AnneLine Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Welcome, ploomf! :welcome: You probably could start and end the prayers the way you are used to if you do it on autopilot.... we'd view the words differently, but God would get what you mean..... No problem with calling God the Father 'Heavenly Father' -- nor with asking Jesus to bless the prayers you say. But you probably will feel better once you move to a different formula. But the trick is to talk to God... and then let God talk to you! I also tend to hang out on lame board and sometimes in here. Come on down and have fun with us.... you need that as much as the heavier stuff on OpenMic and debate table (but only do latter when you feel ready.... I get overwealmed in there....) Anyway, welcome! :buddies: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 (edited) A lot of 'official' Catholic prayers end with "(through (the same) Jesus Christ thy son, our Lord,) who with thee liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end, Amen." But that only 'makes sense' if the prayer itself is addressed to God the Father. :) Edited April 10, 2013 by Nihil Obstat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploomf Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 I was thinking about this last night, prayer has been a struggle for me since I left the LDS. First I considered myself agnostic for several years and didn't pray at all. Then when I started to trying to believe again I tried praying again but it felt so dry, like no one was there and I was just talking to myself so I stopped trying to pray at all. There is definitely a standard Mormon prayer script and I've been following that because I didn't know any other way to pray. I wonder if that's part of the dryness I've felt, I haven't been really trying to talk to God, just following the same script I've been following since childhood. Something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4588686 Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Greetings. You will hate me, at first. Then you shall love me. Then probably hate me again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hi ploomf! Welcome! I found your post touchingly honest, so I'm glad it was long. :-) I am a convert to Catholicism from Judaism (not very much like the LDS, I guess). I really like the Lighthouse Catholic Media CDs. See here: http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/subscriptions They're pretty cheap, have great variety, and not a single one has ever disappointed me. I think the company is pretty picky about who they record (or at least, whose recordings they sell). I am particularly fond of Scott Hahn, as I think a lot of converts (and cradle Catholics) are. Not to mention, you can listen to the CDs while you're driving, doing the dishes, working out, etc.—all the times you couldn't be reading! As for prayer: I don't know if it would help you, but because I was pretty leery of Jesus in the beginning, I was actually more comfortable starting out with the rosary and other Marian prayers. Mary led me to Jesus—slowly and gently, just like I needed. So my suggestion is, if you're comfortable with talking to Mary, then do that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Thanks for the answers, they help a lot. Very different from what I'm used to but I like it. So I went shopping today and as is usual for me when I go into a bookstore I bought way too many books. :P I found Catholicism for Dummies and Mere Christianity and while I swore that was all I was going to start with I can never resist the siren call of books and so I also ended up with Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II, The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton, and My Life with the Saints by James Martin. This is why my to be read stack is taller than I am (not that that's very hard, I'm pretty short, most things are taller than I am :P). Thanks everyone, I'm going to start reading and I'm sure I'll be back to bug you all as more questions pop up. This is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 My one condition was that we were going to have a lion, which she agreed to. And then she got married and messed it all up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleWaySoul Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Wow. Ploomf, I can tell we're gonna be friends. There's so much about you that I like already! Welcome to the Pham :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 And then she got married and messed it all up... Maybe when I see Kate at the wedding I'll ask her opinions on tigers/lions as pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploomf Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Wow. Ploomf, I can tell we're gonna be friends. There's so much about you that I like already! Welcome to the Pham :D Aww thank you. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Hi and Welcome! I'm also a convert (from no organized religion) and at first prayer was a bit of a struggle for me as well. So keep don't get discouraged! My 2 cents on prayer Prayer styles are very personal, you'll probably have to try a bunch of different ways out before you find a style that suits you. And for me at least my prayer style changes with my mood and such. One of the biggest things that has helped me is journaling, basically I write letters to God. Often I end up setting my journal aside and continuing in silent prayer. The other good thing about journaling is you can go back and read over past entries to see how you have changed and grown in your prayer life. Another thing I like to do is when I am in bed getting ready to go to sleep I will talk to God about my day, and about the coming day until I fall asleep. It is so wonderful to spend the last minutes of my day talking to God. Another wonderful resource I have found is http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/ . They put out daily podcasts with guided meditations on one of the daily readings. BTW Crossing the Threshold of Hope is awesome. It was so jam packed with stuff that I had to stop like every two paragraphs and reflect on what I had just read. Savor it! And don't worry about asking basic questions, we all can use the refreshers. I work in my parish's RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) and all of the sponsors will tell you they keep learning more and more about the "basics" each year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploomf Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Maybe when I see Kate at the wedding I'll ask her opinions on tigers/lions as pets. Why not just surprise her. Buy her a lion, make sure you film her reaction and post it for my everybody’s enjoyment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Why not just surprise her. Buy her a lion, make sure you film her reaction and post it for my everybody’s enjoyment. Well, buying someone a baby lion is something that really conveys your love... I shall have to contemplate this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Why not just surprise her. Buy her a lion, make sure you film her reaction and post it for my everybody’s enjoyment. I kinda thought I would like you. Now I am quite sure of it. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisa Marie Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Have you thought about prayer using scripture? Like, you find a particular passage (like the sermon on the mount, calming of the sea, usually something self-contained), and read it slowly a few times, ponder what sticks out to you, and think about what God might be trying to tell you through it? That's a version of Lectio Divina - something I really like to do when I'm in a prayer rut. It's like having discussion questions ready for your conversation with God. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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