6: Everything You Need To Know About Prayer

Speaker: 00:00:06

Hey, I'm your host, Mari Wagner,

and you're listening to the ever be

2

: 00:00:11

podcast where faith meets lifestyle.

3

: 00:00:14

I'm so excited you're here, whether you're

a new listener or a longtime follower,

4

: 00:00:18

I know there's something here for you.

5

: 00:00:20

Pull up a chair and listen

in for insightful real life

6

: 00:00:23

conversations and actionable steps

on how to claim the Full life.

7

: 00:00:27

God created you for if you're a

woman desiring to live a Christ

8

: 00:00:31

centered life in today's modern

world, then this is for you.

9

: 00:00:36

Welcome to the ever be podcast.

10

: 00:00:42

mari-wagner_2_04-23-2024_183235:

Hey, hey, everybody.

11

: 00:00:43

Welcome back.

12

: 00:00:44

I hope your Wednesday is going great, or

maybe you're listening to this first thing

13

: 00:00:49

in the morning, and I hope that you have

an amazing day today, it's the middle of

14

: 00:00:52

the week, you're almost at the weekend,

and I hope that this makes your week a

15

: 00:00:56

little bit sweeter, a little bit better.

16

: 00:00:58

We are going to talk about prayer today.

17

: 00:01:01

This is one of my favorite

topics to talk about.

18

: 00:01:03

It is going to be such

a jam packed episode.

19

: 00:01:07

I have so many resources

to share with you.

20

: 00:01:10

I literally have My stack

of books right here.

21

: 00:01:12

I've got the catechism

of the Catholic church.

22

: 00:01:14

I have the Holy Bible, obviously.

23

: 00:01:18

And then I have my notes from my mass

journal from a homily that the priest

24

: 00:01:23

literally gave this past weekend on

prayer that I was like, wow, this is so

25

: 00:01:27

Holy Spirit led, um, that the priest is

talking about this because I was already

26

: 00:01:31

planning on this episode to be on prayer.

27

: 00:01:33

Um, so that's great.

28

: 00:01:34

We're really going to get into it.

29

: 00:01:36

And I hope that you learn so much from it.

30

: 00:01:38

I think this is a really

important conversation to have.

31

: 00:01:40

I think there's a lot of

misconceptions around prayer.

32

: 00:01:42

I think there's a lot of questions

in general around prayer.

33

: 00:01:45

Like what is prayer?

34

: 00:01:46

Why is it important?

35

: 00:01:47

How do I do it?

36

: 00:01:48

all those kinds of things.

37

: 00:01:49

We're going to get into all

that today, but the baseline.

38

: 00:01:53

Like truth that I want us to work off

of today that I want you to know in

39

: 00:01:57

your heart and walk away like living,

breathing, knowing is that prayer is the

40

: 00:02:03

lifeline to your relationship with Jesus.

41

: 00:02:07

Let me say that again.

42

: 00:02:08

Prayer is the lifeline to

your relationship with Jesus.

43

: 00:02:12

I didn't know this for a long time.

44

: 00:02:14

And so when I used to hear, Oh,

I have a relationship with Jesus.

45

: 00:02:17

Or when I used to get asked, do

you have a relationship with Jesus?

46

: 00:02:19

I would think, well, yeah, of course.

47

: 00:02:21

I mean, it's.

48

: 00:02:22

Like I, I love him.

49

: 00:02:23

I, I quote unquote know him, although I

didn't really know the person of Jesus.

50

: 00:02:29

I just knew who he was

kind of like as a figure.

51

: 00:02:32

, and I came to learn that prayer

is the form of communication.

52

: 00:02:37

It's the, the route and the vehicle

that allows us to know God, to know

53

: 00:02:43

who he is and therefore to have

a relationship with him, because

54

: 00:02:47

relationship is a deep two sided thing.

55

: 00:02:49

It's not just a one sided thing.

56

: 00:02:50

I think for so long, I kind of had,

maybe had a one sided relationship

57

: 00:02:54

with the Lord, which I don't

really even know what side it was.

58

: 00:02:57

Maybe it was like him loving

me probably, and me not really

59

: 00:03:00

like putting anything back.

60

: 00:03:02

Um, but relationship

takes two, it's two sided.

61

: 00:03:06

So today we're going to get into that.

62

: 00:03:07

Why prayers are lifeline to Jesus.

63

: 00:03:10

Why is what's going to help you build

your relationship with the Lord?

64

: 00:03:13

, so come Holy spirit, please allow

these to be your words that are spoken.

65

: 00:03:18

Not mine.

66

: 00:03:19

And I pray that this, uh,

just touches your heart.

67

: 00:03:21

So let's start off with

the basic question.

68

: 00:03:23

What is prayer?

69

: 00:03:24

Okay.

70

: 00:03:24

That's where we need to start.

71

: 00:03:25

Um, and first I want to ask

you, what do you think of

72

: 00:03:28

when you hear the word prayer?

73

: 00:03:30

Take a second to think about that.

74

: 00:03:32

I just want you to think kind of

like first instinct, first thoughts.

75

: 00:03:35

What do you think of when

you hear the word prayer?

76

: 00:03:38

Because I know for the longest time

when I heard that I jumped to what

77

: 00:03:42

I now know is called rote prayers.

78

: 00:03:45

Um, the basically these

like beautiful, like.

79

: 00:03:47

Pre written prayers that the church

has given us that have been passed

80

: 00:03:50

down for generations and, you know,

through the whole tradition of the

81

: 00:03:53

church, or given to us by Jesus

himself, like the, our father, right?

82

: 00:03:56

That is a written prayer that we memorize

that we can just pray that we can take

83

: 00:04:01

out of our little, like, you know,

pocket when we need it, a rote prayer

84

: 00:04:05

that is like pre written for us, , words

that are given to us to pray to the

85

: 00:04:09

father or to ask him or to praise him,

whatever it is, that is a rote prayer.

86

: 00:04:14

Versus something like free form prayer.

87

: 00:04:17

That's a different kind of prayer.

88

: 00:04:19

But when I used to hear the word

prayer, I kind of always jumped

89

: 00:04:21

to those prewritten prayers, those

rote prayers, the hail Mary, the our

90

: 00:04:24

father glory be maybe the rosary.

91

: 00:04:27

, but free form prayer is the Also

prayer and free form prayer.

92

: 00:04:32

There's a lot of different

ways to describe it.

93

: 00:04:34

We're going to get into it.

94

: 00:04:35

But right now I just want to

call it like free form prayer.

95

: 00:04:37

Cause I think it's the easiest way

to understand what that is when you

96

: 00:04:40

compare it to kind of like a pre written

prayer or like a prayer that's been,

97

: 00:04:45

you know, passed down in the tradition

of the church, like the rosary.

98

: 00:04:47

Like I said, , free form prayer

is mental prayer from the heart.

99

: 00:04:51

It's really what it sounds like.

100

: 00:04:53

It's freedom in how you pray in what you

pray and how you communicate to the Lord.

101

: 00:04:58

There is no right or wrong

way to speak to the Lord.

102

: 00:05:01

And it's just a speaking from the heart.

103

: 00:05:03

St.

104

: 00:05:03

Therese of Lisieux, I know you love

her because who doesn't, right?

105

: 00:05:07

There's a quote by her that

I love that says, for me,

106

: 00:05:11

prayer is a surge of the heart.

107

: 00:05:14

It is a simple look towards heaven.

108

: 00:05:16

It is a cry of recognition and

love embracing both trial and joy.

109

: 00:05:22

St.

110

: 00:05:22

Therese bless you.

111

: 00:05:22

And what I love most about this quote

is the beginning where it says, for

112

: 00:05:25

me, prayer is a surge of the heart.

113

: 00:05:28

And if we look in our

catechism, let me get that up.

114

: 00:05:31

Um, the catechism of the Catholic

church is the big book of everything.

115

: 00:05:35

It's the big book that breaks

down all of the teachings of the

116

: 00:05:39

church, the traditions of the

church, why we do what we do.

117

: 00:05:42

, so it's a great resource

118

: 00:05:43

So we are going to open up to

the catechism, paragraph, , 2

119

: 00:05:50

And I'm just going to read this.

120

: 00:05:51

So the title says prayer as a covenant.

121

: 00:05:53

Um, so this whole section of the

catechism is, is huge on prayer.

122

: 00:05:58

So just highly recommend starting there in

general, but we're going to start at this,

123

: 00:06:01

this paragraph prayer as a covenant.

