1. Adult Meeting

2. Agenda

3. Opening Questions
Have you ever received a letter or from a person you loved? Did that written word reveal something about that person? Scripture is God’s love letter to us. He reveals Himself and His love for us through His word. How should this influence how we approach Scripture?

4. How can reading Scripture be a prayer in itself?
Opening Questions
Prayer is a conversation with God and, in Scripture, God communicates with us. How can Scripture be an aid to prayer?
How can reading Scripture be a prayer in itself?

5. Reading Scripture is a prayer when done in a devout and meditative manner.

6. A helpful way to read Scripture is:
Go to a quiet place.
Select a short passage or verse
Read it slowly and deliberately.
Read the passage more than once.

7. Ask yourselves the following questions as you read Scripture:
What does this Scripture passage say to me?
How can I apply it to my own life? If you are reading from the Gospels, ask yourself:
What does this Scripture passage tell me about Jesus?
How should Jesus’ words change how I live my life?

8. God is the author of Scripture.

9. Every time we read Scripture we encounter God.

10. Scripture is inexhaustible.

11. We can go to the Book of Psalms to look for prayer.

12. The Psalms are a collection of prayers in Scripture.
This makes the psalms prayers that are simultaneously the inspired Word of God.
The word psalms means praises.
The psalms were praises that were sung by the people of Israel.
The psalms were mainly authored by King David.
David was famous for slaying Goliath, and he was a poet and a “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
God promised David that from his line the Messiah would be born, and Jesus was a direct descendent of King David.
There are 150 psalms.
We find in the psalms both personal prayer and prayer for the community.
The psalms celebrate how God saved the people of Israel, and look forward to the future promises made by God to His people.

13. Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms.
His life and saving acts fulfilled all of the psalms’ promises.
And so “the Psalms remain essential to the prayer of the Church” (CCC 2586).
We pray a psalm at every Mass.
This psalm reading occurs after the first reading that is usually taken from the Old Testament.

14. The Psalms are also an important part of the Liturgy of the Hours.
The Liturgy of the Hours is known as the prayer of the Church.
It is comprised of:
•Psalms
•Hymns
•Scripture readings.
It rotates on a four week cycle and observes the Church’s liturgical feasts.
Priests and religious communities all observe the Liturgy of the Hours.
Many laypeople also participate in the whole or part of these prayers.
What this means is the whole Church participates in the Liturgy of the Hours.
At any point during the day, someone around the world is praying that prayer of the Church.

15. Two of the most common prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours are Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.
The Liturgy of the Hours is known as the prayer of the Church.
It is comprised of:
•Psalms
•Hymns
•Scripture readings.
It rotates on a four week cycle and observes the Church’s liturgical feasts.
Priests and religious communities all observe the Liturgy of the Hours.
Many laypeople also participate in the whole or part of these prayers.
What this means is the whole Church participates in the Liturgy of the Hours.
At any point during the day, someone around the world is praying that prayer of the Church.

16. An ancient form of praying with Scripture is Lectio Divina.
It originated with the Desert Fathers (who were the first monks) of the fourth and fifth centuries and is still prayed today.

17. Lectio Divina is a slow, thoughtful encounter with the Word of God.

18. When praying Lectio Divina:
We listen to the Word of God spoken in Scripture.
Consider how God’s Word applies to our life.
Respond to God in prayer.
And rest silently in God’s presence and allow Him to speak to our heart.

19. Although simple to do, Lectio Divina can lead to a rich and moving encounter with God.

20. There are four steps to Lectio Divina:
Meditatio
Oratio
Contemplatio

21. Lectio translates as “reading”.
We read the words of Scripture slowly and intentionally.

22. Meditatio translates as “meditation”.
Here immerse yourself in the Scripture using all your senses.
You may note here that this step is NOT about “emptying” oneself as the word meditation is commonly used in other contexts.

23. Oratio translates as “prayer”.
We have a conversation with God about what the Scripture passage has revealed to us.

24. Contemplatio translates as “contemplation”.
We rest in God and allow Him to speak directly to our heart.

25. Sacred Art Discussion: Madonna of the Book by Botticelli
Who is depicted in this painting? What do you notice about each figure?
Parents should be able to identify Mary and Jesus.

26. Sacred Art Discussion: Madonna of the Book by Botticelli
What do you notice about Jesus’ and Mary’s hands?
The tiny hand of Jesus seems to follow the motion of His mother’s hand, as if in imitation, as He looks up at her. Both outstretched hands direct our attention to Sacred Scripture.

27. Sacred Art Discussion: Madonna of the Book by Botticelli
In what ways does this painting show us how Mary leads us to her Son?
Mary looks into the eyes of Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God and the One to whom all of Scripture itself points. Just as the viewer’s gaze is irresistibly drawn to Mary by her rich colors, commanding size, and beauty of expression, it is then directed by her gaze and very posture toward her Son. This is a reality that Botticelli expresses beautifully: Mary, tethered to Scripture, leads us to Christ. Our Lady is a wonderful example of prayer, for in every moment of her life she was perfectly united to God’s will. By imitating her, and keeping the Scriptures in our hearts, we can grow ever closer to Him.

