Relationship With God?

[[jas]]

Hi everyone, it's me again

This came up in the "God told me" thread but I thought I'd start a new thread rather than hijacking that one even more...

The question is: What does it mean to have relationship with God?

Or more to the point: How do we relate to God, and how does He relate to us?

(I'm not talking about being saved here, I'm talking about how we relate to God once we are)

I'm going to share what I think it means to relate to Him, but a relationship with the creator of the universe is obviously going to be so huge and multifaceted that I don't think anyone can fully say we've "got it" in our lifetime, so I hope that we can all learn from each other's experiences with God and grow through this thread, rather than just arguing...

Okay, I'll start.

Personally, I think that to have a relationship with someone, you need to talk with them. And that has to work both ways. If I've got a friend, we're not going to have a solid friendship if we don't talk, or if only one of us talks at the other one. We need to both communicate with each other. And I think it's the same for my relationship with my best mate (and father, and lord and saviour and king) God. If I don't spend time praying, and listening to Him talk to me, we're not going to have a solid relationship.

And there's a number of ways God speaks to me... through His word, through other people, through thoughts and impressions the Holy Spirit gives me, and a stack of other ways.

So... your turn, how does God relate to you?

[cmotherofpirl]

I talk to God all day long in different ways.

When I go to Mass and worship Him, say the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary, do lecto divina, when I look at a new flower and say "wow God, that is so cool". When I complain to him how the day is going, when I point out my opinion on something is different that His, when I say thank You for some blessing.

The whole day is one long conversation with God.

[[jas]]

That's cool! Could you explain some of those things you do (liturgy of hours etc)?

And I'd like to say I spend the whole day in communion with God... I'm still getting there, I get distracted way too easily sometimes...

[Anna]

This is rather hard to put into words...

God is Lover of my soul.

He is always there for me. He is the one I always turn to in distress.

He paints my sunrises, and sunsets.

He has blessed me abundantly with children.

I feel His Love with me always.

Even when I miserably fail Him, He never fails me.

He knows my needs before I even ask.

In the silence of my heart, I feel His Presence.

His faithfulness to me far surpasses any faithfulness I can claim to Him.

Why He loves me, I cannot understand.

And I will never be able to appreciate it enough.

When I do fail Him, or when I am confused about which way to go, He has given me many friends--a cloud of witnesses--who pray for me, and whose life examples show great and courageous acts of Faith, and how God has rewarded them in the end.

I am an unworthy member of His family. I know His Mother. She praises Him with me.

He has provided all good things for me...He feeds my soul with His own Body.

The power of his annointing is so strong when I receive absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The strongest human emotions I feel toward God, in my relationship with Him, are adoration, gratitude, and trust.

Pax Christi. <><

[cmotherofpirl]

Anna you better copyewrite that because it was wonderful.

[willguy]

,Oct 6 2003, 09:35 AM] That's cool! Could you explain some of those things you do (liturgy of hours etc)?

The Liturgy of the Hours is one of the coolest thing. It's what monks and nuns (and a good number of priests and laity) pray during the day. It has 6 set prayers for the day: Morning, Mid-Morning, Noon, Mid-afternoon, Evening, and Night. All the hours have Bible verses as well as prayers. The books that contain the Liturgy is called the "Breviary." Unfortunatly, Breviaries are usually multiple volumes (about 4 usually) and thus rather expensive (over $100). If you want to try the Liturgy of the Hours w/o killing your checkbook, see if you can find a book called "Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours" (Amazon has it for about $25). I use this book, and it is a very amesome way to remain prayerful all day. I find that when I use it, I'm more likely to pray at other times during the day as well.

Warning: This is a Catholic tradition. That means that the prayers sometimes have mention of praying for the pope/bishops/priests and there are sometimes when the prayers are addressed to Mary. There is also a section for prayers during the feasts of saints, which obviously have prayers asking for the saint's interecession. However, I see no reason why a non-Catholic couldn't use the Christian Prayer and simply skip over the prayers addressed to Mary and just avoid the back with the prayers to saints. You would also need a Catholic Calendar if you want to pray it right, because it splits the year into the weeks of Ordinary Time, Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.

Peace and God Bless,

Willguy

[willguy]

This is rather hard to put into words...

Well, you sure did a good job of it ;)

[BLAZEr]

This is rather hard to put into words...

God is Lover of my soul.

He is always there for me.  He is the one I always turn to in distress.

He paints my sunrises, and sunsets.

He has blessed me abundantly with children.

I feel His Love with me always. 

Even when I miserably fail Him, He never fails me.

He knows my needs before I even ask.

In the silence of my heart, I feel His Presence.

His faithfulness to me far surpasses any faithfulness I can claim to Him.

Why He loves me, I cannot understand.

And I will never be able to appreciate it enough.

When I do fail Him, or when I am confused about which way to go, He has given me many friends--a cloud of witnesses--who pray for me, and whose life examples show great and courageous acts of Faith, and how God has rewarded them in the end.

