My Prayer Life

One of the things I've been reading about and researching quite a bit is prayer.  Since my first son was born, I've realized that the prayer life I had and was comfortable with was not enough.  I struggle with knowing God's will for me and trusting things to God's care.  The only way I'm going to get better with either of those things is through a deeper prayer life.

The evolution of my prayer life may be an interesting post.  It will have to wait for another time. 

As I've researched Catholic prayer, I've always wanted to know and am drawn to stories about how "normal people" pray.  In that vain, I thought people would find it interesting to know a little about how I pray.

I've got two favorite devotions right now.  The first one is the rosary.  Since I read the apostolic letter Rosarium Viriginis Mariae, my appreciation of the rosary has grown.  It has become my default prayer.  When I need to reset my prayer life, reconnect with God, or I truly need prayerful help, I turn to the rosary.

The other devotion that I've been working with for a while now is the Liturgy of the Hours.  This is known as the prayer of the church.  As I was researching Catholic prayer, I was drawn to the Liturgy of the Hours.  This is a very structured prayer.  It is prayed by religious and lay people all over the world and at every hour of the day.  I was drawn to the structure and the rigor that is associated with the Liturgy of the Hours (LotH).

When I started with LotH, I was tied up with the form and structure of the prayer itself.  I wanted to make sure that I prayed the words correctly.  I wanted to be "perfect" with my recitation of the prayer.  Even though I now view this early attempt as a somewhat shallow prayer effort, I also realize that the dedication I put in helped to build the devotion to the LotH into a habit.

Nine to twelve months into praying the LotH regularly, I started to feel like it was failing me.  I turned more to the rosary, asking for help.  I also stumbled upon an article in the Ligourian about praying the LotH.  The message conveyed to me from the article is that the LotH is a mechanism for putting oneself into prayer.  It is a way to focus our minds and thoughts on God so that he can draw us into himself.  Once I understood this, I didn't worry about how I prayed the prayers, if I happend to miss a prayer time, or if reading the words didn't seem very fulfulling.  I realized that if I put in my time for God, he would take the time to guide me.

Right now, I rely on the rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours for my prayer life.  These prayers help me put time in for God, and help me build my relationship with my Lord.

Introduction

I thought I should introduce myself and this blog.  My name is Darren Hale.  I'm Catholic.  The other critical component is that I'm a husband and father; at least, that's my vocation.  This combination doesn't sound very interesting at first glance, but this combination seems to occupy an awful lot of my brain power.

As I've progressed through life, I've noticed a lot about my faith and prayer life.  It occurred to me that sharing my thoughts may be helpful to others.  If nothing else, it will be a good way for me to "discuss" my thoughts without always bugging my wife.

There are a number of topics that I have roaming around in my head right now.  I'm hoping to get them on paper, if you will, over the next several weeks.  I hope you enjoy.