Ten rules on prayer that you need to practice

Ten rules for prayer

It is tiring to pray. It is even more tiring to learn to pray.
Yes, you can learn to read and write without teachers, but you need to be exceptionally intuitive and it takes time. With a teacher, however, it is much simpler and time-saving.
This is the learning of prayer: one can learn to pray without school and without teachers, but the self-taught person always risks learning badly; those who accept a guide and a suitable method normally arrive safer and faster.
Here are ten stages to learn how to pray. However, these are not rules to be "learned" by heart, they are goals to be "experienced". Therefore it is necessary that those who submit to this "training" of prayer commit themselves, the first month, to a quarter of an hour of prayer every day, then it is necessary that as they gradually extend their space of time to pray.
Normally, for our young people, in the courses for the basic communities “we ask the second month for half an hour of daily prayer in silence, for the third month an hour, always in silence.
Constancy is the one that costs the most if you want to learn to pray.
It is very advisable to start not alone, but in a small group.
The reason is that checking the progress made in the prayer every week with your group, comparing successes and failures with others, gives strength and is decisive for constancy.

RULE FIRST

Prayer is an interpersonal relationship with God: an "I - You" relationship. Jesus said:
When you pray, say: Father ... (Lk. XI, 2)
The first rule of prayer is therefore this: in prayer, make a meeting, a meeting of my person with the person of God. A meeting of real people. I, true person and God seen as true person. I, a real person, not an automaton.
Prayer is therefore a descent into the reality of God: God alive, God present, God near, God person.
Why is prayer often heavy? Why doesn't it solve the problems? Often the cause is very simple: two people do not meet in prayer; often I am an absent, an automaton and even God is far away, a reality too nuanced, too far away, with which I do not communicate at all.
As long as there is no effort in our prayer for an "I - You" relationship, there is falsehood, there is emptiness, there is no prayer. It is a play on words. It's a farce.
The "I - You" relationship is faith.

Practical advice
It is important in my prayer that I use few words, poor, but rich in content. Words like these are enough: Father
Jesus, Savior
Jesus Way, Truth, Life.

SECOND RULE

Prayer is affectionate communication with God, operated by the Spirit and supported by him.
Jesus said:
"Your Father knows what things you need, even before you ask him ...". (Mt. VI, 8)
God is pure thought, he is pure spirit; I cannot communicate with him except in thought, through the Spirit. There is no other way to communicate with God: I cannot imagine God, if I create an image of God, I create an idol ..
Prayer is not a fantasy effort, but a concept work. The mind and the heart are the direct tools to communicate with God. If fantastic, if I fall back on my problems, if I say empty words, if I read, I don't communicate with him. I communicate when I think. And I love. I think and love in the Spirit.
St. Paul teaches that it is I Spirit who helps this difficult inner work. He says: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness, because we don't even know what it is convenient to ask, but the Spirit himself intercedes insistently for us. " (Rom. VIII, 26)
"God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son who cries out: Abbà, Father". (Jas. IV, 6)
The Spirit intercedes for believers according to God's plans ". (Rom. VIII, 27)

Practical advice
It is important in prayer that the gaze is turned more to him than to us.
Don't let the contact of thought drop; when "the line falls" re-focus attention to him calmly, with peace. Every return to him is an act of goodwill, it is love.
A few words, a lot of heart, all the attention paid to him, but in serenity and calm.
Never begin prayer without invoking the Spirit.
In moments of tiredness or dryness, implore the Spirit.
After prayer: thank the Spirit.

RULE THREE

The easiest way to pray is to learn to thank.
After the miracle of the ten lepers recovered, only one had come back to thank the Master. Then Jesus said:
“Weren't all ten healed? And where are the other nine? ". (Lk. XVII, 11)
Nobody can say they are not able to thank. Even those who have never prayed are able to thank.
God demands our gratitude because he has made us intelligent. We are indignant at people who do not feel the duty of gratitude. We are submerged by the gifts of God from morning to evening and from evening to morning. Everything we touch is a gift from God. We must train in gratitude. No complicated things are needed: just open your heart to a sincere thank you to God.
The prayer of thanksgiving is a great alienation to faith and to cultivating in us the sense of God. We only need to check that thanks come from the heart and are combined with some generous act that serves to better express our gratitude.

Practical advice
It is important to ask ourselves often about the greatest gifts that God has given us. Maybe they are: life, intelligence, faith.
But the gifts of God are innumerable and among them there are gifts that we have never thanked.
It is good to thank for those who never thank, starting with the closest people, such as family and friends.

