I've heard Padraig use this term and I know it's biblical,

But how does a person "always remain in prayer?" is it a matter of offering everything up in prayer or must a person, literally, remain in prayer? I'm not sure how I could do that especially like when I'm driving or doing something that requires my concentration for safety reasons. Help?

 

Prayer is a gift. Prayer is like an engine that once it starts it continues even during sleep or a well in which water continuously overflows - a gift of the Holy Spirit.

But Padraig can explain it better than me.

 

Thank you, Garabandal. I hope Padraig will add to this. Thank you.

 

Prayer is Communication with the Holy Trinity. God loves to be in communion with Him. To "Remain in prayer" is a form of communicating constantly, which is to say that you surrender yourself as God is all divine. You lay your good and not so good thoughts & feelings at the foot of the cross. Wrap up your worries, complaints, happiness, excitment, fears and leave them as a gift. He will accept them. The important things to do is to stop and listen for a response and to keep the lines of communication open. I think of it as a window. When I haven't gone to confession my window gets dirty and soiled so I can't see. God starts to become obscure and I turn inward and talk to myself because it's common to be affraid of what you can't see. If you go to confession and you have a clean window you become open to God's view. There is then nothing in your way from communicating and prayer becomes much like breathing or as Garabandal said an engine running. You can run an engine but you also have to listen and understand that it's communicating with you and when you understand the communication you will know when to add oil for readjust the pistons. So please also remember it's good to stop and listen. God will communicate. Hope this helps.

 

God loves YOU to be in communion with Him.

 

Lot of babbling huh

 

This really helps. Thank you.

 

When I pray the rosary, God is talking to me. When I say the Our Father, God is telling me how He wants me to live. I love to have praise music, I love to walk down the road and talk to God about my day, my feelings, my worries, the cares of the world etc...

But for me, to remain in prayer is to live the prayer that we are saying in all things. So if we ask for peace be peace, if we want understanding from God, do our best to understand others etc..

I love talking to God in my own words, contemplation, singing praises ( I have songs on my phone for when I am walking outside) but without the rosary, contemplation and The Blessed Eucharist and of course the daily gospels, I become like an empty well..

But again, to do the five stones as Our Blessed Mother asks, and then to live out the Mass and the Gospel in our daily lives is to remain in prayer..

Does that make sense?

 

ABsolutely beautiful!!!

 

On the Holy Spirit's Prayer in Us: 'Abba! Father!'


"God has inscribed Himself in our hearts"

