Author Topic: Useless prayers.... (Read 2090 times)

spouse of Jesus · « **on:** November 15, 2010, 09:54:52 AM »

People say that God loves our salvation more than anything else. And that salvation comes through suffering. There is some thought that is occupying my mind nowadays:
Is it possible that God in his desire to give me a great salvation, gives me all pains and dark things?
I was sick and decided to pray, but then thought that God may never want to heal me, because he wants me to suffer and gain a better eternity.....
So my conclusion is that I should never pray (other than adoration, prayer for graces and faith etc.) as God never wants to give me any good thing.....
So when I decided to pray for a good marriage, this thought stopped me. As a good husband gives more happiness than suffering. So it seems that God would rather give me a bad husband so that I may have a better glory in heaven.
.............................
How can God wish us health if a better eternity comes through illness?
How can God wish us to have order, justice and charity when we can have a better eternity (=more suffering) without them?

Matthew · « **Reply #1 on:** November 15, 2010, 10:08:17 AM »

It's difficult to try to get inside the mind of God -- it's too grand of a project, and one that's doomed to failure.

God is good, and wants our good. He also will not put a heavier burden on us than we can bear (with His grace).

Though a faithful Catholic's life is not all roses, there are usually enough consolations (sometimes spiritual) to keep us going. God purifies us by sending consolations intermittently, sometimes taking away consolations to further purify us -- as we get more advanced.

But if you read the lives of the saints, you see that even saints who suffered much had some kind of consolation; they were filled with the love of God and they didn't mind any of their sufferings.

We shouldn't mind having some token of love to give to Jesus to show that we truly love Him and we're not just saying it.

Generally, the sufferings we have are the ones that are most "for us" since God tends to send us the suffering we need and can handle.

It is fine to pray for earthly goods; as long as we're detached enough to not get upset if we don't receive them. "Ask, and ye shall receive; Seek, and ye shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." God wants us to ask for what we need. It shows love and humility; both are pleasing to Him.

God bless,

Matthew

Belloc · « **Reply #2 on:** November 15, 2010, 11:22:39 AM »

Keep battling, Spouse, pray and keep out dispair.....trust me, been there, done that-a very dark place and one that :devil2: loves us to be in....

Belloc · « **Reply #3 on:** November 15, 2010, 11:26:52 AM »

"To us God speaks earthly things before speaking heavenly ones, because grace necessarily
builds on the nature which cannot reach beyond itself. Although operating on different levels,
earthly and heavenly things are intimately ordered to each other, like body and soul, and there are
strong analogies between them. St. Paul said the pagans who affect not to know the truth of God
have no excuse, because "God has manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him, from
the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: his eternal
power also, and divinity; so that they are inexcusable" (Rom. 1:19-20)."

http://ldolphin.org/geocentricity/Hertz.pdf

MyrnaM · « **Reply #4 on:** November 15, 2010, 01:42:58 PM »

There are no uselss prayers!

God does not give you what you can't handle.

Not sure about this, maybe someone else will come in and straighten me out, but I think unless you are in the state of grace, your works do not have merit.

My advice to you Spouse is to get Baptised, that should be your number one priority.

Stubborn · « **Reply #5 on:** November 16, 2010, 07:26:02 AM »

Quote from: spouse of Jesus

People say that God loves our salvation more than anything else. And that salvation comes through suffering. There is some thought that is occupying my mind nowadays:
Is it possible that God in his desire to give me a great salvation, gives me all pains and dark things?
I was sick and decided to pray, but then thought that God may never want to heal me, because he wants me to suffer and gain a better eternity.....
So my conclusion is that I should never pray (other than adoration, prayer for graces and faith etc.) as God never wants to give me any good thing.....
So when I decided to pray for a good marriage, this thought stopped me. As a good husband gives more happiness than suffering. So it seems that God would rather give me a bad husband so that I may have a better glory in heaven.
.............................
How can God wish us health if a better eternity comes through illness?
How can God wish us to have order, justice and charity when we can have a better eternity (=more suffering) without them?

