‘Lord, teach us to pray.’
A NEW CURRICULUM | ON PRAYER
On one occasion, the disciples of Jesus approached and asked Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ (Lk 11:1)
It’s the same question we ask Him ourselves, even now. We hear about it all the time, but what is prayer? Why should I pray? And how do I pray?
This year’s Faith Formation lessons will be on our most common prayers. My hope is for this also to serve as a foundation for a whole-parish catechesis.
So, each month we’ll look closely at a different prayer from our Catholic tradition, asking ‘What does that mean?’ and ‘Why do we say that?’
I’ll post a video for you on the website and Petersboat. The monthly gatherings of The Way for Men and for Women will also follow this curriculum.
Each month I’ll include an outline of the lesson here in the bulletin for all of you, beginning with this month’s introduction and teaching on the Glory Be prayer.
SO WHAT IS PRAYER? | FIRST A GIFT
Prayer has been described as lifting up the heart and the mind to God but it’s important to know that the Father initiates prayer by giving us the capacity for it when He creates us, putting into our hearts the desire for Him. Prayer is firstly a gift from God.
WHY PRAY? | TO BE HAPPY
A car is for driving, a house offers shelter, a pen is used to write. But what about the human person? What are we made for? Jesus reveals to us that God made us to know Him and to love Him in this life, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. Prayer is our happiness, then, because it is contact with God. Bishop Sheen would say, “There are two types of people in the world, those who wake up and say, ‘Good morning, God!’ and those who wake up and say, ‘Good God, morning.’” The man who prays to God each morning is happy because his awareness of God’s presence makes him unafraid of the day ahead of him.
BUT HOW DO WE PRAY? | HERE’S A WAY
First, we acknowledge our longing for God. Then we remember His longing for us. And then we seek to encounter Him where He is found: in the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the Saints.
He is of course in all things that are beautiful, good, and true. He is not bound by the Church, as if He were only present in the Church. But He is certainly bound to His Church. We can always find Him here.
THE GLORY BE | THE HEART OF PRAYER
It’s a good place to start since the whole purpose of our lives is to give glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
You might say that the Glory Be connects the what, the why, and the how of prayer. For example:
The Ancient Father created us with a longing for Him in our hearts, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. The Eternal Son, Our Lord, has revealed that God longs for us too. And the Holy Spirit is the very life of the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the Saints.
By acknowledging my desire for God, I give glory to the Father. By remembering His desire for me, I give glory to the Son. And seeking to find Him in the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and the Saints I give glory to the Holy Spirit. This is the Church, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
BUT WHAT IS GLORY? | HIS REFLECTION
As the moon’s only light is what it reflects of the sun, we are only glorious when we reflect something of who God is in this world. When we use the gifts He gave us to do His will, when we love one another and serve others humbly, we are glorious in the sight of heaven. As the ocean glorifies the depths of God’s mysteries and the mountains the heights of His holiness, so the one who prays will give Him glory too. +