124

: 00:06:03

, it says, where does prayer come from?

125

: 00:06:05

Whether prayer is expressed in words

or gestures, is the whole man who

126

: 00:06:10

but in naming the source of prayer.

127

: 00:06:13

Scripture speaks sometimes of the

soul or the spirit, but most often of

128

: 00:06:18

the heart more than a thousand times.

129

: 00:06:22

According to scripture, it

is the heart that praise.

130

: 00:06:25

If our heart is far from God,

the words of prayer are in vain.

131

: 00:06:29

So it is the heart that praise.

132

: 00:06:31

And we see that in scripture and

it is said over a thousand times.

133

: 00:06:34

And like this said, like sometimes the

soul is mentioned or the spirit, but

134

: 00:06:37

in the end prayer is from the heart.

135

: 00:06:40

Prayer is a conversation with God from

our heart So I just want to start with

136

: 00:06:44

that first because I know that when

we hear the word prayer or you know

137

: 00:06:48

Prayer routine or whatever it can sound

really intimidating It could sound like

138

: 00:06:52

there's a right way or a wrong way to

do it And I'm glad that you're here

139

: 00:06:56

and you are gonna learn a lot from this

episode There's definitely something to

140

: 00:07:00

learn and to take away but I do I want

you to walk away knowing essentially,

141

: 00:07:05

like I said, prayer is your lifeline to

your relationship with Jesus and prayer

142

: 00:07:09

is nothing but a surge of your heart.

143

: 00:07:11

It's nothing but a

conversation from the heart.

144

: 00:07:14

I want you to walk away knowing

that prayer is your lifeline in

145

: 00:07:17

your relationship with Jesus.

146

: 00:07:19

And that prayer is nothing but a surge

of the heart, a movement of the heart,

147

: 00:07:24

a conversation from your heart with God.

148

: 00:07:26

Essentially, it's just a conversation

with our father in heaven, right?

149

: 00:07:30

Our creator.

150

: 00:07:31

And it's a vehicle, a gift that really,

that he's given us to be able to connect

151

: 00:07:35

with him, to know him, to speak to him.

152

: 00:07:38

And a lot of the times to hear him as

well, maybe not physically like audibly,

153

: 00:07:42

but to hear him in our hearts and to hear

him speak to us and speak into our lives.

154

: 00:07:46

And again, in the catechism, it literally

says prayer is the living relationship

155

: 00:07:50

of the children of God with their father.

156

: 00:07:54

Okay.

157

: 00:07:54

We need to understand this to understand

something about prayer that we are

158

: 00:07:59

children of the father, God the father.

159

: 00:08:02

Is our father, our heavenly

father, and we are his children.

160

: 00:08:06

So

161

: 00:08:07

if you've never heard this before, you

know, let me be the first to tell you

162

: 00:08:09

like, this is your truest identity.

163

: 00:08:11

You are a son or daughter of God.

164

: 00:08:13

It is said in scripture a million times.

165

: 00:08:15

The Lord said it himself.

166

: 00:08:16

Um, let's look at scripture really quick.

167

: 00:08:18

So open your Bibles up to first John.

168

: 00:08:23

, three verse one.

169

: 00:08:25

Okay.

170

: 00:08:26

It says, see what love the father

has bestowed upon us that we may

171

: 00:08:30

be called the children of God.

172

: 00:08:32

Yet.

173

: 00:08:32

So we are.

174

: 00:08:33

That was in this past Sunday's reading.

175

: 00:08:36

, I believe it was the second

reading and I love, love that verse

176

: 00:08:41

Because it doesn't just state that we are

children of God, but it also says that it

177

: 00:08:44

comes from a love of the father, right?

178

: 00:08:45

It says, see what love the father has for

us, the love that he's bestowed upon us.

179

: 00:08:50

That we may be called

children, children of God yet.

180

: 00:08:54

So we are, , and the priest in his homily

this past Sunday at mass brought this

181

: 00:08:58

verse up in his homily about prayer and

asked this question, what impact does that

182

: 00:09:03

fact, does that truth have on our life?

183

: 00:09:05

Okay.

184

: 00:09:06

So we are children of God.

185

: 00:09:07

We are sons and daughters of God.

186

: 00:09:08

What is the impact that

that truth has on our life?

187

: 00:09:11

Why does that even matter

188

: 00:09:12

And friends, it matters because

this is our deepest and truest

189

: 00:09:15

identity without prayer.

190

: 00:09:18

We cannot connect with he who created us.

191

: 00:09:22

He who our identity is rooted in

our father in heaven without prayer.

192

: 00:09:28

We are dead.

193

: 00:09:28

We can't connect with the source

of our life because prayer, like

194

: 00:09:32

I said, is our communion with God.

195

: 00:09:35

In John 15, Jesus says, you can

do nothing apart from me, right?

196

: 00:09:41

And so who are we to think that we can

do our life, that we can do everything

197

: 00:09:44

he's called us to do apart from him.

198

: 00:09:46

Sure.

199

: 00:09:47

The Lord is with us.

200

: 00:09:48

He never abandons us, but prayer is

this avenue that we can be in union with

201

: 00:09:53

him and invite him in an intentional,

deep, intimate way into our life so

202

: 00:09:58

that he can speak life, breathe life,

give us grace so that we can fulfill

203

: 00:10:03

this life that he has called us to live.

204

: 00:10:05

Okay, so I hope that we have

established some, some really good

205

: 00:10:09

basic principles as to like why prayer

is important, and what prayer is?

206

: 00:10:13

So let's talk a little bit about the

importance of a daily routine because

207

: 00:10:16

it is beautiful to say prayers from the

heart, you know, when you feel prompted

208

: 00:10:19

to do so, But I would say that it's

more important to build a consistent

209

: 00:10:24

daily routine, even if you don't feel

like praying, or even if prayer isn't

210

: 00:10:29

coming easy to you, it's more important

to build that daily routine and to

211

: 00:10:34

make time for Jesus every single day

than to just pray when you feel like it.

212

: 00:10:39

Because otherwise you can't really get to

know God and I always use this analogy.

213

: 00:10:42

I call it the best friend analogy

Okay, so think of your best friend

214

: 00:10:46

and think of how you got to the place

that you are in your relationship with

215

: 00:10:49

them How did you get to know them?

216

: 00:10:51

So well, how did you get so close?

217

: 00:10:53

How did you get to trust them?

218

: 00:10:56

You probably spent a lot

of time with them them.

219

: 00:10:58

You probably shared some really

deep moments together or celebrated

220

: 00:11:02

some big wins in your life or,, went

through difficult times whatever it

221

: 00:11:06

was, you shared life with this person

and you shared enough life with this

222

: 00:11:11

person that they became significant

to you and you developed a deep

223

: 00:11:16

personal relationship with them.

224

: 00:11:18

And like I said, this all happened

through time that was spent and things

225

: 00:11:21

that were shared between you guys,

226

: 00:11:23

things from your heart and

your life, , et cetera.

227

: 00:11:25

And so just like you needed to spend a

lot of time with this person to develop

228

: 00:11:28

a relationship, the same goes for Jesus.

229

: 00:11:30

You need to put that same kind

of time and energy and commitment

230

: 00:11:33

into your relationship with Jesus,

because he is a real person.

231

: 00:11:36

You can't have a real like living

relationship with him, but without

232

: 00:11:40

the time, without the commitment,

without, The time invested in him,

233

: 00:11:44

you're not going to get there.

234

: 00:11:46

And the reason I say this is because

I hear this a lot from women, , you

235

: 00:11:49

know, who say like, Mari, I do pray.

236

: 00:11:50

I do spend time in prayer.

237

: 00:11:51

I listen to worship music when I'm driving

to work or, I say a little prayer on

238

: 00:11:56

my way to class in the morning or, , my

prayer right now is doing the dishes.

239

: 00:12:00

Like that's how I'm praying

and don't get me wrong.

240

: 00:12:03

These are all good and beautiful things.

241

: 00:12:05

And I hope that if you do this,

that you continue to do this.

242

: 00:12:08

It is prayer, but it isn't

the true substance of prayer.

243

: 00:12:13

That's going to really deepen and, and

develop your relationship with Jesus.

244

: 00:12:16

Because if we go back to this best

friend analogy, if the only time that

245

: 00:12:20

you spent with this friend was in the

car while you're playing music, on your

246

: 00:12:24

way to work and all the time you spent

with them in the car was, you know,

247

: 00:12:28

kind of trying to talk over the music

or talking between songs, you wouldn't

248

: 00:12:31

really get a lot in there and your

relationship wouldn't really deepen.

