Over the course of July 2020 – I will be preaching on prayer. The gospels and readings for the Sunday’s in July provided by the Church offer a perfect time to reflect on the necessity of prayer. As these sermons are preached I will update this post to include audio of each along with a brief synopsis of the homily. My prayer is that these sermons serve as a useful help for readers on how to pray.
Attached is also the pdf of the resource I placed in the bulletin at the parish.
First Homily: God’s Gaze Upon You
Prayer is not so much a matter of “What Am I Doing?” or “What Am I Saying?” it is primarily focused on relationship. St Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises, encourages us to imagine the gaze of God upon us. When we see how the Lord looks upon us with love, this directs the entirety of our prayer. Listen to learn more about the basics of prayer.
Second Homily: The Daily Examen
The Daily Examen is a great way for us to cultivate the soil of our hearts to be able to recognize and see the grace of God active in our lives. In this second part of my “How to Pray” homily series. We will walk through the How To and the benefits of praying a daily examen. A wonderful printable card for the steps of the daily examen can be found here.
Third Homily: Praying with Scripture
Scripture is the living word of God. As the Holy Spirit inspired the scriptures, so too God can use it today to speak to us in the daily situations of life. But sometimes the difficulty comes in asking: Where do I start? What do I read? and What exactly should I do when I pray with scripture. In this homily, we will explore a simple process of praying with scripture.
Fourth Homily: The Mass as Prayer
The most powerful form of prayer we have as Catholic’s is the Mass itself. When we receive the Eucharist, the very purpose of prayer is accomplished in such a simple act. We are united with Jesus Christ himself.
