HANDOUT 37

Although prayer plays a very important part of Christian worship it is private prayer which lies at the heart of each Christian’s spiritual life. This is not surprising. It is the most important collection of sayings of Jesus in the Gospels, the sermon on the mount Jesus told his followers not to pray to gain the admiration of others but to ‘…go into your room, close the door, and pray to your father who is unseen’ (Matthew 6:6).

There are few set prayers which are common to all Christian traditions although the Lord’s prayer is the exception. Most Christian prayers, however, do contain common ingredients:

The praise and adoration of God. All genuine prayer begins as the Christian thanks God for the world He has created and the faculties of health and strength to enjoy it.

A confession of any sins committed and the seeking of God’s forgiveness. Requests to God to intervene in their own personal life or in the lives of others. Prayers for others are

called ‘intercessions’ and these form an important part of both private and public prayer. Thanksgiving for all the blessings that have already been received from God.

All of these elements are brought together in the Lord’s prayer which Jesus taught all his followers to use.

Unlike several other religions there are no set times for prayer in the Christian tradition – although this is not true for monks and nuns. Many Christians, though, do feel they need to start each day with a ‘Quiet time’ when they set time aside to read their Bible and pray, and they may end the day in the same manner as well.

Keene, M. Examining Four Religions. p174.

You may wish to experience the online Labyrinth as an example of meditative prayer used in the Catholic and Uniting Churches by visiting the Website below.http://www.embody.co.uk/labyrinth/online.html

Reflections on Prayer: BaptistDaily PrayerOur lives have been deeply scarred by the pain and bitterness around us and within us, and we are now convinced that it is only the healing Spirit of Jesus Christ that can restore our wholeness and holiness. Such renewal requires the discipline of regular times for silence and prayer, for we need shelter from noise and insanity to hear the whisperings in our hearts. Only as we listen regularly, with our minds attuned by the hearing of scripture and participation in the liturgy, can we learn to discern which of those whisperings are healing words of counsel from the Spirit of God. Times of structured prayer and contemplation take place in our chapel most days, but most of us, being unable to be there, participate in this rhythm of shared prayer while elsewhere. If you wish to pray with others in the chapel, contact us first to find out the current times of prayer.

Other Perspectives on Prayer can be found at the following URL:http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/11356.htm

WORKSHEET 20

PERSONAL DEVOTION – PRAYERDescribe the different types of Prayer

1. What is Prayer?

2. Make a list of different types of prayers used in the Christian tradition and the variant in which they are used in.

3. What is the purpose of these prayers in the life of Christian believers?

4. How does prayer help Christians become closer to God?

HANDOUT 38

PrayerPayer is often described as conversation or spiritual communication with God. This leads to personal transformation and the growth of an intimate relationship with God (see Ex 33: 11—Moses and God).The Hebrew words for prayer capture the sense of ‘to call out’, ‘shout aloud’ and ‘to pour out one’s soul’ to God. The Christian Bible reflects a God who listens and answers, who knows every person deep down, and who is not limited to a time or place of public worship. The gospels often describe Jesus in prayer. He prayed privately and publicly, and his life is presented as one continuous prayer.Yet the Scriptures and the later Christian tradition also present many different types of prayers and settings for prayers. Some of these are:• prayer from the Hebrew Scriptures (for example, Psalms)• Teresian - prayer after the pattern of St. Teresa of Avila• Mantra• the Jesus Prayer• Ignatian• Marian - Prayers dedicated to Mary. • Devotio ModernaDevotio Moderna ("modern devotion") refers to a movement for the renewal of the spiritual life that began in Holland during the late C14th and was influential in Germany, France, and parts of Italy. These include an appeal to the original simplicity of Christian faith in a "golden age" now evidently lost; a call to clergy for a truly holy life; a valuing of the interior life with a corresponding lack of stress on the Church's institutionalized aids to salvation; criticism of formalized acts of piety together with any naive reliance on the external aspects of religion; an insistence that the knowledge of God lay open to scholar and illiterate peasant alike. The Devotio Moderna was successful amongst laity and found institutional expression in the Brethren of the Common Life: associations of laity and non-monastic priests who were called to practice a disciplined life within their existing callings.• desert (eremitical, cenobitical)• Thomistic• Trinitarian• Franciscan• Benedictine• lectio divina • sacramental (for example, baptismal, funerary)• prayer of the heart and hesychasm• prophetic (challenges and purifies the tradition).

Communal WorshipCommunal worship takes place in the context of sacramental worship, small prayer groups, meditation groups, domestic (family) rituals, and recitation of the liturgy of the Hours (see page 457). It might also provide an appropriate context for devotions such as the Rosary, for mantra prayer, for the dedication of a cathedral or other sacred space, for pilgrimage (see pages 350—4), or when praying for special needs (such as for victims of a flood, drought or other natural disaster).

