1. Practicing our Faith Conversation with God
Prayer
Practicing our Faith
Conversation with God

2. What is prayer?
A form of worship in which we have a conversation with God that includes both speaking and listening and opens us up fully to God.
You can pray anytime and anywhere. Use your whole self to pray.
There are different reasons why we pray.
There are different forms of prayer.
Just as it is necessary to speak with our friends to maintain a relationship with them, it is important to keep an open communication with God.

3. Forms of Prayer Adoration (Blessing and praise) Contrition
Give glory and praise to God for creation and just because He is God
Doxology: A short prayer of praise
Contrition
To tell God we are sorry for our sins and ask for forgiveness
Thanksgiving
Thank God for personal blessings
Supplication (petition or intercession)
Asking for favors for ourselves and others

4. Expression of Prayer Individual Communal Vocal Silent Praying alone
Praying with others
Vocal
Voicing prayer out loud
Silent
Praying in silence

5. Expressions of Prayer Individual Formal
Reciting already written prayers
Psalms
Informal
Spontaneous prayer/ making up your own prayer
Meditation
Reflection on scripture, events in the life of Jesus or any other material
Lectio Divina
Ignatian Meditation
Contemplation
Clearing your mind completely and allowing God to enter and guide you.
mysticism

6. Expressions of Prayer Communal Liturgy (Public Prayer of the Church)
Sacrifice of the Mass
Sacraments
Liturgy of the Hours
Devotions (Can be individual prayer)
Stations of the Cross
Rosary
Advent Candle

7. Obstacles to Prayer Misconceptions Distractions and dryness
Merely a psychological activity or rattling off memorized words
Requires expertise
“Pray without ceasing”
Unite your prayer life to your everyday life, good works
Distractions and dryness
Wandering thoughts
Feeling separated from God
Lack of devotion
discouragement

8. The Lord’s Prayer Address Theological Petition Personal Petition
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Theological Petition
Hallowed be thy name
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven
Personal Petition
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those…
Lead us not into temptation
Deliver us from evil
Doxology*
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory
Acclamation
Amen
* A short prayer of praise

9. Ignation Gospel Meditation
Originated by St. Ignatius of Loyola, also the founder of the Jesuit Order of Men
Form of meditation
Take a comfortable and silent position
Select a scripture passage (gospels are easiest)
Read through once, noting the characters in the account, the details such as colors, smells, visuals
Enter the story through your imagination; Be yourself as a spectator or assume the character of one already in the account
Note your reactions and respond to them in prayerful conversation with Jesus

10. Praying the Triduum
PRAYER

11. Lord’s Day & Liturgical Year
Sunday, Why?
It’s the day of the week that Christ rose from the dead
As a “New Creation” it is the 1st Day the day of “Let there be Light”
Liturgical Year:
The annual cycle of religious feasts and seasons that forms the context for the church’s worship.

12. Liturgical Feasts and seasons
Advent
Preparation for Coming
Immaculate Conception
Christmas
Incarnation
Epiphany
Ordinary Time
Jesus’ Baptism
Mission
Lent
Ash Wednesday
Triduum
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter
Ascension Thursday
Pentecost
Jesus Teachings, etc.

13. Praying the Triduum Holy Thursday Good Friday Holy Saturday
Jesus celebrates the Passover feast
Church celebrates the institution of the Eucharist
Chrism Mass- washing of feet, collection for the poor
Good Friday
Remembrance of the crucifixion by reading scripture accounts of the passion and death
Intercessions
Veneration of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Holy Saturday
Jesus descends into “Hell” to release the souls that have been waiting for salvation
Easter Sunday
Three days after His death Jesus is resurrected from the dead
High Masses
Blessing of water
Blessing of Candle
Readings of Salvation History
New Catholics are initiated by Baptism and Confirmation

14. Liturgy & the Paschal Mystery
*Liturgy (Public Prayer of the Church)
Comes from Greek, “service on behalf of the people”
Sacrifice of the Mass
Eucharist is the central liturgy of the church and the basis of most other liturgies
A weekly celebration of “little Easter”
Sacraments
Visible and efficacious signs of Jesus’ presence in our midst
Liturgy of the Hours
Pray without ceasing- Blesses the entire day

15. Sacrifice of the Mass
The central Christian liturgical celebration established by Jesus at the Last Supper.
Eucharist is based on the Greek word for “thanksgiving”
Remembers and renews the sacrificial death and Resurrection of Jesus. We participate in Jesus’ sacrifice.
Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated amidst prayers and readings. It combines the ancient worship of the Jewish people with the new celebration of “breaking of bread”
Transubstantiation: The changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.

16. Sacraments
An *efficacious and visible sign of God’s invisible grace that was instituted by Jesus.
Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation
Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick
Holy Orders, Matrimony
Consists of essential ritual actions and words
The actions are sensate symbols of what the sacrament is in fact doing.*

17. Liturgy of the Hours AKA, Divine Office
Official public daily prayer of the Church
Usually said communally but can be said individually. Because it is a Liturgical Prayer, it benefits the whole church in either circumstance
Consists of standard prayers, Scripture readings, and reflections at regular hours throughout the day.
Matins (6am morning) 9am, 12 noon, 3pm
Vespers (6pm evening) 9pm, 12 midnight, 3am