Men in Prayer | Honora Zen Monastery

Men in prayer: In the Zen monastery in Japan and Korea, we monks would recite the prayers together for several hours every day. Since the oral tradition of knowledge transfer is still preserved in the monasteries, this meant that the novices learned the prayers by heart by reading them out loud together. On the other hand, while reciting, the monks would simultaneously examine the meaning and meditate on it in order to realize it. This was the study in the monasteries.

In the small and icy attic of my parents' house (built in 1770) in Einsiedeln, I found the prayer books of my great-grandparents and grandparents in a dusty box. In gratitude I bow to my ancestors.

Mothers give life and fathers show the Way. Only in this way can we realize the right life. Mothers give us Life, Fathers show us how to die, they give us direction. Without Fathers, life grows uncontrollably in all directions. With one foot in chaos, with the other in order. This is how life and death harmonize and we manifest a truly meaningful work. Accept the pain, but not the guilt! So be it! (Father Reding)

Men In Prayer - My Grandfathers Prayer Book

I want men everywhere to have clean hands raised in prayer. (1. Tim. 2,8.)

Whoever thinks correctly, the intellect will surely lead him to God. And for those who have found God, the duty of prayer is self-evident. For recognizing God as Lord, his justice, omnipotence and goodness, that is the deeper meaning of prayer. In other words, the basis of every prayer is the confession of our dependence, inadequacy and need of help before God. A rational creature cannot meet its Creator in any other way.

But every praying person knows that this living relationship with God has to be worked out. The man prays differently than the child. His prayer also becomes more conscious, deeper, like an adult talking to God. Also, because faith also becomes more conscious, deeper and mature. But how often does it happen that this part is the most backward, undeveloped, the most important part of a person, especially a man.

The Prayer Book

A prayer book will help. But it cannot replace work and attention. You have to do it yourself. Purely oral prayer is dead, it is irreverence towards God if the soul does not come to it. The elevation to God. To be reverent is to pay attention to the words or the meaning of what is being said. We don't want to forget the precious help in prayer: Jesus Christ himself. He said we should pray in his name. We are to appeal to our heavenly Father to his merits because, according to St. Paul, he "always intercedes for us." He gives our prayer everything it lacks when done with good will and in his name.

But what does that mean when the Lord wants us to pray without ceasing? It can only mean that prayer and work, everything we do should be worship, an uninterrupted contact with God. The good opinion of doing everything in the service of God also makes everything prayer in the broadest sense of the word. He is the right man who worships in everything. His day is full and his evening a rich harvest.

Will of God and Persistence

And two more things belong here: submission to the will of God and perseverance. No prayer is lost. But we shouldn't be surprised if everything doesn't turn out the way we want it to. What God does is good, but not everything we consider good. We must surrender to God's will and persevere in prayer. If you take the time you need and don't overlook your outer attitude, you will help your prayer that it will be good, a prayer of the soul and of the body.

Let us listen to two women who had great experience in prayer

Whoever goes to prayer must be like a tiller. He must never tire in summer and good weather, so that he may have sustenance in winter and rainstorms. He shall have provisions so that he can live and not starve to death. For we must be prepared for the great storm of death and judgement. (Theresia von Avila)

Our Lord said to me: Pray with all your heart, inwardly, even if you don't like it very much! It's useful enough even if you don't feel it, even if you can't see it and think you can't. Because the dryness and emptiness, in sickness and weakness, I like your prayer very much, although you think you get nothing from it. All your living prayers are before my eyes. (Juliana von Norwich)