Reflection on ScriptureReflection on scripture can take place in the following varied contexts: a thirty-day retreat, Stations of the Cross, devotional prayer, recitation/singing of mantras, responsorial psalms, praying before icons, praying from prayer books. In addition, scripture verses designed for reflection often appear on bookmarks, holy cards, bumper stickers, embroidery and various artistic representations. This reflection can take place in a home, a church, or other sacred space. Rarer locations might include the places of Jesus’ ministry (for example, Capernaum, Gethsemane), or other places sacred to the tradition (for example, Taizé, Mount Athos, Canterbury, Geneva).

Morrissey, et. al. (2003). Living Religion. 2nd Ed. Longman Pubishing.pp.463-464.

A living Christian tradition: An overview of some Christian ways of meditation.

http://www.frimmin.com/faith/meditation.htmlTo many, the word "meditation" often brings to mind Eastern religions. But from the earliest days of the Church, Christians have used meditation as an essential part of prayer along with offering intercessions, supplications, and praise. From a Christian perspective, meditation might be thought of as quiet prayer, a prayer without petition, since "he already knows your needs." (Mt. 6.8) The prayer of quiet brings the soul into quiet rest, as well as the body. Many meditative practices have become perfected over centuries by countless believers, especially those in religious communities.

A survey of Christian meditation methodsMusic Imagin ation Tradi tional Meditation

Preparation: Relaxing / Centering methods (Recollection)

Entering into Presence:Listen ing Visual ization Repeti tion Chant Guided Medi tation Contem plation Sing ing in the Spi rit Kyth ing Mind fulness

Musical approaches : These usually aren't thought of as as meditative techniques, but music can be a powerful way of making a meditative connection to God's Presence.

Listening to meditative music—There's really no need to explain this one—its about as simple as it gets. Stop worrying, put down your work, sit down or lie down, and listen—really listen—to relaxing music. It can be a preparation for entering into

Chant—The earliest Jewish Christians worshipped God with chanted prayers in the synagogue. The gentle, exultant, undulating sounds of different styles of chant have been part of Christian worship ever since. A few forms:

Ambrosian chant Gregorian chant psalmody Hildegardian chant Byzantine chant Russian and Greek Orthodox chant.

Most recently, Jacques Berthier of the ecumenical >>Taizé— community in France has been developing a modern style of chant which has enriched worship in Christian churches and communities throughout the world.Singing in the Spirit—In some Pentecostal and Charismatic congregations, "the Spirit flows" and people begin singing spontaneous praises, either in tongues or in their own language. When it's done slowly and softly, it can be a profound meditative experience.Imagination methods. These techniques combine elements of the focusing techniques described above, as a starting point, but they intend to give the meditator an experience of God or something of God—for instance, a direct experience of His love, a message from Him, the experience of touching another in the communion of saints, bringing the Word to life, etc, through using the imagination as a portal to the sacred.Visualization—(This is an ingredient in most of the things that follow. Infinite variations are possible.) This is using the imagination to aid in a spiritual experience. All of the following methods use visualization as a key ingredient. Possible visualizations are virtually inexhaustible. Here a just a few possibilities:

Imagine yourself in a peaceful scene. Put yourself in a scene from the Gospels. Visualize yourself sharing another's suffering. Imagine yourself as a pebble, dropping into a lake, representing God.

Imagine yourself with God. See God within you [perhaps as a fire, a pool of water, or a golden light].  Or "picture" God

within your heart, your blood, your breath, etc.

Guided meditation—pretty much the same as the above, but with someone or something guiding you through it, helping you visualize. Guided meditations are often dynamic, as opposed to the previous meditation methods. For instance, in a guided meditation, you might progress from one place to another, or ask a question and listen for an answer. You might "meet" a person who is there to show you something, or face something which directs you to make a choice. Guided meditations often have a purpose in mind, such as inner healing, physical healing, or seeking God's will, etc.

Kything—this is lovingly experiencing your spiritual connection with the Lord, or with nature, saints, friends, etc. Often even mental dialoging or conversation is possible. In their excellent book on the subject, Kything: The Art of Spiritual Presence, Drs. Berne and Savary outline three simple steps:

1. Center yourself in God.2. Lovingly focus on God or the person or thing you want to kythe with, and3. Make contact through visualization.

2.This is an extremely powerful way of sensing your connections to the Lord and to what is known as the "communion of saints," the fellowship of all creatures in God.  Once contact is established, you might dialogue with the other. For instance, if you're kything with a holy person or with Christ, "talk" with him and listen to his responses. Remember that although imagination is the vehicle, it does not in any way mean that the contact is not "real."

Repetitive techniques—Repetitive methods have the advantage of being relatively easy. The calm repetition of a word, phrase, or short petition calms the mind, and allows one to begin entering the sacred Presence of God.

Breath prayers—Many possibilities, silent or softly spoken. I breathe in Your peace, and breathe out my worry, for example. These can often be done with physical exercise, such as walking, yoga, or tai chi.

