The Christian faith is to be believed celebrated and lived in an intense and personal relationship with the living and true God Prayer is the place of covenant It comes from the heart CCC 2563 The heart is our hidden center beyond the grasp of our reason and of others only the Spirit of ID: 160976
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Slide1
Why Do we pray?
The Christian faith is to be believed, celebrated, and lived in an intense and personal relationship with the living and true God.
Prayer is the place of covenant. It comes from the heart.
CCC 2563: The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully.
Prayer is the habit of being in God’s presence (CCC 2565)Slide2
Matthew 7:7-8The goal of our Christian life is not simply to say pious words. Our goal is to know the Shepherd!
In prayer, we enter into a dialogue with the Lord.
Prayers awakens us to God’s marvelous activity in our lives.
Prayer deepens our friendship with the Lord and strengthens us for our journey to God.Slide3Slide4
How did Jesus pray?
Right after His Baptism he went on a 40-day retreat
Prayed before selecting the Apostles
Asked for Peter not to fall into temptation
Luke 22:42
Luke 10:21
John 11:41
John 17
Luke 23:46Slide5Slide6
Expressions of Prayer
They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the word and dwelling in the presence of god makes these intense times in the life of prayer (ccc 2699)Slide7
Vocal prayer
Our prayer takes flesh, by words (mental or vocal).
We have a desire to involve our senses in our prayer, and translate our needs externally.
Because it is external, it is most readily accessible to groups.
Examples:
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
PetitionsSlide8
Meditative prayer
It is a journey. The mind seeks to find the why and how of Christian life.
We focus on an object or idea to better understand who God is, and who we are.
Engages thought, imagination, emotion and desire.
This helps us to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt conversion of heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ.
Examples:
Lectio
Divina
Adoration
JournalSlide9
Contemplative Prayer
St. Teresa of Jesus says, “Contemplative prayer is nothing else than a close sharing between friends.”
Spending time with God.
It is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer.
It is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts.
It is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus.
It is
silence
Examples:
Eucharistic Adoration
Sitting in the presence of GodSlide10
Forms
of Prayer
The Eucharist contains and expresses all forms of prayer: it is "the pure offering" of the whole Body of Christ to the glory of God's
name
and
, according to the traditions of East and West, it is
the
"sacrifice of praise."Slide11
Blessing and adoration
Blessing expresses the basic movement of Christian prayer: it is an encounter between God and man. In blessing, God's gift and man's acceptance of it are united in dialogue with each other
.
Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made
us
and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil. Slide12
petition
we express awareness of our relationship with God. We are creatures who are not our own beginning, not the masters of adversity, not our own last end.
The first movement of the prayer of petition is
asking
forgiveness
A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another
,
Christian petition is centered on the desire and
search for the Kingdom to come
, in keeping with the teaching of
Christ
When we share in God's saving love, we understand that
every need
can become the object of petition. Slide13
intercession
Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus
did
intercession—asking on behalf of another—has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God's mercy
.
he who prays looks "not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do him
harm
The intercession of Christians recognizes no
boundariesSlide14
thanksgiving
Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is.
The letters of St. Paul often begin and end with thanksgiving, and the Lord Jesus is always present in it: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"; "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving
.“ (
1
Thess
5:18;
Col
4:2)Slide15
Praise
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 ISSlide16
How should we pray?
Find a place
— somewhere that you can slow down, relax, and focus your attention. You can designate a room/space in your house as prayer space.
Find time
— Prayer and the Christian life are inseparably linked. We should ‘pray always’, but we also should commit to a specific time where we are focused on prayer. Prayer is a habit. We learn to pray by praying.Slide17
Be relaxed but alert
— prayer demands our attention. Find a body position that keeps you alert by helps you to relax
.
Have a proper attitude
— Prayer helps us grow in friendship with God. Although He gives us the gift of wanting to pray, we have to do our part. Discipline, humility, trust in the presence of God, and perseverance are all necessary
attitudes
.Slide18