they were Jackie and Bobby angel with
ascension presents today we're going to
talk about forcing yourself to pray
creating that habit of prayer if it's
not the most exciting thing in your life
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you know it's it's in a world of shiny
things and beautiful technology
distractions distractions moral prayer
isn't always the top thing on our list
of things to do or the most exciting
things so how do we get a rhythm of
Prayer even if we don't I don't want to
its sacrifice sacrifices doing things
that you don't necessarily want to do
but you did them anyway that's that's
what love is and to love God there are
many times we don't want to pray there
are many times that we feel this aridity
this dryness in prayer good work I don't
wanna you know we turn we return to
being toddlers I'm like no I don't want
it right like we need to learn to be
children of God and not brat of brats of
God it's so much work the truth is it is
and you get out of it what you put into
it so it's just like it's like
exercising
I hate exercising I don't like
exercising my body you you're so good
you're so disciplined in that area not
me
well I was talking with the student one
day and he asked why do I have to go to
church why do I have to pray and he's an
athlete and so I told him do you always
want to go to practice
do you or are you always excited for
lifting after school he's like no I said
well well do you do it it's like well
yeah why do you do it because I know
it'll get better knowing that some days
you are excited you are looking forward
to it some days you're not sometimes
it's a grind and prayer often is that I
have to set aside nice shiny
distractions and you know easy to
consume material for something that does
take some work it does take some of my
heart to put into it and the more you do
it the more you will look forward to it
and the more you like like exercise the
more you do it the more it becomes a
part of who you are and just what you do
and you miss it when you don't do it
it's a beautiful place to get to when
you miss prayer if it's been a couple
days or you're not able to get to mass
for whatever reason it's a beautiful
thing when you really ache for God when
you really ache for that time in prayer
in prayer is a relationship it's a
conversation with God now in a
relationship in a marriage it's easier
because you're a physical human being
you're right here I know with God it's
it's different because we don't see God
necessarily we're like well I'm not
hearing God and I'm at and that's what's
beautiful about being Catholic is that
we have this
sacraments we have this physical we have
the the Eucharist we have these physical
things and that's why it God is so
brilliant for God to be like I'm gonna
give you these physical things of the
earth again to show my grace but even
there are times even if you don't hear
him I feel like God is so proud of us
until pleased in the times that we have
dryness that we don't hear him but we
come anyways the times that we don't
want to pray and we come because prayer
is this relationship and again I have we
said it before what kind of relationship
would a marriage be if we only talk to
each other once a week it would be a
terrible relationship or if we only
texted each other right it's like we
growing in prayer is learning how to
grow in this relationship with gods so
what are some things what are some
things that would help any kind of ward
system sometimes you've got to learn
delayed gratification and so you know
you'll puts himself impose limits I will
not surf the internet I want will not
use social media until I have read my
daily scripture until I have spent 15
minutes in prayer like sitting like okay
I cannot do the these other things until
I give my prayer in and then it becomes
a habit and it's something you will you
will look forward to but the first thing
you can do is to set aside the more
pleasurable things over here and say I
cannot and I'm not going to do that
until I've done my prayer another thing
that can help you get a rhythm of prayer
in place is doing it with another person
and by that I mean include someone else
in your goals because you know if you
want to exercise or do a marathon
usually it's you know you're asking
someone else to train with you or do the
race with you and so you will train with
them along the way to get to the goal so
the same thing with prayer if you're
really struggling to get a prayer of
routine off the ground ask someone else
to daily walk with you like hey let's
read the Gospel of Mark together can we
do a chapter a day and then we'll talk
about or text about it at the end of the
day hey let's do a rosary together let's
set an alarm on our phones so each day
we will pray at the same time and then
you know you check in on someone I was
able to read the Bible the whole thing
in a year for the first time ever
a couple years ago because I did with a
colleague at work and we were able to
daily talk about it and if if a day was
stressful and I forgot or got behind you
know we there's someone there to bounce
it off of instead of just well I failed
I'm gonna give up on this goal and then
the next year we did that together which
again helped me then to have
accountability so yeah if you're
struggling with with prayer bring
somebody else into it or join a Bible
study join and that could be online or
whatever it is you know invite other
people into that mother Teresa who had
an amazing prayer life she would I heard
that she would go to adoration right in
the morning like three hours like a
really long time but even she prayed
lord teach me how to love teach me how
to pray if she is asking to learn like
lord teach me how to pray on one girl
that I need to be praying that prayer Oh
ask God um teach to teach you how to
pray there's st. agustín's famous line
lord give me chastity but not yet
sometimes we don't want it we don't want
to achieve the goal that's on our hearts
oh we don't want to write we don't want
to exercise we don't want to pray and
sometimes we need to ask God like I
really don't want to pray I'm really not
feeling it but help me want to pray give
me the grace give me the grace give me
the desire to want to pray and I
guarantee you that's gonna start moving
on your heart and again that may be
walking in nature that may be walking
outside with your rosary that may just
again st. Paul says to pray without
ceasing it doesn't mean we have to drop
to our knees every you know every moment
every foot never get to our you know
destination or to our work it's every
moment to pause to to pray again with
with a cup of coffee to pray during a
stressful time at work or at home you
know changing clothes changing a diaper
you're like Lord be with me right now
and we will pray for you guys that God
gives you that grace to desire prayer to
have the discipline to pray and just do
it just do it do it thanks again for
watching please click on the links for
additional resources to deepen your
faith we pray it for you from all of us
at ascension presents god bless
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