249

: 00:12:34

Right.

250

: 00:12:34

Or if the only time you

spent with them was.

251

: 00:12:36

Walking to class, and you might have

some of these friends, some of these

252

: 00:12:38

friends that like, you're in class and

the only real connection that you have

253

: 00:12:42

is, having this class together and

walking to and from this class together.

254

: 00:12:46

, but you don't really go deep with

them in that time that's allotted

255

: 00:12:49

walking from building to building.

256

: 00:12:51

So if you look at that in your

relationship with Jesus, if the only

257

: 00:12:53

time you spend with Jesus is in those

short increments of time where you're

258

: 00:12:57

either distracted or multitasking,

you're doing something else, um, it's

259

: 00:13:00

a beautiful way to, you know, bring

Jesus into your everyday life, but

260

: 00:13:04

still he deserves all of your attention.

261

: 00:13:07

He deserves undivided attention

and times to decide for you

262

: 00:13:11

to know him and love him.

263

: 00:13:12

And this kind of brings me to

the very first commandment.

264

: 00:13:15

You shall have no other gods before me.

265

: 00:13:18

Now that wording is particular

and just hearing that we might

266

: 00:13:21

not think, , that we are outwardly

worshiping other gods, right?

267

: 00:13:25

It says, you shall not have

any other gods before me.

268

: 00:13:27

Essentially you shall not worship

anyone else, any other God or thing

269

: 00:13:31

or being other than me, the Lord.

270

: 00:13:34

And we might think that we don't have

other gods and that we don't worship

271

: 00:13:37

other things except for God himself.

272

: 00:13:40

In the way that we think, I will challenge

you to think about this and reflect

273

: 00:13:44

about this in your life because there's

been moments in my life where I have

274

: 00:13:47

realized, oh crap, I do have other idols.

275

: 00:13:49

Oh shoot.

276

: 00:13:50

I might actually find other things

more important, might, you know,

277

: 00:13:55

underlyingly be worshiping other things

more than the Lord or over the Lord.

278

: 00:13:59

And ultimately we can see that

when we look at what do we love?

279

: 00:14:03

And usually what we love, is what

we spend time on, what we deem

280

: 00:14:07

to be important in our lives.

281

: 00:14:09

That's worthy of our time and attention.

282

: 00:14:11

And if we only give our time to,

maybe work our careers, social

283

: 00:14:14

media, friends, family, our kids, our

spouse, our schoolwork our home, our

284

: 00:14:20

investments, whatever it is, um, those

all aren't inherently bad things.

285

: 00:14:24

A lot of them are really good things, but

if we only give our time there, then where

286

: 00:14:30

does God stand against all those things?

287

: 00:14:33

Where does God stand in the

midst of those priorities?

288

: 00:14:35

If the first thing we do when we get out

of bed is roll over and start scrolling,

289

: 00:14:39

where does God stand next to Instagram?

290

: 00:14:42

Or maybe we're drowning in work and it's

a busy season maybe you're traveling

291

: 00:14:46

a lot, maybe you're have a list full

of to do's that you know that you

292

: 00:14:49

need to get to all the time and that's

all you feel like you have time for.

293

: 00:14:52

So where does God stand in

the midst of all those things?

294

: 00:14:55

He has provided for us a job, a home, a

family, the means to travel, to be busy.

295

: 00:15:01

The health to be able to do

these things with our bodies

296

: 00:15:04

to not have any other gods Above

God is to love God above all

297

: 00:15:09

things It's to place God as number

one on our list of priorities

298

: 00:15:15

And to love God above all things to

make him the very first priority in

299

: 00:15:19

our lives is to give him our first and

last moments of the day at the very

300

: 00:15:25

least, at the very least you guys.

301

: 00:15:27

Minimum, we should be giving him our

first and last moments of the day.

302

: 00:15:30

When we first open our eyes, maybe

a quick, , prayer of gratitude.

303

: 00:15:34

And before we close our eyes and go to

bed, a prayer of Thanksgiving, a praise

304

: 00:15:38

of intercession for our lives or for the

people in our lives, at the very least,

305

: 00:15:42

you know, and some of this might

be kind of a humility check for us.

306

: 00:15:45

I know that it has been for me many times

before to kind of look at my life and

307

: 00:15:48

realize like, wow, there are a lot of

other things in my life that I actually

308

: 00:15:53

am placing above the Lord that are

actually taking priority above the Lord.

309

: 00:15:56

And it may not sit right in my

heart when I say that you may

310

: 00:15:59

feel like, no, but I do love God.

311

: 00:16:02

And I get that.

312

: 00:16:03

I bet you that you do.

313

: 00:16:04

So many times I felt the same thing.

314

: 00:16:06

And yet I say, but I don't

have time for him right now.

315

: 00:16:10

I love him, but I don't have time.

316

: 00:16:12

I love him, but this work is so important.

317

: 00:16:14

I love him, but I have so many things

on my calendar that I have to get to.

318

: 00:16:17

I can't, don't really have time for mass

or time for prayer or whatever it is.

319

: 00:16:21

And so it takes a moment of humility

for us to recognize that first of all.

320

: 00:16:26

And actually, if we go back to

the catechism, it says humility

321

: 00:16:29

is a foundation of prayer.

322

: 00:16:31

We're opening up the catechism again.

323

: 00:16:32

Okay.

324

: 00:16:32

And we're going to paragraph

two, five, five, nine.

325

: 00:16:36

It's called prayer as God's gift.

326

: 00:16:39

And it says prayer is the raising of

one's mind and heart to God, or the

327

: 00:16:44

requesting of good things from God.

328

: 00:16:46

That's a really simple way to put prayer.

329

: 00:16:48

But when we pray, do we speak from

the height of our pride and our

330

: 00:16:52

will, or out of the depths of a

humble and contrite heart, he who

331

: 00:16:58

humbles himself will be exalted.

332

: 00:17:01

Humility is the foundation of prayer.

333

: 00:17:04

Only when we humbly acknowledge

that we do not know how to pray

334

: 00:17:07

as we ought, are we ready to

receive freely the gift of prayer.

335

: 00:17:13

Man is a beggar before God.

336

: 00:17:16

Wow.

337

: 00:17:17

That is so good.

338

: 00:17:19

Humility is the foundation of prayer.

339

: 00:17:20

That just brings me back to

John at 15, five apart from me.

340

: 00:17:25

You can do nothing.

341

: 00:17:27

Think believe the lie that the evil

one tells us all the time that we don't

342

: 00:17:30

need God, especially in our world today.

343

: 00:17:32

We're so obsessed with.

344

: 00:17:33

productivity and success and making

it and whatever it is that we're

345

: 00:17:37

doing, that we feel like we can do

everything ourselves, that all of

346

: 00:17:40

our success, all of our goodness, all

of our good fortune comes from us.

347

: 00:17:44

And this is just a reminder.

348

: 00:17:45

Man is a beggar before God.

349

: 00:17:47

Humility is a foundation of prayer.

350

: 00:17:49

We need Lord.

351

: 00:17:50

We can't do anything apart from the Lord.

352

: 00:17:52

And prayer is this vehicle for us to

beg him to, to give us his grace, his

353

: 00:17:58

mercy, his blessings upon our life.

354

: 00:18:00

And so when we approach prayer, we want

to come to him with a humble heart,

355

: 00:18:03

with a contrite heart, and an open

heart to receive whatever he has for us.

356

: 00:18:08

Okay, so I hope that establishes,

, again, a little bit of context

357

: 00:18:11

as to why a prayer is important.

358

: 00:18:13

, why taking the time to speak to

him daily is important to allow

359

: 00:18:17

silence and space for him to be

a character in our lives, right?

360

: 00:18:22

To allow him to have authority and say

in our lives, or to just comfort us and

361

: 00:18:27

bring us love and peace and understanding.

362

: 00:18:30

And to just be with him, to be

with our father, to be with our

363

: 00:18:34

creator, whom is love himself, to

experience love and peace himself.

364

: 00:18:38

He wants all of it.

365

: 00:18:39

You guys, he wants to be

with you in all of it.

366

: 00:18:41

And so before we get into the

practicals of how to pray, I want

367

: 00:18:45

to say this, I want to say that

you don't have to come to the Lord.

368

: 00:18:50

, in a polished way, you don't have

to have the most beautiful, most

369

: 00:18:54

perfect words to say when you come

to him in prayer, you just have to

370

: 00:18:57

be yourself and it can be messy.

