What is a "Holy Hour"?

The holy Hour is an hour (roughly sixty minutes) spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament - as we firmly believe in the real presence of the Lord there. The Holy Hour is the literal answer and positive response to the question of the suffering Jesus at the "Garden of Olives" (Gethsemane), a question addressed to St. Peter. "Aren't you capable of watching (staying awake) with Me for One Hour?" So the Church, fostered this devotion to Christ Present in the Blessed Sacrament, especially on Thursday evenings (to remember the Holy Thursday) and on the Holy Week Thursday. The Franciscan Fathers at Gethsemane celebrate the "Holy Hour" every Thursday evening with prayers, hymns, remaining awake with the suffering Jesus. (see also Hebrews 5:7)

Advent Week 1: The Candle of Hope “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) Christmas is coming! There are loved ones to see, gifts to give, baking to share. We prepare our homes for the celebration. Yet even more important than this outward preparation is the preparation of our heart. The Advent season is a beautiful reminder to prepare our hearts, as we prepare our homes, to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus! Today we light the first of the four candles in the Advent wreath, the candle of Hope. Is your heart filled with hope? Do you have a confident expectation of your tomorrow? What happens when the road ahead is filled with loss and stress weighs your shoulders down? When confident expectation in life’s tomorrow dwindles, what can you do? How can you walk in hope when you feel hopeless inside? In one word the answer to confident expectation is “JESUS”…the Jesus of Christmas. Hope in Jesus comes from more than just a belief that He was once a baby in a manger. This hope in Him has been called “an anchor for the soul”. It is something deep within that secures you through the storms of life. Putting your hope in Jesus will give you these four things. Hope for Help We are invited to come to Him and confidently ask for help. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Hope to Overcome Things that leave one feeling powerless and hopeless come in many forms. With Christ’s strength you can overcome great obstacles, and faith in Jesus gives hope and help to overcome. 1 John 5:4 says, “and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4) Hope for Power Sometimes in life we find ourselves with a task that simply looks too big for us. We do not just need a cup of God’s strength added to our own; rather we need His strength in us to do what we need to do. He will give it! 2 Corithians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Seeing our weakness as the entry point of God’s strength gives access to His power! Hope for Eternity When we put our faith and hope in Jesus, it not only gives us help, strength and power where we walk today but it also gives us hope for life after death. It is a confident expectation of the ultimate “tomorrow”. The God of Hope sent His son to be our Savior. He is only one prayer away. If you want the confident expectation of His strength and wisdom in your today and His help and hope for your tomorrow, you need only ask. Just tell Him… Prayer & reflection Dear God, I have gone my own way and have put my hope in so many things that have disappointed me. Thank you that you sent Jesus, that first Christmas long ago, to be my Savior. I believe He came for me. Forgive me and come into my life today. Show me how to live in the confident expectation of how You can impact my life, my character and my circumstances. I place my hope in You right now and ask You to make Yourself known to me in my life right where I walk. I thank you. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen Questions: How do you feel going into this Christmas season? Excited? Scared? Joyful? Lonely? Worried or delighted? How will you invite God’s hope into your situation?>

Whar are the common objections to prayer?

Sometimes we have erroneous notions of prayer. Some people view prayer as a mental activity, others as an effort of concentration. Still others reduce prayer to ritual words and postures. Many Christians unconsciously regard prayer as an occupation that "takes up time". Thus they are quickly discouraged. sometimes the mentality of this present world can penetrate our lives if we are not vigilant. For example, some think that only what can be verified by reason and science is true; yet prayer is a mystery that overflows both our conscious and unconscious lives.Others overly prize gains and profit; thus prayer, being unproductive, is useless. Still others exalt sensuality and comfort as the criteria of the true, the good, and the beautiful;whereas prayer,the "love of beauty" (philokalia), is caught up in the glory of the living and true God. Finally, some see prayer as an escape from reality; but in fact,Christian prayer is not a divorce from life. Finally, sometimes one confronts what we experience as "failure" in prayer: discouragement during periods of dryness and sadness if we have not been heard according to our own will; wounded pride, stiffened by the indignity that is ours as sinners; our resistance to the idea that prayer is a free and unmerited gift; and so forth. The conclusion is always the same: what good does it to pray? To overcome these obstacles, we must battle to gain humility, trust, and perseverance. [See:CCC2726-2728]

What are the common hindrances to prayer?

