Topic 2: Prayer So that we do not lose heart… Luke 18:1

WHAT IS PRAYER? To help us always remember our great helper!

Heb. 13:5-6
• Prayer is a gift from God
Pray for all people… 1 Tim. 2:1-2
• Prayer is a conversation from the heart with
So we might live quiet peaceful lives filled with
Lord.
His abundant love
• Prayer is the spiritual oxygen of every
Why do we need to Pray?
Christian person.
It’s to be the most central part of the Christian’s life.
• Prayer helps us to nurture a Luke 11:1

relationship with Almighty •It’s part of the whole armor of God. Eph. 6:13, 18; 1
Tim. 6:12
God.
•It is commanded. 1 Thes. 5:17
• Prayer is an act of trust in
To bring us closer to God’s transforming presence
God’s divine providence.
To help us listen to God’s will for our lives
• A spiritual communion with God.
To strengthen us spiritually through God’s grace
- Acts 2:42
To help our faith grow
• It’s as Universal as man.
To seek divine assistance and wisdom
- Genesis 4:26; Ps. 65:2

• Prayer includes:
How Then Should We Pray?
Giving of praise…
• We should pray in the spirit of
Giving of thanks… forgiveness. Mark 11:25
Confession of our sin • We must pray in faith. James 1:6
Supplication (a request) • We must pray in harmony with God’s
will. 1 John 5:14

PRAYER IS... • We must pray in the name of Christ.

Colossians 3:17
• God hears and answers prayer.
• We must pray in the spirit of sincerity.
• Prayer is not a ritualistic performance, Matthew 6:5
but it’s talking to God.
When and where is the best time to Pray?
• We shouldn’t allow a lack of knowing
what to say prevent us from praying. • Any time

• • What is more natural between two who love • Any place, is a good place or time for prayer
each other than communication? “Even before we have moved in search of God, God has
• • Prayer is one way that we communicate with come in search of us”.
God. Examples:

•Early in the morning, before our daily responsibilities

“Our prayer should be an expression of a desire and routines.
for what God tells us in our heart and •Before and after meals
conscience to do or to wish for and not to
desire what we selfishly and personally like to •During the course of a daily walk.
do or possess”.
•While doing the laundry or cutting the grass.
-St. Augustine
•As you wait for the bus to arrive or the plane to
What Is God’s Will Concerning Prayer? depart.

He wants us to pray continuously. Talk to Him!

Why Then Do We Feel Some Prayers Go Unanswered? Prayer of Thanksgiving

Because many prayers go unfinished • A prayer of thanksgiving is one that

acknowledges God’s many gifts with a
• Pray for health - must obey laws of
profound spirit of gratitude toward
health. Eph. 5:28-29;
Almighty God.
• Pray for sick – help them get well. Jas.
⚬ Who are the people you are
5:14;
grateful for?
• Pray for bereaved – must comfort
⚬ What are the material blessings
them. 1 Thes. 5:14
you are thankful for?
• Pray for wisdom – must study. Jas. 1:5
⚬ What are the human
• Pray for spiritual growth – must take experiences God has blessed
spiritual food. Matthew 4:4! you with?
• Pray for salvation of sinners, then you Prayer of Contrition
must seek and study. Luke 19:10
• seeking absolution, which is
• Pray for unity of the church, then you forgiveness, for sins
must work for unity. Eph. 4:3
• expresses sorrow for sins
• Pray for enemies, then must work and
do good to our enemies. Luke 6:27 • used in a liturgical service or used
privately
• Pray for the church to fill and grow
spiritually, then you must be a faithful • Example: Act of Contrition, Penitential
member. Hebrews 10:24-26 Rite

If God did not answer our prayers… Prayer of Supplication or Intercession

• He is teaching us to be patient. • is a prayer for other people

• Maybe what we asked for is not good • ask God for our needs and the needs of
for us – it is contrary to our others
sanctification and will lead us into • For example: the general prayers of
damnation. intercession at mass.
• Let us pray what is the will of God for
us. May our desire will be the desire of
God for us. Willing to do His will not our Levels of prayer:
will. -Private or Personal prayer
Types/Forms of prayer -Public or Communal prayer
Prayer of Adoration and Blessing

• A prayer of acknowledgement of God’s Lectio Divina: (individual or group)

awesome greatness.
• Literally this means ‘spiritual reading’
• Show great reverence, awe and respect
for God’s unending goodness. • Is a "Vital Encounter with the Lord"

• Praise God for who He is - our Creator, • Is being promoted today as a very
our Sustainer and our Redeemer helpful way of praying with the Bible,
combining several of the other methods
-Catechism # 2626 of biblical prayer :
“Blessing expresses the basic movement of Christian This Bible reading, accompanied by prayer, is known in
prayer: it is an encounter between God and man. In the tradition of the Church by the name Lectio Divina, a
blessing, God's gift and man's acceptance of it are practice that should be encouraged among all
united in dialogue with each other. The prayer of Christians.” (John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, 1999, p.
blessing is man's response to God's gifts: because God 31)
blesses, the human heart can in return bless the One
who is the source of every blessing.”
Methods of Praying with the Scriptures He calls us to establish an intimate relationship with
Him who created, redeemed and sanctified us.
 Lectio
God nourish our body and soul through the Body and
Reading (lectio) – hearing God’s Word in the Bible as
Blood of Christ that we partake in the Holy Eucharist.
I/we read it aloud
The Eucharist is the source and summit of all Christian
What does the biblical text say?
worship. We become what we eat– we become like
 Meditatio Christ in thought, in word, and in deed.

