When I was TBM, I remember people would criticize Catholics for doing vain repetitions when they pray. Christ warns against “vain repetitions” in the Sermon on the Mount. Well, first of all, The New American Bible, which a version commonly used by Catholics, doesn’t have that phrase in Matthew 6:7. In the NAB, it says, “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.”
Second of all, even if we are using the KJV, Christ said don’t do “VAIN repetitions.” He didn’t say don’t do any repetitions at all. So when I say the Hail Mary over and over and over, it’s not in vain. I mean the words to that prayer, every time I say it. Also, the words to that prayer were revealed by God. So, even if the Hail Mary is repeated a thousand times in a day, each utterance is, I believe, efficacious.
And Mormons have set prayers too. The sacrament prayers and prayers in the temple are set prayers in which the same words are repeated over and over.
Also, the Psalms are set prayers, sung and prayed in the days of David and Solomon. And the hymns, which have lyrics that are repeated over and over, are prayers, according to D+C 25: 12. Mormons don’t call singing the same hymns over and over “vain repetitions.”
And then there are phrases that you hear over and over again in Mormon prayers, like, “please bless this food that it will nourish and strengthen us.” So the Mormons have plenty of repetition in their prayers, too.
One of the worst parts about Mormon prayer is the teaching about waiting for an answer from the Holy Ghost. I remember so many times when I was trying to gain a testimony when I was 18 and 19 wondering, “did I just feel a burning in the bosom? Am I having a stupor of thought? Is that thought from the Holy Ghost, or is that just from my own brain? I wish I was more in tune with the Spirit, like the General Authorities are!”
When I prayed as a TBM, I was following the instructions that Joseph Smith gave in the Doctrine and Covenants 9: 8 & 9. I remember I fasted for three days in preparation for my patriarchal blessing, which I got when I was either 18 or 19. I wanted so badly for a sure witness of the truthfulness of the LDS Church. I never really got it, but I did latch on to the thought, “You already know it’s true.” And I also felt happy when I did LDS stuff, so I took that as my answer too. But still, I wanted a more dramatic answer. I wanted a personal revelation, and I didn’t think I was too unreasonable to seek one. I had heard so many testimonies where Mormons say, “I went to the woods and prayed about the Church. I prayed like Enos, and finally an undeniable feeling poured into me, and now I can testify, that I know with every fiber of my being that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true.”
And Moroni’s promise says that ANYONE who reads and prays about the Book of Mormon will gain a testimony of its truth. That’s such a darned lie! That’s so messed up of Joseph Smith to put that in his book when he knew full well that the Book of Mormon was a fabrication! Was Joseph Smith aware of how much psychological anguish he would be inflicting on millions of people, for hundreds of years, just by writing that at the end of the Book of Mormon? It’s so messed up to put people through that mental torture! It’s spiritual abuse! Lying about God is one of the worst things you can lie about. It’s probably THE worst thing you can lie about, actually.
I sometimes wonder why it took me 7 years to change from Mormon to Catholic. I lost my LDS testimony in 2012, and it wasn’t until 2019 that I finally felt at home in another church. (And I honestly believe now that I’m not just in another good Christian church. Rather, I believe that I’m in the Church Jesus founded, and I believe that Jesus is the one true God.) Maybe it took me 7 years because it took me that long to heal emotionally and spiritually. I was definitely one of the members who took the religion very seriously. I was very eager to serve faithfully in my callings and I was missionary minded. I shared my testimony with non-members and gave them copies of the Book of Mormon, even when I wasn’t on a mission. I tried, desperately sometimes, to get people to convert. So since I took the religion so seriously, it took me a longer time to recover from Mormonism.
So, Mormons teach that after you pray, you should “wait for an answer.” Now, I’m not against quiet meditation and contemplation. In fact, I’m in favor of that, but there’s something refreshing about the Catholic style of prayer: just saying memorized words, or reading them out of a prayer book, and then leaving it at that. There’s no mind games like “What was that feeling? Was that a sudden stroke of an idea from Heaven? Was that a stupor of thought? Hmmm… Was that the Spirit, or was that just heartburn from the chili dog I ate for dinner?”
Here’s another bad memory I have of Mormon prayer: I had this jerk of a missionary companion who made me do “spiritual tracting.” Did any of you do this? We had a map of the city on the wall, and we would pray about where we should tract that day. We would both separately repent, pray, look at the map, and wait for inspiration. I remember staring at the map on the wall for what seemed like forever, in desperation, waiting for God to highlight a few streets in my vision. I never saw any of them get highlighted, but sometimes I tricked myself into believing that some of the street names looked bolder or brighter.
