What is your daily prayer life like?

[Swami Mommy]

I love this prayer to begin the day with:

Jesus Prayer  -  by Cardinal John Henry Newman  (1901-1990) 
(Recited daily  after Communion, by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her Sisters of Charity)

Dear Jesus, 
help me to spread your fragrance wherever I go. 
Flood my soul with your spirit and life. 
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly 
that my life may only be a radiance of yours. 
Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with 
may feel your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus! 
Stay with me and then I will begin to shine as you shine, 
so to shine as to be a light to others.

The light, O Jesus, will be all from you; none of it will be mine. 
It will be you, shining on others through me. 
Let me thus praise you in the way which you love best, 
by shining on those around me. 
Let me preach you without preaching, not by words but by example, 
by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, 
the evident fullness of the love my heart bears for you.  Amen. 
 

[oremus1]

I love this prayer to begin the day with:

Jesus Prayer  -  by Cardinal John Henry Newman  (1901-1990) 
(Recited daily  after Communion, by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her Sisters of Charity)

Dear Jesus, 
help me to spread your fragrance wherever I go. 
Flood my soul with your spirit and life. 
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly 
that my life may only be a radiance of yours. 
Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with 
may feel your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus! 
Stay with me and then I will begin to shine as you shine, 
so to shine as to be a light to others.

The light, O Jesus, will be all from you; none of it will be mine. 
It will be you, shining on others through me. 
Let me thus praise you in the way which you love best, 
by shining on those around me. 
Let me preach you without preaching, not by words but by example, 
by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, 
the evident fullness of the love my heart bears for you.  Amen. 
 

​wow, so beautiful!!! I am definitely going to use this!!

[John Paul]

I am not gifted with mental prayer

[MarysLittleFlower]

​While I think it's great to read all the books on prayer, especially by those who have great depth (St John of the Cross is one of my favorites), there comes a time when prayer isn't about what other people write or say, it's about our own personal relationship with God. No two people experience prayer or a relationship with God in exactly the same way, so it can get confusing if one is looking for a particular experience such as 'acquired or infused contemplation' or 'transforming union' etc. I am not saying that these aren't real or worthy aims, just that a person may find that their own experience of prayer is one that is not written about in any books and yet is something that brings them into a close and personal relationship with God beyond all the words or descriptions. I only say this so that someone doesn't spend time trying to achieve something that God has not intended for them. He loves each of us in a personal and unique way. Read the books but then trust to God and let Him be the teacher.

 

​I agree that people's experiences of prayer are different and not everyone has the same things happen in prayer I also don't believe in looking for experiences in prayer though sometimes there can be an attachment to that. I just brought up the books on mental prayer because they introduced me to the concept that there's much more that prayer could be than what I used to think It was a big realization to learn that over time prayer can become more about God's action in us (though we cooperate) rather than so much effort. Not that there's anything wrong with effort, since we earn merit through this and show our love for God, but eventually God begins doing more and more in our souls in whatever way He chooses. It does seem that often, though not always, He leads people according to the 3 "ages of the interior life" but still in a unique way for each person.

God bless!

[MarysLittleFlower]

I am not gifted with mental prayer

​I wouldn't say it's something that we're either gifted in or not, I think it's just something we practice and improve in over time?

[John Paul]

Yes,I suppose so but I really need a rosary or book too help me.

[MarysLittleFlower]

Yes,I suppose so but I really need a rosary or book too help me.

​That's totally fine, that is actually how mostly everyone starts meditation meditation with a book is mental prayer too. Things like contemplation come after some time in meditation usually. You usually start with meditation to look for God, once you've found Him, then you contemplate entering contemplation right away or habitually is something that comes in time... this is just my understanding from what I read!

[Swami Mommy]

For me, my most powerful moments in prayer occur when I meditate by quieting my mind and resting in the empty space of interior silence.  When I dissolve into the silence and BECOME the Silence, I feel a vast spaciousness that is my personal experience of God's Presence as everything and nothing.

[TheresaThoma]

I am not gifted with mental prayer

​I'm currently reading a book called Time for God and it is about mental prayer. The author points out that there are many people who have a very difficult time with mental prayer. But he emphasizes that sticking with mental prayer even if it is dry, we lose focus and can only pray for a short periods there is much to be gained from committing to mental prayer. He also noted that mental prayer is a grace, not something we do on our own.

 

In my own experience I find that I need to "feed" my mental prayer. I need to be reading good spiritual books, taking time with scripture or even just doing stuff outside of my routine. That can be a starting place for my mental prayer. I notice I struggle more with mental prayer if I have been slacking on my spiritual reading and just stuck in the same routine (get up, pack lunch, go to work, come home run errands). Just like any conversation I need to have something there to start with. My best moments of prayer were when I was reading and really paying attention not just going through routine. I would "tuck" ideas or events away to pray about later. That made it easier to settle into mental prayer if I had some things I wanted to talk to God about. Then I just let it go from there.

[oremus1]

you see, when one is discerning or a candidate for religious or consecrated life , people always ask the question "what is your daily prayer life" "how many rosaries a day do you pray". makes one paranoid about if they are doing it right, then one thinks more ABOUT prayer than actually praying.

I struggle with chanting the office in latin. my latin pronounciation is very bad. I find it hard to chant on my own. but i would like to do this. does anyone have any tips?