Meditation (meditatio) – reflecting on the meaning of

the text that I/we have read

What is God saying to me/us through this text?

 Oratio

Prayer (oratio) – speaking with God in praise,

thanksgiving, contrition, and petition

What do I/we say to God in response to this text?

Contemplatio

Contemplation (contemplatio) – listening to God more

quietly in the silence ofour hearts

How does this text make me/us feel in my/our

relationship with God?

Actio

Action (actio) – letting the encounter concretely affect

our daily life and work in the world

How will I/we change what I/we do today in response to

hearing this text?

B. Public or Communal Prayer

When two or three are gathered in my name I am in the

midst of them.” Mt. 18:20

• It is not enough to pray in private.

• We are also a Church - Mystical Body of

Christ.

• Holy Eucharist- the highest form of

worship/ prayer.

• Liturgy of the Hours

PRAYER IS...

Prayer is an encounter with God in love. A God who

constantly seeks to make His presence known and felt
by us.

We do not know how to pray as we should, but that

very Spirit that is in us who teaches us what to pray.

He calls us to respond his loving invitation as he

continuously reveals himself to us inour history and in
our daily undertakings.
Topic 3: Worship IGNORANT WORSHIP

WORSHIP Acts 17:22-23

ETYMOLOGY Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said,
"Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very
1.The primary Hebrew word for worship.
religious; for as I was passing through and considering
Shachah - "to depress, i.e. face down (in homage to the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with
royalty or God) this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

- “bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly Therefore, the One whom you worship without
beseech, do reverence, make to stoop, worship." knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

THREE GREEK WORDS

Proskuneo- "meaning to kiss, to fawn or crouch to, PAUL PERCEIVED THAT THEY WERE VERY RELIGIOUS
homage, do reverence to, BUT HE WARNED THEM THAT THEIR RELIGIOUS SERVICE
WAS NOT PLEASING TO GOD FOR IT WAS DONE
adore“. It occurs 59 times in the New Testament. It WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT GOD WANTED OR
originally carried with it the idea of subjects falling EVEN WHO GOD WAS.
down to kiss the ground before a king or kiss their feet.

Sebomai - "to reverence, hold in awe." Used 10 times in

the New Testament. 1) TO BE IGNORANT, NOT TO KNOW

Latreuo - "to render religious service of homage." Used 2) not to understand, unknown
21 times in the New Testament.
3) to err or sin through mistake, to be wrong
The word in the English language literally means to
• MANY WORSHIP FALSE GODS
ascribe worth to something.
• MANY WORSHIP IN FALSE RELIGIONS
True worship begins with a deep respect or reverence
for God, a frame of heart, an attitude. This must be • MANY WORSHIP THE RIGHT GOD IN
fixed in one's mind before we go further. WRONG WAYS

An "act" of worship is an act proceeding from or the WILL WORSHIP

result of that attitude.
Colossians 2:23
Worship in New Testament
These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in
WORSHIP IN VARIOUS FORMS OCCURS 79 TIMES IN self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the
OUR NEW TESTAMENT body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the
flesh.
MOST OF THESE DISCUSS PROPER WORSHIP TO GOD IN
THE ASSEMBLED CHURCH This is worship that centers in satisfying self.This is the
same type of worship that we often have today, that
THERE ARE SOME WRONG WAYS TO WORSHIP
which calls for "audience centered" worship.
VAIN WORSHIP
Many want a self-imposed (will) worship
Matthew 15:8-9
They want worship to be for their pleasure and
8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And enjoyment.
honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
They want worship that pleases them
9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men." • Worship is not for our pleasure.

VAIN = EMPTY, SHALLOW, HOLLOW, WITHOUT VALUE • Worship is not for our enjoyment.
OR MEANING, FRUITLESS, NO PURPOSE
• Worship is our attempt to please and
HOW CAN OUR WORSHIP BE VAIN? praise God.

–Sin in our lives CREATURE WORSHIP

–Not paying attention Romans 1:24-25

–Just go through the motions Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in
the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among
themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,
and worshiped and served the creature rather than the • The problem is not with the content of
Creator, who is blessed forever. our worship. The problem is with our
hearts.
We think about the pagans who worship snakes, cows,
birds, lions, fish and other animals. • We are so materialistic and carnal
minded that we cannot center our
But many today are in love with themselves –
minds of praising God and need
Narcissistic
artificial stimulation to "feel" spiritual.
Some are guilty of following some man/woman –
B. The correct place of our worship
preacher, TV star, movie star, singer, etc.
• Anyplace where God's people dwell.
• DO NOT WORSHIP THE CREATED.
• This is the truth that Jesus revealed to
• WORSHIP THE CREATOR.
the Samaritan woman.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is

TRUE WORSHIP coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father."
John 4:23-24
C. There must be a combination of reverence toward
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true God and worshiping according to the truth of God's will.
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.God is
Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth.”

2 Aspects to True Worship:

1 – Spirit = zeal, excitement, fervor

Sing, pray, study – like you mean it

2 – Truth = doing what God said, the way that God said
to do it

WORSHIP GOD

We are to worship God.

We must make sure that our worship is:

• In spirit and truth

• Not in vain

• Not out of ignorance

• Not self-willed

• Not directed to a creature

THE CORRECT ELEMENTS OF WORSHIP

A. Worship is God centered

• One of the great errors in modern

worship is making it worshiper
centered. Worship is to be centered on
praising God, not entertaining
ourselves.

• Our problem is that we have

determined that we have a problem but
have not correctly diagnosed the
problem.