Becoming Aware - What do you think when you think of the words in your prayers?

What do the prayers mean to you?


This is an exercise to help you think about the words you are saying when you pray.  Awareness.  This is also an excellent exercise for your prayer journal.

1) Begin with your favorite prayer to invoke the Holy Spirit. 
2) Break your prayer down into phrases and leave a couple of spaces between each prayer. 
3) Listen to the whispers of the Holy Spirit in your heart as you begin to fill in the blanks of your prayers. 
4) Consider doing this exercise every couple of months.  Meanings often change and when you listen to the Holy Spirit, you are called deeper and deeper into prayer.

Here are 3 of our basic prayers and how I interpret the words in each prayer.  Awareness.  Your words will probably  be different from mine.  Let the words from the Holy Spirit flow through you from your heart to your paper. 


Our Father
The prayer taught to us by Jesus as the perfect prayer.

Our Father,
Papa, Dad, Daddy, Beloved Creator, Name above all names, Creator of the Universe,

Who art in Heaven,
You are where we want to be when we die.  We want to be with you in heaven.  Heaven is Your creation, too.  You made this home for us.  Where ever you are is heaven.

Hallowed be Thy Name,
All holy are You.  Your name is Holy.  Your name is love.

Thy kingdom come,
May Your Kingdom come to earth.  May Your peace and love spread through out the world.

Thy Will be done,
May all that You wish be done here on earth.  May we, as your beloved children, live as You would like for us to live.  May we, as Your beloved children, do that which You ask of us as did the Patriarchs old to whom You promised the Messiah.

On earth, as it is in Heaven,
May our earth be filled with peace as peace fills Your heaven.  May we bring this about by doing Your will on earth.

Give us this day our daily bread,
Give us the food we need to eat, the homes in which we need to live, the clothes we need to live,

Forgive us our trespasses,
Forgive us our sins,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,
Forgive us in the  way we forgive others who have sinned against us.  Forgive us so that we might forgive them.

Lead us not into temptation,
Lord, even though you test us, give us the strength and courage to resist sin and abandon our earthly attachments which will lead us into sin.

Deliver us from evil,
Do not let us fall into the pit.  Give us the courage and strength to pick ourselves up when we fall and return to Your paths.

Amen.
So be it.





Hail Mary
Words taken from Sacred Scripture to Mary by the Angel Gabriel and her cousin Elizabeth.


Hail Mary,
Hello, Mary,

Full of grace,
There is no sin in her soul. She is close to God.  She cannot sin.

The Lord is With You,
If The Lord is with you, then you are free of sin.  Your soul is pure. You are His great love.

Blessed are you among women,
You are highly favored in the eyes of God and human kind.  We women look up to you because God has blessed you in a way that He has blessed no other woman on earth.

Blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Your Child is the Blessed One of all ages.  He is the great I AM.  He is Promised One from ancient days.

Holy Mary,
Mary, we know you are holy.

Mother of God,
No one else but you can claim this title.  You are the Mother of God.

Pray for us sinners,
You are the greatest intercessor before God.  Pray for us who are sinful.

Now, and at the hour of our death,
Pray for us as we live our lives and follow the paths of life.  Pray for us when we reach death's door.  Pray for us always.

Amen.
So be it.

Glory Be
Words of Praise and Honor to the Triune God, the Trinity.


Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
All praise, honor, and glory to the Father Creator, the Son, Jesus the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit, the Great Counselor, the Triune God.

As it was in the beginning,
Before the universe existed, God existed. His creations adored Him in the perfections of heaven.

Is now,
God exists now.  He does not change.  He is the great I AM.

And Ever shall be,
God is infinite and eternal.  He is.  He was.  He will be.

World without end.
God gave us immortal souls.  Where we spend eternity is up to us.  We will live forever. 

Amen.
So be it.

I'd love to hear how this works for you.  Let me know.

Journal Prompts for your prayer Journal

1) Father, I love You…

2) Jesus, Thank You…

3) Sweet Lord, Teach me…

4) Holy Spirit, Inspire me…

5) God, Hear me…

6) Lord, I know You know this…

7) When will things change, Lord?

