The%20Battle%20of%20Prayer

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The Battle of Prayer
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Context for Battle of Prayer

• Part 4 Christian Prayer
• Recall each part of the CCC is divided into two
  sections
• Section one covers the broad and foundational
• Section two covers more specifics and practical
  matters e.g. the Our Father
• After situating the doctrine of prayer within the
  context of Salvation History (ch 1), the CCC
  addresses the Tradition of prayer (ch 2), with
  the last chapter in section one dealing with the
  Life of Prayer (ch 3).

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All doctrine is situated within the Story of
Salvation History
-4 Dimensions of Christian Life -Trinitarian -in
union with Mary -Witness of the Saints
Christian Family
Getting practicalthis is how you live it.
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A Sure Norm for Teaching the Faith

• The CCC is teaching you how to teach
• You must know the Story of Salvation History and
  situate Prayer in that framework. This gives
  meaning and purpose to every doctrine. The battle
  of prayer only makes sense within this context.
• The Story reveals my identity as a Christian. My
  Christian life has 4 dimensions (see Acts 242).
  In order to understand prayer I need to see it in
  relation to the other three dimensions.
• There is a hierarchy of truths revealed by God
  and taught by the Church. The Trinity is the most
  central doctrine of the Faith. All teaching must
  be seen in relation to the Trinity.
• God has and continues to work through the Church.
  The Saints who have gone before us and the holy
  men women of our time assist us

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As you read and pray with the CCC look for these
features

• For Example
• Fr. Corbon refers to the dimensions of the
  Christian life as Wellsprings of prayer
• The Word of God (Creed)
• The Liturgy (Sacraments)
• The Theological Virtues
• Today i.e. events of daily life

(Morality)
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Catechesis of Children Prayer

• CCC 2688 again here the Catechism draws our
  attention to the 4-dimensional Christian Life.
• Teach them to meditate on the Word of God (Creed)
• Teach them to practice it the Word of God in
  Liturgical Prayer (Sacraments)
• Teach them to internalize it the Word of God at
  all timesto bear fruit in new life (Morality)

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The Battle of Prayer (CCC 2725-2745)

• Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined
  response on our part. It always presupposes
  effort.
• The Saints teach us that prayer is a battle
  Against ourselves and against the wiles of the
  tempter who does all he can to turn man away from
  prayer, away from union with God.
• I. Objections to Prayer
• II. Humble Vigilance in Prayer
• III. Filial Trust
• IV. Persevering in Love

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Objections to Prayer

• Erroneous notions of prayer
• Prayer as simply a psychological activity or
  effort of concentration to reach a mental void.
• Reduction to just ritual words and postures
• The notion that prayer comes only from us and not
  the Holy Spirit and we do not have time to do
  this work with everything else on our plate.

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Objections to Prayer

• The mentality of this present world
• Rationalism and Empiricism i.e. we can only know
  to be true that which we attain via reason and
  science.
• Response prayer is not limited to that which we
  are conscious of
• Pragmatism i.e. production profit are valued
  and prayer neither produces or makes a profit.
• Response Work has a deeper value than simply
  the accomplishment of a particular task.
  Performing tasks can result in the development of
  habits which result in the development of
  character resulting in a blessed destiny. We
  also, as with most actions we engage in, do not
  see the full ramifications of our action. Some
  effects go unknown for long periods of time,
  perhaps our whole earthly life.
• Emotivism or Hedonism i.e. sensuality comfort
  are the criteria of the true, good, beautiful.
  
• Response some emotions do not correspond to
  reality (e.g. irrational fears) while many
  things that are true evoke no feeling in us. Some
  things that feel good are in fact not good. Some
  things that do not feel good are in fact good.

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Objections to Prayer

• Experience of failure in prayer
• Discouragement due to periods of dryness
• Sadness because we have many possessions (Mk
  1022)
• Disappointment when not heard according to our
  own will.
• Wounded pride resistance to prayer as a free
  and unmerited gift.

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Response to all these objections

• Humility
• Trust
• Perseverance
• See Phil 25ff.

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Humble Vigilance in Prayer

• Facing difficulties
• Distraction
• Response hunting down distractions is a
  trapinstead turn back to our heart. A
  distraction reveals to us what we are attached
  to, and this humble awareness before the Lord
  should awaken our preferential love for him and
  lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be
  purified. Therein lies the battle, the choice of
  which master to serve (CCC 2729)
• Be vigilantalways look to Christ who has come
  and still comes to us each day
• Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is
  prowling around like a roaring lion looking for
  someone to devour (1 Pt 58)

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• Facing difficulties
• Dryness CCC 2731
• The heart is separated from GodA temporary lack
  of consolation
• If this is due to lack of roots because the Word
  has fallen on rocky soil the battle requires
  conversion.
• Response We can be comforted in knowing that
  like the grain of wheat, if in union with Christ
  we die to ourselves we will bear much fruit (cf.
  Jn 1224)
• I die everyday! (1 Cor 1531)

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• Facing Temptations in Prayer
• Lack of Faith most common and most hidden
  temptation (CCC 2732)
• It is expressed when we prefer other things to
  Godonce again a moment of truth for the heart
  what is its real love?
• Response cultivate the humble heart through
  internalizing Jesus words, Apart from me you
  can do nothing (Jn 155)
• Acedia a form of spiritual laziness due to
  relaxed vigilance and lack of custody of heart.
• depression due to lax ascetical practice,
  decreasing vigilance, carelessness of heart
• Response The humble are not surprised by their
  distress it leads them to trust more, to hold
  fast in constancy

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Filial Trust

• Proves itself in tribulation
• Difficulty lies with the prayer of petition
• Some stop praying because they think their prayer
  is not heard.
• Why do we complain of not being heard?
• Do you conceive of God as an instrument to be
  used or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?
• Are you convinced that you do not know how to
  pray as you ought (Rom 826) The Holy Spirit
  intercedes for us and teaches us how to pray

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Filial Trust

• God can only do that which is good
• Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our
  Father knows what we need before we ask him, but
  he awaits our petition because the dignity of his
  children lies in their freedom(CCC 2736)
• It is possible to ask wrongly.
• Asking to spend it on our passions (Jas
  43)God cannot answer us because He desires our
  well being and life.
• Do not be troubled if you do not immediately
  receive from God what you ask him for he desires
  to do something even greater for you, while you
  cling to him in prayer. (Evagrius Ponticus 4th
  cent Monastic Theologian)

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Filial Trust

• How is our prayer efficacious?
• Trust is enkindled by Christs supreme act of His
  Passion and Resurrection
• Transformation of the praying heart is the first
  response to our petition
• The prayer of Jesus makes Christian prayer an
  efficacious petition. He is its model, he prays
  in us and with us
• If our prayer is resolutely united with that of
  Jesus, in trust and boldness as children, we
  obtain all that we ask in his name, even more
  than any particular thing the Holy Spirit
  himself, who contains all gifts.

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Persevering in Love

• Tireless fervor can only come from love Against
  our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer
  is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love
  (CCC 2742)
• It is always possible to pray
• Prayer is a vital necessity if we do not allow
  the Spirit to lead us, we fall back into the
  slavery of sin
• Prayer Christian Life are inseparable
• He "prays without ceasing" who unites prayer to
  works and good works to prayer. Only in this way
  can we consider as realizable the principle of
  praying without ceasing (Origen)

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• Rocky Clip https//www.youtube.com/watch?vuyTAfX7
  cniI

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