[puellapaschalis]

you see, when one is discerning or a candidate for religious or consecrated life , people always ask the question "what is your daily prayer life" "how many rosaries a day do you pray". makes one paranoid about if they are doing it right, then one thinks more ABOUT prayer than actually praying.

I struggle with chanting the office in latin. my latin pronounciation is very bad. I find it hard to chant on my own. but i would like to do this. does anyone have any tips?

​In my experience the people 'interrogating' me (however gently or well-intended) were, to put it simply, rude stickybeaks, none of whose business it was what my interior life looked like. They can do untold damage to an emerging vocation.

I find chanting in Latin on my own very difficult too. My suggestion would be to simply recite it if you're not in a group.

[oremus1]

​In my experience the people 'interrogating' me (however gently or well-intended) were, to put it simply, rude stickybeaks, none of whose business it was what my interior life looked like. They can do untold damage to an emerging vocation.

I find chanting in Latin on my own very difficult too. My suggestion would be to simply recite it if you're not in a group.

​You see, the people asking me the questions include priests, bishops, as well as laypersons. so in some cases I have to answer then I worry it is not enough.

[puellapaschalis]

​You see, the people asking me the questions include priests, bishops, as well as laypersons. so in some cases I have to answer then I worry it is not enough.

​Well, far be it from me to pass comment on the clergy as a whole, but some of them are rude stickybeaks too - especially the ones who aren't favourable to religious life and would much rather see it die out entirely.

As for your answer: it's one thing to give someone that information, but it's entirely another to let their question, or response to your answer, bring you worry. If the clergy around you will not protect your discernment and vocation at this stage, all the more that you need to do so yourself! Find, if you can, a director with whom you feel safe and whom you can trust.

[Swami Mommy]

One of the things I did several years ago was to write my own morning and afternoon prayers to recite in daily moments of recollection.  It was a great exercise in really listening to the promptings of my heart and to focus on what I wanted to bring to my day.

                                                                                                         MORNING PRAYER

O God, Lord of Life and indivisible Oneness of All, I praise and love You with all my heart.

At the dawn of this new day, I offer You my gratitude, adoration and awe for the miracle of Your limitless mercy and Love.

There is only one thing I ask of You, O God, and this only do I seek:

That I may rest in Your love all the days of my life, beholding Your beauty in all things, serving You with all that I am, and worshipping You in the temple of my own heart.

 

May I lose myself in Your love, surrendering to You all that I am with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength.

May I know You this day and always with every fiber of my being.

May I be an clear vessel for Your love, mercy and grace to flow to all the world.

May I walk as You, breathe as You, speak as You, love as You, and serve others as You, ever mindful that there is nowhere and nothing which is not You.

 

O God, illumine and guide me today. 

Envelope me in Your love, and let Your silent peace be a soothing balm to my soul.

May I be anchored in the awareness of Your Presence in every moment.

May I see and experience You in everything I encounter.

May my words, thought and deeds reflect my love for You and for all of Your creation.

 

To You, O God, do I commit the fruits of this day.

To you, O God, do I surrender my heart.

To you alone, O God, do I offer the whole of my life.  Amen.

 

 

                                                                                                  MID-DAY PRAYER

Dear God, to You who have made the heavens and earth as expressions of Your divine creativity and love,

I offer my praise and thanksgiving for the opportunity to serve You this day.

I thank You for a healthy body, a steady mind, an open heart and a willing spirit, the better to serve You in the world with all that I AM.

I pray that I may remain ever mindful this day and always, that all I have been given and not been given are priceless gifts of Your compassion and love.

 

As I continue to move through the remainder of this day, I humbly pray for the grace to welcome everything that may happen as manifesting from You and through You for my greatest upliftment and spiritual development. 

May I surrender to each trial I may face as an opportunity to deepen my trust in Your loving protection.

I pray, too, for Your grace to honestly examine and correct those faults borne of ego which keep me from living my life immersed in You.

I'm so sorry for my shortcomings and firmly resolve, with Your help, to root them out.

May I be granted the opportunity to make amends to those I have hurt through my thoughts, words and actions.

May I become humble, kind, patient and compassionate, without pride, vanity or selfishness.

May I be slow to feel anger, judgment or self-absorbed indifference to others' pain.

May I always remember that all You have created is imbued with Your divine spark of Love, so that I act with the awareness that everything I do to others I do no less to You and to my own heart, for we are all One in You.

 

Oh God, may I be blessed with equal vision, inner steadiness and the recognition of THAT which lies beyond the pairs of opposites, and may any sense of separateness from You be consumed in the fire of Your love.

May I enfold my inner Self in the cloak of Your silence, peace and love.

May I express the wellsprings of my devotion to You in all that I do.

May I be a shining vessel for Your love to radiate forth in the world.

 

To You do I commit the fruits of my day.

To You do I offer the whole of my life.

To You do I sing praises of love, gratitude and adoration.

You are my all, forevermore, world without end.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

[Spem in alium]

I begin my day with private prayer in our chapel before sunrise, usually meditating on the Gospel for the day. We have our own congregational prayers, then Morning Prayer and Mass. I try and go for Adoration throughout the day, or to do some spiritual reading. Evenings we say Vespers, followed by the Rosary. We say the Angelus mornings and evenings, and sometimes at midday also (depending if the sister-in-charge/assistant is home).