Prayer

How can we have a relationship with God without prayer? How can we get to know, love, and follow him without entering into dialogue with him regularly (both speaking and listening)? Engaging in regular prayer can be "a battle" in our current society, but we must not give up. Payer must be a priority in our day. Consider this: 

Which relationship is more important than the one we have with God?

Here is an entry that deals with the "three expressions of prayer," and the "battle of prayer." It's worth studying. The three expressions are 

• vocal,  
• meditative (prayerfully unfolding something you're focusing on, like in the Rosary), and
• contemplative (just being there with God, listening to him in quiet, seeking his will). 

The section also deals with the "battle of prayer." Basically, we have to make an act of the will, a commitment, to pray. Setting up a daily prayer routine can help with this (i.e. morning offering, prayer at meals, Rosary, prayer of the evening).

The Our Father

The Lord gave us the Our Father, a model of what a perfect vocal prayer looks like.  

James Tissot, 19th Century

The Church teaches that the Our Father is the most fundamental prayer and at the same time is the prayer "par excellence" of our faith. She teaches that it is the "summary of the whole gospel." 

Click here to review the meaning of the Lord's Payer, then listen to Fr. Barron explain it nicely by clicking here. If you want to watch the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen break it down, click here.

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Lk 10:38-42)

Next