8) We Praise You…

9) I am nothing.  You are my all!

10) Inspire me, Lord,

11) I am yours, Jesus!

12) This has been a rough day, Lord…

13) Without You, I am nothing…

14) Help me, please…

15) Jesus, You are the light in my darkness…

16) Hold me, Lord….

17) I continue to ask You, Sweet Jesus…

18) Bless my children, Lord….

19) Bring peace to our troubled world, Lord…

20) Forgive me…

21) Jesus, I trust You….

22) Teach me to trust You…

23) Lord, I ask for the Virtue of ….

24) Lord, You died for my sins…

25) You are the Christ…

26) Lord, I need You right now…

27) I adore You, Father…

28) Where are You, Lord?

29) Please give me the graces I need to…

30) Be with Me…

Let's Put Our Prayers in Writing - Give Prayer Journaling a Try!

"Lord, I know you want me to love all people, but I'm sure having a hard time with one person.  You know who she is, and you know why.  Please, guide me and help me.  Bless her and forgive me for not showing her Your Love, for not being an example of Your Love.  Lord, Help Me!"
--Prayer Journal 1/12/14

I am only showing you this entry in my prayer journal because I want you to see how I use my journaling.  Like anything else, my prayer journals have evolved from early writings of:

"Lord, I am asking that You grant me this gift.  I'll never ask again, but I really do need this." 
--Prayer Journal 10/17/l998 

That was a long time ago when all I used my prayer journal as a means of asking God for material things.  Even though I still ask God for things, I also discuss problems, ask for spiritual advice, pray for others, thank Him for His Goodness, and simply praise and bless Him.  Our communication has evolved, and it is a blessing.

There are so many ways to pray in a prayer journal, but before you begin to pray in writing, you need to gather a few supplies.

What do you need for a prayer journal.  You can use a plain notebook, a beautiful journal, or, like me, enter into the digital age and use your computer or tablet.  There are some wonderful apps out there for journaling.  How you decide to journal is up to you.

I'm not an art journaler, but I've seen some prayer journals that have become works of art, filled with photos, drawings, and doodles.  I've also seen people who like to journal on index cards!  They simply list.  That's wonderful, too.  Your voice is your voice!  My only advice is to be prepared to hear the whisperings of the Holy Spirit when you journal.  The evolution of your journal might be much more than you expect or dreamed!  Which ever media you use, be comfortable and be prepared to grow!

I journal about half an hour a day.  When you first begin to develop your prayer journal, I would suggest that you journal for 10-15 minutes each time you journal.  Remember that it takes 6 weeks to develop a habit, if you stick with journaling for that length of time, you might become a dedicated writer in your prayer journal.  Carve out that time from your busy schedule and give it to God in prayer.  10-15 minutes a day is only 1/4 of an hour.  There are 24 hours in a day.  When you look at the time factor that way, it doesn't seem like much time, does it?

Be persistent.  If you miss a day, don't worry about it.  Begin again the next day.  We all get stuck or busy.  Life happens.  Let the Holy Spirit work with you.  He will be happy to be invited into your prayer time. 

Set your timer.
Begin your writing by invoking the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, fill my mind and thoughts with Yours.You can write this down, or not!  That's up to you.

Next, praise God and thank Him for this time together.
Heavenly Father, Son of God, Holy Spirit, I praise and thank You!
Again, you can write this down or not!

Then begin to write down what is in your heart.  If you had a bad day, tell God.  If you had a wonderful day, tell God.  Thank Him.  If you have problems, tell God. Pour your heart out to Him.  Remember, prayer is born in the heart.  This is where God meets you in love.

Write until you are finished even if your timer goes off.  If you need to stop before your timer goes off.  Stop.  If tears come, let them flow as you pray.  If laughter comes, join God in the joy of your heart.  Give yourself to God as you write.

At the end of your prayer time, thank God for your time together.
Oh, Lord, thank You!   
Write it down or not.
Praise, adore, and bless God!
Lord, I adore You!  I praise You!  I bless You.
Rest in Him for a short time.

