Each time I read something insightful it just sprouts off about a thousand other questions and my mind feels so overwhelmed by what I don't know in regards to my faith as there is so much! Sometimes I feel like I am completely getting it and other times ... like now, I feel like I'm so far from understanding anything. I guess there's a certain amount of insecurity attached to it, which is silly.
For instance, I learned how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet ages ago on the Rosary -- but I still am confused as to how to pray the regular Rosary Chaplet even after I've got the diagram and the prayers and such ... and it'd be easier if I had someone to physically show me, but unless someone in my household wakes up with a new skill tomorrow, that won't happen. I think the whole "meditate the mysteries" thing confuses me. It's such a pain to be so far away from anyone of Faith sometimes...
I'm getting so confused with references to all different teachings like, I know very loosely what the Catechism is, but where did it come from and... what's its point?
And boy, is this petty and stupid but ... awhile back -- in September, I had 2 friends praying urgently for me over the phone ... and their prayers were just so direct and to the point and I was so glad that they didn't expect me to say anything because I would have felt like a mumbling fool. It made me wonder if matters any to the outcome. I would be embarrassed if anyone asked me to pray with them because I beat around the bush (especially when I pray out loud) and I don't usually have a point to what I'm saying. And my friends, I was pretty floored by everything that they had said. They knew exactly what to ask for, and it sounded so powerful. Is there such a thing as praying wrong? Is there specific ways to pray that are more effective than others?
And as for purgatory. I read something about there being fire in Purgatory, that it's not somewhere you'd want to particularly be for a long time. However, my friend described it to me as a place where you go to be cleansed before "meeting" God. He told me that the good thing about Purgatory is that you can only go on up to Heaven there is no descending to Hell. Is Purgatory a painful place to be? Are souls in deep suffering there, and if so, then what's the point? Why not just cut out the middle man and hang out in Hell ... wouldn't it be the same thing?
I don't pray enough. I guess in all honesty, I still see it as a chore, and don't always think of it as talking to God, but just saying a bunch of stuff to make myself feel more consoled.... There are times of course where I truly do pray with sincerity, but lately those times have been more rare -- I think more than anything it's due to the lack of church, lack Christian family around me... crappy atmosphere and such.
And on top of all that, I'm feeling a bit down cause I'm looking for a place to live closer to the city and everything is so expensive and I'm in way too much debt for someone my age. Maybe I could add this regret to Cube's question... I never listened to my Father enough when he told me about what to and what not to do. "Clean up after yourself and don't get in to debt." lol. And Gosh, it's so hard to find a job when you're living in the middle of a freaking Ghost town and physical limitations ... unless I had a tractor licence or something. (Which I don't.)
So yeah. Feeling a bit flat tonight....And it's way, way, way past my bed time. :(
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Those are good questions. The rosary just takes a little practice, although I can point you to some webpages to get you started if you like.
As for purgatory, it is basically where we are made clean before our souls meet God. The suffering is not extreme (purgatory is not a mini-hell) and could be compared to taking a really hot bath: somewhat painful, but it gets us clean.
Purgatory does not deal with salvation, so your friend is right, a person in purgatory is saved and will go to heaven to be with Jesus. It does remove the punishment in this world we were due for our sin, but never got, and it removes our attachment to sin that we just couldn't shake on this earth. It is about what the Church calls "sanctification" or making holy.
A good analogy for purgatory is a person who works in the dirt all day and takes a bath to get clean before meeting the Queen of England. So much more for the King of the Universe! Our souls are purified and made holy in order to meet Jesus. Also, Benedict XVI, back when he was simply Cardinal Ratzinger, said purgatory may be something we simply experience near instantly rather than a temporal process.
Hope this helps. I was just discussing this topic with a friend yesterday, so it's fresh on my mind.
Thanks so much Jonathon for the explanation. It's not that it never made sense to me, as much as I just didn't really understand it. I can handle a hot bath.... lol.
I would love the websites re: The Rosary... Ive looked at a few but none of them really explain it very well to a natural blond like myself.
:)
Thanks for the reply! God Bless!
And uh, Steve, Happy New Year to you... for when it happens.
Jess!
Awww *hugs. It's perfectly fine to have all your questions, and we all have our flat moments.
I found it difficult to first pray the rosary properly, I had to ask Jonathan (I see you have met!) how to do it properly, later it became such a comfort, I felt really fulfilled and you may too, although it's not something you have to do.
There is no wrong way to pray, I talk to him in my mind every day, sometimes I say the wrong things and I find myself telling him "oh far out sorry bout that one" lol, I just consider him my invisible dad, so there is nothing to worry about with wrong prayers.
