Spirituality and Prayer IB

May 1, 2008

Before Class

• Read Chapters 35-36 of U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults
• Read handout: Real Presence
• Read other handouts (optional)

Homework

• Read Chapter 12 in U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults
• Read handouts (optional)

To Make Up an Absence

If you are unable to attend this class, please submit to the instructor at the next class written responses to two questions from each chapter (for a total of four) from below. Each response should be 2-3 paragraphs in length and address the question completely. Include the question at the top of your response.

Chapter 35. God Calls Us to Pray

1. Discuss the relationship between Holy Scripture and prayer, citing specific passages as examples.
2. How is all Christian prayer Trinitarian? What roles do each Person of the Trinity play in our prayer?
3. "Prayer internalizes the liturgy, both during and after its celebration" (p. 469). How is the Church's liturgy a source of prayer, both personal and communal?
4. Consider each way of praying described on pages 467-467 (adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise). What does it reveal about our relationship with God?
5. Why is prayer referred to as "spiritual combat"? What discipline does prayer require?

Chapter 36. Jesus Taught Us to Pray

1. "The Lord's Prayer is truly the summary of the whole gospel" (CCC no. 2774, citing Tertullian, De Orat.). Explain how this is true.
2. "[The Lord's Prayer] not only teaches us to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them" (CCC no. 2763, citing St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, 83, 9). Discuss how the order of the seven petitions in the Lord's Prayer reflects the order in which we are to desire the things asked for.
3. Describe the role of the Our Father in the Church's liturgy.
4. What is the link between belief and prayer? How do the teachings of Christ and his Church enrich our prayer?