Prayer

Learning Goals Success Criteria

I will explore the purpose of prayer and different types of prayer.

I will be able to recognize prayer as a connection to God and that when people pray, it allows them to be strengthened to meet life's challenges

I will understand and assess the value of both personal and communal prayer

I will understand the importance of the main traditional prayers of the church (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory to the Father, Apostle’s Creed)

- Participate in various forms of prayer

- Reflect on the forms of prayer that best suit you

Check it out …

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[b]

7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “Pray then in this way:

Our Father in heaven,    hallowed be your name.10     Your kingdom come.    Your will be done,        on earth as it is in heaven.11     Give us this day our daily bread.[c]

12     And forgive us our debts,        as we also have forgiven our debtors.13     And do not bring us to the time of trial,[d]

        but rescue us from the evil one.[e]

What Matthew 6:5-13 tells us about Prayer

- don’t pray for other people to see you

- Prayers can be short- God knows what you

need before you ask- The Our Father is a

VERY important prayer

Think about it …

Define PrayerBrainstorm the reasons for prayer?Brainstorm various types of prayer?

Have you Prayed today?What is prayer …

a dialogue or communication with God

a spiritual exercise that draws us closer to God

Why should we pray …

To thank God (glorify God)

To acknowledge God’s presence in our lives

To get comfort

To seek forgiveness

To seek guidance in our lives

To pray for our needs and the needs of others

3 major expressions of prayer

Vocal

Meditation

Contemplation

Vocal

Vocal prayer is giving voice to what is stirring in our hearts and in our souls.

Vocal prayer can be as simple and uplifting as “Thank you, God, for this beautiful morning.”

Meditation To meditate is to reflect on or think about

God.

When we meditate, we keep our attention and focus on God so that we can recognize his presence in our daily lives and respond to what God is asking of us.

Meditation, also known as reflective prayer, leads us to conversation with God. Remembering that we are in God’s presence, we can listen to him speak to us.

Contemplation

When we rest quietly in God’s presence, we engage in contemplation.

In contemplation we spend time with God in wordless silence, aware that he is with us.

To understand how contemplation occurs, we can compare it with thinking on—or contemplating—a beautiful sunset. We are conscious of its impact, but our reaction is wordless.

When we experience God personally, we feel his love and wait for him to speak to us in his own way. The key is to make time to relax and listen in God’s presence, to seek union with the God who loves us.

Who Should I Pray with?

 ”For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[a]

Communal Prayer is important because …

It is the overflow and expression of our life in community. 

It nourishes and sustains our life allowing us to know that others are with us in our beliefs  

unity in prayer creates a oneness of mind and heart.

Personal Prayer is important because… It builds our relationship with God

It puts us into habit of living and acting as God would find Good.

It can improve our participation in our faith community

It gives us time to be with God on our own

It helps to make our religion more personal and more deeply rooted.

It can come to our aid in the little pinpricks of daily life as well as in temptations and trials

Types of Prayer

Vocal PrayerTraditional Prayer – The Rosary

Body Prayer (Praise and Worship)

MeditationScripture reflection

Journaling

ContemplationArt as prayer (mandala)

Art as Prayer

Mandalas

Mandalas have been used for centuries by people to create healing and establish wholeness both for individuals and the world at large.

a mandala is art contained in a circle that can reconnect us to God

While colouring the Mandala reflect, think, relax, contemplate on the beauty you are creating

http://spiritualawakening.weebly.com/mandalas-what-are-they.html

Mandala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-5kttiDPnw

Unit 2 Summative Assignment Reminder

- Full Assignment Outline Available on Classnet

- Rough Copy of Assignment is due Monday

- We will be in a computer lab RM. 56 on Monday finishing up the good copy.

- I will collect the good copy of assignments at the end of the period or at the beginning of class on Tuesday.

- Questions???

The Rosary

The Rosary is prayed to Jesus Through Mary

It came from Mary as a private revelation to St. Dominic in about 1180 CE

The Rosary involves 2 different types of prayer: Traditional and Meditative

Traditional- because we pray the traditional prayers of the Church

Meditative – because we reflect on one great event in each decade

There are 4 different meditations for the Rosary; the Joyful Mysteries, The Glorious Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries and the Luminous Mysteries For each of the Mysteries we as Catholics meditate on 5 different events

either in Jesus’ life or in Mary’s Life

Let’s make a Rosary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DisweFp-z3g&list=PL52ckf4_kwyIJzp-94yDyo7qtRtOauRvg

Let’s Pray The Rosary …I believe in God, the Father almighty,Creator of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived bythe Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried;he descended into hell;on the third day he rose again from the dead; 

he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right handof God the Father almighty;from there he will come to judgethe living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and life everlasting. Amen.

Scripture Meditation

Choose a passage from the bible

Read it 3 times prayerfully reflecting on the passage

Write down 1 or 2 statements that speak to you from the passage

Then write a short statement to Jesus expressing your feelings about the passage you just read

Body Prayer

lesson 4 - Movement prayer.docx

Anima Christi

Journaling Meditation

In a prayer journal you are free to write to God whatever you like

You can write all the things you are thankful for

The things you are struggling with

It is your free flowing conversation with God