tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364291179591360226.post2434040605038083714..comments2010-08-29T00:29:36.354-04:00Comments on The Write Bunch: HC: Burying my head in the sand, or just under the blankies...The Write Bunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03727478282179080964noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364291179591360226.post-69832187593630892002007-10-29T14:25:00.000-04:002007-10-29T14:25:00.000-04:00RC: The minister at the church I attend gave a ser...RC: The minister at the church I attend gave a sermon shortly after 911. In the midst of wonderings why and blaming finger wagging and cries of being forsaken, she said merely that God did not promise to take away pain and ugliness and terrible, unthinkable things, He promised only to be with us. . .always. I think that God is like spending time with the people in your life with whom you are most intimate (spouse, children, whoever), sometimes you need to talk, sometimes you need to listen, and sometimes you just need to be still together. I have long struggled with what prayer is. I always felt like it was just me asking for stuff. But silent prayer, that is appealing because it means I can simply travel with God trusting in the silence that he knows what I need and I don't have to ask for a thing.The Write Bunchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03727478282179080964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364291179591360226.post-198851828905227262007-10-26T20:54:00.000-04:002007-10-26T20:54:00.000-04:00I pray in different ways for different things. So...I pray in different ways for different things. Sometimes (actually a lot of the time) I sing, sometimes I pray with words (conversationally or formal prayers like the rosary) and sometimes I pray without words.<BR/><BR/>The best thing to do when you're feeling a little bit gloomy (or worse) is to sing praise and give thanks to the One who loves you and called you into existence; the One who is Love itself. My mother sings a lot this way and I know this form of prayer saved her from falling into depression after my father passed away almost 6 years ago. She makes up her own songs. I'm not that creative. I sing Alleluias, different verses from the Psalms or other songs like that.<BR/><BR/>When I pray with words, I'm usually praying for my family, friends or other people for things like healing, mercy, protection, etc. Life is so unpredictable and there are lots of things that you don't have control over and that can really get you down or make you worry or just make you go crazy. I'm too little to carry that load so I just ask God to take over for me and I try to let Him do the heavy lifting. That helps a lot!<BR/><BR/>It's a little bit difficult to explain what I mean by praying without words. My whole life, even from the time I was a very small child, I've had a sense of a some kind of mysterious longing inside of myself. When I pray without words, I try to quiet myself and place myself in God's presence (or become more aware of God's presence) so that I can somehow "rest" in Him. I believe this longing is the restlessness that St. Augustine of Hippo wrote of in his famous passage from his "Confessions" which goes like this: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994579785559660525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364291179591360226.post-85411044484297216682007-10-26T15:07:00.000-04:002007-10-26T15:07:00.000-04:00HC replies: Do you pray for comfort, or direction,...HC replies: Do you pray for comfort, or direction, or answers? Does it help? If so, why? Thanks for commenting on the post.The Write Bunchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03727478282179080964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-364291179591360226.post-73401484824218940602007-10-24T21:12:00.000-04:002007-10-24T21:12:00.000-04:00Yes, life can be very scary and upsetting sometime...Yes, life can be very scary and upsetting sometimes and human reason simply cannot explain the mystery of evil. How does one cope when evil strikes close to home? It could be human evil as in the case of the attacks on the poor men that you mentioned or it could be something like the sickness or death of a child or other loved one. Just about everyone will experience some level of suffering in life, some more than others and then in the end, none of us gets out alive. Life is short and very fragile. I guess this is why I am someone who prays!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994579785559660525noreply@blogger.com