What is prayer?

             Session outline

1-Man is  in search of God.  In the act of creation, God calls  every being from nothingness into existence…  Even after losing through his sin his likeness to God, man remains in image of his  Creator, and retains the desire for  the one who call him into existence. All religions bear witness to men’s essential search for God .  CCC2566

2- Human life without prayer, which opens  our  existence to the mystery  God, lacks sense and direction--- Pope Benedict   16

3-Many Christians are aware of the necessity and  the beauty of  contemplative prayer  and have a sincere yearning for it. Yet, apart  from tentative effort soon abandoned, few remained faithful to this mode of prayer , and even fewer  are  really convinced and satisfied by their own practice of it… W would like to pray, but we cannot manage it… Our time of prayer   passes, leaving  us  distracted, and  since it does not seem to yield tangible fruit, we are not loath to give up. From time to time we  take up a book of  meditations which presents us  ready-made with the contemplation   we  ought to produce for ourselves…. Often fearfulness--- rob us of the confidence to take steps on our own-  Hans Urs von Balthazar

 
   

4-He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples  Luke 11:1

5- It is in fact in Jesus that man becomes able to approach God in the depth and intimacy of  the relationship of fatherhood and sonship. Together  with the first disciples,  let us now turn with humble trust to the teacher and ask him: Lord, teach us to pray…  Pope Benedict 16

6-God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face, he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having  abandoned him,   yet the living and true God  tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as a prayer In prayer… God’s  initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is  always a response        CCC 2567

7-It was not you  who chose me but  I who chose you   John 15: 16, NAB

8 A step or two before the place where I am to contemplate or meditate, I will stand for the  space of an Our Father and , with my consciousness raised on high, consider how the Lord my God looks upon me. Then  I will make an act of reverence or humility..  St Ignatius of Loyola

9- We have come to believe in God’s love: In these words  the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life.  Being Christian is not the result of an an ethical choice or a lofty idea., but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and  a decisive direction . Pope Benedict 16

10-   We receive the first lesson from the Lord by his example.  The Gospels describe Jesus to us in intimate and constant conversation with the Father.  It is a profound communion of the One who came  into the world not to do his will, but that of the father who sent him for the salvation of man—Pope Benedict 16

11 Yet on ly in God who reveal himself, does man’s seeking find  complete fulfillment. The prayer that is openness and  elevation of the heart to God, thus becomes a personal relationship with him. And even if  man forgets his creator, the living, true God doe not  cease  to call  man first to the mysterious encounter of prayer-   Pope Benedict 16

12 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, say the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek  me with all your heart, you will find me with you, say the Lord- Jeremiah 29:121-14 NaB

Oremus   week one

  Day  1    For  your prayer  Jeremiah 29:11-14

  Day  2    For  your prayer   John 15:1-17

  Day  3    For  your prayer   Psalms 139:1-18

  Day  4    For  your prayer   Romans 8:22-27

  Day  5  For  your prayer     Romans 8:31-39

  Day  6    For  your prayer   Psalns   63

  Day  7    For your prayer Return to Scripture passage that spoke to you the most this week

 
 

For your prayer

Read the passage once to become familiar with the text

Slowly read the passage a second time,

very slowly read the passage a third time

Pay attention to which word, words or phrases captures your attention or tugs at your heart

Talk to God about what is on your heart---and  listen

 

Journal Questions

The strongest thought or fêling during my prayer was-----

My heart: rested when- ---

I sense  the Lord was telling me.......

I ended the prayer wanting....

 
   

                              Before you Pray

                          Session outline

 

Step one--- Find the right time

 1.  Each one of us needs time and space for  recollection, meditation, and calmness... Thanks be to God that this is so!  In fact, this  need tells us that we are not made for work alone, but also to think, to reflect or even simply to follow with our minds and our hearts a tale, a story in which to immerse ourselves, in a certain sense to lose ourselves' to find ourselves subsequently enriched 

(Pope Benedict XVI)

2-Making time for God regularly is a fundamental element for spiritual growth; it will be the Lord himself who gives  the taste for his mysteries, his words, his  presence and action, for feeling how beautiful it is when God speaks with us; he will enable us to understand more deeply what he expects of me

Pope Benedict XVI)

 

3.  A few important questions about you:

             -when are you most receptive ?

             -When are you most uninterrupted ?

             -What time is most consistently open  ?

 

4- A few important questions about your commitments to other people:

              -What commitments have you made to your spouse ?

