “Thank You, Lord… or Father… or Jesus… or Holy Spirit.”
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1. BUSY PRAYER IN THE DUTY OF THE MOMENT: Our life is complex in any dimensions. We can pray – visit with God – anywhere, anytime: in bed, in the shower, as we prepare food, before / after a meal, commuting to and from work, pausing a moment during work, at play…. CAUTION: Pay attention in the “front” of your mind to what you are doing to avoid injury… let prayer “happen” on the “back burner”….
2. PRAYER OF SILENCE: Friends of God find Him in silence, not the absence of noise, but in the silence we learn to keep within ourselves, quieting our mind, heart, and spirit, like a baby in the parent’s lap. You can brush away interior “noises” by noticing them and immediately letting them go with your “out” breath. Try to sync your breath in / out with a holy word: “Lord Jesus, I trust in you.” OR simply “Jesus Christ.”
3. OTHER FORMS OF PRAYER: You can pray with Scripture, the Word of God in the Bible; or with the Mysteries of the Rosary; or at Holy Mass; or TO God WITH the saints to help you pray; or written prayers.
4. PRAYER TIME & PLACE: Choose a time and place to visit with God by setting aside any other activity.
5.
IT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO REALLY DOES THE PRAYING
WITHIN US: Let the Holy Spirit carry you in the
praying, especially when you are doing something else. At all times it is
really the Holy Spirit who prays in us, and if we want, the Holy Spirit can
give us the grace to relax; so we don’t need to “strain the brain” at all, and
the Holy Spirit teaches us how to allow the prayer to “echo” within our spirit.
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ACTUALLY PRAYING
1. “BE NOT AFRAID!” Remember: God, revealed to us by Jesus of Nazareth, is a “Divine Being” in whom is a “community” of Divine Persons: the Father, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; yet God is a single Divine Being. God will always remain mysterious to us, but what’s life without mystery?
2. DECIDE: Simply decide to pray, to take some time to personally visit with God.
3. ASK: Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and help you to pray, to visit with the Holy Trinity.
4. SELECT: Choose the "prayer method" or "avenue" or occasion you want now.
5. ENTER INTO YOUR PRAYER METHOD: In “silent prayer” using a “holy
word”, learn to
“breathe” the word in and out, letting your breath and word
“sync” to relax and rest in the Lord.
OR Select a Scripture text and read slowly,
“ponder” the words, let them touch your mind, heart, spirit.
OR Pray the Rosary with Mary while meditating on the
Mysteries of Jesus in the Holy Rosary. OR In your Nature Walk, decide to "take in" all the beauty and wonder around you. OR…
6. "WORRY NOT –
ENJOY!” You can almost hear Yoda say this to you. You may
notice coming into
your mind or heart – worries, ideas, emotions, resolutions,
anxieties, “to do” lists or whatever – see or hear them, then just let them
drop, and turn your attention back to your prayer… you can pick them up again
later. Enjoy the presence and the love of God
the Father, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
7. AT THE END GIVE
THANKS: Say “Thank You, Lord… or Father… or
Jesus… or Holy Spirit.”
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PRAYER EXERCISE FOR PRAYING ALONE
God is the divine Being who alone existed from all eternity and at the beginning of time became Creator of the Universe. Faith is a supernatural gift given by God as an inner disposition and willingness to trust in God and become able to know God directly – but in a mysterious way, since God is Spirit – and actually communicate with the three Divine Persons revealed and made known by Jesus Christ. The amazing thing we discover is that it is always God who takes the initiative to gently touch our spirit within – in our thoughts, our heart, our soul – often beyond images and deeper than feelings, in inner silence. The Holy Trinity pour into us as in a transfusion their divine life and love. Prayer is entertaining God’s Presence in order to let the Holy Trinity draw us into their own divine vitality. Here is one way you can pray.
Step 1. Decide to pray at a specific time and place that will allow you to pray relatively undisturbed.
1. Pick a
form of prayer activity, such as praying with Scripture, Liturgy of the Hours,
adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Rosary, silent meditation, or other
safe & approved form of prayer.
2. Select a passage of Scripture, or one of the 4 sets of Mysteries of the Rosary, or other texts.
Step 2. Assume a relaxed posture that you will find helpful in giving all your attention to God.
1. You
can stand up, genuflect, prostrate yourself, bow before an icon, and make the
sign of the Cross, kneel, or sit. Various postures suit various occasions and
purposes of prayer.
2. You
can, if you are in Church, make a reverent genuflection before the Blessed
Sacrament.
3. Ask for God’s guidance, ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration, or with your own words like these: “Dear Father, here I am in your presence. Please guide and inspire me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
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Step 3. Enter into your time of prayer, conscious that you are entertaining God’s presence, who is always here.
1. Read
your Scripture passage, or the Liturgy of the Hours, or Mystery of the Rosary….
