Praying

**Before I begin I want to say that I don’t think that my method is unique, or that it is the only way or even the right way, it is just what works for me.

When I pray and I am trying actually pray with something in mind, and not just being thankful, I normally begin with the Our Father and end with a Hail Mary.

The Our Father helps put me in the right frame of mind. Beyond being one of the first prayers I learned as a child and is therefore very comforting and familiar, it contains one of those phrases that I have tried (and tried again and tried again) to let guide my life, “Thy will be done.” I try to remember when I am praying that I am not praying to bend God’s will to mine, rather to bend my will to God’s. This can be hard when I am praying for something like someone getting better or something to happen in someone’s favor, but I find that the prayer itself can help with that. I usually find myself repeating, “Thy will be done,” a lot when I am praying about something especially difficult.

I end with the Hail Mary for a few of reasons as well. Again because it is probably the second prayer I learned as a child, so the comfort factor is there. The second reason is that Mary is the the perfect example of someone saying Thy will be done. The prayer gives me the courage that if she could do it against such odds I at least have a some hope. Third because Mary is a great intercessor. If she will pray on my behalf, could I really ask for anyone better to be praying for me?

I know that prayer is a highly personal thing and that everyone has their own way of doing it. As I said at the beginning this is just what I do and what works for me, and really I just wanted to share. I hope I you enjoy this look into my life.

-Jeff