S1E86 - Prayer: Be Intentional with Your Intentions

Today, we read CCC, 2838 - 2865 and discuss the last three petitions of the "Our Father" - forgive us our trespasses, lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. It's the qualifier on forgiveness - forgive us AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS - that can (and should!) stop us in our tracks this week. Lord, please give us the grace to forgive others as we hope that you forgive us, and then please help us to be open to your forgiveness. Also... this ends our study and discussion of "The Catechism of the Catholic Church"! We did it! Way to go, and thank you for joining me for this journey. God bless you and your families and friends (and enemies)! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2803 - 2837, and we discuss the first four petitions of the "Our Father." Jesus Christ accomplished his saving work - through his suffering, death, and resurrection - once and for all. It's done. Nothing needs to be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. So, what's our role here...? We can allow that saving work to... save us... and we can help others to... allow it to save them, too. Each time that we pray the "Our Father," we ask God to bring that sanctification and salvation - to make us into the men and women whom He created us to be and to bring us to Heaven - to every person everywhere. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2759 - 2802 and begin to discuss the "Our Father" line by line. It's easy to take so many dimensions of our Catholic Faith for granted because we often hear these teachings again and again, pray these prayers again and again... So, let's stop and (re)consider for a moment the following: God did not HAVE to create us. God did not HAVE to send His Son/come to suffer and die for us. God does not HAVE to reveal Himself to us and continue to be in relationship with us and teach us to refer to Him as "Our Father"... but He DOES, and what a GIFT that is! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2725 - 2758, and - buckle up - we discuss "the battle of prayer." Simultaneously inspiring and terrifying, the Catechism details some of the reasons why we don't pray (or don't pray well) and how - by the grace of God - we can attain a better prayer life. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2683 - 2724 and continue our discussion of prayer. First, we talk about praying through the intercession of the saints in Heaven whose prayers for us are "their most exalted service to God's plan", and then we chat about being intentional in setting aside time for and being faithful to daily prayer - "pray at specific times, consciously willing it". As human beings, we are body AND soul, and, so, our lives depend on the daily sustenance of that which feeds our spirits - prayer. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy Advent! Today, we read CCC, 2623 - 2682 and discuss, first, how the present moment is where Heaven meets Earth, and, second, how we can establish a "death insurance policy" by praying the "Hail Mary" each day, asking the Blessed Mother to be with us NOW and at "the hour of our death." The readings of Advent remind us that each and every one of us will die and stand before the Lord, and it is only NOW, in the present moment, that we can respond to His grace and allow it to transform us. We can't do anything about the past, and the future might never come, so it is NOW that we decide FOR or AGAINST Jesus Christ, that cute little baby Who is about to be born in the manger at Christmas and Who comes to suffer and die to save us and to merit Eternal Life for each of us. THIS is the ultimate Christmas gift offered to every human who ever lived. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2598 - 2622 and discuss formulaic, or rote, prayers. Oftentimes, Catholic Christians get a bad wrap for praying the same, prescribed prayers again and again and again... as though we're boring or lacking in creativity as we pray them. It can be quite helpful and quite a good thing to have prayers "at the ready" when we're setting out on our prayer journey or when we're tired, stressed, distracted, etc. Prayer is prayer, and God doesn't need us to be fancy, as though He's waiting to be wowed by our prayers before He answers them. He tells us to ask... seek... knock, and then to trust that our prayers are already being heard and answered. Sounds like a pretty simple and hopeful way to proceed! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2558 - 2597 and start the fourth and final part of the Catechism which discusses prayer. At every moment of our lives, we have the opportunity to chat with God, He who created and continues to sustain the universe. In the words of St. Thomas More, that's not a bad audience! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2514 - 2557 and discuss the 9th and 10th Commandments: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" and "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods." In working to root out and be strengthened against the wounding sins of greed and envy, let's strive for the medicines of generosity and gratitude. Come, Lord Jesus! Heal us of the hurts of the sins that we commit, and give us the grace not to commit them again! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Today, we read CCC, 2464 - 2513 and discuss the 8th Commandment: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." The truth points to reality - something that is independent of us, something that we don't determine. When we recognize truth and live in accord with truth, we receive the blessings of truth - peace and joy. Who doesn't want a little more of that in one's life?! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.