As the vocation director for the Bismarck diocese, it would seem that Fr. Tom knows about answered prayers. Bismarck has the second highest per capita vocations in the country, up from twenty-fourth in 2003 and twelfth in 2004.  But Fr. Tom would say it’s not a matter of God answering his prayers as it is for him to be answering God's will in his life.  They key to prayer, according to him, is to get out of the way.

Sustained attention to some prayers may be difficult, especially if they are long and often repeated. But this is hardly true of the Rosary, wherein is so much change and variety of thought in both the vocal and the mental prayers. Here the picture and the scene are constantly changing for us, and each one is so attractive and absorbing that we cannot take in its complete beauty and benefit before it is followed by another. And the prayers and mysteries are not repeated so often as to lose their objective freshness and interest.

Much, of course, will depend on our personal interest and liking. It is not hard or wearisome to fix our attention on what we like and in what we have a personal interest.  For example, if we really love a person, we want to know all we can about that person—his or her country, place of birth, home, circumstances, youth, maturity, life, activities, fortune, and the rest. It is a matter of common experience that we never tire recalling and thinking of these things when there is question of those we really love.

All this should apply pre-eminently to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. This is why the Rosary and its mysteries should have an ever-fresh interest and attraction for us. Moreover, thoughts and knowledge about holy people, places, and things tend to excite in us holy feelings and sentiments, and these in turn tend to express themselves in external holy actions and deeds.

Spiritual Riches of the Rosary, pp. 11-12
Charles J. Callan, OP & John F. McConnell, MM

“Silence is the environment that best promotes recollection, listening to God, meditation,” he told pilgrims gathered at his summer residence in the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles south of Rome.

“The very fact that a taste of silence leaves us, so to speak, to ‘fill’ the silence predisposes us to prayer.”

It is for this reason, noted the Pope, that monks and nuns have traditionally established their communities “in particularly beautiful places, in the countryside, in hills, in mountainous valleys, along lakes or seas, or even on small islands.”

“These sites combine two very important elements for the contemplative life: the beauty of creation, which refers to that of the Creator, and the silence guaranteed by their remoteness from the cities and highways of communication.”

The Pope charted the history of man’s quest for God – and God’s quest for man – conducted through silence and prayer.

From the Old Testament, he noted that God spoke to the prophet Elijah on Mount Sinai in “the gentle breeze” rather than through wind, earthquake or fire.

He then highlighted the thirteenth-century life of St. Clare of Assisi - whose feast day is tomorrow – observing how she created a community at San Damiano on the outskirts of Assisi, “living on prayer and small jobs.”

“God speaks in silence, but you need to know how to listen,” said the Pope. “For that, monasteries are oases in which God speaks to humanity; in them one finds the cloister, a symbolic place, because it is an enclosed space but open to the sky.”

Hence, when we are “looking at things from a spiritual perspective,” the spirit of monastic places actually provides the “backbone of the world!” he said.

Pope Benedict suggested it was “no coincidence” that so many people, especially during times of rest, choose to stay for a few days in convents or monasteries, since “the soul, thank God, has its own needs!”

The Pope then concluded his address by pointing to the Virgin Mary as the person who can best “teach us to love silence and prayer.” He finished the audience by leading pilgrims in the recitation of the Our Father and imparting his apostolic blessing.

Bernard of Clairvaux

1. Way of the Cross – contains colorful images and the traditional text of the fourteen Stations of the Cross.

2. Via Crucis – similar to the the application above, except that the prayers and meditations used in this app are from the Vatican website.

3. iConfess – a guidebook to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for Catholics.  It covers such important topics as the Ten Commandments, Examination of Conscience and the basics of confession (what, why, how).

4. Cards for Easter – a collection of 11 Easter cards that users can send out through email directly from the iPhone or iPod Touch.

5. iMissal – the first and so far the only Catholic Missal/Missalette app  for iPhone and iPod Touch. It features a full calendar of the liturgical seasons, the Mass readings for the whole liturgical cycle, over 50 of the most popular Catholic prayes and of course the Order of Mass.

by Fr. Stephen, MSC

Originally posted at: http://stephencuyos.com/