4. What Prayer Is
ï” Desire to grow closer to God.
ï” An invitation to love.
ï” A dialogue with love.
ï” Wasting time with someone you love.
5. Fundamentals
ï” Is is breaking any Commandments?
ï” Is it leading you to â or away from Christ?
ï” Is it affecting your prayer commitment?
ï” Is it leading you to addictive behaviors? (Consolation)
6. Mechanics
ï” Prayer is binary.
ï” What did you set out to do? Did you do it?
ï” Giving God space to speak to us:
ï”You need silence.
ï”You need time.
ï” Eat something. Drink your coffee.
7. Mechanics
ï” Finish what you start.
ï” âPray as you can â not as you canâtâ (Mother
Teresa)
ï” Use stuff.
ï” Try itâŠ. You can make mistakesâŠ
ï” âŠ but give it a week before you change.
ï” Mechanics is not mechanical (Devotions)
9. ï” Emotions are ok, but âŠ.
ï” Movement of the heart is not an emotion.
ï” Your intellect informs your emotions.
ï” Your emotions inform your motivations.
ï” Mother Teresa and darkness, consolation, and
desire.
ï” Good of consolation vs. the consolation of
God⊠Which are you seeking?
You cannot be lead by your
emotions, but you must pay
attention to themâŠ
It is there where the Holy Spirit
resides
St. Francis deSales
10. How do you know prayer is working?
If itâs trueâŠ
ï” Peace
ï” Fruit
ï” Joy
ï” Rationally checking your emotions
ï” Launching pad to something more?
If itâs notâŠ
ï” Anxiety is not desolation.
ï” âI never told you to do that.â
ï” âDo whatever she tells you.â
ï” Prayer isnât a point system; itâs a
relationship.
ï” Itâs simply not working.
12. The Collect
ï” CONCLUDING PRAYER
All-powerful and ever-living God,
You have been our source of power and inspiration.
ï” Give us strength and joy in serving you as followers of Christ,
ï” Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever ... Amen.
13. The Collect
ï” CONCLUDING PRAYER
All-powerful and ever-living God,
[In the pastâŠ.] You have been our source of power and inspiration.
ï” [So, do now for us what you did back then andâŠ] Give us strength
and joy in serving you as followers of Christ,
ï” Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever⊠Amen.
14. Catholic Prayer
(vs. Evangelical, ProtestantâŠ)
ï” Prayer is not spiritualâŠ..
ï” only!
ï” God enters into the material world in a bodily way (Incarnation)
ï” Godâs intimate involvement with the world (Sacraments)
ï” Touches the entire person:
ï” Physical
ï” Emotional
ï” Spiritual
15. Consolation As The Wellspring
ï” Go back to it
ï” Nothing is wrong; Not A Lament
ï” Proof of Godâs love for us
ï” Speaking to you from your specific
experience in a new way.