Distraction is the habitual difficulty in Prayer. It takes our attention away from God and can also reveal what we are attached to. Prayer presupposes an effort, a fight against ourselves and the wiles of the Tempter. A simple way of overcoming distractions is to turn our hearts back humbly to the Lord. Sometimes prayer is affected by dryness. Dryness belongs to contemplative prayer when the heart is separated from God, with no taste for thoughts, memories, and feelings, even spiritual ones. Overcoming this difficulty allows us to cling to the Lord in faith. even without any feeling of consolation. If dryness is due to the lack of "roots", because the word has fallen on rocky soil, the battle requires conversion. Other frequent temptations that threaten prayer are lack of faith and acedia. Prayer is the moment of truth for the heart: what is it real love? Sometimes we turn to the Lord as a last resort, but do we really believe he is? Acedia is a form of spiritual laziness due to decreasing vigilance and a carelessness of heart.[See CCC 2732-2733] WHENEVER I START PRAYING, BAD THOUGHTS ENTER MY MIND WHICH FORCE ME TO SIN AGAINST THe ALMIGHTY. I FEEL THAT SOMEONE IS TRYING TO STOP ME FROM PRAYING, ESPECIALLY SINCE I LED A BAD PAST. WHAT SHOULD I DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN PRAYER? If you feel you had led a bad past,reconcile yourself with God with a good Confession. Don't worry about the "bad thoughts" that come to you during your prayer. These are seeds of distraction sown by Satan who doesn't want you to pray. What is important is not that pray well, but that you give to God your special time of prayer. Even after 15 minutes of prayer if you feel that you didn't pray successfully, don't worry, what is important is that you have decided to dedicate at least 15 minutes to God daily.

What pitfalls must we avoid whilst praying?

Really speaking,what can be simpler than prayer? Its spontaneity is, however, taken away at times by the use of excessively complicated methods, which draw too much attention to themselves and not enough to God, whom the soul should seek. Jesus said, "When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites who love to pray standing in the synagogues and at the street corners in order that they be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your room, and closing your door,pray to your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you..." "But in praying, do not multiply words as the gentiles do; for they think that by saying a great deal, they will be heard. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. In this manner therefore shall you pray: "Our Father...." (Mt.6:5-13)

Why do we sometimes think our petition has not been heard? How is our prayer heard, how is it "efficacious"?

Sometimes "we do not know how to pray as we ought" (Rom.8:26). Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him, but he awaits our petition because the dignity of his children lies in their freedom.to be able truly to know what he wants. "If any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him." (Jn.9:31) and Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Sometimes we ask with a divided heart: "You ask and do not receive,because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (Jas. 4:3). God cannot answer us, for he desires of well-being, our life. Our God's "jealousy" for us is the sign of how true his love is. If we enter into the desire of his Spirit, we shall be heard.Proverbs 15:7:9 says: The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. At times we might think that prayer is a force by which we can try to bend the will of God by persuasion. However, the divine will is from all eternity as immovable as it is merciful. Do not be troubled, then, if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him; for he desire to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer. If we do not obtain temporal goods, it is because they are not useful to our salvation; if our prayer is sincere,we obtain a more precious grace in place of them.

Pray with Faith

Filial trust is put to the test when we feel that our prayer is not heard.God wills that our desire should be exercised in prayer, that we may be able to receive what he wants to give us. When prayer is humble, trusting, and persevering, it obtains for us a more lively faith, a firmer hope and a more ardent charity.