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the Italian-language catechesis Benedict XVI gave during the general audience held in St. Peter’s Square. Today the Holy Father continued his series of catecheses on prayer.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
Last Wednesday I showed how St. Paul says that the Holy Spirit is the great teacher of prayer and teaches us to address God with the affectionate words of children, calling Him “Abba, Father”. This is what Jesus did; even in the most dramatic moment of His earthly life, He never lost confidence in the Father and always called out to Him with the intimacy of the beloved Son. In Gethsemane, as He feels the anguish of death, His prayer is: “Abba! Father! All things are possible to Thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt” (Mark 14:36).
From the very first steps of her journey, the Church received this invocation and made it her own, especially in the prayer of the Our Father, in which we daily say: “Father … Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (cf. Matthew 6:9-10). In the Letters of St. Paul we find it twice. The Apostle, as we just heard, addresses himself to the Galatians with these words: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6). And at the heart of that hymn to the Spirit, which is Chapter 8 of the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul affirms: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15). Christianity is not a religion of fear but of trust, and of love for the Father who loves us.
These two packed statements speak to us of the sending and receiving of the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Risen One that makes us sons in Christ -- the Only begotten Son -- and establishes us in a filial relationship with God, a relationship of profound trust, like that of children; a filial relationship analogous to Jesus’, even though its origin is different and its depth is different: Jesus is the eternal Son of God made flesh; we instead become sons in Him, in time, through faith and the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation; thanks to these two sacraments we are immersed in the Paschal Mystery of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the precious and necessary gift that makes us children of God, that effects that filial adoption to which all human beings are called, for as the divine blessing contained in the Letter to the Ephesians states: God, in Christ, “chose us before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and immaculate in his sight in charity. He predestined us to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:4).
Perhaps men today do not perceive the beauty, the grandeur and the profound consolation contained in the word “father” by which we may address God in prayer, because the father figure today is often not sufficiently present; and this presence is often not adequately positive in daily life. A father’s absence, i.e. the problem of a father who is not present in the child’s life, is a great problem of our time; and therefore, it becomes difficult to understand the profound significance of what it means to say that God is a Father to us. We can learn from Jesus Himself, and from His filial relationship with God, what being a “father” truly means, and the true nature of the Father who is in heaven. Critics of religion have said that to speak of the “Father”, of God, would be a projection of our human fathers onto heavenly realities. But the opposite is true: in the Gospel, Christ shows us who a father is and what a true father is like, so that we may sense what true fatherhood is, and also learn true fatherhood. Consider Jesus’ word during the Sermon on the Mount, where he says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). It is precisely Jesus’ love -- which reaches even to the gift of himself on the Cross -- that reveals the Father’s true nature to us: He is Love, and we too, in our prayer as children, enter into this movement of love, into God’s love, which purifies our desires and our attitudes that are marked by closure, by self-sufficiency and by the egoism that characterize the old man.
We may say, then, that in God, being Father has two dimensions. First of all, God is our Father, because He is our Creator. Each one of us, every man and every woman, is a miracle of God, is wanted by Him and is known personally by Him. When, in the Book of Genesis, it says that the human being is created in the image of God (cf. 1:27), what it wishes to express is precisely this reality: God is our Father; for Him we are not anonymous, impersonal beings; rather, we have a name. And a word from the psalms always touches me when I pray it: “Your hands have made and fashioned me,” the psalmist says (Psalm 119:73). Each one of us can say, according to this beautiful image of the personal relationship with God: "Your hands have made and fashioned me. You thought of me and created me and wanted me”.
But this is still not enough. The Spirit of Christ opens us to a second dimension of God’s fatherhood, beyond creation, for Jesus is the “Son” in the fullest sense, “consubstantial with the Father,” as we profess in the Creed. In becoming a human being like us through His Incarnation, Death and Resurrection, Jesus in turn receives us into His humanity and into His own being Son; thus we too may enter into His specific belonging to God. To be sure, our being sons of God does not have the fullness of Jesus’: we must become this more and more, through the course of the whole of our Christian lives, by growing in our following of Christ, in our communion with Him, in order to enter ever more intimately into the relationship of love with God the Father, who sustains our lives. It is this fundamental reality that is disclosed to us when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit and when He causes us to turn to God saying “Abba! Father!” We have truly entered - beyond creation – into adoption; with Jesus, we are truly united in God and are children in a new way and in a new dimension.
But now I would like to return to two passages from St. Paul that we are considering regarding this action of the Holy Spirit in our prayer; here too the two passages correspond to one another but contain slightly different nuances. In the Letter to the Galatians, in fact, the Apostle says that the Holy Spirit cries out in us “Abba! Father!”, the Spirit. In the Letter to the Romans it says that it is we who cry out “Abba! Father!” And St. Paul wants us to understand that Christian prayer is never, and never occurs in one direction between us and God, it is not only “our action”; rather, it is the expression of a reciprocal relationship in which God acts first: it is the Holy Spirit who cries out in us, and we are able to cry out because the impulse comes from the Holy Spirit. We would be unable to pray were the desire for God, and the desire to be God’s children, not inscribed in our hearts. From the moment of his existence, the homo sapiens is always in search of God; he seeks to speak with God, because God has inscribed Himself in our hearts. Therefore the first initiative is God’s, and through Baptism, once again God acts in us, the Holy Spirit acts in us; He is the first initiator of prayer so that we may then truly speak with God and say “Abba” to God. Therefore, His presence opens our prayer and our lives, opens to the horizons of the Trinity and the Church.

 

Furthermore, we comprehend -- this is the second point -- that the prayer of the Spirit of Christ in us and ours in Him, is not merely an individual act; rather, it is an act of the entire Church. In prayer our hearts are opened, we enter into communion not only with God, but also with all of God’s children, for we are one. When we turn to the Father in our interior room, in silence and recollection, we are never alone. He who speaks with God is not alone. We are in the great prayer of the Church, we are part of a great symphony, which the Christian community scattered in every part of the world and in every time raises to God; certainly, the musicians and the instruments are varied -- and this is an enriching element -- but the melody of praise is one and harmonious. Every time, then, that we cry out and say: “Abba! Father!” it is the Church, the whole communion of people in prayer that supports our invocation and our invocation is the Church’s invocation. This is also reflected in the wealth of charisms, of ministries, of tasks, that we carry out in the community. St. Paul writes to the Christians at Corinth: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one” (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). Prayer guided by the Holy Spirit, which causes us to say “Abba! Father!” with Christ and in Christ, inserts us into one great mosaic of the family of God in which each one of us has a place and an important role, in deep unity with the whole.
A final note: we also learn to cry out “Abba! Father” with Mary, the Mother of the Son of God. The arrival of the fullness of time, of which St. Paul speaks in the Letter to the Galatians (cf. 4:4) occurs at the moment of Mary’s “yes”, of her full adherence to the Will of God: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us learn in our prayer to taste the beauty of being friends, indeed, of being children of God, of being able to call upon Him with the confidence and trust that a child has in his parents who love him. Let us open our prayer to the action of the Holy Spirit that He may cry out to God in us “Abba! Father!” and that our prayer may change and constantly convert our way of thinking and acting, conforming it ever more to that of the Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you.

