Danke sehr!

I don't know why you addressed #157 on Thread 136 to me but just so ya know, I've given up any and all popeships for lent and beyond.

I gotta quit reading posts from the bottom to the top of the page instead of top to bottom. It would be easier to follow the conversations.

Looks like going by your interpretation, a person would be allowed to say the Lord's Prayer only once in his entire life.

Would that be a bad thing? The Lord's prayer teaches us how to pray. Was never meant to be a prayer in and of itself.

bump

Would that be a bad thing? The Lord's prayer teaches us how to pray. Was never meant to be a prayer in and of itself.

What about saying, "Praise the Lord!" Does this constitute a prayer? Can we say this more than once?

Does your family say grace at dinnertime? Is it always a new, spontaneous prayer, or is at least part of it a standard mealtime prayer?

...vain repetitions as the heathen do.

The key is "vain" not "repetitions." I believe that saying the rosary is exactly what this verse points to. As I said before, given human nature, the repeating of a prayer repetitiously such as this it has to loose it's meaning. The human brain cannont keep focused that long especially when repeating the same words over and over, the mind will drift off some to think of other things while the sub concious can continue repeating the prayer even out loud, hence it looses it's meaning and the intent it was meant for. But to repeat the Lord's prayer on occassion, not over and over at one sitting, would not be "vain repetitions." IMO:)

Becky

What about saying, "Praise the Lord!" Does this constitute a prayer? Can we say this more than once?

I find "Praise His Holy Name" four time in Psalms:

Ps. 30:4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise His Holy Name.

Ps. 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise His
Holy Name.

Ps. 103:1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His
Holy Name.

Ps. 145:21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every
creature praise His Holy Name for ever and ever.

XeniaSt

The human brain cannont keep focused that long especially when repeating the same words over and over, the mind will drift off some to think of other things while the sub concious can continue repeating the prayer even out loud, hence it looses it's meaning and the intent it was meant for

Are you speaking for all humans or just for you?

Does your family say grace at dinnertime?

Yes

Is it always a new, spontaneous prayer, or is at least part of it a standard mealtime prayer?

Whatever comes to mind. We don't consciously repeat ourselves.

Whatever comes to mind. We don't consciously repeat ourselves.

I'm sure there are common elements, though.

OK, what about hymns in church? We agree that sung hymns are a form of prayer? Does your choir improvise every tune?

Actually, I think Becky provided a reasonable answer to this issue in her #10, above.

What about saying, "Praise the Lord!" Does this constitute a prayer? Can we say this more than once? Does your family say grace at dinnertime? Is it always a new, spontaneous prayer, or is at least part of it a standard mealtime prayer?

The Lord's prayer was meant to be instruction. Jesus taught us. Are you now taking Him seriously?

I'm speaking of all humans. Are you going to deny that your mind does not drift some when saying the rosary? that some time you are not doing it by rote, are simply denying you are human?:)

Becky

God will grant understanding to those who truly want it

So I guess Catholics don't really want it and that is why they leave it to the pope to deal with? If you truly believe what you said why not just read it for yourself? Why rely on the pope?

Becky

Ge. 29:35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she
said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him
Judah. [Judah sounds like and may be derived from the
Hebrew for praise.] Then she stopped having children.

1Ch. 23:30 They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise
the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening

Ps. 26:12 My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will
praise the LORD.

Ps. 104:35 But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no
more. Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD.
[Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the
beginning of Psalm 105.]

Ps. 105:45 that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise
the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah]

Ps. 106:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 48]
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures
for ever.

Ps. 106:48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to
everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the
LORD.

Ps. 111:1 [This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with
the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.] Praise the
LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah] I will extol the LORD with all
my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

Ps. 112:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah] Blessed is the man
who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his
commands.

Ps. 113:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9]
Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the
LORD.

Ps. 113:9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother
of children. Praise the LORD.

Ps. 115:18 it is we who extol the LORD, both now and for evermore.
Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah]

Ps. 116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD — in your midst, O
Jerusalem. Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah]

Ps. 117:2 For great is his love towards us, and the faithfulness of the
LORD endures for ever. Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu
Yah]

Ps. 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.

Ps. 135:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verses 3 and
21] Praise the name of the LORD; praise him, you servants of
the LORD,

Ps. 135:20 house of Levi, praise the LORD; you who fear him, praise the
LORD.

Ps. 146:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 10]
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Ps. 146:10 The LORD reigns for ever, your God, O Zion, for all
generations. Praise the LORD.

Ps. 147:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 20]
How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and
fitting to praise him!

Ps. 147:20 He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his
laws. Praise the LORD.

Ps. 148:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 14]
Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights
above.

Ps. 148:14 He has raised up for his people a horn, [Horn here symbolises
strong one, that is, king.] the praise of all his saints, of Israel,
the people close to his heart. Praise the LORD.

Ps. 149:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9]
Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of
the saints.

Ps. 149:9 to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the
glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD.

Ps. 150:1 Praise the LORD. [Hebrew: Hallelu Yah; also in verse 6]
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Ps. 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the
LORD.

Do you think the L-rd wants us to Praise Him?

XeniaSt

"So I guess Catholics don't really want it and that is why they leave it to the pope to deal with? If you truly believe what you said why not just read it for yourself? Why rely on the pope?"

Ah, Becky. So contentious. I converted to Catholicism because my understanding of Scripture -an understanding I believe to be from God- led me to the realization His Son had founded a Church on this Earth which was a treasure trove of understanding and wisdom found in both the Bible and Tradition. I became a Catholic because I read John Chapter 6. I became a Catholic because it became apparent to me the very earliest Christians also believed in the Real Presence, Baptism as a Sacrament, Confession, etc. I became a Catholic because I became firmly convinced Protestant interpretations of Scripture which didn't exist for the first 1500 years of history were wrong. I became a Catholic for a whole hosts of reasons.

I didn't become a Catholic to "rely on the Pope," nor to avoid 'reading the Word,' myself. Again, just a bit arrogant on your part.

I'm speaking of all humans. Are you going to deny that your mind does not drift some when saying the rosary? that some time you are not doing it by rote, are simply denying you are human?:)

Any time I pray if I don't make a conscious effort to block out distractions my mind can drift. So when I first started praying the rosary absolutely my mind would drift. However, after some practice and self discipline I don't find it difficult to contemplate the mysteries when I pray. I find it helpful when I am praying the rosary in Church to focus on the Crucifix over the altar. When I am praying at home I have a "quiet room" for prayer and contemplation.

It's alot easier now that my kids are gone.