Is it selfish to always be asking for something?

[TemplarKnight1]

Is it selfish to always be praying for an intention? Ie: always attaching an intention when you say a rosary.

I feel that I am always in a state of asking for help, and I can't help but to always pray and ask for Divine Asssistance. I am always in a state of needing help.

It just goes to show how helpless of a creature I am without God's grace.

[jmcrae]

Originally Posted by TemplarKnight1

Is it selfish to always be praying for an intention? Ie: always attaching an intention when you say a rosary.

I feel that I am always in a state of asking for help, and I can't help but to always pray and ask for Divine Asssistance. I am always in a state of needing help.

It just goes to show how helpless of a creature I am without God's grace.

It's a wonderful thing to be asking God for help, and as you already know, He is very generous in giving it.

I would say, never stop asking for the help that you need, but add some extra prayers of thanksgiving and praise, in addition to your prayers for help - especially when your prayers are answered.

I think it's wonderful that you turn to the Lord in your need, rather than trying to muddle through all by yourself - it gives glory to God when He has the privilege of working miracles in your life.

[Trishie]

St Paul wrote indicating that we endure what we do in order to have compassion on others in their needs.

Your prayer will not be what you regard as possibly 'selfish', if in praying for yourself, you also pray for others who have similar difficulties and needs...praying to God...."who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." [2 Corinthians 1:4]
'Amen" to your prayers for others and for yourself.

We do need, essentially, also to thank and praise God for what He has already given and will give to ourselves and to others.
Thankfulness was lacking in the "Garden of Eden". The first parents weren't thankful to God for all they had been give, but obsessed with the one thing they were denied. We need to be careful of that so mix our petitions with prayers and thoughts of gratitude also.
In this way also, our prayers are not just sell-focused.

God bless you for your prayerfulness

[JRKH]

Is it selfish to always be asking for something?

"Something" is is a very wide open term...So just from the title we cannot say that it is selfish...It is going to depend on what the particulars are of the "somethings" involved.

Originally Posted by TemplarKnight1

Is it selfish to always be praying for an intention? Ie: always attaching an intention when you say a rosary

Now this is actually a somewhat different question. An intention need not be "asking for something". An intention can merely be offering up prayers to God for some purpose without actually asking for something....

I feel that I am always in a state of asking for help, and I can't help but to always pray and ask for Divine Asssistance. I am always in a state of needing help.

It just goes to show how helpless of a creature I am without God's grace.

Join the club my friend We are all in that boat.

My single suggestion in this would be to cultivate in yourself prayers of thanksgiving. Give God many "verbal hugs" as it were for His blessings, His Love, His patience, etc....
Then make a single intention for yourself - that God give you the strength to serve Him in whatever He has in store for you.
After that - having no more "intentions" for yourself - you are free to ask for something for someone else....

Peace
James

[fhansen]

Originally Posted by TemplarKnight1

Is it selfish to always be praying for an intention? Ie: always attaching an intention when you say a rosary.

I feel that I am always in a state of asking for help, and I can't help but to always pray and ask for Divine Asssistance. I am always in a state of needing help.

It just goes to show how helpless of a creature I am without God's grace.

I'ts never selfish to ask for that which we need. That's simply an acknowledgement of our dependency on God, a disposition which is vitally necessary for faith.

[AlanFromWichita]

I agree with the others, but it sounds like you haven't been introduced to my favorite in-depth prayer, contemplative prayer forms.

This is where you pray by being silently inviting to God, without thinking anything in particular. This allows us to be clay in the Potter's hands. CCC 2700-2724

[Trishie]

“If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm.” [James 5:13]

“There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7] “

[odile53]

Well, look at the text of the Lord's Prayer, and Jesus Himself composed it. There is a pretty exhaustive list of petitions following the praise in the beginning of it. The list covers our temporal needs, our need for reconciling our relationship with God and our fellow man, our need for spiritual strength, discernment, perseverance, and spiritual protection. If God thought that asking for something in prayer was selfish, He wouldn't have composed a prayer which in part consists of requests, would He?

Of course, what we ask for may sometimes be selfish, but that's a different matter entirely.

When I was doing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, my spiritual director specifically stressed to me to always ask for something in prayer, specifically, some grace as situations arose. I don't think I would have been advised to do so if asking for something was selfish, but I do keep my requests on the spiritual plane, such as asking to help me see myself as God sees me, asking for the grace to conform myself more to His will, and so forth.

[animalis]

The Catechism quotes the great S. Augustine in CCC 2559:

"Man is a beggar before God."

It is what prayer is.

[Robert Sock]

I pray for nothing but God's guidance and discipline necessary for my salvation.

[Lady Love]

If you compare your prayer to any kind of human relationship, would asking for things all the time be offensive? Maybe not to someone who enjoys doing things for you and has the means to do them.

God has an abundance but He gives to those who give it away.

[GregBussey]

Scripture seems to say that we should pray for ourselves. 1 Chronicles 4 says:

9 Jabez was the most distinguished of his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I bore him with pain.”

10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Oh, that you may truly bless me and extend my boundaries! May your hand be with me and make me free of misfortune, without pain!” And God granted his prayer.

[Abba]

Originally Posted by jmcrae

It's a wonderful thing to be asking God for help, and as you already know, He is very generous in giving it.

I would say, never stop asking for the help that you need, but add some extra prayers of thanksgiving and praise, in addition to your prayers for help - especially when your prayers are answered.

I think it's wonderful that you turn to the Lord in your need, rather than trying to muddle through all by yourself - it gives glory to God when He has the privilege of working miracles in your life.

Ditto.

There is a prayer that I really like which I think was written by Saint Anthony Mary De Claret. Someday, I just may make it to the Vatican and I want to research what they have on Saint Anthony Mary De Claret and I hope to find proof that he was the writer of the prayer I like. It's called Fifteen MInutes with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Someday, I want to offer a good translation here on CAF and then I could just link to the post. Meanwhile, here is a quick unedited translation but it gives you the idea: scroll down for the English...
http://www.catholicforum.com/forums/...ssed-Sacrament

He likes the souls that ask so much for others that they forget about themselves. But, he wants us to ask Him for ourselves also and He is generous. It is good for us because in doing so we recognize our own littleness and His magnificence, wisdom and love.