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Praying with the Bible Introduction God speaks to us first.
God is concerned for us long before we know ourselves and become
concerned for ourselves, and God makes it possible for us to pray by
placing within us a longing for God and by giving us the gifts of the
Holy Spirit. God speaks to
us continually through: •
Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh •
the church, the Christian community, the people God has put into our lives •
visible creation, God’s self-communication in the physical world around us •
the events and experiences in our lives •
the Holy Scripture, which is the main communication we use in our prayer God invites us to listen.
Listening to God involves making the necessary commitment,
preparing well for this important time, and paying attention to what God
is saying in the Word and inside yourself.
Find a place where you can be quiet and alone, quiet yourself
interiorly, ask God for the blessing of the Holy Spirit, and be at
peace. Don’t worry about
distractions; just return to the scripture and to your prayer.
Thoughts and feelings about people and events that arise because
of your prayer are part of your prayer.
Continue talking about them with God. Open
the Bible with a sense of God’s presence, find the chosen scripture
passage, read it, the read it again, very slowly......entering into the
sense, talking to Jesus, listening to what God is saying.
Pause whenever you hear God speaking to you directly, whenever
you experience God’s love, when you are moved to peace or joy, or when
you feel disturbed or struggling. Don’t
be in a hurry, give the Word and experience the time they need.
Don’t be discouraged if nothing seems to be happening.
God is still present as the Spirit works silently within us,
painting the image of Jesus on the canvas of our soul.
At
the end of your time of prayer, recall what God or Jesus has said to
you, speak to God as Father/Mother, to Jesus as Brother/Friend, and say your
prayer of petition and thanksgiving.
You may want to write the highlights of your prayer in a journal
after the period of prayer.
Seven P’s for listening to God
Prepare
a scripture passage ahead of time and have it marked and ready Place
where you are alone, quiet, and free in God’s presence; the same time
and place works the best Posture.
Relaxed and peaceful, a harmony of body and spirit Presence
of God. Be aware of it, respond to it, call upon the Holy
Spirit Passage.
Read it once, then re-read it s-l-o-w-l-y and attentively Pause.
Take your time, do not be anxious, do not worry about reading a
certain “amount”, do not try to figure out the message, but listen,
pause and let God speak, be attentive to your heart and let the
conversation with God be free and relaxed Pray
honestly, using your own words. At the end of the time, speak in words
of thanks and petition in a personal and loving manner to God, then jot
down important words or experiences from your prayer in a prayer
journal.
Prayers Our Father Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen The Hail Mary
Hail
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the
hour of our death. Amen Glory be to the Father
Glory
be to the father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen The Apostles’ Creed
I
believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the
Virgin Mary. He suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On
the third day he rose again. He
ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Act of Faith O
my God, I firmly believe that You are One God in three divine persons,
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I
believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that
He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe these and all the truths, which the holy Catholic
Church teaches, because You have revealed them, who can neither deceive
nor be deceived.
Act of Hope
Oh
my God, relying on Your almighty and infinite mercy and promises,
I hope to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of Your grace, and
life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and
Redeemer. Act of Charity Oh
my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul,
because You are all-good and worthy of all love.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of You.
I forgive all who have injured me, and I ask pardon of all whom I
have injured. Act of Contrition Oh
my God! I am heartily sorry
for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the
loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they
offend You, my God, who is all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins,
to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen. Penitential Prayer I
confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have
sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I
have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever
virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to
pray for me to the Lord our God. The Hail, Holy Queen Hail,
holy Queen Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this
valley of tears. Turn,
then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after
this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of Your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. St. Patrick’s Prayer Christ
be with me. Christ
be before me. Christ
be behind me. Christ
within me. Christ
beneath me. Christ
above me. Christ
to my left. Christ
to my right. Christ
in the fort. Christ
in the chariot. Christ
in the ship. The Serenity Prayer God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage
to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. A Morning Prayer I
bow before you in adoration, O my God, I arise to sing my love for you.
I absorb the light of this new day and soak up the love that
ceaselessly flows out of your divine heart.
With gratitude for the wonder of this day, for the rich gift of
life itself, I enter into silent prayer. period
of silent prayer or meditation O
loving God, prevent me from judging this time of prayer.
Remind me that only you read hearts, that regardless of how
poorly I have prayed, how many were the distractions or wanderings of my
mind, that you take delight to be with me in stillness. Present in my heart this morning are my concerns for the needs of
__________ as well as my own needs: ______________. I place these intentions before your healing love.
Grant
me the grace to look with respect upon all I will meet this day and upon
every event I encounter. Mindful
that I am a pilgrim, may I treat each and everyone with reverence and
love, as a manifestation of you to whom I journey.
