{"id":300,"date":"2015-08-24T10:28:35","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T17:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/?p=300"},"modified":"2020-10-28T16:45:44","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T21:45:44","slug":"prayer-how-do-you-pray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catholicinrecovery.com\/prayer-how-do-you-pray\/","title":{"rendered":"Prayer: How Do You Pray?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The_Prayer\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There was once a day when the best prayer I had in my arsenal was more or less a negotiation tactic. A bargaining with God, you could say. \u201cGod, if you get me out of this mess, I promise to be a good boy,\u201d was more or less the deal I was willing to make when I found myself in a painful jam. Other than that, I mostly avoided communicating with God until I came to a turning point in my life that required a spiritual solution.<\/p>\n

The problem was, I had no spiritual weapons. I was told to pray, but with little guidance on how to do it. I knew of a few Catholic prayers from growing up, so I employed those here and there. It felt like it wasn\u2019t enough. It felt like I was just reciting words that I wasn\u2019t even acknowledging the meaning of. I said the serenity prayer. A lot. I constantly repeated it to myself as I was haunted by feelings of remorse, temptations to return to the bottle, and horrible bouts of self-pity.<\/p>\n

Either because it was the best solution to my problem or because he wanted to deflect the question, my spiritual guide through the early stages of my recovery would ask if I had spent time praying about whatever it was that was bothering me. \u201cSometimes, the best thing you can do is be still and do nothing.\u201d Heeding this advice, I had no idea that I was beginning a life of prayer to supplement my slowly growing set of spiritual tools.<\/p>\n

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So what is prayer and how do you begin to be prayerful?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Put simply, prayer is the raising of one\u2019s mind and heart to God. Keep it simple. It doesn\u2019t take an advanced degree in theology to pray. You need not be in a state of holiness to enter into prayer. \u00a0God does not ask to see\u00a0a certificate before entering into communication with Him.<\/p>\n

Moreover, you don\u2019t even need to \u201cknow how to pray\u201d in order to enter into prayer. As Saint Paul write in his letter to the Romans (Romans 8:26), \u201cFor we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What a gift it is that upon raising our mind and heart to God, we need not have the right words or even be able to articulate to ourselves what it is that we want and need. The Spirit of the Lord can enter into our hearts and prayers to reveal the deepest groanings\u2014those longings\u2014within us!<\/p>\n

Along those same lines, your prayer also doesn\u2019t have to be pretty. I recall many days in early sobriety when the only thing I could bring to God was, \u201cHelp me.\u201d My body ripe with grief and discomfort, I broke down and got on my knees next to my bed, throwing my arms in the air towards the heavens. \u201cHelp me,\u201d was all I could my heart could muster as I maintained my humble posture.<\/p>\n

Looking back, I see moments of prayer like this as some of the closest that I have come to God\u2019s mercy. Like the merciful father\u00a0running towards the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), God came to meet me when I came back seeking him. He still does, every time.<\/p>\n

\"Andy_Shawshank\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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I would like to offer a few different types of prayer that have been useful in every day occurrences and help form a regular pattern of spiritual connection with God. This is nowhere near an exhaustive list of prayer types, but a good start for one who is looking to establish a foundation for prayer or grow in their interior life.<\/p>\n

Prayer of Gratitude\/Thanksgiving<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Acknowledging the gifts you\u2019ve been given is a great way to humble yourself and recognize that the things\u2014material or immaterial\u2014that we have are not of our own doing. This can be simply thanking God for the daily reprieve given to stay sober\/free one day at a time. Whether done via direct communication with God or not, I believe this is a prayerful act that is an acknowledgment of divine good and can be a very powerful practice, especially in moments of suffering.<\/p>\n

Many people suggest reciting or writing down a gratitude list. For many spiritual giants, this prayerful exercise is an integral part of their daily routine. It can be a great weapon to escape moments of self-pity and interior suffering. I might suggest making a list of five or ten things you\u2019re grateful for and spend some time dwelling on those blessings. I\u2019ve found a lot of help when reciting an alphabetical gratitude list as well, starting with something\/someone I\u2019m grateful for that starts with the letter \u2018A\u2019, then \u2018B\u2019, and so on\u2026<\/p>\n

Prayer Acknowledging Current Situation<\/strong><\/p>\n

This can be a very honest conversation had with God, just as if you are communicating with a good friend. Making your present situation known to God creates a trust that the Lord understands your condition and seeks what is best for you. While this may not necessarily make the circumstances any different, it can bring an awakening to the fact that our emotional conditions are only temporary and used to build us in virtue. Moreover, I\u2019ve found that by simply sharing my mental\/emotional state with God can help take the sting and the power away from the situation at hand.<\/p>\n

Ronald Rolheiser puts this really well:<\/p>\n

Because we don\u2019t understand what prayer is, we treat God as an authority figure or a visiting dignitary\u2014as someone whom we don\u2019t tell the real truth. We don\u2019t tell God what is really going on in our lives. We tell God what we think God wants to hear\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

The problem is that we are trying to lift to God thoughts and feelings that are not our own. If we take seriously that prayer is \u201clifting mind and heart to God,\u201d then every feeling and every thought we have is a valid and apt entry into prayer, no matter how irreverent, unholy, selfish, sexual, or angry that thought or feeling mays seems.<\/em><\/p>\n

Simply put, if you go to pray and you are feeling angry, pray anger; if you are sexually preoccupied, pray that preoccupation; if you are feeling murderous, pray murder; and if you are feeling full of fervor and want to praise and thank God, pray fervor. Every thought or feeling is a valid entry into prayer. What\u2019s important is that we pray what\u2019s inside of us and not what we think God would like to see inside of us.[i]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Scripted Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a great deal of wisdom in the prayers suggested by the Church and from recovery programs throughout the world. The most famous one handed down by Jesus Christ himself, The Lords Prayer<\/em>. These prayers\u2014some of which you may be familiar with from growing up, others which may be completely new to you\u2014are a great starting point when you don\u2019t know what to pray (and ending point when you do know how to pray).<\/p>\n

There is a beautiful rhythm to these prayers that combine intercession, thanksgiving, petition, and adoration. See the list of some suggested prayers<\/span><\/a> for more of these, some which deal specifically with recovery and working the twelve steps.<\/p>\n

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Some Tips on Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n