Prayer: A Conversation with God Diocese of Philadelphia, PA| October, 18 2018 Michel Therrien, S.T.L., S.T.D Mike Gutzwiller President, Institute for Pastoral Leadership Diocese of Pitsburgh Director of Curriculum Development Sophia Institute for Teachers

Called to Communion: Prayer as Intimacy with God Session 1 Called to Communion: Prayer as Intimacy with God

Why Pray? What Good Does it Do? Communion with God Transforming the world inside ourselves

Who is this God of Ours? “While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

What does Jesus see? Pope Francis, Lumen fidei, no. 18: “In faith, Christ is not simply the one in whom we believe, the supreme manifestation of God’s love; he is also the one with whom we are united precisely in order to believe. Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees things as Jesus himself sees them, with his own eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing.”

Meeting the Gaze of Jesus Affirmation: I love You Reassurance: Martha, you are worried . . . Consolation: My Good and faithful servant Forgiveness: Your sins are forgiven Peace: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you Direction: Go and do likewise Challenge: You have heard it said

The Key Silence

Deepening our Communion with Him Are we disposing ourselves to his daily visits? Do we rest in the Lord, search for his gaze in silence? Do we spend time meditating on his Word? Do we cultivate the practice of recollection? Do we visit him interiorly throughout our day? Do we ask our Mother to bring us to him? Do we behold her face?

What Jesus teaches about Prayer In solitude Filial entrustment To the Father Persistent confidence Thanksgiving Vigilance Forgiveness In His name Conversion of heart In the Spirit

Movements of Prayer Adoration Petition Praise Thanks-giving Intercession Petition

Expressions of Prayer Contemplative Meditation Rote prayer Will Mind Body

Struggle in Prayer Presumption Dryness Distraction Acedia Humility Meekness Presumption Perseverance Patience Dryness Ignore Self-offering Distraction Devotion Vigilance Acedia Trust Abandonment to God’s Will Lack of Faith

Session 2 Spirituality and the Soul’s journey to God

The Spiritual Life is About . . . The soul’s journey to God A developmental process of growth Building relationship with God The restoration of the divine likeness; salvation Participation in the divine life

The Three Ages of the Spiritual Life Dark Night of the Spirit Dark Night of the Senses Purgative Illuminative Unitive Conversion to Christ

New Age Spirituality Harnessing spiritual energy Mental techniques for managing anxiety Transcending the problem of suffering Focusing inward

Prayer is Essential to Spiritual Growth CCC, 2561: You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Paradoxically our prayer of petition is a response to the plea of the living God: ‘They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water’ (Jer. 2:13)! Prayer is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation and also a response of love to the thirst of the only Son of God (John 19:28; Is 12:3).

A Word about the Psalms 2587 “The Psalter is the book in which the Word of God becomes man's prayer. In other books of the Old Testament, ‘the words proclaim [God's] works and bring to light the mystery they contain.’ The words of the Psalmist, sung for God, both express and acclaim the Lord's saving works; the same Spirit inspires both God's work and man's response. Christ will unite the two. In him, the psalms continue to teach us how to pray.