Introduction - Why Pray?
*Video Coming Friday 3/4 at 2:00pm
This is the first part of my book study being done at my Parish this Lent. Go to https://www.stjohnms.com/lent-book-study for more.
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 one thing is needful.j Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Lk 10:38–42.
Types of Prayer
Vocal Prayer: praying with words, whether memorized or spontaneous.
Meditation: praying with the mind, especially by reading and reflecting on Scripture and entering into dialogue with God.
Contemplation: praying with the “eyes” of the heart, with a loving desire to “see” the face of God.
Brant Pitre, Introduction to the Spiritual Life, xii.
The Stages of Spiritual Growth
The Purgative Way: the path of spiritual childhood, focused on keeping the commandments, rooting out the capital sins (hence “purgative”), and learning to pray to the Father and practice meditation.
The Illuminative Way: the path of spiritual adolescence, focused on a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the life of Christ (hence “illuminative”), growing in virtues, and contemplation.
The Unitive Way: the path of spiritual adulthood, focused on union with God (hence, “unitive”) through the power of the Holy Spirit and the perfection of faith, hope, and love.
Keeping in mind that these are the general terms, that each human being is distinct and their path, unique.
ibid, xiii - xiv
So, Why Ought I Pray?
This is the purpose of all Christians, that we cultivate our own personal holiness. Holiness is not reserved for clergy and religious, but is the purpose for which we were each created. Jesus is calling His followers to a higher standard of life, calls them to take the minimal requirement of the Law and dig deeper, pursuing perfection. Throughout the Scriptures, it is evident that each person is called to holiness, that is to say, an intimate life with God. Prayer, and deep prayer, is the only way that this is achieved.
Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 ¶ You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Mt 5:43–48.
The Lord God calls all of Israel to be Holy.
Leviticus 19:1-4
And the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Le 19:1–4.
Jesus even calls the Samaritan woman at the well to holiness.
John 4:1-42
Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 He had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?” 13 Jesus said to her, “Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain;* and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
27 Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, “What do you wish?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the city and were coming to him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples begged him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has any one brought him food?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. 36 He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
39 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Jn 4:1–42.