Prayer/Conversation

Pray is such a good way to have a conversation with God. During prayer time I feel as though I am with God and He is teaching me through the Liturgy of the Hours office or through praying the Rosary as I concentrate on the Mysteries of His life. It helps me to realize all the He went through for me and all mankind. IF I am feeling bad or annoyed about something it is during prayer that He will allow me to realize the reason why I had a certain trial during the day. During prayer time for me is when He instructs me on how I should live and act towards others. St. Francis was in constant prayer and he was able to keep close to God in his life. Jesus was in constant prayer. He always took time to go off by Himself and speak with God no matter where he was. Also another great way to converse with God for me is when I do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I will say a few prayers and then I will keel or sit quietly for a while. It was had for me to do at first but after several times it got easier. I noticed that when i stay quiet and keep my mind set on God I will be able to hear Him in my heart helping me through what ever it is I am going through and then I have a lot of peace afterwards. For me that took a lot of time to learn how to stay that quiet and be able to listen not with my physical ears bu with he ears of my heart. Not easy to do but once you learn how to do this the council you receive is awesome. Prayer can change so many things in life but there are too many people who do not take the time for this type of conversation with God and thy are missing out on so much. Life can get busy with all our problems and distractions but when you truly take time to set aside for Him things will start to fall in place and He will start to guide you in directions you never thought possible. Pray often and then listen with your heart. Its amazing. Peace  T

Praying the Rosary

Praying the Rosary is one of my favorite prayers. It is another way to keep the Gospel on your mind. The Rosary is very Scriptural. Some people may say no its not or how can that be. Well lets look at each set of the four  Mysteries that make up the Rosary. The first set of Joyful Mysteries focus on the Annunciation of the Arch Angel Gabriel and the Birth of Jesus. His presentation in the Temple and Jesus being lost for three days. The second set of Mysteries are the Luminous Mysteries which focus on the Jesus's baptism, His first miracle of turning water into wine, His proclaiming of the Kingdom of God, His Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, and His Institution of the Eucharist. The third set of Mysteries are the Sorrowful Mysteries focus on His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Scourging of Jesus at the pillar, His Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross on His way to Mount Calvary and His Crucifixion on the Cross. The fourth set of Mysteries are the Glorious Mysteries which focus on Jesus's Resurrection on the third day, His Ascension into heaven, the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the Assumption of His Blessed Mother and the Coronation of His Blessed Mother. Praying Scripture throughout the week. What an awesome way to pray and think about the birth, life and death of our Lord. For me it helps to keep in mind how much God loves us that he sent His only begotten Son to us to teach us and directly and then give His life for us. If you are able to pray the Rosary along with each Scripture verse that corresponds with each Mystery you get more of an understanding of how the Rosary is in fact a Scriptural prayer. I also bet that once you start making the Rosary a part of your daily prayer, you will see a difference in your life. You will start to want to follow Jesus more and want to read Scripture more as well. What a beautiful way to contemplate Jesus. Pax et Bonum! T    

Life's Challenge as a Secular Franciscan

The challenges of life as a Secular Franciscan very at times. As an OFS we are called to live in the world but not be part of it. We are to live the Gospel in our secular state at all times.  In order to be able to do this you need to start the day with prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours is a great way to start and end the day. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the morning helps you to get focused on God and through out your day you will be able to keep God on your mind all day. Especially when your day gets to be very trying. As your day ends its a good idea to do an examination of conscience and then pray the Liturgy in the evening and it will help you to end your day with God again on your mind. Prayer and prayer and again prayer help to sustain our commitment as a Secular Franciscan and enables us to stay true to our commitment in the OFS.