I am an unworthy member of His family.  I know His Mother.  She praises Him with me. 

He has provided all good things for me...He feeds my soul with His own Body.

The power of his annointing is so strong when I receive absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The strongest human emotions I feel toward God, in my relationship with Him, are adoration, gratitude, and trust. 

Pax Christi. <><

Whooo! This is amesome. Please post it in the Poetry Thread on OpenMic, or allow me to do so on your behalf!

[cmotherofpirl]

I talk to God all day long  in different ways.

When I go to Mass and worship Him, say the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary, do lecto divina, when I look at a new flower and say "wow God, that is so cool". When I complain to him how the day is going, when I point out my opinion on something is different that His, when I say thank You for some blessing.

The whole day is one long conversation with God.

The Mass is the highest worship we can offer God. We hear His word, stand at Calvery as He offers Himself to His Father, and recieve Him Body and Blood in Communion.

Liturgy of the Hours is the offical prayer of the Church. It is said by priest and religious and vowed laypeople all over the world. THere are morning prayers, Evening Prayers, Night Prayer and Office of Readings( middle of the night) It is on a 4 week cycle, with special readings for Saints and Holy Days.

Here are the prayers for this morning:

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

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A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point. I picked #132 Holy Holy Holy.

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Antiphon 1 Blessed are they that dwell in your house O Lord.

Psalm 83 (84)

Longing for the Lord's temple

How delightful is your dwelling-place, Lord of hosts!

My soul is weak with longing for the courts of your palace.

My heart and my body rejoice in the living God.

Even the sparrow finds itself a home,

the swallow a nest to raise her young –

in your altars, O Lord,

Lord of strength, my king and my God.

Blessed are they who dwell in your house:

they will praise you for ever.

Blessed the man whose help comes from you,

who has set his heart on reaching you.

They pass through the valley of thirst

and make a spring there:

the morning rain will cover it with blessings.

They will go from strength to strength:

they will see the God of gods, in Sion.

Lord God of hosts, listen to my prayer;

hear me, O God of Jacob.

Take notice of us, God our protector,

and look on the face of your anointed one.

One day in the courts of my God

is worth more than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be at the doorstep of the house of my God

than live in the dwellings of sinners.

For the Lord my God is my sun and my shield.

The Lord gives grace and glory.

He will not deny his good things

to those who walk in purity.

Blessed is he who trusts in you,

O Lord of hosts.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

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Antiphon 2 Come, let us climb the Mountain of the Lord.

Canticle Isaiah 2

The mountain of the house of the Lord

In the last days, at the end of time,

the mountain of the house of the Lord

will be prepared high above all mountains.

It will be raised above the hills

and all nations will come to it.

And many peoples will come there and say

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob.

Let him teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths”.

For from Sion the law will go forth,

from Jerusalem the word of the Lord.

And he will judge the nations

and rebuke many peoples.

They will beat their swords into ploughshares

and their spears into sickles.

Nation will lift sword against nation no longer.

No longer will they go out into battle.

People of Jacob, come:

let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

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Antiphon 3 Sing to the Lord Bless his name.

Psalm 95 (96)

The Lord, the universal King and judge

Sing a new song to the Lord,

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

day after day, proclaim his saving power.

Proclaim his glory to the nations,

proclaim to all peoples the wonders he has done.

For the Lord is great; great is the praise we owe him,

he is to be feared above all gods.

The gods of the nations are foolishness,

but the Lord made the heavens.

Majesty and splendour are all about him,

power and honour in his holy place.

Bring to the Lord, clans of the peoples,

bring to the Lord glory and power,

bring to the Lord the glory that belongs to his name.

Bring your offerings, enter his courts,

worship the Lord in holy attire.

Tremble at his presence, all the earth.

Say to the nations: “The Lord reigns!”.

For he has set the world firm, so that it cannot be shaken,

and he will judge the peoples with fairness.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad,

let the sea and its fulness resound.

The fields will rejoice, and all that is in them,

all the trees of the woods will rejoice

at the Lord’s presence – for he comes,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge all the world with justice.

He will judge all the peoples with fairness.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

REading is James 2:12-17

REsponsory

Canticle Benedictus

Antiphon: Blessed be the Lord our God.

The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.

He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David,

as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages:

to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers,

to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies –

in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,

to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven.

Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us

to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death;

to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those that trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

A concluding prayer may follow here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[cmotherofpirl]

(cont)

THe Antiphon is a refrain for the psalm or canticle, so you say it after each section of verses.

Here is evening prayer.

I picked hymn #41 Now fades all earthly splendor.

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Antiphon 12 Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, waiting for his merciful help.

Psalm 122 (123)

The Lord guards his people

To you I lift up my eyes,

to you who dwell in the heavens.

Like the eyes of a servant watching his master,

like the eyes of a maid on her mistress’s hands,

so we keep our eyes on the Lord our God,

as we wait for his kindness.

