A SHORT COURSE ON SPIRITUALITY
III. "Why Pray When
You Can Worry?"
“Jesus is around the corner. Get ready! Get ready!�
“God has given you a second chance. Don’t waste it!�
St. Augustine (354-430): “The man who is free from anxieties waits
for the coming of his Lord without fear.�
The New Age movement seeks to free our lives of all fear by claiming
that we can be absolute masters of our future. This deception attracts
many until they come face to face with the reality of original sin and our
need for forgiveness.
St. Hilary (315-68): “Fear is the trembling of human weakness,
frightened of suffering what we do not want to happen to us. This fear is
caused in us and stirred by our consciousness of our guilt, or by the
power of one stronger than ourselves, or the aggression of one too
powerful for us; or it may be caused by sickness, or the attack of a wild
animal, or the affliction of any evil. This fear is not taught but it comes
from our human weakness.�
Houdini was once locked in a chest. In attempting to escape he took
longer that usual. He had unlocked every lock except one which was
never locked in the first place. Houdini had actually locked it himself and
it took some time before he realized what had happened (We can create
our own problems and bind ourselves).
Communion Rite of the Mass: “Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and
grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and
protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-97): God is so good to me that it’s out
of the question to be afraid of him.
St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-38): “I have wasted many of God’s
graces because I was always afraid.�
WHY PRAY???
Prayer = “I am not the source and centre of the world. I am a
creature� - Humility. I can’t control everything, I forget things, I
sleep-in, suffering/regrets/fears…
I was once speaking with a very elder lady…
“But you’re speaking as if God were a person�
Prayer is a personal interchange with Our Lord = union with God.
“Lord, teach us to pray� – we are always at the beginning.
Gently – mercy on ourselves (Holy Hour Headaches) – Don’t
try too
hard!
E.g. – The love of a senior married couple is often expressed without a
word.
Mother Angelica: “The best way to pray is the way you pray best.�
Imaginative Prayer is only one form of meditation (Christmas as a child).
The need for a structure (scaffolding). Cf. Meditation Guide.
The simplicity of prayer: “Lord, it is wonderful to be here�.
The spirit of prayer (praying v’s saying prayers).
Contemplation = When God is predominantly active (glances of love).
Spiritual reading nourishes meditative prayer.
The consolations of God v’s The God of consolations.
RISKS – To laugh is to risk appearing the fool; to weep is to risk
appearing sentimental; to reach out to another is to risk exposing your
true self; to place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk
loss; to love is to risk not being loved in return; to live is to risk dying; to
hope is to risk despair; to try at all is to risk failure. But risk we must.
Because the greatest hazard to life is to risk nothing. The man who risks
nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering but
he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live. Chained by his
certitudes, he is a slave. He has fortified freedom. Only the person who
risks can be called free.
Christina Rossetti (1830-94): “Teach us, O Lord, to fear without
being afraid; to fear Thee in love that we may love Thee without fear;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.�
III. "Why Pray When
You Can Worry?"
“Jesus is around the corner. Get ready! Get ready!�
“God has given you a second chance. Don’t waste it!�
St. Augustine (354-430): “The man who is free from anxieties waits
for the coming of his Lord without fear.�
The New Age movement seeks to free our lives of all fear by claiming
that we can be absolute masters of our future. This deception attracts
many until they come face to face with the reality of original sin and our
need for forgiveness.
St. Hilary (315-68): “Fear is the trembling of human weakness,
frightened of suffering what we do not want to happen to us. This fear is
caused in us and stirred by our consciousness of our guilt, or by the
power of one stronger than ourselves, or the aggression of one too
powerful for us; or it may be caused by sickness, or the attack of a wild
animal, or the affliction of any evil. This fear is not taught but it comes
from our human weakness.�
Houdini was once locked in a chest. In attempting to escape he took
longer that usual. He had unlocked every lock except one which was
never locked in the first place. Houdini had actually locked it himself and
it took some time before he realized what had happened (We can create
our own problems and bind ourselves).
Communion Rite of the Mass: “Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and
grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and
protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-97): God is so good to me that it’s out
of the question to be afraid of him.
St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-38): “I have wasted many of God’s
graces because I was always afraid.�
WHY PRAY???
Prayer = “I am not the source and centre of the world. I am a
creature� - Humility. I can’t control everything, I forget things, I
sleep-in, suffering/regrets/fears…
I was once speaking with a very elder lady…
“But you’re speaking as if God were a person�
Prayer is a personal interchange with Our Lord = union with God.
“Lord, teach us to pray� – we are always at the beginning.
Gently – mercy on ourselves (Holy Hour Headaches) – Don’t
try too
hard!
E.g. – The love of a senior married couple is often expressed without a
word.
Mother Angelica: “The best way to pray is the way you pray best.�
Imaginative Prayer is only one form of meditation (Christmas as a child).
The need for a structure (scaffolding). Cf. Meditation Guide.
The simplicity of prayer: “Lord, it is wonderful to be here�.
The spirit of prayer (praying v’s saying prayers).
Contemplation = When God is predominantly active (glances of love).
Spiritual reading nourishes meditative prayer.
The consolations of God v’s The God of consolations.
RISKS – To laugh is to risk appearing the fool; to weep is to risk
appearing sentimental; to reach out to another is to risk exposing your
true self; to place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk
loss; to love is to risk not being loved in return; to live is to risk dying; to
hope is to risk despair; to try at all is to risk failure. But risk we must.
Because the greatest hazard to life is to risk nothing. The man who risks
nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering but
he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live. Chained by his
certitudes, he is a slave. He has fortified freedom. Only the person who
risks can be called free.
Christina Rossetti (1830-94): “Teach us, O Lord, to fear without
being afraid; to fear Thee in love that we may love Thee without fear;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.�
