Seasonal Studies
Fall 2016
Wholeheartedness: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God through Prayer.
Facilitated by Fr. Rick Luoni.
Prayer is important—vital– to our souls and life with God, yet very few Christians, clergy included, have a daily prayer practice. Benedictine Sister and author Joan Chittister writes, “Spirituality without a prayer life is no spirituality at all, and it will not last beyond the first defeats. Prayer is an opening of the self so that the Word of God can break in and make us new. Prayer unmasks. Prayer converts. Prayer impels. Prayer sustains us on the way.”
We feel pulled in a thousand different directions and distracted by life’s many demands. Most of us lead busy, frenzied, fragmented lives. Our inner fragmentation keeps us from fully experiencing the wholeness and peace — the sense of flourishing — that our hearts so deeply long for. We need a “rule of life” that will help guide us and provide stability on a journey to our true selves, God and therefore wholeness.
We’ll explore various practices of prayer designed to help us become aware of God’s presence within us so that, in union with him, we can offer compassion to the broken parts of our lives and therefore, to the world.
Week 1- October 12th
Learning to Pray: Group Discussion and Practice