So I would write down five street names, and my companion would write down five street names, and then we would show each other our pieces of paper. If any of our street names matched, we would tract on those streets. If we didn’t get any matches, I think we would do the whole process over again. If we still didn’t get any matches, we would probably just go wherever the senior companion wanted to go.
I remember one time we got two or three street names that matched, on the first try, and my companion said, “Did you peek? Did you copy me?” I said no. I really didn’t peek. Maybe we had matches by coincidence, or maybe we really were inspired by the Holy Ghost. Who knows.
The point to this story is, I felt that I couldn’t get answers to my prayers, because I was unworthy. I had too many lustful thoughts, and I was too disobedient to mission rules, so God wouldn’t give me answers to my prayers. That’s what I really thought.
The Church taught me to feel unworthy, and they taught me to worship men, the Church leaders, who had spiritual superpowers. (I remember thinking on my mission, “if the General Authorities have so much spiritual power, why aren’t they out here knocking on doors? They should be able to convert thousands of people.”)
I should say, though, that ultimately I’m thankful I went on a mission. It was a good character building exercise, and I think I really helped people get closer to God. I also encouraged people to think about religion and God, which I believe is a good thing. I’ve actually heard some people say that it was the Mormon missionaries who got them to take their own Catholic faith more seriously.
And I do have a good memory of Mormon prayer from my mission. My companion was sick, so we just stayed in the apartment all morning, or maybe all day. My companion was upstairs in bed, maybe asleep, and I was downstairs, by myself. I knelt down and prayed for maybe about an hour. I think I whispered out loud. I poured out my soul to God. I thanked Him for my blessings, I asked him for things. I don’t remember the contents of that prayer, but I do remember feeling something supernatural, something positive. A sense of divine love rested upon me.
I do believe that God hears Mormons who pray in the Mormon style. It’s not the best manner of prayer, but it’s better than not praying at all. And it’s certainly better than pagan incantations and human sacrifices.
One of the best parts of Catholic prayer is that you don’t expect to receive answers to your prayers in that way. I just say the rosary, or the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, or any of the set Catholic prayers, and then I feel satisfied. To me, prayer is like writing a letter to a friend, putting it in an envelope, putting it in the mailbox, and then walking away. There’s faith involved. I wrote a poem a long time ago, comparing prayer to mailing a letter:
Faith
Think of what we seal in envelopes:
birthday cards, love letters, invitations,
And send through the mail,
handled by postal workers, organized and shipped.
Hoping all arrives safely.
Think of what we pray:
thanksgivings, pleadings, confessions,
And send through the atmosphere,
handled by angels, lifted and delivered.
Hoping all arrives safely.
Another difference between Mormon and Catholic prayer is that Mormons only pray to Heavenly Father, whereas Catholics pray to each person of the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, angels, and Saints. I like to jokingly say that becoming Catholic has given me so many new invisible friends!
My Dad thinks it’s ridiculous, and even sacrilegious, that I’m praying to Mary now. But here’s how I look at it. When I’m praying to Mary, I’m just talking to her. I talk to plenty of people who aren’t God!
Here are the words to the Hail Mary: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” As you can see, when I pray that prayer, I’m not worshipping Mary. I’m not acknowledging her as the Fourth Person of the Trinity (there are only three persons in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit). I’m fully aware that Mary is a creation of God. In contrast, God is the uncreated Creator.
Also, when I pray to Mary, the Saints, or angels, I’m praying for their intercession. I’m asking them to pray to God for me. Why? Because their prayers are more powerful than my prayers, because they’re closer to God than I am. They’re in Heaven, where God is, so obviously they’re closer to God. And when Mary and the angels and I pray together, we form one giant mystical body of worshippers. We unify in prayer. (God encourages unification. The Devil encourages isolation.)
I encourage anybody reading this who feels far from God to try praying the rosary. There are plenty of people on Youtube who can teach you how to do it. Just search for “how to pray the rosary.” The Virgin Mary appeared in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 (maybe 1913) and she said that everyone should pray the rosary every day. So that’s why I do it! Mary appeared and told me to! Pray the rosary every day and see what happens to your life!
May God bless you on your spiritual journey!
