Jesus Teaches us to Pray Theology 1 Chapter 10 Mr. Chris Perrotti

What is Prayer? Prayer Means Talking and Listening to God Since prayer is a conversation with God, the communication must go both ways. Prayer is a conversation with God. It involves lifting of one’s mind and heart to enter into that communication No different than how we communicate with others!

Yes or No When we pray, we should realize that, since it is a real conversation, God’s answer to our prayer might be “yes.” But out of God’s wisdom and love for us, the answer might be “no.” God will always answer our prayers. Remember that “No’ or “Not Now” is an answer.

We must also realize that God answers prayer in his time, not ours An answer of “no” might close one door, but open another. Also, what we request might not be the right thing for us right now, but at some time in our future it will be. We must trust in God’s infinite wisdom as we do in his infinite love. God does know best!

Prayer Is God’s Gift to Us The Holy Spirit enables us to pray to God the Father. We can pray because God approaches us first. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that prayer is the “living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK5VulNn3so.com

Jesus is our Friend Just as human friendships thrive on dialogue, prayer deepens our friendship with God and gives us the strength to live according to his plan for us. It has to be a give and take! God calls us to prayer for many reasons, mainly to communicate with those He loves.

The Four Types of Prayer When we talk to God in everyday language about what is important to us, this is called spontaneous prayer! We can use our own words, and share our thoughts and feelings with God. It may be to praise him, to ask him for what is good, or to express our fear, sorrow, joy, or gratitude.

Prayers of praise acknowledge God and his goodness, and glorify him for who he is. These are prayers of Adoration, the first type of prayer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTzJjGZnZjs.com Prayers of petition ask God for favors, the second type of prayer. Another name for this is supplication. Jesus himself tells us to ask God for what we need.

We should always Thank God! Prayers of thanksgiving express our gratitude to God for everything he has given us. This is the third type of prayer. Not only is God responsible for giving us everything we have, including our very life, but we should also be thankful for his gift of salvation. The Eucharist is the greatest prayer of thanksgiving.

I am sorry, Lord! Contrition is a type of petition prayer. We ask our merciful Father to forgive us for our sins. In prayers of contrition, we also express our sorrow or regret for doing what is wrong. This is the third type of prayer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgODzUMscZ8.com

Methods of Prayer Vocal Prayer Intersessions Meditation Contemplation

Vocal Prayer Vocal or Spoken Prayer When we express our prayer feelings in words, we are doing what Jesus often did. Speaking our prayers aloud with family or at Mass, we strengthen our relationship with our brothers and sisters as well as with God.

“Ask and you shall receive!” Prayers of intercession are those that we ask on behalf of others. Praying for others is a good example of Christian mercy and love in action. It also follows the example of the saints in heaven, who pray for us. At Mass we say the prayer of the faithful, during the Easter Vigil we respond to the “Litany of Saints”

There are also many ways to listen when we pray There are also many ways to listen when we pray. We need quiet time and space in order to hear God “speaking” to us. This is called Meditative Prayer! The key to hearing the Lord is to be still and let him speak. When we are open to God’s answers for us, the real encounter with him can take place.

Meditative Prayer This is a form of prayer where the mind and imagination focus on Christ or part of God’s revelation with the purpose of applying what we learn from this prayer to our lives. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFkjdFgqOY4.com

Contemplative Prayer This kind of prayer usually focuses on Jesus. In our minds, we talk with him or reflect on one of the mysteries of his life. When we focus on his suffering and death, imagining how hard and painful it must have been for him, we are engaging in this kind of prayer.

To Contemplate This is a silent wordless prayer in which we allow our mind and heart to rest in God’s goodness and majesty. When praying this way, we empty our minds of thoughts and images, and allow God’s presence to fill us.

Jesus Is Our Best Guide to Prayer We can learn everything we need to know about prayer from Jesus. Jesus taught us to pray by teaching the the “Our Father” On that same day he taught us to be holy by sharing the Beatitudes! To Be Holy –Is to be Christ Like! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3gfMakdlHo.com

A Perfect Role Model Jesus should be our model for prayer. Also, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus prays alongside of us. We should look to Jesus for an example of how to pray, and what to pray for. Modern day role models! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XzHlySYR_Y.com

We should always make time to pray! Jesus set aside time to pray. Some of those times were of special importance to his life and ministry. After his baptism by John in the Jordan River, Jesus went into the desert for a forty day retreat to pray before beginning his public ministry. It was during this time that he was tempted by the devil, and his prayer sustained him

Always make time-Jesus did! Before selecting his Apostles, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer, knowing how important a step he was about to take. After performing his first miracles of healing and the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus withdrew from the crowds to pray.

Jesus used prayer to talk to His Father! The night before Peter confessed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Lord could be found praying. Jesus had gone up to the top of a mountain to pray, when he was Transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared with him. After the Last Supper, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to be spared the torture and death he saw before him.

Jesus was a good Jew. Jesus also prayed as a faithful Jew. He celebrated religious festivals, such as Passover, which always centered around prayer. He participated in synagogue services each Sabbath, and would have joined in the major prayers recited there. He spoke in the temple as a boy and in synagogues as an adult.

His favorite Hebrew Prayers The Shema (“Hear”), confessed the belief that God is one: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one. The Shema was the confession of faith made in Jewish religious practice The Jewish Eighteen Benedictions asked God for wisdom, forgiveness, and help.

His Favorite Jewish Prayers The Kaddish asked that people hallow and glorify God’s name throughout the world, and that God would fully establish his kingdom soon. (Jewish prayer for the dead) Jesus said when his father Joseph died! Kol Nidrei is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IEDLZayfdU.com

Jesus and David Jesus sang the Psalms during worship services in the Temple in Jerusalem. He sang them with his Apostles after the Last Supper. Jesus even quoted Psalm 22 (a prayer that begins with lament of abandonment, but ends with confident faith that God will rescue the innocent) as he was dying on the cross.

Pray with faith. Jesus used images his disciples would have thought to be impossible to illustrate the importance of trusting that God will answer our prayers—like moving mountains by our faith. Jesus’ message still applies to us today. We must trust in our loving God, and have faith that he will respond to our prayer by giving us all that we need.

Pray with others. In addition to praying to our heavenly Father in secret, Jesus also urged his disciples to know that praying with others is important. He said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” When we gather together for Mass, we bring Christ’s presence alive—both in the Eucharist, and in the community of believers.

Pray with a forgiving heart Jesus instructed his disciples to approach God with a calm and loving spirit. Specifically, if they had a grievance with someone, they were to settle it and approach God after forgiving the offender. This is still important advice for us today. Our hearts and minds cannot properly focus on God if they are full of malice against one of his children.