              -What commitments have you made to your family  ?

              -What commitments have you made to others, such as to your job or school ?

              -Consider: Might any of these commitments need to be sacrificed or re-prioritized inn order to meet your commitments

 
   

5 There's a different betwe en recreastion and  re-creation

              -Start slow

              -Be realistic

              -Be consistent

              -Grow gradually

 

Step Two ---Select a Scripture passage ahead of time

 6.Through his word, God speaks to man-------CCC 2700

 

 7.How do you find  a Scripture p-assage ?

             -Readings for daily Mass

             -Readings for  the upcoming Sunday

             -Slowly read through the Gospels: Mark, Matthew, Luke, John

             -Slowly read through the Psalms

 

StepThree-----Pay attention to your desires

 8.     Saint Augustine, in a homily on the  first Letter of John, describes very beautifully the intimate relationship between prayer and hope. He defines prayer as an  exercise of desire   -Pope  Benedict XVI

 

9.     And if the object of one's desire is a relationship with God, his blessing and love, then the struggle cannot fail but ends in that self-giving to God, in recognition of one's own weakness, which is overcome  only by  giving  oneself over into God's  merciful  hands. Pope Benedict XVI

 

10.   We would not be able to pray were the desire for God, for being children of God, not engraved in the depths of our hearts .......  Pope Benedict XVI

 

11.    I will ask my Lord for what I want and desire      St Ignatius of Loyola

Oremus   week one

  Day  1    For  your prayer  Matthew 11:  28-30

  Day  2    For  your prayer   Isaiah:  55 

Day  3    For  your prayer   Isaiah 43:1-7

  Day  4    For  your prayer   Mark10:46-52

  Day  5  For  your prayer     Isaiah  26:8-13

  Day  6    For  your prayer   Matthew  18:  12-14

  Day  7    For your prayer Return to Scripture passage that spoke to you the most this week

 

For your prayer

Read the passage once to become familiar with the text

Slowly read the passage a second time,

very slowly read the passage a third time

Pay attention to which word, words or phrases captures your attention or tugs at your heart

Talk to God about what is on your heart---and  listen

 

Journal Questions

The strongest thought or feeling during my prayer was-----

My heart: rested when- ---

I sense  the Lord was telling me.......

I ended the prayer wanting....

 
   

                  Lectio  Divina

                 Session out line

 

I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of lectio divina:the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about the intimate dialogue in which the person  reading hears  God  who is speaking and in praying,responds to him with trusting openess of heart.If it is effectively promoted, this practice will brings to the  Church-Iam convinced of it-a newspiritual springtime- pope  Benedict XVI

 

Lectio  Divina

Lectio divina ( sometimes known simply as  lectio) is Latin for divine reading

 

Step One

      Start with  a passage from Scripture and become familiar with the text

     Slowly read the passage a second time

     very veryn slowly read the  passage a third time

     Pay attention to which word, words or phrases rest in your heart

 
   

Step  Two:Meditatio

     Think about the significant text......what is God saying to you?

    What are the implications of the  text in your life?

    To meditate on what we read helps  us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened:the book of life.... To the extent that we are humble and faithfull, we  discover in meditation the movements that  stir the  heart and we are able to  discern them   CCC2796

 

Step  Three: Oration

       Talk to God   bout everything    

        Whăt is contemplative prayer? St Teresa answers: Contemplatve  prăyer (oracion mental) in my opinion is nothing else than a close shăring between friends.... In this inner prayer we            can still meditate, but ourattention   is fixed on the Lord himself  CCC 2709

 
   

Step  Four:     Contemplatio

      Rest in God's presence

        Contemplative prayer is also  the pre-eminently intense time of prayer. In it the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit that  Christ may dwell  in our hearts   through faith and we be  grounded in love

       Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in  words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul  or the spirit, but most often of the heart ( more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the worđs of prayers are in vain.  CCC 2562

Oremus   week one

  Day  1    For  your prayer  Luke 12:  22-32

  Day  2    For  your prayer   Psalm:  27 

Day  3    For  your prayer   Psalm 23

  Day  4    For  your prayer   John4:7-19

  Day  5  For  your prayer        Wisdom 11:21-26

  Day  6    For  your prayer   Deuteronomy 7:  6-8

  Day  7    For your prayer Return to Scripture passage that spoke to you the most this week

 

For your prayer

Read the passage once to become familiar with the text

Slowly read the passage a second time,

very slowly read the passage a third time

Pay attention to which word, words or phrases captures your attention or tugs at your heart

Talk to God about what is on your heart---and  listen

 

Journal Questions

The strongest thought or feeling during my prayer was-----

My heart: rested when- ---

I sense  the Lord was telling me.......

