Chapter 6-7 pp HW pp #27-32

 An essential part of Christian life. The raising of our hearts and minds to Him in conversation.  Prayer should focus on getting to know, love, and be united to Christ.  Christ gave us an excellent example of how to pray:  Engage in conversation with your heavenly, holy, father.  Pray for the ultimate return of his kingdom and for a world ordained to his will in the same way his will rules supreme in heaven.  Pray for the things you need.  Ask him to forgive you and promise to forgive those who do you harm.  Ask him to protect us from the things that tempt us to sin.  Acknowledge his power.  A prayer like this sums up the Gospel. Where have you heard it before?

 Petition  Humbly ask God for healing, removal of doubts and fears, to help us become more virtuous, to fill our needs and those of others.  Adoration  Praise God for His infinite goodness and perfect attributes.  Contrition  Ask forgiveness for our sins  Thanksgiving  Thank God for creating us, for blessing us, for sustaining us, for forgiving us, for redeeming us.

 The word literally means “dying to the flesh.”  It is a way to seek holiness through self-denial and self-discipline.  It’s purpose is to avoid sin and to subdue the body so as to strengthen the soul.  Sometimes sacrificing an innocent pleasure voluntarily can make us better prepared to avoid an evil temptation.  Read 1 COR 9:24-27  When you take the good which you deny yourself and give it to the poor self-denial becomes even more precious.