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Ways
of Praying |
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People pray in many
different ways depending on their personality and the particular circumstances
they find themselves in at the moment.
One way of describing a person's energy
is to say that it is either Head, Heart or Gut centered. Those
who find their energy coming from within are Head centered
persons. They have a large inner world and a smaller outer
world. There is a lot going on inside and they struggle to
get it outside. They live in a world of thoughts, plans, dreams
and sometimes fear. They often experience strong feelings
but must make an extra effort to express them. As a result
some experience them as people lacking in genuine emotion.
In prayer they are comfortable in turning to God as one outside
themselves. This may seem strange but it is God's way of bringing
about a harmony between the inner and outer world by calling
them to meet God outside themselves. They used focused meditation
or some external action, such as lighting a candle, to help
them pray. |
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Those who find their energy coming
from the world around them are Heart centered persons. The approval
of others is vital to them. The Heart centered person finds God
within. Again this is God's way of balancing the outer and inner
world. It is by expressive prayer that the Heart centered person
finds God's presence, for instance, by reading a Scripture passage
and then meditating on it or by participating in a Charismatic Mass
and letting the Spirit of God speak to the heart.
Gut centered persons are, more or less, equally
at home in both the inner and outer world. For them the Prayer of
Quiet is most nourishing for it calms the constant transition between
the inner and the outer world.
It's not just our personality, but the circumstances
we find ourselves in that determine to a large extent which prayer
form seems most nourishing. Like bookends, there are two beginning
points that lead us to prayer. One is to begin with God, the other
is to begin with our human experience.
- When we meditate on the events
from the Bible especially those of the Gospels or on the mysteries
of the Rosary, we begin with God. The prayer we say after praying
the Rosary helps us understand what we are doing.
"O God grant that by meditating
upon these mysteries, we may imitate what they contain,
and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord."
- When we begin by meditating on
the events of our life, we become aware of our own need to:
Thank God
for all that has
been and all that will be.
Express
Sorrow for sins
committed by action or failure to act.
Ask God
to grant our needs
and the needs of others, especially for healing of self
and the world.
Entrusting
one's self to God,
expressing Praise for what God has done and trust for what
God will continue to do.
The Psalms are wonderful expressions
of various human experiences placed before God. There are psalms
of Praise, Trust and Lament. Because there is so much pain and sorrow
in our time, it is worth praying the psalms of Lamentation.
Prayer of Lament
The structure of a psalm
of Lament is:
- Address to God, your partner
in the Covenant, who is obliged to help you.
- Identification of your concern
with whatever emotions are present, e.g., anger, fear, etc.
- Expression of Trust in God's
presence and power
- Specific Petition.
- Assurance that God is the only
one you are counting on.
- Vow to praise God for responsive
action.
| Address
to God:
My God, my God
have you forgotten me?
Have you turned your face from me?
I am in sorrow,
my heart is empty,
I cannot lift up my head.
Do not abandon me,
O God, my creator, my Savior.
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| Complaint:
I see the world through misty
eyes,
eyes brimmed with tears.
Tears that muddle up my vision forcing indecision,
which I fear.
My chest is empty, hollow,
open to life's eternal storm.
My loved one has died
my heart exposed, left in tatters.
My future shattered,
I visualize ... joy no more.
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Expression
of Trust:
Comfort? There is none.
You alone O God can comfort me
and restore my life.
Help me O God.
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Petition:
I am overwhelmed
and do not understand.
My God, help me to see
that all is safe in your hands,
my loved one, my own life.
My God, help me to see!
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Assurance:
I do not know how,
but I know that YOU, O GOD,
are the GIVER OF LIFE.
Give life to those I love!
Restore my Life O GOD!
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- Psalms of Lament:
6, 13, 22,
51, 77, 102, 103
- Psalms of Trust:
4, 23, 73,
27, 62, 90
- Psalms of Praise:
30, 31, 40,
66, 116, 138
You might try writing
one of your own! |
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Vow:
Do not abandon me forever.
Renew my Spirit
and I will again give you praise.
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