Marita is a Catholic who fills her day with constant remembrance of God, and thankfulness for all that she experiences and has in her life. Prayer is her constant companion.
Marita
(As I got older and matured in my faith I really just talk to God all day and thank him – when I am in the garden I will thank him for the flowers – or as I am driving along, I’ll thank him for the autumn leaves )
Who taught you to pray ?
Thanks to my mother! Both my parents came from Catholic background but thanks to my father’s mother – who didn’t become a Catholic – she was a good Anglican. She taught her 6 children the Catholic Catechism because her husband was a Catholic. In those days you had to promise to bring up your children Catholic. I always think it about the Anglican grandmother who taught Catholic faith to her children.
Has prayer changed for you over the years?
When we were young we did just say those written prayers but we didn’t think about a personal relationship with God like now. I think now – God’s there – he loves me unconditionally, he hears and knows everything that I do
We were brought up to say the set prayers but as I got older and matured in my faith I really just talk to God all day and thank him – when I am in the garden I will thank him for the flowers – or as I am driving along, I’ll thank him for the autumn leaves at this time of the year. When I come home tired and get in my chair, I’ll say thank you Lord for my chair and I thank him for my car and that I am able to go out and do so much with my car and I’ll thank him for my bed and my home, so I’m really thanking him all the time. To me it all comes from God and then during the night if I can’t sleep if I wake up – we have rosary beads and I’ll start using the rosary beads during the night and I usually go to sleep again before I finish.
Tools for prayer
Most Catholics my age would probably be carrying rosary beads. I always have some under my pillow and always have a crucifix on them with Jesus on the cross.
How to Pray
There are set prayers that we do, mainly the ‘Our Father’ and it is mainly only Catholics that do put a fair bit of emphasis on Mary as the mother of Jesus – we are asking Mary really to pray for us so we say one Our Father and 10 Hail Marys. Words are written in the bible when the angel said to Mary, “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee!” (this prayer finishes with) “Pray for usr sinners now and the hour of our death, Amen”. So 10 Hail Marys and a couple of other little prayers;so we do that 5 times for a rosary.
Mass on Sunday and I try to go a few times during the week as well and I feel the Eucharist (Holy Communion) each day gives me nourishment to do the things that I do.
I have a great prayer that I have said for the last 40 years something – 50 years in the morning and it’s offering everything in my thoughts and words, everything during the day to God so that’s a good way to start the day.
I’m not perfect by any means but I try, I try to lead a good life
For some of the traditional Catholics, there is the night before a funeral: People come together in the church. It’s a bit like a mantra I suppose, everyone is praying these prayers together.