371

: 00:18:59

It can be raw.

372

: 00:19:00

It can be confusing.

373

: 00:19:02

You can be honest.

374

: 00:19:03

He wants all of you.

375

: 00:19:05

He wants to be so intimately invested

in your life as your father, because

376

: 00:19:11

you are his child and he loves you and

that's it because he loves you because

377

: 00:19:15

he loves you because he loves you.

378

: 00:19:17

That's the only reason he wants to

be so intimately a part of your life.

379

: 00:19:20

The reason he leaves the 99

for the one for you, right?

380

: 00:19:23

It's just because he loves you.

381

: 00:19:25

So how do we pray?

382

: 00:19:26

How do we receive this love from God?

383

: 00:19:28

How do we give him our love?

384

: 00:19:30

It's important to recognize that

prayer in itself is a response to God.

385

: 00:19:33

Okay.

386

: 00:19:34

So like we just said, The Lord wants

to be a part of your life and it is

387

: 00:19:37

he who initiates the conversation.

388

: 00:19:40

Now, this doesn't mean that you have to

wait to hear God's voice to begin to pray.

389

: 00:19:44

No, him by his very being, love itself.

390

: 00:19:48

And through that love

created you, he loves you.

391

: 00:19:51

And he is always reaching for you

and taking that step towards you.

392

: 00:19:56

inviting you and asking

you to draw near to him.

393

: 00:19:59

I can't seem to put this catechism down.

394

: 00:20:01

Okay.

395

: 00:20:01

So I'm going to read one

more paragraph from here.

396

: 00:20:03

That is so, so, so good.

397

: 00:20:05

Paragraph two, five, six, seven.

398

: 00:20:06

God calls man first man may forget his

creator or hide far from his face.

399

: 00:20:13

He may run after idols or accuse

the deity of having abandoned

400

: 00:20:17

him Yet, the living and true God

tirelessly calls each person to that

401

: 00:20:23

mysterious encounter known as prayer.

402

: 00:20:26

In prayer, the faithful God's

initiative of love always comes first.

403

: 00:20:31

Our own first step is always a response.

404

: 00:20:34

Okay?

405

: 00:20:35

So prayer is a response to his initial

step towards us, his initial love for us.

406

: 00:20:40

As God gradually reveals himself

and reveals man to himself.

407

: 00:20:44

Prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a

covenant drama through words and actions.

408

: 00:20:51

This drama engages the heart.

409

: 00:20:52

It unfolds throughout the

whole history of salvation.

410

: 00:20:56

Mm.

411

: 00:20:57

There's so much to unpack here.

412

: 00:20:59

So much to unpack here.

413

: 00:21:00

Okay.

414

: 00:21:01

What can we take from this?

415

: 00:21:03

God calls man first.

416

: 00:21:06

. Again, we just talked about this, but I

think it's so important to remember this.

417

: 00:21:09

You are not abandoned by the Lord.

418

: 00:21:11

If you feel like you are alone,

if you feel like the Lord has

419

: 00:21:13

never reached out to you, doesn't

love you, doesn't know you.

420

: 00:21:17

I'm here to tell you that that's not true.

421

: 00:21:19

He knows you.

422

: 00:21:20

He knows every fiber of your being.

423

: 00:21:22

We see this in the good shepherd, right?

424

: 00:21:24

He leaves the 99 to go after

the one God calls man first.

425

: 00:21:28

He goes after you.

426

: 00:21:30

He calls you to him and waits and

invites you to respond because he

427

: 00:21:35

desires a personal relationship with us.

428

: 00:21:38

He's not a distant figure that

doesn't want anything to do with you.

429

: 00:21:41

He wants to meet you in a personal

and intimate way and walk with

430

: 00:21:44

you intimately in your life.

431

: 00:21:45

And so through prayer.

432

: 00:21:47

God reveals himself.

433

: 00:21:48

We saw that in this last paragraph,

God reveals himself through prayer and

434

: 00:21:52

this living relationship with God, we

can learn about him, about who he is

435

: 00:21:56

and who he wants to be in our lives.

436

: 00:21:58

And furthermore, God reveals

man to himself through prayer.

437

: 00:22:03

God being our creator and knowing us

more than we know ourselves, knowing our

438

: 00:22:08

humanity more than we know it ourselves.

439

: 00:22:11

He reveals our own selves to us.

440

: 00:22:14

He reveals to us who we truly

are, who we are made in his image

441

: 00:22:18

and what our truest identity is.

442

: 00:22:20

And you guys, we can find all

of those answers through prayer.

443

: 00:22:23

This is the craziest thing.

444

: 00:22:25

Like prayer isn't just this like

boring thing that you just like repeat

445

: 00:22:28

out of a book and you know, be done.

446

: 00:22:30

It's this living, breathing relationship.

447

: 00:22:33

Okay.

448

: 00:22:34

Okay.

449

: 00:22:34

Now we're really, really, really

going to get into how to pray.

450

: 00:22:37

I want to talk about the

different types of prayer.

451

: 00:22:40

Because there's a lot of them.

452

: 00:22:41

Like I said, there's no

right or wrong way to pray.

453

: 00:22:42

There's a lot of types of prayer.

454

: 00:22:43

And I love the church, the Catholic

church, especially because she gives us

455

: 00:22:48

so many different options and teaches

us so many different avenues to pray.

456

: 00:22:54

And it's great because

we're all different people.

457

: 00:22:56

We all have different personalities,

different temperaments, different ways

458

: 00:22:59

that we can each connect with God.

459

: 00:23:00

And so you're not limited to just one.

460

: 00:23:03

Okay.

461

: 00:23:03

There's contemplative prayer, Ignatian

prayer, scripture study, lexio divina,

462

: 00:23:07

prayer journaling, meditative prayer,

like all these different types of prayers.

463

: 00:23:10

So we're going to get into contemplative

prayer first because I think this one can

464

: 00:23:14

kind of carry us through the other ones.

465

: 00:23:16

And if you've never prayed anything,

but like a Hail Mary or Our Father,

466

: 00:23:19

this is definitely the place to start.

467

: 00:23:20

So St.

468

: 00:23:20

Teresa of Avila, she is a

doctor of prayer in the church.

469

: 00:23:23

And she says that contemplative

prayer is nothing but a close

470

: 00:23:26

sharing between friends.

471

: 00:23:28

It means taking time frequently

to be alone with him who loves us.

472

: 00:23:32

I also call this mental prayer.

473

: 00:23:34

You hear this a lot, you know,

contemplative prayer, mental prayer.

474

: 00:23:36

I think it's like kind

of used interchangeably.

475

: 00:23:38

But really it's nothing else than

just sharing what's on your heart,

476

: 00:23:41

you know, plainly, simply in your

own words, what is on your heart?

477

: 00:23:44

What are you feeling?

478

: 00:23:46

What are you asking of the Lord?

479

: 00:23:47

And the important thing is not to think

much about it, not to overthink how

480

: 00:23:50

you're saying things or what you're

saying, but just to do it out of love

481

: 00:23:53

and just to offer it all to the Lord.

482

: 00:23:55

I was listening to Sadie

Robertson's podcast the other day.

483

: 00:23:58

And the guest that she was interviewing

was talking about how somebody

484

: 00:24:01

said something about prayer to her

in college that stuck with her.

485

: 00:24:04

And I think that it's really good advice.

486

: 00:24:06

She was told that, Good prayer

is like unfiltered prayer.

487

: 00:24:10

Like you don't have a prayer voice.

488

: 00:24:12

You don't have like a, nice

polished way of coming to the Lord.

489

: 00:24:15

It's just using your real voice, your

real thoughts, your real feelings

490

: 00:24:19

in an unfiltered way, obviously with

respect, but like just coming to the

491

: 00:24:23

Lord as you are not worrying about

how you're wording things, but just

492

: 00:24:26

saying it and just coming to the Lord

as you are, as honestly as you can.

493

: 00:24:30

And so contemplative prayer or mental

prayer, can be you sitting down, in

494

: 00:24:34

a chair, in a pew, and just sitting

there looking at the Lord and being

495

: 00:24:38

like, Hey Lord, It's me, you know,

um, I don't really know you very well,

496

: 00:24:43

uh, but I'd like to, or maybe you're

like, Hey Lord, um, it's been a long

497

: 00:24:47

time, you know, but I'm finally here

and, and this is what's on my heart

498

: 00:24:50

and this is what I'm struggling with.

