Prayer
Growing in the Life of Prayer and Spiritual Practices
Prayer is a way to connect with the Divine. The Catholic Faith is rich in spiritual practices including many different types of individual prayer, community prayer, and practices of caring. There are prayer forms that will be fruitful for anyone from the most traditional Catholic to someone who is spiritual but not religious. We invite you to learn about different prayer forms and spiritual practices. Try the ones that attract you. If you are not drawn to a practice, enjoy the fact that some others in the world-wide Catholic community enter into their faith this way.
Catholic Spirituality in Practice
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This issue of C21 Resources seeks to explore an array of Christian spiritual practices that has served to nurture the lives of whole generations of Catholic Christians past and present. The practices presented here have long roots in the Catholic tradition; they have stood the test of time and have traveled well, demonstrating adaptability in multiple sociocultural contexts. The practices highlighted reflect a Catholic understanding of the person, of revelation, and a Catholic sense of sacramentality. The essays gathered provide a rich sampling of both “practices of prayer” and “practices of care,” as Catholic Christian spirituality insists on keeping strong the connection between prayer and praxis.
Click Here to access articles on Lectio Divina, The Ignation Examin, The Morning Offering, Praying with Images, Labyrinth Meditation, Eucharistic Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary and much more. |
Prayer Practices
Daily Prayer
There are countless resources for daily prayer.
Sacred Space is a ministry of the Irish Jesuits who invite you to make a 'Sacred Space' in your day, praying here and now, as you visit their website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance. |
The Liturgy of the Hours
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I believe that anyone who is serious about embracing the Christian contemplative path needs some form of sustainable daily prayer. For most of Christian history, this has meant using a breviary — a prayer book which contains prayer “services” or offices for praying throughout the day. Such collections of prayers are known as The Liturgy of the Hours or The Daily Office or The Divine Office.
Read More. This article contains links to websites, apps, and books to help you learn and pray the Liturgy of the Hours. |
The Daily Examen
The Daily Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience.
The method presented here is adapted from a technique described by Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises. St. Ignatius thought that the Examen was a gift that came directly from God, and that God wanted it to be shared as widely as possible. One of the few rules of prayer that Ignatius made for the Jesuit order was the requirement that Jesuits practice the Examen twice daily—at noon and at the end of the day. It’s a habit that Jesuits, and many other Christians, practice to this day. Click for How to Pray the Examen, apps to help you pray, articles and reflections. |
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Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship.
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Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina, literally meaning "divine reading," is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the "ear of the heart," as if he or she is in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion.
Like Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina cultivates contemplative prayer. Unlike Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina is a participatory, active practice that uses thoughts, images and insights to enter into a conversation with God.
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Ignatian Contemplation
Imaginative prayer (also known as Ignatian contemplation) is a way to pray with scripture using one’s imagination. St Ignatius believed that God could use any way to communicate with us including our feelings, emotions, memory, and imagination. Praying with scripture moves beyond the text and lets your imagination fill in the details and gaps. Now you’re chatting with Jesus, sitting in the boat with his disciples, or even standing at the foot of the cross.
The process can be as simple as this:
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