How to Pray
April 30, 2019
Prayer can be a request, a supplication, an expression of thanks, of praise, of fear, of assurance, of reassurance, of contrition, or product of a feeling or state that is difficult to put into words. PrayDays is designed to be guideline or foundation for daily supplication and intercession. It is not a primer for how, when, where or why to pray – or what to pray for.
For some faiths, there are different types of prayer and certain times to pray:
People of Bahá'í faith have two distinct types of prayers:
- Standard prayers are used by Bahá'ís at meetings to bring forth appropriate attitude of true adoration. The prayers are for general use, marriage and community life.
- Obligatory prayers are private daily prayers of religious obligation for all Bahá'ís from age 15 into adulthood. For Obligatory prayers, Bahá'ís recite: a short prayer once every 24 hours between noon and sunset; a medium prayer in the morning at noon and in the evening; a long prayer once every 24 hours.
According to the Catholic faith, there are Four Basic Forms of Prayer:
- Blessing and Adoration (praising God)
- Prayer of Petition (asking for what we need, including forgiveness)
- Prayer of Intercession (asking for what others need)
- Prayer of Thanksgiving (for what God has given and done)
In Islam, every Muslim above the age of seven is required to perform five daily ritual prayers, called salat.
- The first prayer takes place before sunrise.
- The second prayer is at midday.
- The third prayer is at mid-afternoon.
- The fourth prayer is after sunset.
- The fifth prayer is when the sky grows dark.
PrayDays incidentally offers daily prayer practices that are similar to that of each aforementioned faith. Whether you use it as your guide, follow that of other faiths or come up with your own means of supplication, prayer can be a key part of your everyday life.
Sources
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/bahai/customs/prayer_1.shtml
https://www.bostoncatholic.org/Being-Catholic/Content.aspx?id=11444
http://pluralism.org/religions/islam/the-muslim-experience/salat-daily-prayers
Meditation
October 22, 2018
Some people say you should engage in prayer and meditation. But what is meditation?
Here is how Yoga International defines meditation
Meditation is a precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from the normal waking state. It is the means for fathoming all the levels of ourselves and finally experiencing the center of consciousness within. Meditation is not a part of any religion; it is a science, which means that the process of meditation follows a particular order, has definite principles, and produces results that can be verified.
The Chopra Center said that the exact date of meditation’s origins is unknown, but it’s been around for about 5,000 years. Chopra Center said that the earliest documented records of meditation stem from the teachings of the Vedas in ancient India.
According to FreeMeditation.com, meditation can be an effective form of stress reduction and has the potential to improve quality of life and decease healthcare costs.
Meditation classes are offered in health clubs and centers worldwide and is available online and on apps.
Sources
http://www.freemeditation.com/meditation-basics/
https://yogainternational.com/article/view/the-real-meaning-of-meditation
https://chopra.com/articles/history-meditation
Remember Single Parents in Prayer
October 22, 2018
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KidsCount Data Center, in 2016 — more than 24 million kids in the U.S lived in homes with just one parent present. The Data Center also found in 2016, 32% of single-parent families with children were living in poverty versus just 7% of two-parent families.
The UK media outlet the Daily Mail reported in 2018 that stress associated with bringing up children alone meant single mothers who had a child before age 20 were more likely than women with a spouse or partner to suffer poor health in later life. The stress of bringing up children alone means single mothers are more likely to suffer poor health in later life, warns a new study. The Daily Mail pointed to a Harvard study that surveyed women in several countries. Researchers found that in every country studied, single mothers tended to have their children younger and be less well off than women who stayed married when they had children.
A University of Texas Southwestern study found that single parents feel of stress of having much to do, little time to do it and often not enough money to support themselves and their children.
Remember single parents in prayer.
Sources
Pray for the Homeless
October 22, 2018
A 2017 Yale University Global Online article found that that according reports, about 150 million people are homeless worldwide (2 percent of the world’s population). The article also stated that about 1.6 billion people may lack adequate housing – about 20 percent of the world’s population.
Huffington Post reported in 2017 that according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 25 percent of homeless people in the U.S. are children. On any given night, HUD said, more than 138,000 of the homeless in the U.S. are children under the age of 18, and thousands of those children are unaccompanied.
Remember the homeless in prayer.
Sources
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/ten-facts-about-homelessn_b_5977946.html
https://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/cities-grow-worldwide-so-do-numbers-homeless