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Leocea Forum Pro
Joined: July 14 2007
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Posted: Oct 24 2009 at 12:37pm | IP Logged
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I really want to start praying with my husband. We converted together in 2006, but do not pray together outside of grace and Mass.
For someone of so many words , I am finding it hard to approach him about this. I don't want to sound silly or weird, I guess.
I also feel that with so much going on, his mother on hospice, my grandmother ill, general life with a family of 7, etc., we could use the blessings prayer together would bring.
What would you suggest? I say a decade of the rosary daily, but am looking more for prayers to God or Jesus. My dh is not as comfortable with the rosary as I am, and I know when he prays, he prays to God or Jesus. Just not outloud, or with me.
Thank you!
Your sister in Christ,
Leocea
__________________ Your sister in Christ,
Leocea, wife to Ken, mom to KC 22, Caitlin 17, Malea 13, Mary Catherine 10,Elina Rose,6,Andrew,3 and Lauren Celine,1. Angels 5/05, 5/08, 2/11 and Cameron 7/26/11.
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JodieLyn Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006 Location: Oregon
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Posted: Oct 24 2009 at 12:44pm | IP Logged
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Well one way to approach someone with something like this.. is to simply ask them.. not tell them.
"I've been reading about how beneficial it is to pray together. Would you pray with me?" type of thing.
You can always start small and short with something you're both comfortable with like an Our Father, you dont' have to start elaborate.
__________________ Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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LLMom Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 19 2005
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Posted: Oct 24 2009 at 1:35pm | IP Logged
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You might suggest a novena or some other recited prayer first. SOme people tend to be uncomfortable praying "from the heart" together. I recently wrote a letter to my husband and mentioned praying again together because we had slipped away from it. He was very positive about it and then took the initiative to begin again.
__________________ Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
homeschooling ideas
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ekbell Forum All-Star
Joined: May 22 2009
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Posted: Oct 24 2009 at 3:01pm | IP Logged
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As for the how-to, Advent is a good time to start as there are plenty of prayer books and meditations available with a bit of hunting.
Our advent meditations have been something that I've been able to get my husband involved with (Light candles on the wreath, person leading chooses a prayer, read from scripture (Jesse tree), close with leader's choice of advent song)
An possible idea for continuing prayer together might be something based on the format of the Liturgy of the Hours as they are well suited for praying in company.
The Magnificat magazine offers good short morning, evening and night prayers focused on the mass readings and feasts of the liturgical year and loosely based on the format of the Liturgy of the Hours. As someone who was having trouble restarting praying the Liturgy of the Hours, I've found the Magnificat prayers doable and very enriching.
This site Daily Prayer edited by Fr Victor Hoagland has an even simpler weekly cycle of short morning and evening prayers. (The whole website is well worth looking over, particularly the children's prayer section.)
The Booklet Daily PrayersISBN 0882714475 also contains these weekly prayers if you would prefer book format.
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missionfamily Forum All-Star
Joined: April 10 2007 Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1859
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Posted: Oct 24 2009 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
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My husband and I have been blessed to have an active prayer life together since the early days of our courtship. Because of this we are now most often able to pray together spontaneously, alternating conversation, prayer, Scripture reading, and even praise songs.
But in even now we go through times when this type pf prayer is awkward or uncomfortable--in times when we are out of sync about a big issue or one of us is quite anxious. Since Bryce's death, I have had a difficult time praying spontaneously this way. I need a "crutch" to lean on. For us, this is the time we turn to the psalms. Reading them aloud, alternating verses between us, reciting the Glory Be together at the end--we read two or three at a time. Then we each go back and share the one verse that stood out to us and share why. THat usually gives us enough a glimpse into each other's hearts that conversation can flow from there. We end by praying for the intentions of one another's hearts. When we are able, we actually pray aloud spontaneously for one another. But if we are not comfortable on any given day, we simply offer the other person's intentions to the Lord, each reciting an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the other.
Hope this helps.
__________________ Colleen
dh Greg
mom to Quinn,Gabriel, Brendan,Evan, Kolbe, and sweet St. Bryce
Footprints on the Fridge
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SuzanneG Forum Moderator
Joined: June 17 2006 Location: Idaho
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Posted: April 10 2010 at 4:15pm | IP Logged
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I've had a couple conversations IRL about couples praying together, and I remembered this thread and thought I'd post a few of the on-line articles that have a variety of reasons, ways, methods, and resources:
::Catholic Herald Article
::Catholic.net Article
::Catholic Digest
::For Your Marriage
::Praying as a Couple
::Catholic Spritual Direction-Praying with your Spouse. And there are a couple other noteworthy "Marriage Posts" under the category Marriage Spirituality from this same blog.
A friend of mine recently brought this up to her husband by printing out one of the articles and giving it to him, which led to further conversation about it. I think it was this one: Catholic Marriage Resource Centre
And, I ran across this a couple months ago and wondered if anyone had ever heard about it or had this offered in their parish: Together with Jesus Couple Prayer Series. There is some more background information about it here.
__________________ Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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