Month: February 2024

Teach Us To Pray

Attitude Adjustment

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

Traditional Prayers Teach Us the Correct Attitudes to Have Towards God. We can think of them helping give us an attitude adjustment.

What better prayer could we devise than a prayer using the very words Jesus taught us here? Yet the “Our Father” is a traditional prayer, a prayer with set words, prone to be recited merely by rote. But in fact, traditional prayers are an invitation to meditate, set up in a way that appeals to beginners.

In the “Our Father,” as in all traditional prayers, we repeat phrases that express the essence of a correct relationship with God. Whether we already hold these attitudes in our heart or not, the beauty of traditional prayers is not what we say, but how we say it. If we pray these words, trying to make them our own, conforming our heart to the attitudes they express, then little by little we will form a Christian heart, a heart that loves the way it should.

Lord, teach me through the “Our Father” to pray more deeply.

Teach Us To Pray

Wisdom of Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

Prayer is one of the pillars of lent. It is integral to our spiritual growth because it reminds us of our own dependence on God in Christ and instills in us a surrender of our will to him, the purpose of which is to assist us in becoming receptive to what God wants us to see and to do.

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Teach Us To Pray

Fresh Start

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

The season of lent, when approached intentionally, gives us a reboot, and an opportunity to turn back to what is important.  Simply put, we are called to our ultimate purpose and mission which is to grow deeper in the ways of God’s love.  Praise God that we have this opportunity for a fresh start.

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Teach Us To Pray

The Voice of Love

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

Lent readies our heart and soul for Easter.  Be careful to not be too busy with all the available resources, leave room for quiet prayer and reflection to focus and prepare for the great miracle of the Easter Resurrection.  Jesus died for all of us, He has risen from the dead, and He is with us always, until the end of the age.  This reality fills my heart with joy, and peace, and love.

Today, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Will you mark the day by attending Mass, receiving ashes on your forehead, fasting, and setting in place a plan for experiencing a holy and spiritual Lenten season?  Will you spend additional time in prayer, in scripture or attending Stations of the Cross?  These practices help us be still and listen to what God wants to tell us. We hear the voice of love itself. What are you waiting for?

I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Teach Us To Pray

Ready for Lent?

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

Tomorrow starts the penitential season of lent.  This is a time where we seek and focus our attention to that which brings us to the newness of life through Christ’s death. Our intentional fasting, almsgiving and prayer through these 40-days connects us more deeply to God and to each other. Wiping away the sin of the world.

Lord Jesus Christ,

Search my heart and show me if I need to fast from gossip, comparison, sweets, TV, movies, secular music, meat, negativity, complaining, speeding, music in the car, shopping or instant gratification. 

Teach me to be of service to others through giving a financial gift, volunteering, helping someone in need, offering to cook a meal for someone, sending flowers, writing a note or sending a text to someone each day of lent or calling people to have conversations.

Help me to be closer to you through prayer, attending daily mass, offering a mass for someone, praying a daily rosary, stations of the cross (especially Friday’s), daily examine, weekly adoration, or confession. 

Amen

Teach Us To Pray

Be Open

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

Jesus is all about healing, he invites ears and mouths to be opened. We are called to be open to the presence of God in our midst, to hear God’s voice, and our mouths open to proclaim his praise. Our faith is handed down through oral tradition, through the word of God and by example. We echo the faith as we receive those we meet in our day. The simple command “be opened” invites us to share the faith we profess in baptism and through Eucharistic living.

Lord Jesus Christ,

You opened the ears and mouth of the deaf mute, and he spoke plainly. Open our ears so that we may hear your voice clearly. Open our mouths so that we may proclaim your goodness. Open our hearts, so that we may love more fully. Open our hearts, O God.

Amen

Teach Us To Pray

Where Do You Turn?

Smitten With Goodness
Season of goodness in prayer

Where do you turn in your time of need? For comfort after a stressful day, after a conflict with someone or something like unexpected news about your health? We often turn to things of this world to satisfy these areas of need within our heart rather than what will satisfy our needs. 

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