CHAPTER 31: INTRODUCTION TO PRAYER

PRAYER CAN BE ALIVE AND VITAL WHEN YOU EXPERENCE IT AS A DEEP, PERSONAL REALTIONSHIP WITH GOD.

PRAYER DEFINED YOU 1ST LEARNED TO TALK TO GOD USING SOMEONE ELSE’S WORDS. MEMORIZED PRAYERS NOW THAT YOU’RE OLDER YOU HAVE LIKELY USED YOUR OWN WORDS IN PRAYER TO EXPRESS WHO YOUR ARE, WHAT YOU THINK, HOW YOU FEEL, AND WHAT YOU NEED.

APPROACHING PRAYER AS “TALKING TO GOD” IS A GOOD STARTING POINT, BUT TOO MUCH TALKING WILL LEAD YOU TO TALKING TO YOUR SELF. DEFINITION OF PRAYER: “PRAYER IS THE RAISING OF ONE’S MIND AND HEART TO GOD ON THE REQUESTING OF GOOD THINGS FROM GOD”. PRAYER INVOLVES YOUR MIND AND HEART, INCLUDES INSIGHT AND AFFECTION.

PRAYER AS COVENANT, COMMUNION, AND GIFT ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES, IT IS THE HEART THAT PRAYS. THE HEART IS YOUR HIDDEN CENTER, THE PLACE OF THE DECISION AND TRUTH WHERE, AS A PERSON, MADE N GOD’S IMAGE, YOU CAN SPEAK TO GOD, LIVE IN GOD’S PRESENCE, AND HEAR GOD SPEAK TO YOU. THE HEART IS WHERE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD UNFOLDS.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES THAT ONLY WHEN WE APPROACH GOD IN PRAYER WITH HUMILITY ARE WE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THIS VITAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. HUMILITY MEANS THAT WE ARE HONEST ABOUT WHO WE ARE, THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR WEAKNESSES AND SINS, AS WELL AS OUR GIFTS.

EVERYONE IS CALLED TO PRAYER EVERYONE IS CALLED TO PRAYER BECAUSE THE DESIRE FOR GOD IS BUILT INTO US; IT IS A RESPONSE TO GOD WHO FIRST AND TIRELESSLY CALLS US TO ENCOUNTER HIM THROUGH PRAYER. IN PRAYER, GOD REVEALS HIMSELF TO YOU, AND YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF. PRAYER IS A CENTRAL WAY GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO HUMANKIND AND SHOWN US WHO WE ARE.

PRAYER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT PRAYER IN THE OLD TESTAMENT REVEALS GOD’S INITIATIVE, CONTINUALLY CALLING HUMANKIND DEEPER INTO RELATIONSHIP. CHARACTERS IN THE BIBLE THAT REVEAL THE HUMAN HEART IN PRAYER: ABRAHAM (GENESIS 18: 1-15) MOSES (EXODUS 3:1 – 4:17) KING DAVID (2 SAMUEL 6:14)

THE PSALMS HAVE A UNIQUE TIMELESSNESS ABOUT THEM THAT MAKES THEM THE PRAYER OF THE HUMAN HEART FOR ALL AGES. THE PSALMS ARE ABOUT GOD’S WORK, AND THEY ARE ABOUT HUMANKIND’S RESPONSE. WHEN YOU PRAY THE PSALMS, YOU ARE PRAYING THE SAME PRAYERS JESUS PRAYED. THE PSALMS EXPRESS EVERY EMOTION OF THE HUMAN HEART: ANGER, CERTITUDE, TEMPTATION, SUBMISSION TO GOD’S WILL, PRAISE, ABANDONMENT, DESIRE, TRUST, CONFIDENCE, AND MORE.

A PRAYER OF JESUS AS MODEL THRU PRAYER YOU ENTER THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THRU CHRIST BY THE POWER OF TH HOLY SPIRIT. JESUS PRAYED JUST AS WE DO. AS A CHILD HE LEARNED THE PRAYER WORDS AND RHYTHMS OF HIS PEOPLE FROM HIS MOTHER. THE GOSPELS TELL S HE PRAYED AT DECISIVE MOMENTS. JESUS EMPHASIZED THAT WE SHOULD BRING THE CORRECT ATTITUDE TO OUR PRAYER. HE TAUGHT THAT WE MUST UNDERGO CONVERSION, WHICH IS TURNING AWAY FROM SIN AND TOWARD GOD.

THE PRAYER OF MARY MARY ALSO STANDS AS A MODEL OF PRAYER. MARY IS NOT ONLY THE MOTHER F GOD, SHE IS THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH, OF AL CHRISTIANS. THE CHURCH HAS DEVELOPED A TRADITION OF PRAYING TO MARY FOR SPECIAL NEEDS. WE DO NOT ADORE OR IMAGINE THAT SHE BESTOWS SPECIAL FAVORS – WE EXPECT HER TO SYMPATHIZE OUR NEEDS AND CONCERNS AND TO BRING THOSE NEEDS BEFORE GOD. THE CHURCH TEACHES THAT WHEN WE PRAY TO MARY, WE ARE ACKNOWLEDGING HER SPECIAL ROLE IN GOD’S PLAN.