Take pity on us, Lord, take pity:

we have had our fill of contempt.

Our souls have had their fill

of the laughter of the rich,

of the contempt of the proud.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

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Antiphon 2 Our help is i the name of theLord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 123 (124)

Our help is in the name of the Lord

If the Lord had not been with us

(so let Israel sing),

If the Lord had not been with us

when men rose up against us,

they might have skinned us alive,

such was their anger.

The waters could have drowned us,

the torrent poured over us,

the foaming waters poured over us.

Blessed be the Lord, who saved us

from being torn to pieces by their teeth.

We have escaped, like a bird

from the snare of the fowler.

The snare was broken,

and we escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

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Antiphon 3 God chose us in his Son to be adopted children.

Canticle Ephesians 1

God the Saviour

Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing in heaven.

In love, he chose us before the creation of the world,

to be holy and spotless in his sight.

He predestined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ,

simply because it pleased him to do so.

This he did for the praise of the glory of his grace,

of his free gift of us to his Beloved,

in whose blood we have gained redemption,

and the forgiveness of our sins.

This he did according to the riches of his grace,

which he gave us in abundance,

with all wisdom and discernment,

revealing to us the mysteries of his will,

because it pleased him to do so.

In this action he has planned, in the fulfilment of time,

to bring all things together in Christ,

from the heavens and from the earth.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Reading James 4: 11-12

Antiphon My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

Canticle Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.

For he has shown me such favour –

me, his lowly handmaiden.

Now all generations will call me blessed,

because the mighty one has done great things for me.

His name is holy,

his mercy lasts for generation after generation

for those who revere him.

He has put forth his strength:

he has scattered the proud and conceited,

torn princes from their thrones;

but lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things;

the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God.

Intercessions

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those that trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

A concluding prayer may follow here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[littleflower+JMJ]

many things make up my relationship with God.

but its not just a "relationship" its soo much more.

the angels and the saints are there interceding for me on my behalf and helping me achieve the ultimate goal of heaven.

the BLessed Mother Mary, Mother of God, is there as the light in the darkness to guide all of God's children to Her Son, it is through Her that we are shelter from evil underneath the protection of her mantle.

its in the Blessed Sacrament that I am able to be with Jesus, to truly speak to Him, in the Real Presence. where all my troubles are lost and my thoughts are focused on Him.

Its in the Eucharist that I am able to never starve of spiritual hunger because only through the Holy Eucharist, the Soul and Divinity of His Body and Blood can that void be filled. no other can achieve nor compare anything than to recieving Him.

the Sacrament of Reconciliation. where i am able to confess my sins, be absolved and recieve the infinity graces of purity and reconciliation granted through the Sacrament of Confession.

through baptism, where i am now one of God's children since i was a baby. through confirmation where i grew in my faith and said Yes to the Catholic Faith that keeps me alive with the Holy Spirit.

through the celebration of the Holy Mass where heaven is opened up and present for all.

and thats why im catholic. you can't get any of the above anywhere else. it is only through the Catholic Church that Jesus established for all mankind to recieve the graces and blessings that can only come from the Catholic Church

2,000 years of Holy Apostolic Truth.....

the gates of hell shall not prevail.

+JMJ

[Paladin D]

Oddly enough, I do know what and how my relationship with God is, but it's hard to describe in words.

But most of the previous posters have posted most of the things I agree on.

[vianney]

A priest HAS to say the liturgy of the hours, when he is ordained it is required of him. He is in grave sin if he skips it.

[IcePrincessKRS]

This is rather hard to put into words...

God is Lover of my soul.

He is always there for me.  He is the one I always turn to in distress.

He paints my sunrises, and sunsets.

He has blessed me abundantly with children.

I feel His Love with me always. 

Even when I miserably fail Him, He never fails me.

He knows my needs before I even ask.

In the silence of my heart, I feel His Presence.

His faithfulness to me far surpasses any faithfulness I can claim to Him.

Why He loves me, I cannot understand.

And I will never be able to appreciate it enough.

When I do fail Him, or when I am confused about which way to go, He has given me many friends--a cloud of witnesses--who pray for me, and whose life examples show great and courageous acts of Faith, and how God has rewarded them in the end.

I am an unworthy member of His family.  I know His Mother.  She praises Him with me. 

He has provided all good things for me...He feeds my soul with His own Body.

The power of his annointing is so strong when I receive absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The strongest human emotions I feel toward God, in my relationship with Him, are adoration, gratitude, and trust. 

Pax Christi. <><

Yeah... what my Mama said. :D

[cmotherofpirl]

A priest HAS to say the liturgy of the hours, when he is ordained it is required of him. He is in grave sin if he skips it.

yep.

Most third orders say it as well.

I have been saying it for quite awhile now, and its is the most important activity of my day.

For anybody who wants to try it it is at:

http://www.universalis.com/-700/today.htm