Lord, Teach Us to Pray: Regnum Christi Prayer Book

Lord, Teach Us To Pray gives continuity to the previous Regnum Christi Prayer Book. It is a guide and an aid to personal and communal prayer, as well as a tool of formation for the lay Regnum Christi member. It draws together a good part of our tradition of prayer, facilitating a prayer life in communion with the Church and the whole of Regnum Christi, from its foundation up to the present. However, Lord Teach Us to Pray is more than that. In reality, it is the name we give to our response to the motion of the Holy Spirit, to contribute to the renewal of Regnum Christi through the prayer of the laity. For now, this response is expressed in this text, but it does not end here. We trust that this prayer book will be an occasion for all vocations of Regnum Christi to continue discovering how the Lord wants us to pray together. The renewal of the lay members’ prayer does not conclude with this writing, just as the renewal of the prayer of the consecrated branches has not concluded. The important renewal happens in real life. Prayer that is lived out enlightens this text and will demand its periodic renewal, at the pace of our life of prayer. We invite all Regnum Christi members and all communities of prayer to share their experiences of renewed prayer with each other. On the Regnum Christi website, there is a ‘contact us’ form you are welcome to use to offer suggestions and share experiences aimed at improving eventual updates of Lord Teach Us to Pray.

(2:41) - What is a prayerful life? (5:38) - How is "Lord, Teach Us to Pray" structured? (6:41) - How can I benefit most from "Lord Teach Us to Pray"? Today, together with the first disciples, we address this petition to the Master: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1). Jesus answers by teaching us the Lord’s Prayer and tells us the parable of the persistent friend. He shows us what to pray for and invites us to pray insistently, in season and out of season: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened” (Lk 11:9-10). He has written in our hearts the desire to pray, to pray better, to make our life a prayer, a liturgy; to pray always (Lk 18:1-8), not in the sense of reciting prayers at every moment, but in the sense of always being attentive to the Holy Spirit, in the presence of God, so that all our activities become a response to his will, an offering to our Lord. Praying in the school of Jesus, in the Church, is the way to meet the Lord every day, as he constantly walks and rests at our side. Jesus, the fount that quenches our thirst, awaits us by the well at the hottest and driest hour of the day to say, “Give me a drink.” He thirsts for us and we thirst for God, even if we do not know it: “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst, for the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:13-14). What you have in your hands, Lord, Teach Us to Pray, is a path of initiation. It is an introduction to the life of prayer, so that the lay members of Regnum Christi may learn to pray by praying, as part of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church,  in the style of Regnum Christi. When we pray, we unite ourselves to the prayer of Christ, to his Person and to his Body – the Church – to address the Father in communion with the Holy Spirit. Common prayers and guidelines help us experience communion with the Church and Regnum Christi even when we pray alone, and facilitate times of community prayer.

(1:08) - The Eucharist (3:13) - Preparation for the Eucharist (4:12) - Celebration of the Eucharist (6:48) - Prayers in the Presence of the Eucharist Sunday is the center of the Church’s life. It is the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation. It is also the eighth day, when the Sabbath finds its fulfillment and culmination in Christ’s Resurrection. Chronological time, in which death comes for all that are born, intersects with transfigured time, which participates in the eternal. Sunday marks the beginning of a new time and space: life in the Kingdom. On Sunday, we practice how to live each day of the year in a holy way. It is a day of celebration and rest; a family, cultural, and social day; a liturgical day and a day of prayer par excellence. The Church prescribes the obligatory participation of the faithful in the Sunday Liturgy, although she also strongly encourages participation in the Eucharist more frequently, even daily, as a privileged means for Christ to be all in all. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

“Day unto day pours forth speech; night unto night whispers knowledge” (Ps 19:3). God always speaks to us and invites us to converse with him and offer him everything that we undergo. This makes the day – and the night – a constant prayer. As we begin our day, we lift our eyes with a watchful heart (cf. Ps 57:9), attentive to the Lord who comes to meet us in daily life, in every circumstance, amid the cares of this life (cf. Mt 6:34). We thank him for the gift of a new day and offer our work to the Lord. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

