Catholic Prayer Club
… a Worldwide Apostolate
October 2007 A.D.
Praying With Scripture
By Steven Macy
A frequently asked question that
we hear at CPC is “how can I communicate better with God?’ ‘Often I feel like I
repeat the same things over and over each time I pray – it feels routine and I
seldom feel close to Him.” All of us
have experienced these feelings at on time or another – even the holiest of
saints sometimes ‘came up dry’ in their prayer life.
Whenever we find it hard to talk
with God or difficult to express ourselves in an open self-revealing way, we
should consider letting God do the talking. This is what happens when we read
Sacred Scripture. Through his written word he invites us to listen. It is one
of the many ways that he reaches out to us to express his love and to seek a
closer, more intimate relationship which he desires with each one of us.
Like all forms of prayer do not
rush in. Quiet yourself, take some deep breaths, and settle into a comfortable
prayerful position. Silence and solitude are important. Select a short passage
from scripture. It doesn’t need to be lengthy, 6 to 10 lines will generally do
nicely. Read it through several times to familiarize yourself with it. Remember
to block out all distractions noting that God is present in the spirit and he
now speaks to you through the scripture. Then read the passage again – slowly -
taking notice of how you are feeling. What emotions are you feeling? Do you feel moved to do something? Or perhaps
you feel content just to be in his presence. At this point you should pause –
do not move on just yet. Wait until you are no longer moved by the experience.
Don’t get discouraged if nothing seems to be happening, sometimes God lets us
feel empty for awhile to sharpen our power to receive and communicate. Remember
too that ‘the Spirit comes to help us in our weakness, for when we cannot pray
properly, it is the Spirit who expresses our plea in a way that we could never
put into words. (Romans 8: 26-27)
So in conclusion
remember the 5 “P”s and the 1 “R”
·
Passage of Scripture – pick one and have it ready
·
Place – where you are alone and uninhibited in your response
to God
·
Posture – relaxed and peaceful with a
harmony of body and spirit
·
Presence of God – be ready and respond to it
·
Passage – Read it slowly aloud and listen
carefully to it. Listen with your heart as you would to a love letter
·
Review – after the prayer period is over
reflect upon the experience of prayer just finished. This helps us to notice
how God is present in our daily life experience and sets us on the path to a
closer more intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior
ODDS and Ends
Fall is the time when our younger
Children of God return to school let us remember them and those that teach and
counsel them in our prayers.
After our summer of rest
and renewal might there be some service we could render to our neighbor,
particularly those that struggle or are suffering in some way.
The
CPC Prayer Intention for This Month
For peace throughout all of God’s
kingdom
Lord hear our prayer….
Why
not start a prayer group in your home area?
Details are available on the following page……
You can help us spread the good word of our Lord…by becoming a CPC
Prayer Ministry Leader in your home area.
As a CPC Prayer
Minister (PM) you will form and lead a small Home Based Prayer Community (HBPC)
in your hometown.
It’s easy to
get started. All you need to do is invite several friends, co-workers or family
members to join your HBPC. Local communities are generally comprised of from 3
to 15 members who gather in community every other week to pray, reflect and
share our faith. The Catholic Prayer Club will provide you with all of the
materials you need to form organize and lead your ministry and Home Based
Prayer Community.
So if you feel
called to a ministry in the service of the Lord, please contact Steve Macy or
Aurora Ragaza Co-Stewards of The Catholic Prayer Club at
The
Catholic Prayer Club®
On the Worldwide Web www.catholicprayerclub.org
While our Ministry is free of charge
it is not free of cost. Please
consider supporting CPC with a tax - deductible donation by clicking the secure
link below
Donate Here Through
JustGive®
http://www.justgive.org/nonprofits/donate.jsp?ein=14-1977600
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prefer send a check to
The
Catholic Prayer Club
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