July 4, http://www.tribtimes.org
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William Zambrano MD
Jul 3, 2025, 3:59:47 PM7/3/25
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(1Th 5:17) Pray without ceasing.
CRUX: Prayer is not easy: It can be a ‘battle’ by Father Jeffrey F. Kirby
While there are three main types or categories of prayer – vocal, meditative, and contemplative – there is a single battle for prayer. In every age, it’s a challenging task for fallen humanity to humble itself, lift its head, and seek divine wisdom and assistance.
In short, prayer is not easy.
After describing the different types of prayer, the third chapter of part four of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, moves to article two and begins to explain the battle of prayer.
The use of the term “battle” might surprise some people. It can sound like an exaggeration, but it certainly is not. The task of dying to ourselves, surrendering to God, and seeking to truly pray to him is an intense and constant battle. It is a profound – and sometimes anguishing – act of humility. And so, the “battle” language is as severe and uncomfortable as it is real and honest.
Prayer is not always a walk in the park. It oftentimes takes us to the mat of a spiritual wrestling match between ourselves and God. At times, we don’t want to wrestle. We just want to do whatever we prefer. Overcoming this impulse take great effort. The Catechism explains: “Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort.” A help and motivation for prayer is the realization that it is ultimately a response to God ‘s love for us. Our response, therefore, must also be one of love, which involves the will. There are times when we will not want to pray. There are moments when we just want to figure things out on our own. There are situations in which we want to walk our own path.
As surprising as it can be, there are times and scenarios in which we would rather talk to ourselves than to God. We favor a self-monologue over a dialogue with God.
These inclinations show us our fallenness and the rough part of our nature that wants to reject divine assistance and do things our way. In our fallenness, however, we are called to dig deep, love selflessly, and turn to God in spite of ourselves.
In our efforts to pray, we are not alone. There are many who have gone before us in faith who stand as models and exemplars of prayer. We see we can be inspired by them. We can also turn to them and ask their intercession. We can learn from their holy example.
As we look to these masters of the spiritual life, their holy lives emphasize the raw truth: Prayer is a struggle.
The Catechism teaches: “The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle.”
FATHER KIRBY: There is no wasted time when it comes to prayer
BLOG: Desert Fathers, Teach Us to Pray!
The Tradition of reciting The Jesus Prayer is referenced as early as 270 AD, in monastic communities, and was first introduced and practiced by the Desert Fathers.
The Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner”. This simple prayer combines adoration of the Glory of God with humble recognition of our sin.
The Jesus Prayer is a form of meditation, without relying on mental images or intellectual understanding but focusing on being attentive; recognizing the continual Presence of God, listening intently for His Response, and recognizing His Action in our lives. The intention of this prayer is to pursue holiness (through humility and purification) and union with God, rather than attaining insights into theological Truths.
The Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me” is a statement of Faith, confession of sin, and a plea for God’s Mercy, all at the same time. Through simple and constant repetition of this prayer, we try to maintain awareness that we are in God’s Presence. We are to prioritize attention with the heart over the mind. We are encouraged to recite the prayer thoughtfully and intentionally, without bringing to mind a visual image, and believing that the Lord sees us and listens to us at all times.
MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT: On Unceasing Prayer
Abba Zeno said, ‘If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.’
Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 1- "On Renunciation of the World"
1 (cont.). By friends of God, dear and holy father, we simple people mean, properly speaking, those noetic and incorporeal beings which surround God. By true servants of God we mean all those who tirelessly and unremittingly do and have done His will. By worthless servants we mean those who think of themselves as having been granted baptism, but have not faithfully kept the vows they made to God. By those estranged from God and alienated from Him, we mean those who are unbelievers or heretics. Finally, the enemies of God are those who have not only evaded and rejected the Lord's commandment themselves, but who also wage bitter war on those who are fulfilling it.
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
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July 4, 2025(1Th 5:17) Pray without ceasing.
CRUX: Prayer is not easy: It can be a ‘battle’ by Father Jeffrey F. Kirby
While there are three main types or categories of prayer – vocal, meditative, and contemplative – there is a single battle for prayer. In every age, it’s a challenging task for fallen humanity to humble itself, lift its head, and seek divine wisdom and assistance.
In short, prayer is not easy.
After describing the different types of prayer, the third chapter of part four of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, moves to article two and begins to explain the battle of prayer.
The use of the term “battle” might surprise some people. It can sound like an exaggeration, but it certainly is not. The task of dying to ourselves, surrendering to God, and seeking to truly pray to him is an intense and constant battle. It is a profound – and sometimes anguishing – act of humility. And so, the “battle” language is as severe and uncomfortable as it is real and honest.
Prayer is not always a walk in the park. It oftentimes takes us to the mat of a spiritual wrestling match between ourselves and God. At times, we don’t want to wrestle. We just want to do whatever we prefer. Overcoming this impulse take great effort. The Catechism explains: “Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort.” A help and motivation for prayer is the realization that it is ultimately a response to God ‘s love for us. Our response, therefore, must also be one of love, which involves the will. There are times when we will not want to pray. There are moments when we just want to figure things out on our own. There are situations in which we want to walk our own path.
As surprising as it can be, there are times and scenarios in which we would rather talk to ourselves than to God. We favor a self-monologue over a dialogue with God.
These inclinations show us our fallenness and the rough part of our nature that wants to reject divine assistance and do things our way. In our fallenness, however, we are called to dig deep, love selflessly, and turn to God in spite of ourselves.
In our efforts to pray, we are not alone. There are many who have gone before us in faith who stand as models and exemplars of prayer. We see we can be inspired by them. We can also turn to them and ask their intercession. We can learn from their holy example.
As we look to these masters of the spiritual life, their holy lives emphasize the raw truth: Prayer is a struggle.
The Catechism teaches: “The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle.”
FATHER KIRBY: There is no wasted time when it comes to prayer
BLOG: Desert Fathers, Teach Us to Pray!
The Tradition of reciting The Jesus Prayer is referenced as early as 270 AD, in monastic communities, and was first introduced and practiced by the Desert Fathers.
The Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner”. This simple prayer combines adoration of the Glory of God with humble recognition of our sin.
The Jesus Prayer is a form of meditation, without relying on mental images or intellectual understanding but focusing on being attentive; recognizing the continual Presence of God, listening intently for His Response, and recognizing His Action in our lives. The intention of this prayer is to pursue holiness (through humility and purification) and union with God, rather than attaining insights into theological Truths.
The Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me” is a statement of Faith, confession of sin, and a plea for God’s Mercy, all at the same time. Through simple and constant repetition of this prayer, we try to maintain awareness that we are in God’s Presence. We are to prioritize attention with the heart over the mind. We are encouraged to recite the prayer thoughtfully and intentionally, without bringing to mind a visual image, and believing that the Lord sees us and listens to us at all times.
MONASTERY OF CHRIST IN THE DESERT: On Unceasing Prayer
Abba Zeno said, ‘If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.’
Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 1- "On Renunciation of the World"
1 (cont.). By friends of God, dear and holy father, we simple people mean, properly speaking, those noetic and incorporeal beings which surround God. By true servants of God we mean all those who tirelessly and unremittingly do and have done His will. By worthless servants we mean those who think of themselves as having been granted baptism, but have not faithfully kept the vows they made to God. By those estranged from God and alienated from Him, we mean those who are unbelievers or heretics. Finally, the enemies of God are those who have not only evaded and rejected the Lord's commandment themselves, but who also wage bitter war on those who are fulfilling it.
Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerR...@aol.com
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.
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