RULE FOUR

Prayer is above all an experience of love.
“Jesus threw himself on the ground and prayed:« Abba, Father! Everything is possible for you, take this cup away from me! But not what I want, but what you want "(Mk. XIV, 35)
It is above all an experience of love, because there are many gradualities in prayer: if prayer is only a conversation with God, it is prayer, but it is not the best prayer. So if you thank, if you pray it is prayer, but the best prayer is to love. Love for a person is not about talking, writing, thinking about that person. It is above all in doing something willingly for that person, something that costs, something to which that person is entitled or expected, or at least likes very much.
As long as we only speak to God we give very little, flOfl we are still in deep prayer.
Jesus taught how to love God "Not who says: Lord, Lord, but who does the will of my Father ...".
Prayer should always be a comparison for us with his will and concrete decisions for life should mature in us. Thus prayer more than "loving" becomes "letting oneself be loved by God". When we come to faithfully fulfill the will of God, then we love God and God can fill us with his love.
"Whoever does the will of my Father, this is my brother, sister and mother". (Mt. XII, 50)

Practical advice
Often tie prayer to this question:
Lord, what do you want from me? Lord, are you happy with me? Lord, in this problem, what is your will? ". Get used to getting down to reality:
leave the prayer with some specific decision to improve some duty.
We pray when we love, we love when we say something concrete to God, something that he expects from us or that he likes in us. True prayer always begins after prayer, from life.

RULE FIFTH

Prayer is to bring down the power of God in our cowards and weaknesses.
"Draw on strength in the Lord and in the vigor of his power." (Eph. VI, 1)

I can do everything in the One who gives me strength “. (Fu. IV, 13)

To pray is to love God. To love God in our concrete situations. Loving God in our concrete situations means: mirroring ourselves in our daily realities (duties, difficulties and weaknesses) comparing them frankly with the will of God, asking with humility and trust the strength of God to carry out our duties and our difficulties as God wants.

Prayer often does not give strength because we do not really want what we ask of God. We really want to overcome an obstacle when we clarify the obstacle to ourselves very clearly and we ask God for his help with great frankness. God communicates his strength to us when we also bring out all our strength. Normally if we ask God for the moment, for today, we almost certainly collaborate with him to overcome the obstacle.

Practical advice
Reflect, decide, implore: these are the three times of our prayer if we want to experience the strength of God in our difficulties.
It is good in prayer to always start from the points that burn, that is, from the problems that are most urgent: God wants us to be right with his will. Love is not in words, in sighs, in sentimentality, it is in seeking his will and doing it with generosity. »Prayer is preparation for action, departure for action, light and strength for action. We always need to start the action from the sincere search for the will of God.

RULE SIXTH

The simple presence prayer or "prayer of silence" is very important to educate to deep concentration.
Jesus said: "Come aside with me, to a lonely place, and take a little rest" (Mk VI, 31)

At Gethsemane he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Pietro, Giacomo and Giovanni with him ... He threw himself on the ground and prayed ... Turning back he found them asleep and said to Pietro: «Simone, are you sleeping? Have you not been able to keep watch for an hour? »". (Mk. XIV, 32)

The simple presence prayer or "prayer of silence" consists in placing oneself before God by eliminating words, thoughts and fantasies, striving for calm only to be present to him.
Concentration is the most determining problem of prayer. Simple presence prayer is like a mental hygiene exercise to facilitate concentration and initiate deep prayer.
The prayer of "simple presence" is an effort of will to make ourselves present to God, it is an effort of will rather than intelligence. More of intelligence than of imagination. Indeed, I must restrain my imagination by concentrating on one thought: to be present to God.

It is prayer because it is attention to God. It is exhausting prayer: normally it is good to prolong this type of prayer only for a quarter of an hour, as a start to adoration. But it is already adoration because it is loving God. It can greatly facilitate this thought by De Foucauld: "I look to God by loving him, God looks at me by loving me".
It is advisable to do this exercise of prayer before the Eucharist, or in a collected place, eyes closed, immersed in the thought of his presence that surrounds us:
"In him we live, move and are". (Acts XVII, 28)

St. Teresa of Avila, the specialist of this method of prayer, suggests it to those who are "continually dissipated" and confesses: "Until the Lord suggested this method of prayer to me, I had never obtained satisfaction or taste from prayer" . He recommends: "Don't do long, subtle meditations, just look at him."
The prayer of "simple presence" is a very effective energy against the reflection, radical evil of our prayer. It is prayer without words. Gandhi said: "A prayer without words is better than many words without prayer".

Practical advice It is being with God that changes us, more than being with ourselves. If the concentration on the presence of God becomes difficult, it is useful to use a few simple words such as:
Father
Jesus Savior
Father, Son, Spirit
Jesus, Way, Truth and Life.
The "prayer of Jesus" of the Russian pilgrim "Jesus Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner", rhythmic with the breath, is also very useful. Take care of composure and calm.
It is a high-class prayer and at the same time accessible to all.

