Carol: Chapters 3 & 4

I had the opportunity to read the next two chapters twice; once I just read through and the second time I did it with a highlighter. I found quite a bit in these chapters. Very informative.

Chapter 3-Lord, Teach Us How to Pray: "Prayer is one of the most important things we can do because when we pray, we speak with God." I find this opening sentence to be so important and true. Our whole day should be a prayer or conversation with God. This Lent I have found myself praying more especially when I am alone. In the car I pray a little prayer Ruth passed on to me and I would like to share it with all of you. "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner." or I pray "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." I repeat it over and over and sometimes I get the notion that I should shut up and just listen for the Lord to talk to me. I make sure the radio is off and I try to be still in my mind (except for watching the road). Sometimes I get thoughts that are spiritual and other times I wonder where in the world that thought came from. The following two sentences also spoke to me: "if we pray well, we will live well; if we live well, we will die well; and if we die well, all will be well. It's very important, then, to know how to pray well!" Wow!!! I can't say anything more that isn't already said here.

This chapter deals with the inexperienced using formal prayer because they do not know how to pray. They need help regarding how and what to say when speaking to God in prayer. I still need help and I have been praying for many years. Praying the Rosary and other common prayers are like a safety net especially on days when I have trouble focusing. There are formal prayers that I still don't know by heart, like my favorite prayer, the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis. I just love this prayer, but have a mental block as far as memorizing it. The following is also very comforting to see in writing: "--you know it's not possible for Our Lady to turn a deaf ear to your need." I have been turning to Our Lady more and more in the past few months and I do see Her help.

Concentrating on the individual words in my formal prayers helps me to refocus especially when I'm in Adoration. My prayers are now becoming more spontaneous and confident. My greatest challenge some days while praying is to stay focused. I am very easily distracted. It was very comforting to see the comment "distractions are natural". That was like taking a load off my mind. I always have felt guilty when this happens. Some times I even have trouble bringing my mind back. Knowing that my prayer connection with God is broken only when I willfully allow distractions into my mind was very soothing to me. "Involuntary distractions don't offend God" was another soothing comment. Sometimes when trying to refocus, I fall asleep. When I come around I usually feel awful. Someone once told me it's because I feel at ease there and the Lord doesn't mind, but I still feel guilty. When praying with others and I have trouble focusing, it was nice to read that my heavenly Father knows of my trial and will reward my efforts anyways.

This chapter says we never outgrow our need for formal prayer. Truer words were never spoken. I never realized that the psalms covered all aspects of life. This gives me something more to focus in on.

The last two sentences really sum up this chapter. "God gives His gifts as He chooses. But whoever uses formal prayer effectively has already taken the first step into a deeper relationship with the Lord." I couldn't have said it any better.

Chapter 4--Mental Prayer: An Important Help to Growth in Holiness: "If our spiritual life is going to develop properly, we must learn how to meditate, to practice mental prayer." Wow! These opening sentences can really knock your socks off. I have been working on mental prayer for a while but it isn't coming as easily as I hoped. I am very easily distracted and that isn't very good. I end up trying to read in the Bible, read a religious based book, pray the Rosary, etc. After a little while, I try to return to meditating. I try to focus on something that I just read or prayed. I try to get a conversation going with the Lord, but I'm not quite there yet. Pray for me to conquer this hurdle. I talk on this end but I don't really hear anything back. Sometimes I meditate so much on a topic, my mind wanders and bingo, I'm asleep. Other times, I feel the Lord wants me to be quiet and to just listen, but I think I am leading the thoughts. I haven't learned how to discern what are my thoughts and what is coming from the Lord.

Last year during Lent, I watched a documentary on the History channel regarding crucifixtion. The Lord must have endured more pain and humiliation than we can all imagine. When all else fails, I meditate on this. I try to place myself at the Cross. This really hits home with me.

Another topic I found interesting was the comment regarding sentiments of the heart needed for loving and serving the Lord faithfully. The book states that these sentiments lead us to talk to God; otherwise it is just an exercise.

I've learned from this chapter that there are four benefits of mental prayer:
l. It promotes a greater understanding of the teachings of our Catholic faith.
2. Our reflections stir up the vital sentiments of the heart so needed for loving and serving the Lord faithfully.
3. We achieve prayer from the heart or Affective Prayer.
4. It helps us form the resolutions we need to grow in the love of God and neighbor through a conscious and consistent practice of Christian virtues.

The closing sentence, "Mental prayer is a must for growth in Christian holiness.", sums up this chapter. Sounds like I need to work overtime in this department!