 

In Carmelite spirituality, we strive for constant prayer and Union with God as our goal. When this is achieved, one does not care if they are on this earth or in Heaven, or what happens to them, as they are completely in God's will and hands. Its something that we have to participate in, by practicing all the forms of prayer everyday, in order to break down our own will. Our third order rule is so wonderful for this, with each day: Mass, Rosary, Lauds, Vespers, and 1/2 hour contemplative prayer. We also wear the brown scapular all the time. I recommend this rule to anyone looking to acheive a closer union with God, and you don't have to join an order to follow it. I had to learn the divine office from my provincial, but now it is available online for anyone to pray, and all in the correct order (so you don't have to know the church calendar, or what order to move around your prayerbook) at www.divineoffice.org. At all the major apparitions Mary has appeared as our Lady of Mount Carmel, holding the brown scapular, and Pope John Paul II was also a 3rd Order Carmelite

 

The Carmelites express it so well. But it is the common calling of God's Children. It is heaven on Earth; the fulness of the sharing of the Holy Trinity. We do not enter heaven unless we enter this mansion of prayer. Its our destiny, our inheritance.

It is to be married to God, the Holy Spirit taking over the cockpit and flying the plane; so to speak.

It is impossible to pray at all unless the Holy Spirit prays within us, but I think we really first see this truly active , bubbling up in COntemplative Prayer and coming to its completion in Spiritual Marriage. ...and it is a marriage.

 

But it is not a complication, it is a simplification. We go back to where we started and know it for the first time. It is a prayer of utter simplicity. A retrun to childhood; to innocense. We no longer pray ;we become prayer. Prayer becomes so much a part of us that we are no longer conscius of praying. The very darkness becomes luminous, light.

Every second becomes a bead on the rosary, we ourselves the chain. This is not just for the saints, it is for each and every one of us, we obtain it either in this life or the life to come. Either here or in purgatory.

This is my belief at any rate, for nothig that is not holy can stand in the presence of the Holy One.

 

WOW! This is great material! Thank you, Padraig and Carmel! Lots to meditate here. I can see that I have a long way to go to even begin to take baby steps. It will be an interesting journey. Thank you!

 

But here is pure gift, we must never w use words like work ,or strive , or climb. Ir really is pure gift.

God wishes to lift us up but we are too heavy. So we must ask Him to make us very small so He can carry us in His arms.

e Madonna and child are such perfect exemplars. We so little and our Mother hugging us.


The Eternal hug. That's what God has called us to. The Eternal hug.

 

Then, if this is a gift, how can one begin. I am totally lost, and I mean totally and completely lost.

 

By doing as Our Lady said. Try if you an to go to daily mass and confession once a week.

Set aside at least half an hour a day for prayer ( preferably at least an hour..best in front of the Blessed Sacrament) .

Fast at least twice a week .


Forgive everyone who has ever hurt you. If you cannot pray for the grace to do so.

Keep the commandments.

Be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Be obedient to Holy Mother Church.

 

For some it is pure gift, prayer comes to them as naturally as the air they breathe, they can instantly be lost in prayer. For others, it takes training. All can run, but to be an athlete takes plenty of training. And so it is with our spirit. All can prayer, but it takes plenty of training to become a person steeped in prayer.

One can grow in prayer.

Way back at the beginning of Medjugorje, Mother Mary had to teach the village how to pray. She began with Seven Our Fathers etc.. the prayer for peace. Those who were able to complete the rosary every day.

The fact that she had to do this, tells us, that when we are out of practise, or haven't been brought up on prayer as it should be, we need to be taught. Our lovely mum came to tell us that God exists and to teach us how to pray.

Another way to remain in prayer, a very simple way... is to go to Mass daily where possible, (if you go to work, say the Rosary on the tube/bus in the car or have some praise music. Or hymns) This sets your day up in prayer, you remind yourself of your identity in Christ at the beginning of the day. You know that you are a child of God and this helps you to act accordingly. Also, decide to follow Jesus again today, every day, renew your commitment to Jesus and decide that today you are not going to sin. Do your best to live this decision, regardless of what is said or done to you. It is not easy, but our love is based on loving the unlovables and those who are unkind to us. To love only those who are nice to you is self interest.

Hear the Gospel in Mass, or get a magnifcat book or something that has the daily readings of the Mass if you cannot be there, so that you can follow the daily Gospels and the teachings. Meditate on the Gospel.

Might be nice to read a Gospel during your lunch break, this then breaks the day up into periods of prayer. Regular refreshment and encouragement for your spirit.

Finish the evening of with the rosary if you can, or if you have not yet reached that point. Then seven Our Fathers, Seven Hail Mary's and Seven Glory Be's.

Think about every word that you are saying, know that you are talking to your Mother or Your Father. What do these words mean? If you are asking for peace, pardon.. where should it begin? If you want the world to change, who should it begin with? This is why many saints say... preach with your life... and only when necessary, use words.. It is very easy to spot a true believer.

Sorry, I go on a bit ... but I hope this helps..

 

The fastest way to convert is to contemplate His love for you on the Cross and to see the price He paid for you. A wonderful thing to do, if you really want to change is to contemplate His love for all those people you find irksome, and to contemplate His love for your enemies.