499

: 00:24:52

And can you help me, can you show

me the way, you know, that that's

500

: 00:24:55

just an example of what you can say.

501

: 00:24:57

It doesn't have to be fancy or anything.

502

: 00:24:58

Contemplative prayer can also be silent in

a way, like you don't have to use words.

503

: 00:25:03

It can be as simple as.

504

: 00:25:05

allowing your gaze to be fixed

on Jesus, to contemplate his love

505

: 00:25:09

for you his mercy, his face, his

heart, whatever you're drawn to.

506

: 00:25:13

It's time spent in silence, allowing

the Lord to clear your mind of

507

: 00:25:16

distractions and open your heart to him.

508

: 00:25:18

Okay.

509

: 00:25:18

So now we're going to get

into Ignatian meditation.

510

: 00:25:20

It is one of my favorite types of prayer.

511

: 00:25:23

Essentially it's a, is

purely imaginative prayer.

512

: 00:25:26

Where you visualize your

prayer instead of speaking it.

513

: 00:25:28

The style of prayer was taught by St.

514

: 00:25:30

Ignatius, St.

515

: 00:25:31

Ignatius of Loyola, and he uses

it in his spiritual exercises.

516

: 00:25:35

Basically you can create a

scene out of nothing, right?

517

: 00:25:38

Just using your imagination,

painting a picture of, maybe it's

518

: 00:25:41

from scripture or maybe it's just

your own scene that you paint.

519

: 00:25:44

In time of prayer with the Lord.

520

: 00:25:46

There's really no right

or wrong way again.

521

: 00:25:48

It's all led by the Holy Spirit.

522

: 00:25:49

You just ask the Holy Spirit, come

Holy Spirit, enter into this prayer.

523

: 00:25:53

Help me to see what the Lord

wants me to see right now.

524

: 00:25:55

And the reason I love this prayer

so much is because in my experience,

525

: 00:25:59

it has brought the person of

Jesus to life in a whole new way

526

: 00:26:02

in my life and in my prayer life.

527

: 00:26:04

Because I can engage my imagination,

along with the truth of what I know of

528

: 00:26:08

who he is and what he says about me to

imagine what he's speaking to me, what he

529

: 00:26:13

would say to me in a time in a time of

suffering or a time of need, how he would

530

: 00:26:18

bring me comfort, , how he would bring me

peace where it allows me to bring a scene

531

: 00:26:22

of the Bible to life, to be engaged with

it more and learn more about what Jesus

532

: 00:26:27

was trying to communicate through it.

533

: 00:26:28

You know, scripture is a really,

really beautiful tool that we can use.

534

: 00:26:32

And so now I want to get into

Lectio Divina, which is essentially,

535

: 00:26:35

you know, scripture study.

536

: 00:26:37

I think a lot of the times we don't know

we're praying Lectio when we're reading

537

: 00:26:40

scripture, but it's, it's just a fancy

way of saying reflecting on scripture.

538

: 00:26:45

Lectio Divina essentially is when you

read a piece of scripture multiple times,

539

: 00:26:49

you allow the Lord to show you what

he wants to speak to you through it.

540

: 00:26:54

Maybe you have a verse or a word that's

really standing out to you from that

541

: 00:26:58

passage that you're praying with.

542

: 00:26:59

You meditate on it.

543

: 00:27:00

You let it simmer.

544

: 00:27:01

You ask the Lord, what

does this mean in my life?

545

: 00:27:04

How can I apply this to my life?

546

: 00:27:06

, maybe you use a little bit of

Ignatian and you imagine the

547

: 00:27:08

scene that you're praying with.

548

: 00:27:09

It's all based off of scripture, but

basically it's just diving into scripture

549

: 00:27:12

into really a reflective way and applying

it seeing how the Lord is speaking

550

: 00:27:17

to us and applying it to our lives.

551

: 00:27:19

And I would say if you have a hard

time with either like mental prayer,

552

: 00:27:23

contemplative prayer, or imaginative

prayer, , this is a really good place

553

: 00:27:27

to start because it's a little bit more

structured because you're using a passage

554

: 00:27:30

from the Bible to really dive into it

and have it be kind of like a platform

555

: 00:27:35

that kind of kickstarts your prayer.

556

: 00:27:37

And I think another thing that helps if

you feel a little bit like this is really

557

: 00:27:40

new to me, I'm kind of uncomfortable,

I don't really know what to do in my

558

: 00:27:42

prayer, or like I'm trying, but I don't

know what to say, is prayer journaling.

559

: 00:27:47

Journaling your prayer is something

that we can all do because at

560

: 00:27:51

one point or another, we all

have journaled before, okay?

561

: 00:27:54

Whether it was an assignment in school,

we've all like, written accounts

562

: 00:27:58

of our life and know how to process

or kind of know where to start with

563

: 00:28:02

writing down like how we're doing

or what's going on in our life.

564

: 00:28:05

So prayer journaling is a great way, how

I like to say it, , to kind of like loosen

565

: 00:28:10

your tongue and learn this new language

of prayer and help open the door to the

566

: 00:28:15

freedom that you can have in prayer.

567

: 00:28:17

And to show you that,

like, you don't have to.

568

: 00:28:19

Be a specific person or say

things in a specific way.

569

: 00:28:22

You can just journal your prayer as

you would journal any journal entry,

570

: 00:28:26

but just dedicate it to the Lord

and speak to the Lord through it.

571

: 00:28:29

You know, dear Jesus,

here's how my heart is.

572

: 00:28:32

Here's where I'm at.

573

: 00:28:33

This is what happened today.

574

: 00:28:34

What do you think about this?

575

: 00:28:36

What are you asking me to

do in this place in my life?

576

: 00:28:38

You know, things like that.

577

: 00:28:39

And the more that you do that, the more

you'll be comfortable with With speaking

578

: 00:28:44

to the Lord and the more casual your words

will be and the more real and more honest

579

: 00:28:48

your conversations can be with the Lord.

580

: 00:28:50

Another resource you can use if you are

looking for a more guided prayer guide,

581

: 00:28:54

would be a Bible study that I wrote.

582

: 00:28:56

It's called the heart of Christ and

it's basically a short Bible study

583

: 00:28:59

to help, you know, the compassionate,

merciful, all loving heart of Christ.

584

: 00:29:04

You can find it at westcoastcatholic.

585

: 00:29:05

co.

586

: 00:29:06

, and essentially I created it to help

you come to know the compassionate,

587

: 00:29:10

merciful, all loving heart of Jesus.

588

: 00:29:13

And it walks you through accounts of St.

589

: 00:29:15

Margaret Mary Aliquo as well as

scripture passages and personal

590

: 00:29:18

reflections that I've written.

591

: 00:29:19

Um, I hope basically is that you'll come

to see that Jesus's heart yearns for you,

592

: 00:29:24

loves you and is always reaching for you.

593

: 00:29:27

Okay.

594

: 00:29:28

That was a lot.

595

: 00:29:29

That was a lot of different ways to pray.

596

: 00:29:30

I hope that that was helpful

and know that you can do this

597

: 00:29:33

in your home or in a church.

598

: 00:29:35

I highly, highly recommend that

you go to Eucharistic adoration.

599

: 00:29:39

This is a gift in our Catholic

church and our Catholic faith.

600

: 00:29:43

Eucharistic adoration is

basically the exposition of

601

: 00:29:46

Jesus and the blessed sacrament

602

: 00:29:47

and the host.

603

: 00:29:48

So like the communion that we

receive at mass, it is exposed

604

: 00:29:51

in what's called a monstrance.

605

: 00:29:53

And you can go and spend

time with him in the chapel.

606

: 00:29:56

In front of him in prayer, as

Catholics, you believe that the

607

: 00:29:59

Eucharist is the true body and blood

of Christ, the true presence of Christ.

608

: 00:30:04

And so to have the true presence of

Christ exposed at your church or in the

609

: 00:30:07

chapel, and to have the gift to be able

to go and just spend time in front of

610

: 00:30:11

him and pray with him and be with him and

gaze at him and give him your life and

611

: 00:30:16

everything is so, so, so transformational.

612

: 00:30:19

So let's now move into what I think

is one of our biggest obstacles to

613

: 00:30:23

prayer, something that I hear all the

time that I experience all the time.

614

: 00:30:26

and it's basically how to make time

for prayer in the midst of a busy life.

615

: 00:30:30

How do I build a daily routine in

the midst of a crazy, busy life?

616

: 00:30:34

The reality is we're all busy.

