Prayer and technology

Prayer and the iPhone, iPad and Facebook

What a huge job this would be, getting it all digitized and setting it up so that you have everything available, proper reading, etc., at the correct times.

How nice not to have to haul the books with you, though the only difficult time, if you're being strict about praying it correctly, is when you're travelling and your travels take you away over the change between liturgical season, and you have to carry two volumes. Still, while I've prayed the Office online, and I'd be willing to pray it on the phone or iPod (or Kindle, if it were to be available) nothing beats the quiet beauty and tactile pleasure of using a book. The Divine Office pages (the 4volume edition at least) has these crisp, thing paper pages, that make praying it such a pleasure. No, I won't quit using the hard copy any time soon...

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A blogger I admire,

a man of wit and intellect, has had grief in his life:

Jim Akin, Sr., RIP

Please keep Jim Akin, Sr., Jimmy Akin, Jr., and all their family in your thoughts and prayers. May prayers of comfort fly to God's ears and bear His blessings to Jimmy and his family, and may Mr. Akin go quickly to God to rest forever in His light and love.

A struggle for many

Struggling with the Rosary

Any type of prayer can be a struggle. There are two hard things: one is to learn to focus your mind on what you're doing (prayer isn't empty, rote words or thoughts, and even centering prayer has a focus) and the second one, the biggest one, is to just sit down and do it. That's really the toughest one. Prayer doesn't mindlessly entertain like television or the internet. You have to do it.

Leaving Obama to his privacy...

A Niche of a Prayer in a Vulnerable Place

"Prayers given and stolen at the Wailing Wall "

Oh, well...

US bishops reject proposed translation of Roman Missal

That'll stall it for a few years past the November meeting...

A party balloon flight

Brazil priest vanishes on balloon flight

Bless him, Lord, and let him be found safely.

(Even if I think these sort of stunts are foolish in the extreme. That could just be my natural inclination to self-preservation talking...)

Jimmy does Aramaic

Here's an interesting post by Jimmy Akin regarding the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic. Not everyone will be interested in it, but an old semitic languages researcher finds it way cool...

The Our Father In Aramaic

I dunno

I get some new-agey vibes off of this (talking about being 'a channel for Universal Love and Peace', using the prayer as a 'mantra' and the fact that this person is self-described as a 'healer' among other things, but it wouldn't hurt for more people to be aware of the prayer and it is important that we treat people with the greatest love and respect.

Speaking of Saint Francis

Estonian for Everyone

Have you ever wondered about the history of Estonia? Have you wondered about their language and prayers?

Catholic Prayers in the Languages of the World The Christian Roots of the Peoples of Europe: Estonia

Have you ever wondered why I post things like this?

A Christmas Prayer

Lord Jesus, you are the eternal Logos, through whom all things came into being, you come to us as a child from Bethlehem - the house of bread. Lord Jesus, you are the Bread of life, you are the Light of the world, free us from darkness of sin, and feed us so we may not perish, we ask so much sometimes, but we have no one else to turn to. We surrender to your crib, on our knees, adoring you as the shepherds did. We sing to you, with the angels, the unimaginable glory of your Birth, Word made flesh; you are the Savior of the World. Amen.