Comments on: The Spiritual Disciplines: The Wings of Prayer http://www.hieropraxis.com/2010/02/the-spiritual-disciplines-the-wings-of-prayer/ Truth, Beauty, and Christian Life Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:49:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Ali http://www.hieropraxis.com/2010/02/the-spiritual-disciplines-the-wings-of-prayer/comment-page-1/#comment-3130 Ali Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:48:53 +0000 http://www.hieropraxis.com/?p=417#comment-3130 Another wonderful post. As a convert to Orthodox Christianity, I understand the importance of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. During Lent and other fasting seasons, these three aspects of our Christian life are emphasized a great deal. I do struggle with the fasting requirements and have not always been able to maintain them with rigor. I am also beginning to understand the importance of almsgiving as I grow in my faith. The prayer piece, however, has always been the one I have focused on the most. As I mature, I have really desired to maintain a more disciplined rule of prayer. I follow a lectionary and try to read from the Old and New Testaments daily; I also am beginning to enjoy reading/praying the psalms, which are so beautiful and heartfelt. It is not always easy to maintain this rule because of the fact that I have a full-time job, outside interests, and a social life. But I have found that if I now miss my prayer and reading, I do not approach the day in the same fashion. My personal prayer life has really come to mean a great deal to me. In fact, when I first converted, I could not imagine that I would want to get up even 20 minutes earlier to pray some psalms and read from the New Testament. And now, I miss that portion of my prayer time! Another wonderful post. As a convert to Orthodox Christianity, I understand the importance of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. During Lent and other fasting seasons, these three aspects of our Christian life are emphasized a great deal. I do struggle with the fasting requirements and have not always been able to maintain them with rigor. I am also beginning to understand the importance of almsgiving as I grow in my faith.

The prayer piece, however, has always been the one I have focused on the most. As I mature, I have really desired to maintain a more disciplined rule of prayer. I follow a lectionary and try to read from the Old and New Testaments daily; I also am beginning to enjoy reading/praying the psalms, which are so beautiful and heartfelt. It is not always easy to maintain this rule because of the fact that I have a full-time job, outside interests, and a social life. But I have found that if I now miss my prayer and reading, I do not approach the day in the same fashion. My personal prayer life has really come to mean a great deal to me. In fact, when I first converted, I could not imagine that I would want to get up even 20 minutes earlier to pray some psalms and read from the New Testament. And now, I miss that portion of my prayer time!

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