SEVENTH RULE

The heart of prayer or listening.
“Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, listened to his word. Martha, on the other hand, was completely occupied with the many services ... Jesus said: "Mary chose the best part" (Lk. X, 39)
Listening supposes to have understood this: that the key character of prayer is not me, but God. Listening is the center of prayer because listening is love: it is in fact waiting for God, waiting for his light; loving listening to God already includes the will to respond to him.
Listening can be done by humbly asking God about a problem that torments us, or by asking the light of God through Scripture. Normally God speaks when I am prepared for his word.
When bad will or lies rage in us, it is difficult to hear the voice of God, indeed we hardly have the desire to hear it.
God also speaks without speaking. He answers when he wants. God does not speak "token", when we demand it, he speaks when he wants, normally he speaks when we are prepared to listen to him.
God is discreet. Never force the door of our heart.
I stand at the door and knock: if one hears my voice and opens me, I will go in and have dinner with him and he with me. " (Ap. 111, 20)
It is not easy to consult God. But there are quite clear signs if we are right. When God speaks, he never goes against common sense or against our duties, but he can go against our will.

Practical advice
It is important to set the prayer on some questions that nail every escape, such as:
Lord, what do you want from me in this situation? Lord, what do you want to tell me with this page of the Gospel? ».
Prayer that must be decided in search of the will of God strengthens Christian life, develops personality, gets used to concreteness It is only faithfulness to the will of God that makes us happy and makes us happy

RULE EIGHT

Even the body must learn to pray.
Jesus threw himself on the ground and prayed ... ". (Mk. XIV, 35)
We can never completely ignore the body when we pray. The body always influences prayer, because it influences every human act, even the most intimate. The body either becomes an instrument of prayer or becomes an obstacle. The body has its needs and makes them feel, has its limits, has its needs; it can often hinder concentration and hinder will.
All the great religions have always given great importance to the body, suggesting prostrations, genuflections, gestures. Islam has spread prayer in a profound way among the most backward masses, above all by teaching to pray with the body. The Christian tradition has always considered the body very much in prayer: it is imprudent to underestimate this millenary experience of the Church.
When the body prays, the spirit immediately tunes in to it; often the opposite does not happen:
the body often resists the spirit it wants to pray to. It is therefore important to start prayer from the body by asking the body for a position that helps concentration. This rule can be very useful: to stay on your knees with your torso well erect; open shoulders, breathing is regular and full, concentration is easier; arms relaxed along the body; eyes closed or fixed to the Eucharist.

Practical advice
When alone, it is also good to pray aloud, spreading your arms; deep prquije also helps concentration a lot. Certain painful positions do not help prayer, so too comfortable positions do not help.
Never excuse laziness, but investigate its causes.
The position is not prayer, but it helps or hinders prayer: it must be treated.

RULE NINTH

The place, the time, the physical are three external elements to prayer that strongly affect his interiority. Jesus went to the mountain to pray. " (Lk. VI, 12)
"... he retired to a deserted place and prayed there." (Mk I, 35)
"In the morning he got up when it was still dark ...". (Mk I, 35)
he spent the night in prayer. " (Lk. VI, 12)
... prostrated himself with his face on the ground and prayed ". (Mt. XXVI, 39)
If Jesus gave so much importance to the place and time for his prayer, it is a sign that we must not underestimate the place we choose, the time and the physical position. Not all sacred places help concentration and some churches help more, some less. I also have to create a prayer corner in my own home or at hand.
Of course I can pray anywhere, but not anywhere I can concentrate as easily.
So the time must be carefully chosen: not every hour of the day allows a deep concentration. The morning, evening and night are the periods in which concentration is normally easier. It is important to get used to a fixed time for prayer; habit creates necessity and creates a call to prayer. It is important to start with momentum, to make our prayer from the first moment. Practical advice
We are the masters of our habits.
The physicist creates his laws and also adapts to the laws that we propose to him.
Good habits do not suppress all the struggles of prayer, but they greatly facilitate prayer.
When there is a health malaise we must respect: we must not leave prayer, but it is important to change the method of prayer. Experience is the best teacher to choose our prayer habits.

RULE TENTH

Out of respect for Christ who gave it to us, our "Father" must become our Christian prayer. "You therefore pray thus: Our Father who art in heaven ...". (Mt. VI, 9) If Jesus wanted to give us a prayer formula himself, it is logical that the "Our Father" must become the preferred prayer on all prayers. I have to deepen this prayer, use it, venerana. The Church officially gave it to me in Baptism. It is the prayer of the disciples of Christ.
A prolonged and profound study of this prayer is necessary sometimes in life.
It is a prayer not to "recite", but to "do", to meditate. More than a prayer, it is a track for prayer. It is often useful to spend an entire hour of prayer deepening only our Father.

Here are some thoughts that can help:
The first two words already contain two important rules of prayer.
Father: it calls us first of all to confidence and openness of heart to God.
Ours: it reminds us to think a lot about our brothers in prayer and to unite ourselves to Christ who always prays with us.
The two parts into which the "Our Father" is divided contain another important reminder about prayer: first of all be attentive to the problems of God, then to our problems; first look to Him, then look to us.
For an hour of prayer on the "Our Father" this method can be used:
I quarter of an hour: setting for prayer
Our father
The quarter of an hour: adoration
Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done
III quarter of an hour: pleading
give us today our daily bread
IV quarter of an hour: forgiveness
Forgive us as we forgive, do not lead us into temptation, deliver us from the Evil One.