I ended the prayer wanting....

 

Lectio Divina

Step one:   Lectio---Read 'lectio divina Latin for divine reading

Step two: Meditatio----Think about significant text

Step Three : Oratio-- Talk to God

Step  Four: Contemplatio--Rest in God's presence

 
   

                                            Relational Prayer

                                           Session outline

1.  The four steps to relational prăyêr-prayer which God  reaches out to us, and we respond to his loving approach- may be summed by  the acronym A.R.R.R. The four steps:

      Acknowledge

      Relate

      Receive

      Respond

 2. Mary is the perfect Orăns  (pray-er),a figure of the Church-CCC 2679

 

Step  One:Acknowledge

3. God calls man  first.Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face, he may run after  idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the  living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer... God's initiative of lose always comes first;  our own  first step   is always a response.  -CCC 2567

 

Step Two:  Relate

4.Where  does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole  man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more  than a thoussand times)   According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays.  If  our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain....CCC 2562

5.In leărning how to speak to him, we learn to be a human being, to be ourselves Pope Benedict XVI

 
   

6.Tips for  Relating to god

          Don't just think about God; talk toGod

          Be  aware. Be  honest. Nothing is off limits

          Remember Psalm 139:4 (RSV:CE). Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord,

               you know it altogether   

         Pay  ăttention to  what you  do not want to say

 
   

Step Three: Receive

 7.Always expressed in every prayer...is the truth of the human creature who on  the one hand experiences  weakness  and impoverishment, who therefore addresses his supplication to Heaven, and on the other is endowed with an extraordinary dignity, so that, in preparing to receive the divine Revelation, finds himself able to enter into communion with God.  Pope Benedict XVI

8- God speaks  in silence, but we must know how to listen…Pope Benedict  16

9- Tips for “ Receiving”  from God:

       *Listen.  Listen with all your spiritual senses

       *Be patient.  Don’t be afraid of the silence

       *Could be a voice… a song…. A memory… an image….a sensation in your body….a Scripture passage

 

Step Four:   Respond

10- The “Yes” of God is not halved, it is not somewhere between yes  and no, but is  a sound and simple yes. And we  respond to this yes  with  our own yes with our  “ amen” and so we are sure of the yes of God-   Pope Benedict 16

11-Tips for Respond

            *Respond to what you have received

            * Could be more   conversation….question….laughter….tears…..yes

            *Together, the 4 steps of relational prayer ( A.R.R.R.) are  a vibrant dynamic, not a  systematic checklist

 

Oremus   week Four

          Relational Prayer

  Day  1    For  your prayer:  Psalm 91

                        Consider how God is the author of all creation

  Day  2    For  your prayer:   Genesis 1

               Watch the sunrise as  you pray Ps 91. Consider how all of creation is a

             gift from God and how God blesses all of creation. Read the assignment

             for tomorrow, so you may prepare 

  Day  3    For  your prayer   Daniel 3:35-68:   Watch the sunset and pray

  Day  4    For  your prayer   Daniel 3:35-68 (again)    Consider how all creation

                 Is a gift from God and how all of creation blesses God

  Day  5  For  your prayer     Philippians  4:11-13:  Ask God for the grace to want

                                      Him more than you want anything else in this life

  Day  6    For  your prayer   Philippians  4:11-13 ( again) :Ask God for the grace  

                                     to want Him more than you want anything else in this life

  Day  7    For  your prayer   Return to Scripture passage that spoke to you the

                                              most this week

 

 
   

Lectio  Divina

Step One: Lectio—Read “ lectio divina” Latin for divine reradfing

Step Two: Medtatio----Think about significant text

Step three: Oratio:- Talk to God…. Talk with God

Step Four: Contemplatio-----Rest in God’s  prersence

For  your prayer  :

Read the passage once to become familiar with the text.  Slowly  read the passage a second time.  Very, very slow read the passage a third time

Pay attention to which word, words, or phrases captures your attention or tugs at your heart

Talk to God about what is on your heart----- and listen

Journal Questions

The stronghest thought or feeling during my prayer was……

My heart: rested when…I sense the Lord was telling me…..

I ended the prayer wanting……