I cannot promise you that each time you journal, that you will be exulted and overflowing with love, but I can guarantee you that you will be praying with your heart and soul.  If you save your journals, you will begin to see patterns emerge as you grow in closeness to God.

Can you tell, I love to prayer journal?  It is my prayer voice.

Tomorrow, I will post some journaling prompts.  We all get stuck.  We all get busy.  These might help you to continue on your journey. 

Finding Your Prayer Voice

When we pray, we are in direct communication with our Living God.  What an amazing gift to us, His Beloved Children!   *(CCC 2559-2561) Whether in words, thought,  or song, God hears our prayer.  He listens as we chant or rest in the silence of His Heart.  Each  of us, as a child of God, has a  prayer voice that is as unique as a finger print.

The patriarchs of the Old Testament prayed to God in the open air, in nature.   They passed on the stories  of their fathers’ experiences with God, and they danced and sang the praises of God around the campfires.  God heard their prayers as they tended their sheep and raised their children.  Sometimes,  God would send heavenly messengers to  visit these men and women of old, and their lives would be changed forever.   When these women and men spoke to God in prayer, they spoke from the heart, which is where prayer is born.  *(CCC2562-2564).

Today, we are bombarded with stiumli. We are a society of distractions, multiple activities and short thought processes.  Aren’t you, like me, often challenged in finding time to pray? When we find the time, how do we pray? I ask myself that question often. Do I attend Mass, the greatest prayer of all? Do I pray a Rosary?  (Always a good option in my eyes.)  Do I sit in silence with God?  Do I pull out an old prayer book and recite those prayers?  Am I close to a church where I can sit in adoration of our Risen Lord? How do we find and use our prayer voice? 

God blesses us with so many ways to communicate with Him.  As always, my recommendation is to begin your search for your prayer voice with a simple prayer.

Lord, God, I want to communicate with You in the best way I can.  Please show me how You want me to talk with You.
The answer to your prayer might be given immediately or it might take a while.  No matter, practice the virtue of patience as you seek to find.  Remember, God will open that door for you.  Ask for this gift in Faith. 

 “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.  For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  Matthew 7: 7-8
I pray in many different ways, however, I found my prayer voice in writing.  I have journaled for years, since I was a teenager caught up in the angst of my raging hormones.  I have kept gratitude journals, negativity dump journals, journals of being in love, journals of my children’s lives, journals of my hopes and dreams, journals of ways to decorate my home, photo journals, blogs.  Well, you get the picture.  I have journaled for years. 

One day, many years ago, as I prayed, I fought distraction after distraction.  Frustrated, I stopped praying.  When I stopped my prayer,  I saw my gratitude journal out of the corner of my eye.  (The Holy Spirit was working here! ) Suddenly, I realized, my attention was always focused when I wrote.  I found a new notebook, labeled it “Prayer Journal,” and I began to write.  I felt God smile on me that day.   I found my prayer voice!  

Now, I use my prayer journal almost everyday.  I also pray in other ways, too.  Yet, I know, my  true prayer voice, a gift from our Loving God, is in the gift of writing. 

Thank You, Lord, for this gift!  Amen.

* CCC = Catechism of the Catholic Church

Prayer Journal - Change

When I was a child, I’d look forward to the start of fall.  Fall meant the start of school.  Who didn’t want to see their friends, and I loved school!  Fall meant walking home from school, crunching the leaves under my feet.  Fall meant dark mornings when we went to Mass.  Fall meant comfort foods that were too hot to cook in the blistering New Mexico summers.  Fall meant the smell of green chiles roasting in the kitchens.  Fall meant wearing clothes to school that were just too hot, but your summer clothes had been put away, so you did anyway.  Fall meant homework and reading.  Fall meant praying the family rosary after supper when it was dark outside.  Fall meant already starting to look forward to family and Thanksgiving. Fall meant looking forward to Christmas after Thanksgiving.  Fall meant coming out of the wonderful, lazy rut called summer.  Fall meant movement and silence when the birds began to migrate even farther south.  Fall meant the lizards would hibernate.  Fall meant coats and sweaters.  Fall meant the state fair.  Fall meant my birthday!