617

: 00:30:35

You guys, I know that you think

you're the busiest person.

618

: 00:30:38

I think I'm the busiest

person, but we're not.

619

: 00:30:40

There is always, always way

to incorporate prayer into our

620

: 00:30:43

lives and to make time for God.

621

: 00:30:45

As St.

622

: 00:30:45

Mother Teresa once said, she said, if you

are too busy to pray, you are too busy.

623

: 00:30:50

Period.

624

: 00:30:51

I remember hearing this story about

her and the missionaries of charity

625

: 00:30:54

and how the missionaries of charity.

626

: 00:30:56

All with good intention, right?

627

: 00:30:57

These are really holy, beautiful

sisters would go to mother Teresa

628

: 00:31:00

and tell her mother, there's

so much need in our community.

629

: 00:31:04

We need to maybe shorten our prayer

time so that we can go out and help

630

: 00:31:07

more and to serve the poor more.

631

: 00:31:09

And mother Teresa said, Oh, Okay.

632

: 00:31:12

If you feel this way, it seems like we

need to add a second holy hour to our day.

633

: 00:31:17

And so she added not just one, but now

had two hours dedicated to praying in

634

: 00:31:21

front of Jesus in the Eucharist to the

missionaries of charities schedule.

635

: 00:31:25

Because in the end, prayer

is what's most important.

636

: 00:31:28

Prayers are lifeline to Jesus.

637

: 00:31:29

And if we like we are too busy to

pray, then we are just too busy period.

638

: 00:31:33

and there's priorities in our

life that need to be rearranged.

639

: 00:31:36

Like I said earlier, the priest that

gave the homily at mass this past

640

: 00:31:39

Sunday was talking about prayer.

641

: 00:31:41

And one of the things he said

that stuck with me is we have to

642

: 00:31:43

stop thinking about ourselves as

CEOs of fortune 500 companies.

643

: 00:31:48

Okay.

644

: 00:31:48

And even if you are a CEO of a fortune 500

company, it's not like this advice doesn't

645

: 00:31:52

apply to you because the Lord is still the

Lord and you are still his son or daughter

646

: 00:31:57

and prayer is still just as powerful

in your life as it is to anybody else.

647

: 00:32:01

But basically what he was trying to say

is that you think that you don't have

648

: 00:32:04

time, but you do, and you at least have

the time for the things that you like

649

: 00:32:08

and the things that you find important.

650

: 00:32:10

And so the question really is,

What am I dedicating time to?

651

: 00:32:14

And do I dedicate the

time to prayer or not?

652

: 00:32:17

Do I make that a priority?

653

: 00:32:19

And if you just look at your schedule

and just look at your life and you

654

: 00:32:22

look at what are the things that

I spend the most time on, that'll

655

: 00:32:25

reveal to you, what do you love?

656

: 00:32:26

What do you worship?

657

: 00:32:27

What do you find important?

658

: 00:32:29

And if God isn't on the top

priority of that list, you guys.

659

: 00:32:32

Or on that list at all, then like

mother Teresa said, you are too busy

660

: 00:32:37

and things need to be rearranged.

661

: 00:32:39

Something needs to change.

662

: 00:32:40

And I just want to say, I'm

talking to myself here too.

663

: 00:32:42

I have gone through so many seasons of

life where I have had a humility check,

664

: 00:32:47

a reality check where I feel like I

need to look at my life and rearrange

665

: 00:32:51

my priorities and realize that like

I am putting things above the Lord.

666

: 00:32:54

And.

667

: 00:32:55

I want to say that I love the Lord above

all things, but if I'm never making time

668

: 00:32:59

for him, then that statement is empty.

669

: 00:33:01

And so know that I'm talking

to myself here as well.

670

: 00:33:03

And this applies really to all of us.

671

: 00:33:05

So check yourself, but also give yourself

grace to start again, to start small

672

: 00:33:09

because we all need to start somewhere.

673

: 00:33:11

And maybe you were in a place

where you had a really good prayer

674

: 00:33:13

life and you're coming back.

675

: 00:33:15

Give yourself grace, you know, and,

and start small and build that back up.

676

: 00:33:19

My most practical.

677

: 00:33:21

tips that I have for you.

678

: 00:33:22

The most practical advice that I

have to build a successful daily

679

: 00:33:26

prayer life is number one to do

it first thing in the morning.

680

: 00:33:30

Start your day with prayer.

681

: 00:33:32

I know for myself, I also feel like I'm

super busy and I know that if I don't

682

: 00:33:37

pray first thing in the morning, then

I'm probably not going to pray at all.

683

: 00:33:40

Even if I tell myself like, Oh, I'll just

go to the chapel later or, Oh, I'll pray

684

: 00:33:44

before bed or, you know, I'll take time,

you know, maybe in the middle of the day

685

: 00:33:47

to, to rest and pray and be with the Lord.

686

: 00:33:49

It just.

687

: 00:33:50

It just doesn't happen.

688

: 00:33:52

The day goes by so quick.

689

: 00:33:53

And if I don't pray first thing in

the morning, I don't pray at all.

690

: 00:33:56

And really for my morning prayer

time to be successful, I have had to

691

: 00:33:59

create kind of like a, like a prayer

corner in my room or kind of like a

692

: 00:34:03

ritual, kind of like a routine that

kind of tells my body, my mind, my

693

: 00:34:06

soul, like, okay, we are settling in.

694

: 00:34:09

We are being with the Lord, you

know, create a environment and a

695

: 00:34:12

spirit of silence to be able to

allow the into that moment of prayer.

696

: 00:34:16

So you can do this by, you know, maybe

lighting a prayer candle at home, putting

697

: 00:34:19

up a crucifix, or, um, I like to do

like a little gallery wall of different,

698

: 00:34:24

Catholic images or saints, or, you know,

statues of Mary or images of Jesus,

699

: 00:34:29

um, different prayers, stuff like that,

that will inspire my prayer and guide my

700

: 00:34:34

prayer and kind of direct my attention

towards the Lord and towards heaven.

701

: 00:34:38

Now you can pray at home or

you can pray in a church.

702

: 00:34:41

And if you feel like praying at home is

really hard for you, like it's really

703

: 00:34:44

distracting or maybe you have roommates

or maybe you don't really have a space

704

: 00:34:48

that you could create a quiet prayer

corner, then I really, really recommend

705

: 00:34:52

that you go to the church or a chapel.

706

: 00:34:55

Most Catholic churches should be open.

707

: 00:34:58

Almost all day.

708

: 00:34:58

A lot of them do offer

Eucharistic adoration.

709

: 00:35:01

Check with your parish and see

what schedule you have and see if,

710

: 00:35:04

adoration is offered at any time.

711

: 00:35:06

, and I highly recommend that you go there

712

: 00:35:07

because church is the house of God.

713

: 00:35:09

Church is a space of prayer already

in itself . a place of worship.

714

: 00:35:14

So it allows us to physically

put in ourselves in a space

715

: 00:35:17

that's going to direct our mind,

our heart and our soul to God.

716

: 00:35:21

My last piece of advice is to habit stack.

717

: 00:35:23

This is something that I did

to kind of get into a routine

718

: 00:35:26

of praying the rosary daily.

719

: 00:35:27

If that's a prayer that you want

to incorporate into your life.

720

: 00:35:30

And basically as you pick a habit or

a routine that you already have in

721

: 00:35:34

your life daily that you do pretty

much every day, or as often as you

722

: 00:35:38

want to introduce this new habit,

and then you stack this new habit.

723

: 00:35:41

onto that habit.

724

: 00:35:42

So you piggyback it on so that

whenever you do the habit that you

725

: 00:35:45

normally do, you're now adding the

new habit and it becomes a new habit.

726

: 00:35:50

Essentially.

727

: 00:35:51

Part of your routine.

728

: 00:35:52

So an example of this is I wanted

to pray the rosary every day.

729

: 00:35:56

And so when I was missionary, I would

drive to work and my drive to work

730

: 00:36:00

would be about 15 to 16 minutes a day.

731

: 00:36:02

And that was something that

I was doing every single day.

732

: 00:36:04

And so I got into the habit of getting

in my car and And putting the rosary on,

733

: 00:36:09

I use the hallow app to pray the rosary.

734

: 00:36:11

They have different times, like

links that you can pray the rosary.

735

: 00:36:15

And so I would set like, I think

like the 16 minute one or something,

736

: 00:36:18

and then I would pray the rosary

while I drove to work every day.

737

: 00:36:21

And that just became a daily habit.

