The Art of Prayer
Those of us intentionally pursuing holiness and a deeper union with the indwelling Trinity intuitively know that prayer is vital and indispensable. Among the first requests the disciples made of Jesus was "Lord, teach us to pray" (LK 11:1). They were hungry for what Jesus had; they saw Him work healings, signs, miracles and many wonders and heard Him preaching with astounding authority. But perhaps what struck them most was the unparalleled intimacy Jesus had with His heavenly Father as He regularly spent entire nights in prayer.
Prayer being so vital and indispensable to our life in God, it stands to reason that teaching on prayer, so that we can learn to pray, is also vital and indispensable; hence the simple but extremely relevant teachings on prayer you'll find below.
Prayer is fundamentally a life-giving, personal relationship (CCC 2558) with Him who is all life, truth, goodness, joy and freedom. That relationship (therefore prayer) is intended to be a joy and consolation, as well as a source of strength, healing and deliverance. As we cultivate and deepen that relationship with each person of the Trinity, we begin to appropriate more and more fully our identity as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father. Knowing the truth of who we truly are "in Christ Jesus", not only gives direction and purpose to our lives but paves the way to equip us to fulfill, in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, the personal mission that we alone were created to fulfill. So the more we pray, the holier we become and the more anointed will our lives become. And isn't that what we all want? Anointed lives that will impact all those we love and all those we reach out to through our individual callings, ministries, jobs and vocations!
At this stage, the following is not a comprehensive course on prayer, but the following videos all shed light on some important aspect of personal prayer. Prayer is quite a beautiful mystery, a vast reality. That explains why you will also find other 'prayer-related' videos more specific to various aspects of spiritual growth, on our Interior Journey page.
Genuine Training: God's first priority for us is holiness and according to St. Pope John Paul II, our pursuit of holiness calls for genuine training. His wisdom is both insightful and inspiring!
Prayer- The Foundation of it All: Holiness and prayer are at the heart of our Christian life. This is what St. Pope John Paul II declared.
The Danger of Late Nights: When Fr. Bob Bedard would come and visit us, he would never stay much later than 8:00pm. He had a very special reason for doing so.
3 Keys to a Fabulous Marriage: There are 3 basic "keys" to building a firm foundation for a marriage that will thrive and last until the end of your days. These keys will help to set you on the right path.
Fulfill Your Destiny: What is one of the most important elements in our life in order to fulfill our destiny?
The Greatest Challenge. Being able to identify the greatest challenge to personal prayer is vital to overcoming this hurdle! (New)
Distinguished Lives. What, above all, should distinguish our Christian lives? You may be surprised by St. John Paul II's answer to this important question and be delighted with this discovery!
The Dialogue of Prayer: Prayer must be an indispensable part of our walk with God. There is absolutely no growth without it. But when it matures, it progresses into a genuine dialogue of love.
Blue Light Menace: This discovery will do wonders for both your sleep and prayer!
God's Solution to Every Problem: Thousands of years ago, God revealed to King Solomon His solution to (virtually) every known problem of humanity. This video (part 1) reveals what that revelation is...
Prayer & the Holy Spirit. There is a very special connection between the Holy Spirit and prayer and every one of us can experience that connection. All we need to do is ASK!
The Greatest Temptation. The most common temptation against prayer can be reduced to these two sentences: "But I don't have time to pray. I have so much to do!"
The Art of Prayer: St John Paul II said that our lives should be distinguished above all "by the art of prayer". This is most intriguing, especially in light of the struggle that many experience in prayer.
Terrific Tips on Prayer & Lectio Divina. Practical help to assist and guide you in getting established in personal prayer, along with a brilliant insight into Lectio Divina. (New)
The Best Prayer There Is: If you want to pray THE best prayer there is...please take the time to view this video!
God's Solution: 2 Chr. 7:14. This video (part 2) completes the revelation of the 'Ancient response of faith' linked to 2 Chronicles 7:14, to open the floodgates of healing for our lives and for our land!
Yielding to the Gift of Tongues. This teaching presents 5 reasons why everyone should desire this gift, a simple tip to yield to it and testimonies of this grace at work in a faith-filled 9 year old girl.
Discernment Principles:
Most Christians we have met really want to do God's will because we all intuitively know that God's perspective on every facet of our lives is essentially perfect. Nothing is wanting. All is perfectly ordered and we long to enter into that place in our lives where everything eventually falls into place. But it can be difficult to know how to go about getting God's thoughts on a particular issue that is significant to us. Of course, having a conversation with God about any matter of importance in our lives is once again the foundation of it all!
We offer a few discernment tips that we've learned and relied upon when we've sought to discover (i.e. discern) God's will for our lives. We hope they will prove to be of value to you.
3 Discernment Ducks: Discerning God's will can often be somewhat tricky. A priest friend of ours shared a few pointers which involve 3 ducks. When these 3 ducks are lined up, we are good to go!
The Surrender Novena. This novena has had a tremendous impact on our lives and spirituality. Jesus promises to "take care of everything!" for those who surrender to and trust in Him. Download your own Pdf. by clicking on "Resources" in the menu.
Discernment Tip for Couples: Early on in our marriage, we met monthly with Fr. Bob Bedard. On one occasion, Fr. Bob gave us one of the best pieces of advice we've ever received to discern major decisions within our marriage.
