A Living Relationship

God’s not Dead was a popular song a few years back. And he certainly is not dead, but very much alive. As are we. How often do we think about a relationship with him? If we believe in him and love him, then a desire to have a relationship follows.

Prayer is a Living Relationship

The desire to know God and understand God and be closer to God grows as our faith does. Prayer is what we need to grow closer to God. It is spending time with him. Spending time with people is how we grow in our relationships with our friends physically with us, so why not do the same with God?

Contemplation, Ignatian Style What is it?

• a communion in which the Holy Trinity conforms man, the image of God, “to his likeness.”
• the Father strengthens our inner being with power through his Spirit “that Christ may dwell in (our) hearts through faith” and we may be “grounded in love”
• also turns its gaze on the mysteries of the life of Christ; we learn the “interior knowledge of our Lord,” the more to love him and follow him. Ignatius of Loyola
• the Holy Spirit makes the mystery of Christ come alive in contemplative prayer so that our charity will manifest it in our acts

What does it mean to enter into contemplative prayer?

We “gather up” the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed.

How to Pray Contemplative Prayer

1. Bless yourself and begin with a prayer; call on the Holy Spirit
2. Sit in silence, placing yourself in the presence of God, settle your mind and soul
3. Ask the Lord to give you a specific grace or state a prayer request
4. Read the scripture passage once or twice to get the general sense of it, put it aside and close your eyes
5. Place yourself in the passage; are you watching the scene or a part of it as a person who interacts with Jesus? Do not decide ahead of time, rather, wait and see what rises up in you

1. 1. Allow the story to unfold before you (what do you hear, see, smell, notice?)
   2. Allow your imagination freedom
   3. Pay attention to your feelings during prayer

6. Have a conversation with God
   1. Talk about what happened
   2. Ask God what it means
   3. Listen to what He says
   4. End with the Our Father
   5. Journal your encounter; even a few sentences help to process what occurred
7. What word or words touched you during the prayer time?
8. What feelings did the prayer evoke in you?
9. What do you sense God is saying to you or where is He leading you?

Scripture Passages

Luke 19:1-10;  John 15:1-11; Acts 2:1-4

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