Sweet Jesus, I remember those days of childhood.  I saw the seasons through the eyes of a child.  I saw You through the eyes of a child.  I saw You as a God who loved me beyond measure.  I saw You as a God of great love for all of us. I tried to be good, not just because of Santa, I really wanted You to know how much I loved You!  


Now, I am a retired teacher, and fall means that I don’t have to go back to school.  Fall means that I need to rake leaves.  Fall means that here in the Midwest, I no longer roast green chiles, but, that’s okay, since my stomach does hurt a bit from the bite of the chiles.  Fall still means dark mornings when I go to Mass.  Fall means trying to figure out which clothes to wear, or wondering if I need boots so that if I hit a small patch of ice from an unexpected cold, freezing rain, I won’t fall.  Fall means finding clothes that are warm enough to keep my hands warm.  Fall means wondering if the kids will be able to make it home for the holidays.  Fall means winter is near.  Fall means that I don’t hear the sounds of birds singing in the mornings.  Fall means praying the Rosary in the silence of my living room.  Fall means I don’t have to go to the State Fair.  Fall means my birthday!

Sweet Jesus, now, I’m getting old.  I’ve seen many seasons in my life.  So much has changed.  You’ve given me many trials.  Loving You has been a challenge when I walked a rocky road.  Believing that You loved me has been a challenge.  My hands get cold when fall starts to come.  I miss my husband and children.  Life has not been easy. I wish I could see life as I did when I was 7.  I miss that part of me.  Where did that little girl go?

When in prayer, it is sometimes necessary to wait and listen to hear God speak to our hearts.  In silence I wait. 

My beloved Child, yes, it’s true you have changed.  It’s also true that you have faced many challenges in your life and that your heart has ached because of these crosses.  In many of these difficult times, you turned to Me and asked for My help which I rendered to you with great love.  There were other times when you felt alone in your journey, but what you didn’t know is that I walked beside you holding your hand.  Even when you turned your back on Me, I was there, ready to welcome you back into My loving arms.  Where is that child who loved Me without question?  Where is that child who ran gratefully into My arms?  That child has grown up.  That child has become a woman.   

Yet, it is still possible to love Me without question.  It is still possible to run into my arms where I can hold you in my loving embrace.  You must let go of the past.  You must forgive those who have hurt you.  You must trust that in spite of the trials of life, I know what is best for you.  I AM your God.  I love you.  Seek My Love.  Ask for the grace of Love.  Of all the virtues, love is the greatest.  Through love, you will find Me. 

Seek Me now through prayer.  Open your heart to healing.  I wish to heal you, but you must step aside and let me be God. 

My beloved child, I AM with you.  I will not turn my back on you.  I will hold you up when the trials of life beat you down.  Trust that I love you.  Turn your heart to Me.  I AM waiting. 

Prayer Journal

Prayer Journal

My Jesus, I can’t believe that fall is here already.  We are heading for the end of the year.  You’ve blessed me with another year of life!  Right now, the storms are calm.  I feel great peace in my heart and soul.  Jesus, You are God!  Thank You for the gift of this day and moment.  I love You!  I know that I am nothing, but I am Yours, all Yours.  I know I’m weak and in a moment I will probably be in a sinful state soon, but for this moment I am Yours.  Thank You!


What I imagine Jesus might say to me.

I cannot say this enough.  I love you!   My soul thirsts for you!  Rest in My Sacred Heart.  Feel My Sacred Heart full of love for you.  Hear My Sacred Heart beat for love of you.  Feel My peace.  I love you!  I love all my children!  I love My sisters and brothers.  I long for each soul, even if they are far from me at the moment.  I intercede before the Father for my sisters and brothers.  I pray that they will all join Me in paradise. 

Love them with Me.  Pray that they will hear My Sacred Heart beat for love of them.  My Mercy is unending, but I cannot choose for them.  They, like you, must choose Me.  My Sacred Heart burns with love that I wish to give You.  I AM yours if you choose to love Me.  My heart aches with love.  Pray for My Sisters and Brothers that they might draw close to My Sacred Heart.  Give your heart for them that they might embrace My Love.  I ask You for much, I know, but I thirst for each soul.  Pray and never cease for love of Me.  I love You!