28. Sacred Art Discussion: Madonna of the Book by Botticelli
This painting of Mary and Jesus is unique in that the viewer’s eye is drawn to rest on the book of Scripture. What does Scripture have to do with prayer?
Before moving on, conclude with the point that Scripture itself is a prayer. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Scripture, and so when we pray with Scripture we not only encounter God as He is revealed through the words, but we also have the chance to offer back to Him the intimate prayer of the Holy Spirit Himself. Scripture offers more than a conversation with God; it also reveals to us the conversation of God. When we pray with Scripture we utter an echo of the everlasting love of the Holy Trinity.

29. Discussion/sharing

30. Discussion questions
Because God reveals Himself in Scripture, you can encounter Him while reading it. What are some ways of making yourself open to God’s Word in Scripture? What are some questions to ask yourself as you pray with Scripture? Some questions you can ask are: What does this Scripture passage say to me? How can I apply it to my own life? What are the psalms and what do they celebrate? When in Mass do we pray a psalm?
1. Answers will vary. You should pray to the Holy Spirit to make you receptive to God’s Word before reading Scripture and treat God’s Word with reverence. You can go to a quiet place to avoid distractions, and meditate on a select short passage or verse, reading it slowly and deliberately, and more than once.
2. If you are reading from the Gospels, ask yourself: What does this Scripture passage tell me about Jesus? How should Jesus’ words change how I live my life? Answers will vary.
3. The psalms are a collection of prayers in Scripture, which makes them prayers that are simultaneously the inspired Word of God. They celebrate how God saved the people of Israel, and look forward to the future promises made by God to His people.

31. Discussion questions
What is known as the prayer of the Church? How does the external routine of prayer help form our spiritual lives? What does Lectio Divina mean and where does it come from? What is your experience reading Scripture? Have you ever tried to meditate on Scripture instead of simply reading it?
5. The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office.
6. Answers will vary. The external routine of prayer makes it as essential a part of our lives as other important routines, such as sleeping, eating, and drinking. Having healthy routines establishes a healthy life, and the same can be said about a healthy routine in our spiritual lives. When we set aside a time to pray, we are making the choice to pray and create habits that help us incorporate prayer into our daily lives.
7. It means “divine reading,” and originated with the Desert Fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The Desert Fathers were some of the first monks, Christians who moved into the wilderness to devote themselves to a simple way of life of work and prayer.
8. Answers will vary.

32. Discussion questions
Why is adoration the attitude of the human person before God? Why should we adore God alone? Why should we acknowledge we are sinners before God before we petition Him? For what should we petition God? Do you think that you petition God for the right things?
9. Adoration acknowledges that God is our Creator and that we are His creatures. We owe our existence entirely to His divine love. When we adore God, we are acknowledging His holiness, as well as our littleness and our dependence on Him.
10. We should adore and serve no one or nothing before God. God is deserving of our adoration because He made us and keeps everything in existence. Our lives and all of creation are entirely a gift and nothing we did made us deserving of this precious gift. To serve another before God is not only a misuse of this gift and rejecting the love of the holy one who made us, but it is also a denial of our very nature. Because God made us for Himself, we can only receive fulfillment by serving Him.
11.When we petition God for the things that we need, we acknowledge that we are God’s creatures who have sinned and who are in need of His divine assistance. This acknowledgment is an important part of the proper “attitude of the heart” that we must have whenever we pray.
12. We should ask for the coming of God’s Kingdom and our daily needs and concerns. God knows that we have earthly needs, and they are in fact part of our preparedness in order to work for the coming of the Kingdom. God wants to answer our temporal needs (food, clothing, shelter, friendships, and so forth) but we ask for them in relationship to the coming of His Kingdom.

33. Discussion questions
How are we imitating Jesus when we intercede for others? Why can we give thanks every time we pray? What is the prayer of praise? Of the five forms of prayer, which is the form you most often pray? Which form of prayer do you think you should pray more often?
13. The Catechism defines intercession as “a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners” (CCC 2634). When we intercede for others we participate in this ministry of Christ’s. To intercede through prayer means to stand between a person and God asking for the things that this person needs. We become a bridge to God, through prayer, for another.
14. We can give thanks to God for hearing and answering our prayers even as we request them, because we have faith. Our faith believes the Word of God that reveals to us the truth that God loves us, hears our prayers, and desires to answer them according to His will. Because we have faith, we can always give thanks as we pray.
15. Praise is the form of prayer by which we celebrate God’s goodness, as the Catechism explains: “Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS” (CCC 2639).
16. Answers will vary.

34. Reminders and Announcements
Special announcement - service projects
Remind parents to put up their new Fridge Page and the Car Conversations hang tag for this month. These can be found in their Parent’s Guide at the beginning of this month’s lesson. Let families know that this month, they will NOT come to the usual Community Meeting. Instead, families will be working together on a service project that will unite prayer with acts of service. This will be a fun and memorable time to get to know each other and, more importantly, to help us see Christ in the “least” among us.
Remind parents to put up their new Fridge Page and the Car Conversations hang tag for this month. These can be found in their Parent’s Guide at the beginning of this month’s lesson.

35. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path. —Psalm 119:105

36. Closing Prayer
Dear Father, please guide us with your Word. Help us to hear your Word and turn to you during our times of trouble. Open our hearts so that your Word will bear fruit in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.