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To: annalex
Prayer to saints is prayer to God.

No it isn't.

5,649 posted on 05/04/2006 7:12:21 PM PDT by Full Court
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To: Full Court; Salvation
This is a sketch of my prayer life. I pray the Rosary (with some modifications) daily, usually as I drive. This is a contemplative prayer as I contemplate the events of the Gospels, but the text that I actually speak is

- on some larger beads:

Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.

- on some larger beads:

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be: world without end, amen.

Oh Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls into heaven, especially those who have most need of Thy mercy

- on small beads

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus
Holy Mary, mother of God
Pray for us sinners now and in the hour of our death, amen.

I also repeat the Creed and on occasion the Act of Contrition, on the big heart-shaped bead. I don't think this is precisely how the Rosary is prayed, but this is how I got used to praying it.

I improvise a Grace prayer at meals, usually making reference to the events and situations around the family, and sometimes asking the saint of the day to pray for us.

I often pray to St. Francis whom I ask to teach me to better love my Church, teach me humility and teach me how to handle money (that part works great, as I am habitually broke)

I pray to St. Thomas Aquinas to open my mind to the scripture and to help me with Catholic apologetics that I practice, primarily, here. You'll be the judge how that works.

I pray to St. Michael the Archangel for help in situations of conflict.

I pray to Mary to convert me and my family to the heart of Christ.

I pray to the patron of the church I go to, St. Rose, as I pass her icon.

I do not usually verbalize these last three prayers.

I say "Lord God Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner" every now and then.

Irregularly I go to the weekly Latin Mass, which we conclude by elaborate prayers to Mary for Spiritual wants, Temporal wants, and the Prayer to Mary by St. Alphonsus, which we read from a booklet. They are similar in construction: they ask Mary to plead to Christ to grant us particular graces, be it for our spiritual development, relief, or to die a good death when the time comes. These three are a good material to shock and outrage a Protestant mariophobe, as they are fervent in style, address Mary by her numerous exalted titles, and place her firmly as our co-redeemer and chief dispencer of Christ's grace.

Obviously, the greatest prayer is said on my and everyone else's behalf by the priest in the course of the liturgy of the Mass.

These prayers play an important role in my formation as a Christian and I recommend something similar to everyone seeking to deepen his relationship with God.

A good prayer habit can be formed by following the Church calendar on the Internet and studying the lives of saints that fall on each day. Freeper Salvation can put you on her daily devotional thread. Beliefnet has a Saint of the Day e-mail newsletter.

5,710 posted on 05/05/2006 10:58:22 AM PDT by annalex
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