738

: 00:36:23

You can do this with other things.

739

: 00:36:24

You can do this while you're getting

ready in the morning, doing your makeup

740

: 00:36:27

or while you're making breakfast or,

maybe if you already have a cup of

741

: 00:36:30

coffee in the morning, you can stack

that with some scripture reading

742

: 00:36:34

things that you already do in your day.

743

: 00:36:36

You can just add a new prayer

habit that you want to incorporate

744

: 00:36:39

into your life on top of that.

745

: 00:36:41

Woo.

746

: 00:36:42

Okay.

747

: 00:36:42

This is so good.

748

: 00:36:43

You guys, we are really getting into it.

749

: 00:36:45

I also just feel like

we could go on and on.

750

: 00:36:48

I know that this is going to be a

little bit of a lengthy podcast,

751

: 00:36:51

but it's going to be a good one.

752

: 00:36:51

And at this point I feel like

we need to start splitting

753

: 00:36:54

it into different sections.

754

: 00:36:55

I feel like we've covered

a lot of really good stuff,

755

: 00:36:57

but there's always more that

we could go into, right?

756

: 00:36:59

So before we close out, I do want

to address some questions that

757

: 00:37:03

came in on Instagram just a few

days ago when I asked you, what are

758

: 00:37:06

your biggest struggles in prayer?

759

: 00:37:07

Or what are your biggest

questions about prayer?

760

: 00:37:09

So I want to answer these questions right

here, right now on the show, because

761

: 00:37:12

these are the real questions and struggles

that you feel like you have right now.

762

: 00:37:17

So I'm going to pull them up.

763

: 00:37:18

And if you want to put your input

in on future episodes, input future

764

: 00:37:23

questions, make sure that you're following

along on the Instagrams at ever be

765

: 00:37:26

podcast or at Mari dot C dot Wagner.

766

: 00:37:29

This is where I'm going to be asking

for feedback and you are able to input

767

: 00:37:33

and tell me what you want to hear or

your questions that I'll be addressing

768

: 00:37:35

on the podcast here and there.

769

: 00:37:37

Okay.

770

: 00:37:38

Question one, how to pray

politely as to not offend God,

771

: 00:37:42

rambling thoughts everywhere.

772

: 00:37:44

I get distracted easily.

773

: 00:37:45

This is a good one.

774

: 00:37:46

I think this is something

that a lot of people fear.

775

: 00:37:48

And we did touch on it a little bit

earlier in the episode of the way

776

: 00:37:52

that you word things or what you're

saying, or this fear of like not coming

777

: 00:37:56

off in a polished way to the Lord is

something that a lot of us struggle with.

778

: 00:37:59

So pretty much, Don't worry

about not praying politely, or

779

: 00:38:04

not saying things the right way.

780

: 00:38:07

Obviously give the Lord the due

respect that he deserves, but

781

: 00:38:10

don't worry about being perfect.

782

: 00:38:11

Um, don't worry about not being able to

even be mad at the Lord or be angry or

783

: 00:38:15

bring him your, your anger and your hurt.

784

: 00:38:18

You know, there's times when, you

know, I go to the Lord and I, and I

785

: 00:38:21

bring him all ugly stuff and that's

okay because the Lord isn't just.

786

: 00:38:25

there for you in good.

787

: 00:38:27

He's there for you in

the thick of all of it.

788

: 00:38:29

So you don't have to worry about

being perfect in front of the Lord.

789

: 00:38:31

rambling thoughts are okay.

790

: 00:38:33

If you get distracted easily, try and

take those thoughts that are distracting

791

: 00:38:37

you and write it down on a notebook.

792

: 00:38:39

You know, maybe while you're praying,

have a notebook next to you, write

793

: 00:38:41

it down, to get it out of your head.

794

: 00:38:43

A lot of the times our brain just needs

to get those thoughts out of our head,

795

: 00:38:46

write it down, set it aside and ask, the

Holy Spirit to come to help you focus.

796

: 00:38:50

, the evil one is going to try and distract

you in your prayer because His ultimate

797

: 00:38:54

goal is to pull you away from God.

798

: 00:38:55

And if prayer is the ultimate way

that we are in union with God, aside

799

: 00:38:59

from the mass and receiving him in

the Eucharist, he's going to do

800

: 00:39:01

that and he's going to distract you.

801

: 00:39:03

So try and beware of that.

802

: 00:39:05

Next question.

803

: 00:39:05

I don't have a consistent prayer

life anymore and in battling with

804

: 00:39:08

habitual sins, where do I start?

805

: 00:39:10

Thank you for your honesty

and your vulnerability.

806

: 00:39:12

I know that this is hard.

807

: 00:39:14

And what I would say to this

is you are always welcome back.

808

: 00:39:16

You know, welcome back.

809

: 00:39:18

I'm glad you're here.

810

: 00:39:19

I'm glad you're starting

over and you want to build

811

: 00:39:21

your prayer life back up again.

812

: 00:39:23

My number one recommendation, especially

if you feel like you're battling with

813

: 00:39:26

habitual sin is to go to confession.

814

: 00:39:28

The sacrament of reconciliation is truly

Jesus present, through the priest, right?

815

: 00:39:33

It's called in persona Christi where

he is absolving us of our sins, giving

816

: 00:39:37

us his mercy, giving us his love

and welcoming us back into his arms.

817

: 00:39:41

So go to confession and

then just start small.

818

: 00:39:44

It's okay if you took a break from

your prayer time, if you've been

819

: 00:39:47

gone from the church, you're always

welcome back and just have grace

820

: 00:39:50

with yourself and start small.

821

: 00:39:52

Start with 15 minutes a day in

the morning and maybe build up.

822

: 00:39:54

Maybe you then.

823

: 00:39:55

Do 20 minutes the next week and

then 30 minutes the next week.

824

: 00:39:58

This goes for everyone.

825

: 00:39:59

I would highly, highly recommend that you

have about 30 minutes of prayer a day.

826

: 00:40:04

And when you're just starting, start

with a few minutes and build up,

827

: 00:40:07

but if you can have 30 solid minutes

of prayer a day, That is gold.

828

: 00:40:12

That is the sweet spot.

829

: 00:40:13

If you can do one hour, I personally love

to do 30 to 60 minutes because I feel

830

: 00:40:19

like that's when I'm really, really able

to be in union with the Lord and to get

831

: 00:40:23

into everything that I want to get into.

832

: 00:40:25

Sometimes it takes me even like

15, 20 minutes just to focus.

833

: 00:40:28

so 30 to 60 minutes, but if

you can shoot for 30, do that.

834

: 00:40:33

Okay.

835

: 00:40:33

Next question.

836

: 00:40:33

How do you know what to pray?

837

: 00:40:35

When do you pray all kinds

of prayer every single day?

838

: 00:40:38

And then how do you keep a prayer

routine, but still spice up your

839

: 00:40:41

prayers with different methods?

840

: 00:40:43

So basically I think this person is

asking, like, how do you know which

841

: 00:40:46

type of prayer to pray when, and Do

you do things on certain days or how

842

: 00:40:50

do you make sure that your prayer

life is being, you know, switched up

843

: 00:40:54

and how do you change up your

different methods of prayer?

844

: 00:40:57

Um, ultimately it's up to you,

whatever works for you, whatever

845

: 00:41:01

you feel like is helping you focus

in prayer, connect with the Lord.

846

: 00:41:04

There is no right or wrong way to do it.

847

: 00:41:07

And so listen to those

movements of your heart.

848

: 00:41:09

Listen to where you find peace, to where

you find comfort, to where you feel

849

: 00:41:12

like you're connecting with the Lord.

850

: 00:41:14

And maybe in some seasons, prayer

journaling is going to be where it's at.

851

: 00:41:17

Maybe you just have so much on

your heart and you just have to

852

: 00:41:20

spill it all out to the Lord.

853

: 00:41:21

Maybe sometimes you

don't have a lot to say.

854

: 00:41:23

And so you go to scripture and you

do Lectio Divina because you use.

855

: 00:41:26

The word of God to guide your prayer.

856

: 00:41:29

Or maybe you, you bring in like

spiritual reading, a spiritual book,

857

: 00:41:32

to form your prayer and to learn

from the saints and to, bring their

858

: 00:41:36

teachings into your life and reflect

on what God is trying to tell you

859

: 00:41:39

about your life through those readings.

860

: 00:41:41

So really it's just a day to day

discernment or a season to season

861

: 00:41:44

discernment of what it is that is

helping you be in union with the Lord.

