369 ways to pray page2
the Apophatic way of PrayerThe Apophatic way of prayer is based on the belief that we can best find the divine through emptying ourselves of all images and preconceptions since God is beyond and transcends any image or contention we have of God. As we come to silence we recognise our one-ness with the Divine and allow ourselves to abide in Him. This is known as the Aphophatic way, from the Greek, meaning without images--simply with God.
The apophatic approach alone can lead to too passive an approach to life, there has to be a balance between Apophatic and Kataphatic prayer . AppealingWISDOM CH18v22 RSV CE
.....not by force of arms, but by his word he subdued the punisher,appealing to the oaths and covenants given to our fathers. ISAIAH CH62v6&7 Jerusalem On your walls, Jerusalem,I set watchmen Day or night they must never be silent. NOTE;-Intercessors are those who "put the Lord in remembrance "(RSV), who bring before Him the promises He has made ISAIAH CH49:7 ...the holy God of Israel keeps His promises |
BabeYou will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
O that birth for ever blessed When the Virgin, full of grace By the Holy Ghost conceiving, Bare the Saviour of our race, and the Babe, the world's Redeemer. First revealed His sacred face. Aurelius Clemens Prodentus 348-413 tr by John Mason Neale 1818-1866 Scottish church Hymnary..........1927 In Imaginative Contemplation one might find oneself in the company of humble shepherds praying "Glory to The New Born King" O, COME LET US ADORE HIM BASILEUS BASILEON KING OF KINGSOn His robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS Revelation 19:16 translated from the greek bas-si-LEUS ba-si-LE-own Even today some Christian Churches are called "Basilicas,"..........the hall of the king. |
APPLICATION OF THE SENSESThis is a method of meditative prayer which Ignatius described as "bringing the five senses to bear upon the object of the foregoing contemplation".
Application of the senses affects that delicate membrane where the body and soul come into most intimate contact and set one another in harmonious motion. The application of the senses therefore, is the great test of whether the technique of meditation has been properly grasped as a whole. According to the instructions given by Ignatious, the Application of the senses invariably presupposes that the person in question has immersed himself through meditation and contemplation in the truth of salvation proposed to him (There should be no such thing as a technique of meditation for its own sake, since genuine meditation is only possible when a personis also prepared to put what he has contemplated into action I UNDERSTAND IN ORDER THAT I MAY ACT The ideas formed in the mind must be made yo touch the heart before action is possible: and this synthesis of mind and heart takes place precisely in the Application of the senses, which , because it affects body and soul together, is the most delicate and sensitive form of prayer. All true prayer and meditation involves abandonment of self to the incarnate Jesus Christ of the gospel, whose unfathomable divinity we have "touched with our own hands"( 1 John 1:1) Arid PrayerThe heart that feels arid and longs for refreshing waters,-asks to be recollected once more. A person in this state does not take the blame for it, nor is he satisfied with it because he has done his part through his spiritual efforts. He wants to reap spiritual fruit, the work of grace, but he must ask for it.
What in periods of spiritual aridity is described as mere lip service in prayer, is in reality the prayer of a poor yet faithful heart |
Beloved SonYou are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased Mark1:11 and Luke 3:22 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of His Beloved Son Colossians 1.13 The Beloved Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself
according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood Ephesians 1:5-7 NKJV and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said "This is my Son, The Beloved Matthew 17:5 NJB Bishop of your soulFor ye were as sheep wandering,but ye turned now to the shepherd and bishop of the souls of you
1PETER 2:25 The Nestle Greek Text literal English translation by the rev Alfred Marshal For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls 1 Peter 2:25 A |
Arrow PrayersArrow Prayers are very short prayers "fired off" like arrows whenever prompted,
while buisy at work or leisure. Such prayer might better be called needle prayers for they sew the material of our day to the fabric of heaven Lord make thy will our will in all things Jesus You are Lord Thank You Lord |
BLESSEDTo them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all blessed for ever.........Amen
Romans 9:5 ESV Again the high priest asked Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus said "I am". |
ASCETIC PRAYERWhen we are in the right frame of mind, when the heart is full of worship, of concern for others, when as St Luke says, 0ur lips speak from the fullness of the heart (Luke 6:45),there is no problem about praying. But we do not leave our prayer life at the mercy of our moods.. When anything from pain to shame inhibits prayer, it is not better to stop praying till things get better. Instead of giving way we should make a wider act of faith and carry on.