May the work of my hands-and even the trials I experience-be part
of the redemption of the world and its eternal liberation.
I dedicate this day to you and I begin it in a holy way in your
Holy name and in the name of your son, Jesus, and in the name of the
Holy Spirit. Amen. An Evening Prayer Loving
God of all creation, I thank you for the countless blessings of this
day: gifts of sight, sound, touch, and smell, for wonders without end.
I thank you as well for your endless patience with me and your
pardon of my failings. Awaken
my heart to journey inward to you, the source of life and love.
May your Spirit lead me into prayer, as I now enter the
innermost chamber of my heart period
of silent prayer or meditation I
surrender myself to your safekeeping as night draws close to me.
Bless with your presence those I love, especially
_______________. Come and
be with me in a sleep that will refresh me for a new day and the work it
holds for me. Grant comfort
to all who face the darkness of this night with fear.
Give shelter to those without a home and give peace to all.
With
gratitude and faith, I conclude this day in your Holy Name and in the
name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and in the presence of your Holy Spirit.
Amen. Pray Before Examinations Lord,
it seems as though our lives are one test after another, weighing us in
somebody’s balance. Save
us from taking the coming tests too seriously or too lightly, but grant
that we may reflect the best of the work we’ve done and the best of
the teaching we’ve received; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Relaxation Exercises For
Exam Time Sr.
Joan Mahoney, CND, (617)
552-4665 QUICK
FIXES ( 1-3 minutes) 1.
5 deep breaths - you
may wish to use any of the following as you breath in and out:
a.
light - darkness
b.
wisdom - anxiety
c.
peace - tension
2.
Tense and relax body parts Short
version - as a whole - legs, arms, torso, shoulders/neck, face Longer
version - each part of the whole e.g. feet, ankles, calves, knees, etc. LONGER
RELAXATION (10-15 MINUTES) 1.
DEEP RELAXATION OF YOUR BODY AND YOUR MIND ·
Breath deeply several times -
then normal breathing ·
In your mind - be aware of the sounds in this place - go from one to the
other - noticing but not dwelling on any one ·
Be aware of your body - sitting in the chair or lying on the floor have
a sense of your body as a whole and any tension spots in your body ·
Then become aware of each body part , slowly and with care ·
be aware of your external body parts ·
right foot, ankle, from ankle to knee, thigh ·
left foot, etc. ·
buttocks, lower back, abdomen, chest, upper back ·
shoulders ·
right hand, fingers, lower arm upper arm ·
left hand, etc. ·
neck, right cheek, left cheek, mouth, forehead, cranium ·
Then become aware of internal body parts ·
brain, heart, lungs, esophagus, stomach, intestines, kidneys ·
Feel a deep relaxation - if any body part remains tense or tight -
breath into that part of your body ·
Rest for a few minutes in this deep relaxation 2.
MEDITATION OF SHARING YOUR CONCERNS WITH YOUR GOD (this
can be done at the end of the above deep relaxation or done separately.
If done separately begin with some deep breaths) ·
Imagine your God is with you - however you imagine your God to be. ·
Name and/or visualize whatever burden you are carrying, e.g. worry about
exams, and place this burden in your hands.
Feel the weight of this burden. ·
Now imagine your God asks you to hand over your burden to God.
Hand over your burden to your God.
How does this feel - to be free of the burden?
·
Now imagine God telling you that you will hold the burden together and
experience that happening. How
does that feel to share the burden with your God? You
may wish to talk with your God about what this is like for you or simply
remain a few minutes in awareness of God's presence. The Seven Sacraments Baptism
- by which we are made Christians, children of God, members of the holy
Church, and heirs of heaven Confirmation
- by which we receive the Holy Spirit, to make us strong and perfect
Christians, and soldiers of Christ The
Holy Eucharist - which is really, truly and substantially the Body,
Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread
and wine. Penance
- by which sins committed after Baptism are forgiven Holy
Orders - by which Bishops, Priests, and Deacons of the church receive
power and grace to perform their sacred duties. Matrimony
- by which a man and a women enter into a holy covenant: an agreement
that the spouses make with God to establish a lifetime partnership.
This is the sacrament of Christian Marriage. Anointing
of the Sick - which, in serious illness, comforts the soul, remits sin,
and restores health if God deems it expedient. The Precepts of the Church 1.
To keep the Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation holy, by hearing
Mass and abstaining from those labors and business concerns which impede
the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the
Lord’s Day, or the proper relaxation of mind and body. 2.
To keep the days of Fast and Abstinence indicated by the Church. 3.
To go to confession at least once a year. 4.
To receive Holy Communion at least once a year at Easter or
thereabouts. 5.
To contribute to the support of the Church.
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