2. Allow
moments of silence, especially as something moves you, or impressions arise, or
memories. Notice such things while
giving your attention to God, remembering you are in God’s presence.
3. God
sees all that is happening in you at this moment, and all the connections with
your entire life.
4. Go
back, or dwell there a bit more if you sense God touching something in you, making
connections, bringing light or peace, disturbing or challenging you, or
inviting you to follow his lead within you.
5. As this passes, or if you sense nothing at all happening, still let yourself rest in silence and peace.
Step 4. Near the end of your prayer time, take a step back – with God’s help – have a look at this prayer time.
1. Try to
tell God something of what you feel now, or what has been happening during this
prayer time.
2. If
you’re not clear about it, then just say that and begin thanking the Lord for
his time, for his love.
3. What
is important is simply to have visited with the Lord, whether or not you think or
feel anything.
4. Let yourself be receptive, like a child that is content to be on his father’s or her mother’s lap.
Step 5. Formulate into prayer anything you noticed happening or coming up during your prayer.
1. The
Word of God or Rosary Mystery may have touched something in your life. E.g.: “I remember what
happened at work, and I feel bad about it, and worried. Father, You know what
happened. Please give me peace and help me find a way to resolve the situation,
in Jesus’ Name. Amen!”
2. If you
sense God is drawing you to do or correct something, then ask his help and
guidance.
3. Your personal prayers can be simple or more detailed, as you are comfortable, see more clearly, and in the time you have. This whole exercise is done in freedom, trust, faith, and generosity.
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Step 6. Over time, let your prayer time become more human, personal, specific, practical, and fully alive.
1.
An old man answered the Curé d’Ars that in his prayer he just looked at God, and God looked at him. In
time a soul at prayer becomes somehow aware of God’s love shining or burning in
them.
2.
At times, either in the midst of activity
or while at rest, you may not need to use any words, but may simply be content
to let God see the simple, daily secrets of your heart and to receive his love.
3.
We tend to feel tremendously loved when
we realize that someone – even God – is interested in the simple thoughts and
feelings of our heart, because this is who we really are.
4. Remember that your prayer experiences may be completely different – that nothing at all may appear to be happening during the prayer time – and that would be perfectly normal too. At such times, your perseverance in “visiting” is an expression of your faith in God and your love for Him.
Step 7. Wrap-up and closing
1. Wrap
up with prayer in your own words to thank God for his abiding presence, care,
and love.
2. You
can also end with an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory be to the Father.
3. Feel free to stand up, genuflect, prostrate yourself, bow before an icon, make the Sign of the Cross, or a reverent genuflection before the Blessed Sacrament if you are in chapel. Prayer doesn’t have to include words, or be painful or boring. It is as boring, lively, or connected as we ourselves are now.
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Prayer Exercise #2 – Letting God Show You His Presence and Care throughout Your Whole Life
A good, holy, elderly priest – Fr. Walter Lallemand, a war veteran who as a recovering alcoholic was a man familiar with suffering – in February 1977 gave us young adults a prayer exercise to see our life like that of the people of Israel in the Bible. Like theirs, each journey is a sacred history of God’s grace. This is an invitation to reflect in God’s presence with your memory. Ask God to help you remember – whether you realized it at the time or not – when God was there for you and with you. Sharper memories may present themselves first – times when you were loved and cared for – or moments of pain, illness, discomfort, or sadness. God can impress his Love on us powerfully in times of trial. As this relies on our ability to remember, it is an exercise that you can return to and add onto several times over the years. Each experience we remember becomes a treasure enriching and enlightening our life and relationship with God and others. Each box helps organize thoughts / memories and reflect on them. You can use more paper. May the Holy Trinity reveal to you and bless your sacred history.
God’s Sacred History with Me
AGE / OR YEAR / DATE
|
AGE / OR YEAR / DATE
|
|
|
|
|
WHAT
HAPPENED |
WHAT
HAPPENED |
|
CORE OF THE MEMORY |
CORE OF THE MEMORY |
|
HOW I FELT |
HOW I FELT |
|
ROLE ANOTHER PERSON PLAYED |
ROLE ANOTHER PERSON PLAYED |
|
HOW I WAS
AFFECTED |
HOW I WAS
AFFECTED |
|
HOW GOD WAS / IS WITH ME HOW I FEEL NOW |
HOW GOD WAS / IS WITH ME HOW I FEEL NOW |
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Following the publication by Saint Pope John Paul II of his "Letter on the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary" in 2002, I first wrote notes in 2003 for the faithful, families, and all people of good will to help them pray to God with Our Blessed Mother Mary and contemplate the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary - so many "windows" into the life, ministry, mission, passion, death, and resurrection of her son, the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. I updated this every few years as a guide also for praying alone, as a couple, and as a family, and in October 2020 for these web pages.
In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity (Jeremiah 31:31-34) every person can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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