My Favorite Prayers

I'm linking up with Amanda at Worthy of Agape for the Favorite Prayers Link-Up. It has been going all through Lent, and I wanted to sneak a link in before it ended.

I like to pray many ways. I like to pray spontaneous, free-form prayers. I like to pray the "rote" prayers that have drawn millions closer to God, such as the Rosary, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I like to pray with the scriptures, sometimes by saying the Daily Office, or simply praying over the Scriptures lectio divina style (I especially love this in a  group). I am very fond of the Stations of the Cross according to St. Alphonsus Ligouri.

I began my relationship with God in a Pentecostal ecclessial community, and I identify - to some extent - as a charismatic Catholic, so I like to pray in tongues.

One of my favorite ways to pray is to sing. I love to sings praise songs, hymns, chant. I love it all.

When I prayed about my favorite prayer, however, I realized that my favorite prayers are prayers of praise. I pray them "off-the-cuff" but there are patterns I return to again and again. I learned to pray as a Pentecostal, and many of my patterns remain from then. Pentecostals tend to focus very heavily on praising and glorifying Jesus and His Holy Name. Obviously they also ask God for things, thank Him for things, repent of their sins, etc. but praise is very important.

Catholicism embraces all that is true and good, and it is right to give God thanks and praise. While my prayers are now peppered with petitions to the Saints and traditional prayers that I memorize or read, simple prayers of praise still form the backbone of my personal interaction with God in prayer.

Why Do I Have to Eat Fish This Friday?

It is nearing the end of the season of the Catholic year known as Lent. About 40 Days before Easter, Catholics begin observing a special "holy season" of preparation to remember the suffering and death of Jesus, and to celebrate His resurrection. In English this season is called "Lent" which means spring. In most other languages it's called something like "The Forty Days."

Lent is mean to be somber and serious in many ways. It is a time of reflection and of penance. Penance is a traditional Christian practice that is done in response to one's sins and/or the sins of others. Penance does not  "make up for" our sins and it's not a punishment from God. Jesus Himself makes up for our sins and we receive no punishment for them. Essentially, penance is a way of training ourselves to do better. Penance is an action prayer (often the act of praying) that communicates to God our sorrow for our sins and our seeking His mercy.

During the holy season of Lent, many people give something up as an act of general penance. The thing given  usually is not something that is sinful. The most common things given up are some type of luxury food, such as chocolate, coffee, soda-pop, snacks, etc. These things are not evil. People give up things like these during Lent as a prayerful action that is meant to train them to make it easier to set aside their own desires. Such training makes it easier to put God and other people ahead of ourselves.

So, what does all of this have to do with the fact that on this Friday I'm probably going to eat fish?

During Lent we reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus. Jesus died on a Friday. We make even more of an effort to remember His death on Fridays during Lent. One way Catholics do this is by participating in a group prayer action called abstinence. This kind of abstinence isn't about sex, it's about meat. On Fridays during Lent, Catholics refrain from eating the flesh of land animals. 

There are some exceptions, people who are pregnant, sick, too young, or too old are not asked to abstain. Everyone else is asked to abstain. Many people think that this penance is too easy, especially because Catholics used to abstain every Friday of the year and every day of Lent. Some people think it is too easy because in many parts of the world, fish is no longer the food of the poor - it's an expensive treat.

I have no criticism for the practice, just the opposite in fact. The major point of penance is to learn to place God and others ahead of self. By doing for my penance what the Church asks of me, I am putting aside my desires both to eat meat, and also to not be told what to do. Honestly, learning how to do what I'm asked without grumbling or criticizing is a very important thing that I need more practice doing.

So this Friday, one of the last Fridays of Lent, I will yet again practice putting aside my own desire, my own autonomy, my own desire to do exactly what I want to do, when I want to do it, and to not be told what I "can and can't do." If I happen to enjoy what the Church says I can do - eat fish even while abstaining from other meat - that's not a problem. After all, doing God's will may be different from doing my will - but that doesn't mean it's going to make me unhappy.

Bring on the fish!

Why I Pray To Mary and the Saints

Before I tell you why I pray "to" Mary and the Saints, let's get one thing straight. Catholics do not worship Mary. The Church specifically permits only the worship of the one Holy Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Church does encourage us to honor Mary and the Saints however. Mary is the mother of Jesus, so He honored her Himself, and we have this thing, as Christians, about imitating Jesus. Also, all the rest of the Saints are people who are in Heaven, and we also have this thing, as Christians, about wanting to go to Heaven so we tend to look up to the Saints since they have done what we wish to do (so cooperate with God's grace as to be made truly holy and to be fully united with Him in Heaven.)

I should also clarify that I don't really pray to  Mary and the Saints, I pray with them. Specifically, I ask them to pray for me. Kind of like how I ask my wife to pray for me. When I ask my wife to pray for me, I expect her to pray to Jesus and the Father, and I expect my prayer to be answered by Jesus and the Father. When the answer comes, I thank my wife for her prayers for me, and I thank God for being the One who answered them. The glory belongs to God, but my wife still deserves some recognition.

It's much the same with Mary and the saints. The main difference is that they are not physically present when I ask them to pray for me. This confuses some people, because all Christians speak to a God who is not physically present, but not all of them speak to people who aren't physically present. Most of them do however, most Christians are Catholic, or Orthodox, and most of them regularly ask for prayers from people who are not physically present: they ask for prayers from people who are in Heaven, the saints.

People who are in Heaven have died, but they are not dead. Like Jesus. Now, Jesus has already rose from the dead, and the saints will not do so until the last day, but alas, they are now alive in Heaven nonetheless. Jesus came to give us eternal life. So when Catholics ask for prayers from the Saints, we are not talking to dead people. The Saints are alive, in Heaven. They are with Christ, so they are if anything more alive than we are now.

How do they hear our requests for their prayers? They hear them because they are fully united with Christ, and Christ hears all our prayers.

So why ask for the prayers of the Saints, if Christ already hears them? That's an excellent questions. Why should I ask for my wife to pray for me, when Christ hears me ask her? When I ask my wife to pray for me, it gives me strength and comfort to know she is praying for me. I know that Christ likes it when people "agree in prayer." I know that it is good for her to pray for me because Christ loves to grant our requests for ourselves, but He loves it more when we selflessly request things for others. 

It's the same with Mary and the Saints. They are people - people alive in Heaven, people perfectly united with Christ - but they are people. Christ is a Savior, a Hero. He wants to come through for people, and the more people He comes through for, the greater it reflects the glory of His Father.

Another analogy: suppose I were a little child and my mother had a jar filled with cookies she had baked. I want one but I cannot reach the jar, up on the counter. I could ask my mother for a cookie, and she could give it to me and that would be good. I would be grateful to my mother for making me the cookies and for allowing me to have one.

I could also ask an older sibling, who can reach the jar, to get me the cookie. My older sibling, a very wise, kind, and obedient child, so he is willing to assist me. First he asks our mother if he may get a cookie for me. She agrees and then he gets it and brings it to me. This is also good. In fact, it is somewhat better. I still have a cookie due to the provision and permission of my mother, by I also have it via the assistance of my sibling.

When I thank my sibling for their help, my mother gets credit also. After all, if it were not for my mother I would not have a sibling. If it were not for the training and direction of my mother, my sibling would not be wise and kind, and may not be willing to get the cookie for me. Think about it? How much do parents love it when others praise their child for a good deed?

In much the same way God delights when His children bless one another in His name.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
Saint Joseph, pray for us!