"No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" 1Cor 12:3 When we stand before GOD in those moments of oppression, distraction or whatever, we must pray from conviction if not from feeling. In faithfulness and determination we start to pray. Those who seek Him are sure to find Him and the Lord Jesus ignores no one who seeks Him in prayer Negative thoughts like unworthyness are strong reasons to pray. In everything that happens to me I can hear the words "It is I do not be afraid" (Matthew 14 :27 God is with me through every trouble. "Take courage, I have overcome the world" Use Written Prayer, Formal prayer or familiar prayer, whatever comes to hand for you. Jesus has overcome the world so if we strike out towards Him through whatever form of ascetic prayer we use,His victory enables us to reach Him. Have peaceful confidence in Divine goodness (however we feel)and take courage |
Branch of Righteousness "Behold , the days are coming " says the LORD
"That I will raise to David a Branch of Righteousness: Jeremiah 23:5 In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David, A Branch of Righteousness; He shall execute judgement and righteousness in the earth. Jeremiah 33: 15 NKJV Bread of God" For the bread of God is he
who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." JOHN 6:33 Bread of LifeAnd Jesus said
I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst JOHN 6:35 NKJV Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life I am the Bread of Life John6:47/48 |
Ascetical PrayerAscetical prayer is prayer involving self denial such as fasting
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Breath of GodThe Spirit of God has made me. And the Breath of the Almighty gives me life Job33:4.......and understanding Job32:8 Ruach--Breath
breath of God's lips...creative word..Holy Spirit ...Spirit of creation |
Holy ASPIRATIONSThe Church has traditionally recommended the practice of repeating holy aspirations. It is a simple useful way to pray. We take a short phrase or sentence from the bible and repeat it slowly and meaningfully- twice, five, ten times- so that it puts us in God's loving presence or keeps us close to him.
There are many phrases from scripture which we can use in this form of prayer. We might pray with the apostle Thomas "My Lord and my God" One example would be to say slowly the words of the blind person to Jesus"Jesus,son of David, have pity on me". We may turn to God with humble words,O God be merciful to me a sinner.. "I believe , help thou my unbelief ". "Come Holy Spirit Come ! Reverently say "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want" You can say the holy name of Jesus slowly, reverently, repeating it a number of times. As we breathe in and out the air that keeps us physically alive, so we breathe in and out the words of scripture to keep us spiritually alive. Once we have adopted this practice,we will find this method an easy and effective way to pray. from Peter Shineller S.J. |
Bridegroomthe disciples of John came to Him saying "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast ?" And Jesus said to them, " Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them ? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."
MATTHEW 9: 14-15 NKJV I am not Christ, but I have been sent before him . The one who has the bride is the bridegroom the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. JOHN 3: 29-30 |
Pure ATTENTION There are depths beneath the surface of your mind where your intelligence and your will can work independently of pictures and imagination, call it PURE ATTENTION of the mind and will to the Lord.
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Brightness of the Father's GloryGod, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir to all things, through whom He also made the worlds:
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power.. HEBREWS 1 : 2-3 N |
AveHail Mary: The angelic salutation Luke 1 : 58
In Latin;- Ave Maria Middle English;-Ave Mary To say an Ave - To say a Hail Mary. |
Bright and Morning Star" I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches,
I am the Root and Offspring of David , the Bright and morning star." |
Page 3 continues with the prayer of Bartimaeus.