862

: 00:41:48

Um, but I wouldn't say that

there's one specific answer or

863

: 00:41:51

one specific way or day that you

should do a specific type of prayer.

864

: 00:41:56

If you want a little bit more

of a concrete answer, uh, this

865

: 00:41:59

is an example of like a prayer

timeline of what you could do.

866

: 00:42:01

If you were going to pray a holy hour

in Eucharistic adoration, you could do

867

: 00:42:05

the first 15 minutes of quieting your

heart, opening your hands and inviting

868

: 00:42:09

the Holy Spirit and just asking the

Lord to, rid your mind of distractions

869

: 00:42:13

and just use that time to focus on him.

870

: 00:42:15

And then the next, you know, 20

minutes could maybe be prayer

871

: 00:42:18

journaling or mental prayer where

you're just conversing with the Lord.

872

: 00:42:22

Telling him what's on your heart.

873

: 00:42:23

I'm asking for me, Mary's intercession or

a saint's intercession, and just telling

874

: 00:42:26

the Lord what's going on in your life.

875

: 00:42:28

Maybe the next 20 minutes can be a

scripture study or reading a spiritual

876

: 00:42:32

book to help kind of guide your prayer,

inform your heart and soul a little

877

: 00:42:35

bit more, and then the last 15 minutes.

878

: 00:42:38

I hope this is all adding up.

879

: 00:42:39

Right.

880

: 00:42:40

Can be prior journaling and you, you

know, recount what happened in your prayer

881

: 00:42:44

time, offer it all up to the Lord, or

maybe you end with a rosary, or maybe

882

: 00:42:48

you just end with 15 minutes of silence.

883

: 00:42:49

And maybe you just want to gaze at the

Lord and just be with him and, just

884

: 00:42:52

pray in the silence sometimes the

Lord speaks the loudest in the silence.

885

: 00:42:56

So I hope that helps.

886

: 00:42:58

Next question.

887

: 00:42:58

How to work through apathy towards prayer.

888

: 00:43:02

This is a big one.

889

: 00:43:03

Like I said at the beginning of the

podcast, you're not always going to feel

890

: 00:43:07

like you want to pray and that's okay.

891

: 00:43:10

And I think a lot of people say sometimes

like, well, if I don't feel like praying,

892

: 00:43:14

then it's not going to be good prayer.

893

: 00:43:15

So I should probably just pray when I

feel like it because that's a better

894

: 00:43:19

offering to the Lord than just praying.

895

: 00:43:22

For the sake of praying or because

I want to stick to a routine, you

896

: 00:43:25

know, um, and what I would say to

that is that if we only prayed when

897

: 00:43:28

we felt like praying, we probably

wouldn't be praying very much in those

898

: 00:43:32

moments when we do feel like praying,

that's actually a grace and a gift.

899

: 00:43:36

The Lord has given us to desire

him and to draw near to him.

900

: 00:43:39

So take advantage of those times

when you feel like praying.

901

: 00:43:42

Yes.

902

: 00:43:43

And when you don't feel like praying,

lean into it because it is that much more

903

: 00:43:47

of a gift to the Lord of the time and

effort that you're offering him in those

904

: 00:43:51

times when you don't really feel like it.

905

: 00:43:54

And you know what?

906

: 00:43:54

It's okay to ask the Lord

to give you that desire.

907

: 00:43:58

If you are working through apathy

towards prayer, it's okay to pray,

908

: 00:44:02

Lord, I don't really feel like praying.

909

: 00:44:05

I don't really desire prayer.

910

: 00:44:06

Help me to desire it.

911

: 00:44:08

Help me to want to be with you.

912

: 00:44:10

Help me to want to pray.

913

: 00:44:13

Pray that every day and I promise you

the Lord will fulfill that prayer.

914

: 00:44:17

Okay.

915

: 00:44:17

And the last question I'm going to

answer is does prayer actually work?

916

: 00:44:22

Oh my gosh.

917

: 00:44:22

I feel like this could be

a whole episode in itself.

918

: 00:44:25

Um, yes it does.

919

: 00:44:27

And I'm just going to cite

one scripture verse here.

920

: 00:44:30

There are so many verses in

scripture that we can pull

921

: 00:44:33

that reveals Jesus

teaching us about prayer.

922

: 00:44:36

And even that reveals Jesus

praying to the father but I just

923

: 00:44:40

want to go to one right now.

924

: 00:44:41

It's Luke chapter 11,

verse nine through 10.

925

: 00:44:44

Let me pull it up on my Bible

because I don't have it memorized.

926

: 00:44:46

Okay.

927

: 00:44:47

I am a Catholic, so that

shouldn't come as a surprise.

928

: 00:44:52

The passage is called

the answer to prayer.

929

: 00:44:55

And it's Jesus speaking and he says,

and I tell you, ask and you shall

930

: 00:45:00

receive, seek and you will find,

knock and the door will be open to

931

: 00:45:04

you for everyone who asks receives and

the one who seeks finds and the one

932

: 00:45:10

who knocks the door will be opened.

933

: 00:45:12

What father among you would hand his son

a snake when he asks for a fish or hand

934

: 00:45:17

him a scorpion when he asks for an egg.

935

: 00:45:20

If you then, who are wicked, know how

to give good gifts to your children, how

936

: 00:45:24

much more will the Father in heaven give

the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

937

: 00:45:30

Jesus, right here in scripture, says,

Ask the Lord, pray to the Lord, tell

938

: 00:45:35

him your needs, and you shall receive.

939

: 00:45:37

So yes, prayer works, expressing

your needs to the Lord.

940

: 00:45:41

works.

941

: 00:45:42

He wants to provide for you.

942

: 00:45:43

He wants to bless you.

943

: 00:45:44

He wants to answer your prayers.

944

: 00:45:46

And it just takes you stepping

out in humility and boldness and

945

: 00:45:49

courage and saying, Lord, I'm here.

946

: 00:45:52

I love you.

947

: 00:45:53

I need you.

948

: 00:45:54

I don't know you.

949

: 00:45:55

You know, I want to know you,

whatever it is that you're feeling.

950

: 00:45:58

And the Lord will hear you.

951

: 00:46:00

All right.

952

: 00:46:00

So it's time that we wrap up this episode.

953

: 00:46:02

One thing I want to say before we go is

that my hope for you is that whenever

954

: 00:46:06

you hear this episode, anything on

the show or encounter any of my faith

955

: 00:46:11

based content on Instagram, my hope

for you is that you would get off the

956

: 00:46:15

app, that it would encourage you to go

seek the Lord and spend time with him.

957

: 00:46:20

like don't just absorb all this advice.

958

: 00:46:21

Although it's good.

959

: 00:46:22

I hope it was helpful to you.

960

: 00:46:24

Don't just absorb it and let it sit

there, but truly let it inspire you.

961

: 00:46:27

Let it transform you.

962

: 00:46:28

Let it motivate you to make

a change in your life and

963

: 00:46:32

actually implement this advice.

964

: 00:46:34

Start building a daily prayer

life and draw closer to Jesus.

965

: 00:46:38

When I started building

a daily prayer life.

966

: 00:46:40

It changed my whole view of God.

967

: 00:46:42

It changed my whole life.

968

: 00:46:43

It changed my whole outlook, and it

brought me so much more peace and joy

969

: 00:46:47

and allowed me to truly surrender my

entire life to God and to know that no

970

: 00:46:52

matter what happens in my life, it's okay

because the Lord's will will be done.

971

: 00:46:56

And the only way you can get to that

kind of peace in your life is by

972

: 00:46:59

giving him time every single day and

coming to know he who is love himself.

973

: 00:47:04

And if you still after hearing

this whole episode are like I feel

974

: 00:47:07

like I'm not capable of doing this.

975

: 00:47:09

I feel so unprepared.

976

: 00:47:11

So it feels so unnatural.

977

: 00:47:13

I'll leave you with one last thing.

978

: 00:47:15

Ask the Holy Spirit to bless

you, ask the Holy Spirit to come

979

: 00:47:19

and to teach you how to pray.

980

: 00:47:21

Friends.

981

: 00:47:22

Thank you for sticking with

me through this long episode.

982

: 00:47:24

Thank you for asking these questions

and allowing me to speak these

983

: 00:47:27

beautiful truths into your life.

984

: 00:47:28

I hope that this blessed you.

985

: 00:47:30

And if it did, please reach

out to me and let me know.

986

: 00:47:33

I can't wait to have more of these

conversations with you in my DMS.