Jonathan also gives a good explanation of purgatory, it's our waiting place I suppose, better than waiting in a grave down in a hole right? ;)
Have you heard of the "New Saint Joseph Peoples Prayer Book"? It contains beautiful prayers for many situations, any time you feel like you havent got the words let me know and I shall send you a prayer to say from my book!
I know that there is an online Catechism somewhere I shall get back to you with the address if you would like it.
I hope today you feel less flat, many prayers for you to find a place closer to the city!
much love xxxx
Hey Chicky,
I was taught that by giving up your time to God by praying to him sort of makes you get to know him... the more you learn about him the more likely you will love him, then you may be more motivated to pray (like, imagine talking to someone regularly who you dont know very well).
Also, you sacrifice your time to be with him (even if its just a few minutes each day out of the 24 hours you have)...and therefore, In heaven, he will sacrifice his time to be with you!
God loves ppl who thinks of him and will reward them justly.
Jessica,
Here is a good website that explains how to do the rosary:
http://www.rosary-center.org/howto.htm
I can give you a step by step "how to" if this isn't helpful. Let me know. The rosary is a beautiful devotion and it's good you're pursuing it.
Thanks Jonathon, I appreciate your help greatly.
What I get confused about is the Mysteries thing. When it says "Announce First Mystery" for example, what does that mean, exactly?
My knowledge of a lot of the mysteries (as in bible passages ver batim) is a bit shaky, and so I wonder if that effects the power of my prayer and such...
Perhaps silly, but still things I worry about all the same.
Carmel, I haven't heard of that book, but I'll keep my eye out for it. I went in to this Christian book store yesterday and was taken aback by how rude the people who wered there were. I knew that the chances of finding what I wanted to find (Catholicism for dummies lol) was slim to none, but the Christian book stores I've been to before usually hold books like this in relation to all religions (not just Evangelical Christians but also Catholicis and Jewish as well) but oh well! I think my best bet with this stuff is amazon.
Thanks for the lovely comments, I really appreciate it.xxx
Catholicism for dummies is what I first used (through Jonathan, he has all the books, you must be wondering if I have any lol) and it answered so many questions, it was just what I needed. Too bad there were rude people who need a new job there. We don't have any Christian type bookstores in my town :(
Good luck with finding it though, be well,
much love xx
Thanks Carmel! I suppose Amazon is my best bet, huh? My credit card is getting so acquainted with Jesus lately! lol!
Hey Jess! Sorry for my delay in getting to your blog but I had such a crazy day yesterday!
I'm sorry to hear you were feeling a bit down with everything. Take comfort that whatever sufferings you endure, Christ has been there too, as has His Blessed Mother, and they can and will comfort you in a way that nothing else can.
The questions are really good ones! and don't worry about asking them, they are valuable in your faith journey!
I wont repeat what Jonathan & Carmel said.
As for the 'power' of prayer....I don't think that it is determined by the words you use. God reads our hearts and the desires of our soul and knows what we need better than we do! Just let your prayer be sincere and from the heart and full of hope and trust in Him...because they are the most powerful prayers!
with love, -x-x-x-
Jessica,
Each decade (or 10 beads) of the rosary will have a "mystery" of the life of Christ (or his Mother) attached to it. There are four categories of mysteries: joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous. Each has category has 5 mysteries in it and a full rosary will contemplate each mystery within the category.
When it says announce each mystery, that is where you will begin contemplating a new mytery within those four categories. For example, the joyful mysteries are: the annunciation, the visitation, the nativity, the presentation, and the finding in the temple. So, on the website I gave you, you'd do steps 1-4, then say "the Annunciation" and do 1 our father, 10 hail marys, and 1 glory be. Then you'd say "the Visitation" and do the same thing. You would repeat until you finished with "the finding in the temple." At that point you will have finished all the beads and would end with the prayers they give.
At the top of the page I gave you, they have links to each mystery with a good explanation of them and nice pictures. Here is something you may want to try:
http://www.virtualrosary.org/
It is great for helping learn the rosary. I was a convert and this helped me more than about anything.
God bless!
PS- I wrote this before morning coffee, so please excuse anything incorrect!!
Thank you so much for the expl. Jonathon!! :) It's a heap clearer! I'm gonna check the link you just gave me!
I appreciate your efforts to wrap my blond little head around it all :D
Jess
Praying is so personal! Advice seems always a little "off" since it comes from another person.
But I can tell you what an old man has learned...
God hears you the minute you turn your mind to Him. Doesn't matter if you're squinting your eyes, or shouting, or smiling, or hugging, or saying "Lord", feeling comfort or desolation. It is a holy and immediate privilege we all have. So really, all the extra things we add on are of our own doing, mainly driven by Pride.
It may help you to know that as I look back at God's answers to prayers spread out over a lifetime, they all have been answered in the best possible way.. sometimes in impossible ways :)
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