A snip that seems to me pertinent from:
TRUSTFUL SURRENDER TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE (A remarkable book and short read too)
http://olrl.org/snt_docs/trustful/

.......Let me show you a good way to ask for happiness even in this world. It is a way that will oblige God to listen to you. Say to him earnestly: Either give me so much money that my heart will be satisfied, or inspire me with such contempt for it that I no longer want it.

Either free me from poverty, or make it so pleasant for me that I would not exchange it for all the wealth in the world. Either take away my suffering, or -- which would be to your greater glory -- change it into delight for me, and instead of causing me affliction, let it become a source of joy. You can take away the burden of my cross, or you can leave it with me without my feeling its weight. You can extinguish the fire that burns me, or you can let it burn in such a way that it refreshes me as it did the three youths in the fiery furnace. I ask you for either one thing or the other. What does it matter in what way I am happy? If I am happy through the possession of worldly goods, it is you I have to thank. If I am happy when deprived of them, it gives you greater glory and my thanks are all the greater.

This is the kind of prayer worthy of being offered to God by a true Christian. When you pray in this way, do you know what the effect of your prayers will be? First, you will be satisfied whatever happens; and what else do those who most desire this world's goods want except to be satisfied? Secondly, you will not only obtain without fail one of the two things you have asked for but, as a rule, you will obtain both of them..........

wallflower · « **Reply #6 on:** November 16, 2010, 10:51:49 AM »

Spouse, our salvation comes in many ways, not just through suffering. I've had that same train of thought and it's done nothing fruitful for me, except attempt to depress me and make me believe that God = pain, therefore stay away from God or from prayer.

But I realized that good health, good husbands and happy marriages, financial stability etc... also render many good graces to mold our souls to sanctity. Good health can make you more capable of doing your daily duty or doing spiritual and corporal works of mercy. A good husband will encourage virtue and good habits in the home and in the family. A happy marriage will bear the good fruit of happy, well-adjusted children on the stable path to spiritual perfection. These bear very good fruit!

Suffering, wherever it may originate, does teach us lessons that we don't always learn when all things go well for us, but that is only one side of the story. There are lessons we learn from things going well too. The emphasis on suffering is not because it is necessarily better for us. It's because we have a harder time desiring it or being resigned to it or knowing what to do with it, so we need to have it explained to us, often and in detail, that we should also be happy and peaceful and resigned in suffering. No one needs explanation on how to be happy and resigned when things are going well! So spiritual instructions tend to focus more on what to do when things are going badly and why they go badly.

wallflower · « **Reply #7 on:** November 16, 2010, 11:13:44 AM »

I was thinking about this and realized the irony of saying no one needs instruction on what to do with good situations and how they are helpful to us spiritually, while giving instruction on what to do with good situations and how they help us spiritually!

You need the instruction, I need it, by his post Belloc did too... I guess we do need it, it just doesn't seem to be as prevalent, or maybe people just don't talk about it as much, so it seems to be addressed less often.

OHCA · « **Reply #8 on:** November 26, 2010, 08:29:09 AM »

There is nothing wrong with praying for one's earthly burdens to be eased (good spouse, good health, financial stability, etc.) as one remains resolved to graciously accept God' will. I don't think it's necessary to articulate this if one has the proper perspective as God knows our minds. But if it makes you feel better, add to your prayers something like "These things I humbly ask, Father, but may Your will be done."

spouse of Jesus · « **Reply #9 on:** November 29, 2010, 11:42:33 AM »

But what if you need something which is impossible by laws of nature?

Catholic Samurai · « **Reply #10 on:** November 30, 2010, 09:42:23 PM »

Quote from: spouse of Jesus

But what if you need something which is impossible by laws of nature?

If you REALLY need it, God will provide it for you. But if you really dont need the planets realigned, then God will provide for you just what is sufficient.

spouse of Jesus · « **Reply #11 on:** December 01, 2010, 12:08:58 AM »