GUIDES FOR PRAYER A GUIDE FOR PRAYER IS OUR FAMILIES. FOR MOST OF US, HOME IS WHERE WE 1ST LEARN TO PRAY. THIS IS WHY THE CHURCH CALLS THE FAMILY THE DOMESTIC CHURCH AND TEACHES THAT THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY IS THE FIRST PLACE FOR EDUCATION IN PRAYER.

CHAPTER 32: THE FORMS OF PRAYER

BLESSING AND ADORATION PRAYER FROM BLESSING IS A 2-STEP MOVEMENT. GOD GIVES US A GIFT, AND THEN WE RESPOND WITH JOY AND GRATITUDE. GOD FIRST BLESSES US THAT THE HUMAN HEART CAN IN RETURN BLESS THE ONE WHO IS THE SOURCE OF EVERY BLESSING.

ADORATION IS CLOSELY RELATED TO BLESSING. WHEN YOU ADORE GOD, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ARE A CREATURE BEFORE THE ONE WHO CREATED YOU.

PETITION PETITION – ASKING GOD FOR SOMETHING YOU NEED. PETITION IS THE PRAYER’S MOST USUAL FORM BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST SPONTANEOUS. IT ARISES NATURALLY FROM THE DEPTHS OF OUR HEARTS. PETITION ALSO CALLED SUPPLICATION.

NOVENAS NOVENAS – PRAYERS FOR A PARTICULAR INTENTION. THESE DEVOTIONS SPAN NINE CONSECUTIVE DAYS OR NINE WEEKS, WHICH IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF DAYS MARY AND TH APOSTLES WAITED FOR THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, FROM THE ASCENSIONTO PENTECOST.

INTERCESSION AN INTERCESSION IS A PRAYER OF PETITION IN WHICH YOU ASK GOD’S HELP FOR ANOTHER PERSON. CATHOLICS PRAY FOR OTHERS, FOLLOWING JESUS’ EXAMPLE WHO INTERCEDES FOR ALL. IT IS BELIEVED THAT INTERCESSORY PRAYER HAS GREAT POWER.

THANKSGIVING ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE IN THANKSGIVING (NOT HOLIDAY), WE REMEMBER THAT WE ARE CREATURES AND GOD IS OUR CREATOR. THE MORE WE PRAY THNAKSGIVING THE MORE WE GROW IN AWARENESS THAT ALL WE HAVE COMES TO US AS A GIFT FROM GOD’S ABUNDANT LOVE.

PRAISE PRAISE EMBRACES ALL OTHER FORMS OF PRAYER AND CARRIES THEM TO GOD, WHO IS OUR SOURCE AND GOAL. PRAISE IS THE FORM OF PRAYER THAT EXPRESSES OUR LOVE FOR GOD SIMPLY BECAUSE GOD IS. PRAISE OFTEN DONE THRU MUSIC. EX: “GLORIA” AT MASS PRAISE THRU WORDS ALLELUIA – “PRAISE THE LORD”

CHAPTER 33: PERSONAL PRAYER

VOCAL PRAYER USES WORDS EITHER SPOKEN ALOUD OR RECITED SILENTLY. MEMORIZED PRAYERS ARE THE FIRST WAY MOST PEOPLE LEARN TO PRAY VOCALLY. AS YOU GROW IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND THAT YOU EXPRESS YOURSELF MORE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. GOD ACCEPTS WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS AND ON OUR MINDS.

MEDITATION COMES FROM GREEK ROOT MEANING “CARE, STUDY, AND EXERCISE”. CATECHISM USES THE WORD MOBILIZE TO DESCRIBE THE USE OF THOUGHTS, IMAGINATION, EMOTIONS, AND DESIRES IN MEDITATION. CATHOLICS OFTEN USE SCRIPTURE AS A SPRINGBOARD TO MEDITATION.

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER CALLED “SILENT LOVE” WORDLESS MOMENTS IN ONE’S PRESENCE DEEP AWARENESS OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD ARRIVED AT BY LOVE. MYSTICISM – PROFOUND UNION WITH GOD.

CHALLENGES, DIFFICULTIES & MISCONCEPTIONS OF PRAYER NOT A PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OR RATTLING OF MEMORIZED WORDS. WHEN PRAYING, DISTRACTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE. JUST REMEMBER, GOD WANTS YOU TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED AND CONSISTENT IN PRAYER – TO MAKE HIM A REGULAR PART OF YOUR LIFE.