Offering our works is a sign of offering our life. It is about becoming an offering ourselves. We propose here three vocal prayers to God and one to the Blessed Mother. We begin them with the sign of the cross to place ourselves in the presence of the Lord. You may find it helpful to incorporate a personal prayer. You can substitute the Lauds of the Liturgy of the Hours for the prayers of the morning offering. In any case, we encourage you to keep the Prayer to Jesus Christ, common to all members of Regnum Christi. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

Meditation or “mental prayer” facilitates an intimate and personal dialogue with God. Like Jesus, we need to pray, speaking freely and listening to our Father. We do so as sons and daughters in the Son, with the Holy Spirit who comes to the aid of our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought (cf. Rom 8:26). The Word of God must be present in our prayer, either as subject matter for meditation or as part of our conversations with the Lord. Let us recall how the disciples of Emmaus prayed and how their hearts burned within as they listened to the Lord: for Jesus led them to ponder their troubles and discover in the Scriptures the interpretive key for their life (Lk 24:13-35). It is not enough to reflect and contemplate. Meditation is an attentive and loving dialogue with God. In order to share this intimacy, we must learn to listen to God in the silence of our soul, and to confide in him in colloquies and conversation full of faith and love. It is during these intimate conversations when, under the light and power of the Holy Spirit, our will conforms to the will of God and the decisions that guide our life emerge. This prayer begins with the sign of the cross and an invocation to the Holy Spirit; it continues with preparatory acts to help us enter into communion with God, to share the same feelings as Jesus when he prayed. At the end of the prayer, we thank the Lord for having spent this time with him and for the fruits we have received, which are always greater than what we perceive. Finally, we ask for his grace to bring to others what he has given us."Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

(0:52) - Angelus (3:23) - Regina Caeli Mary accompanies us all day long with her quiet, motherly presence. We direct our prayer to her at certain times of the day, particularly by praying the Angelus or the Regina Cæli and the Rosary. The Angelus and Regina Cæli are like a small liturgy of the hours that the Church recommends for those who do not have time to interrupt their activities. For a few minutes, usually at noon, we remember with Mary some mysteries of Christ’s life. The Angelus is prayed all year round, except during the Easter season. The Regina Cæli is prayed during the Easter Season (from Easter Sunday until noon on the Saturday following Pentecost). In Regnum Christi, we traditionally entrust ourselves to our Guardian Angel at the end of the Angelus or Regina Caeli. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

(1:13) - Praying the Rosary in a Group (2:58) - The Mysteries (8:18) - Hail Holy Queen and the Litany to the Blessed Virgin Mary (13:11) - Rosary in Private Reciting the Rosary is traditionally a meditative prayer. Begun by western Christianity, it corresponds in some way to the prayer of the heart or the Jesus Prayer, typical of eastern Christianity. Regnum Christi invites members to pray at least one mystery of the Rosary every day, either in a group or in private. The Rosary is a time for Mary to step into our lives, gifting us her consolation, example, and intercession. This prayer brings peace to the soul, instills faith, and renews trust. Intertwined among the Our Fathers, the Hail Marys and the Glory Bes run the mysteries of Christ’s life, death, passion, and resurrection as seen through the eyes of the Virgin Mary. In this way, we allow the Mother of God to be the one to form within us the very sentiments of the Heart of her Son. If while praying the Rosary we become distracted, simply return to the prayer confidently to recover our place and fervor, remembering the mysteries celebrated and the persons for whom we are praying. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

The Annunciation. The Visitation. The Nativity. The Presentation in the Temple. The Finding in the Temple. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

The Agony in the Garden. The Scourging at the Pillar. The Crowning with Thorns. The Carrying of the Cross. The Crucifixion and Death. "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"