Mantra—A prayer that quietly, slowly, mindfully repeats a prayer phrase or word, like "Maranatha," (>>Fr. John Main) or "My God and my All" (St. Francis). Many mantras are also breath prayers, silently spoken with the rhythm of the breath.

the Jesus Prayer—Perhaps the most time-honored Christian mantra prayer, practiced in the Eastern Churches for about 1600 years. There are many variations, ranging from: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner," to simply the name of Jesus. Traditionally, one progresses in this discipline in three stages: praying it out loud, praying it silently with the breath, and praying it in the heart.

Rosary prayer—the most popular rosary (the Dominican rosary) reflects on fifteen scenes from the life of Christ, with repetitions of several prayers. It's probably best done with visualization. There are other rosaries as well, such as the Dalriadian rosary, the Fiat rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Franciscan Crown, the Anglican rosary, and Eastern Orthodox prayer beads. Even Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims use prayer beads for the meditative repetition of mantras, or the names of God.

Contemplative techniques— These usually require a quiet place. "Contemplation" in Christian meditation traditions has a meaning quite different from its everyday meaning of "mulling things over." Contemplation literally means "time together" and time together with God is the beginning and the end of contemplation.

Slow prayer—St. Teresa of Ávila recommended this technique to another nun: Pray the Lord's Prayer, but take an hour to pray it. Spend a few minutes entering into each individual phrase, until it becomes truly the prayer of your heart, and you become the prayer.

Contemplative Prayer, or Contemplation—just quietly, lovingly being completely with God. This is probably the hardest kind of meditative prayer, because you're not seeking any experience, thought, word, or feeling for yourself, just Him alone. The idea in contemplation is to just be, and just love, without "meditating" per se, or even thinking. And in just being with and loving God, you will spend "quality time" with God, the source of your being. The source par excellence on the subject is the spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing.

Awareness of Being—this is the method suggested by the outstanding sequel to the Cloud, The Book of Privy Counseling. Begin with simple awareness that you are, that you exist, here and now. Sense your own being, and rest in it. The second stage is this: as you become fully aware of your being, realize that God is your being, and rest in awareness of his being, your shared being. (This is one of my favorite methods.)

Centering Prayer —Popular in many Catholic circles—it's a specific technique of contemplative prayer which uses a short "prayer word" such as "God," "love," "Spirit," or "Jesus" to quiet the mind when distracting thoughts intrude. Another technique is to use a mental image as the "prayer word."

Lectio Divina—(pronounced lekt-see-o di-vee-na) "Spiritual reading" of the scriptures or any other spiritual writings. This is a combination method which has been practiced for centuries by Benedictine and Trappist monks and nuns. The four steps of lectio divina tie together Scripture reading, prayer, visualization and contemplation. Usually a very short passage is recommended, a sentence at most, and perhaps only a word.

o Reading (lectio)—slowly until you reach a verse, or perhaps even just a word that speaks to you.

o Praying (oratio)—repeating it prayerfully, slowing, invoking God's help and presence in "entering in."

o Meditation (meditatio)—This can be many different things, from "slow prayer" to visualization. If the passage is a scene from the Gospels, for instance, you might picture yourself talking with Christ or other figures in the scene. If the passage is a simple word, slow prayer and merging with the word might be your meditatio.

o Contemplation (contemplatio)—resting quietly and lovingly in God. See contemplation, above.

Mindfulness techniques—Mindfulness is moving meditation to the next level, taking the awareness beyond the meditation seat and into your whole life. The goal of mindfulness is living life deliberately in the Presence of God, and not "sleepwalking" throughout the day. God is always with us, but we can't be aware of His Presence with us in this moment without awareness—mindfulness—in this moment. Mindfulness makes all time sacred time.

Being in the present moment. Be aware of where you are, what you're doing, who you're with. Focus on the here and the now.

Every act is a rite. As much as possible, keep a sense of holiness throughout even the most mundane tasks. You might even tell yourself, "Here I take the sacred shower," or "now I quiet my holy screaming little 'gift from God!'"

Every act is a prayer. Lifting up the "Holy Sparks" of God for everyone n everything that you do. Dedicate ordinary actions like running, walking, cleaning a room, as prayer to help a friend, promote peace, etc. If you're experiencing pain, you might offer it as a personal sacrifice to God, or as a prayer for another.

Practicing the Presence of God—Keeping a mindful awareness of God, around and within you throughout the day.

ACTIVITIES1. What do Christians mean by prayer?2. Describe the different specific types of personal prayer and

examine their importance in the life of a Christian.3. Compare and contrast the main characteristics of the four main

types of Christian prayer referred to in this section.4. Investigate and assess key features of Jesus’ personal prayer

life. Refer to possible ways in which his prayer life might influence the everyday practices of Christians.

WORKSHEET 21Read through the above notes and list the four categories of personal prayer. Under each category outline the example of

that prayer.