[roamer]

fishtank

Would one or more of you please share your knowledge of a correct way to "pray". I stay with the Mass, rosary and Divine Mercy prayers. Outside of that I'm afraid to venture.

Over time, (in the past) I have heard sermons or read articles of what the 'Our Father' really says, but of course when you're looking for something you can never find it *s*. I hang onto the 'Our Father' because it's in the Bible, Mass, and "forgive us our trespasses, *as* we forgive those who trespass against us," (<-- that statement alone gives me chills, but when I am having a problem I go over and over this one line (sometimes for days on end) and it really helps me to forgive.)

Thank you for posting the article on "centering prayer", for me this is not the right way. I know not to "empty" my mind and "open the door".

I do not post very often, but I do read most of the post in the "religion" section at Free Republic. (funny, I get more from here than I do in most the Churches in my area)

Thank you in advance.

roamer

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Tan Books has several books on prayer, two I noticed by St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. Francis de Sales.

http://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:browse/category_id/26/

[fishtank]

I can't do much better than what Cobol2Java wrote in #30.

"The important difference with St. Teresa of Avila is, as a Carmelite, she had a grounding in the Rule of St. Albert, which first and foremost emphasizes Sacred Scripture:

Each one of you is to stay in his own cell or nearby, pondering the Lord's law day and night and keeping watch at his prayers unless attending to some other duty. The Carmelite Rule of St. Albert, Chapter 11"

One could start with the Lord's Prayer, and then from there study every single prayer mentioned in the New Testament. (The Gospel of John is a great place to start, especially with the 'High Priestly Prayer' of Jesus where He was praying in the garden.

One thing also, I agree with so many of the others here who have said that contemplative prayer is NOT 'centering prayer'.

"Be still and wait on the Lord" is NOT getting "in touch with the God within you".