CATHOLIC ENLIGHTENMENT NEW OUTREACH PROGRAM

There are few term that are frequently misconstrued- Religiosity, Spirituality and Christianity.

What is Spirituality? In its true sense, spirituality is about seeking a meaningful connection with something greater than you-the supreme being. All around us, people adopt practices aimed at advancing their spirituality but in the process get some things wrong. Prayer and true devotion are some of the ways to enhance spirituality and authors like Bishop Robert Barron, Francis de sales, Thomas Keating have a lot to share with us after their deep study on this subject. Based on their teachings we learn some important lessons that can be applied in our quest towards a better relationship with God.

PRAYER AND THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT

VA 1: Nne, what come to your mind when you hear the word prayer

VA 2: For me that is the time when I list out all my problems to my maker o. I remember how much I need money, Mama Chinonso my shop neighbour whom I think is a witch and stealing my customers, my nonso that is about to write jamb and then gain admission into the university, my husband who doesn’t give me enough money- for God to arrest him so that anything I ask for he would give me, and many more things like that. My list is usually very long. Then of course as you know, they say the violent taketh by force so while I am praying I make sure all the people involved hear their name so that they would fill guilty and change their ways.

VA 1: This woman you are funny o. I didn’t hear you pray for God to make you a better person or for God to uplift other people around you, what about the sick and less privileged ones. Oh I almost forgot- what happened to thanking God for all he has done and also begging him to have mercy and forgive your sins. Abi you don’t commit sins- let’s tell the Pope to come and make you a saint.

VA 2: hmm there is time for everything nau. When I am in church and they say I should pray for different intentions I would say those ones but in my private moment it is a battle between me and my God and he has to answer me

VA 2: You see; it seems we women pray differently. Look at how Saint Theresa described it. We weep and wail laying our burdens to our heavenly Father

VA 1: but she also said embracing both trial and joy. Your own prayer had only self-centred requests. Anyways, let’s not digress, Bishop Barron says prayer is —our longing for God and God’s longing for us. In the Catholic tradition, prayer is learned through apprenticing to masters who are experienced in the way of prayer that is why we have numerous prayer books. We do not have these resources because we are incapable of generating prayers ourselves but the church in her wisdom believes that it would be easier to follow in the footsteps of those who have mastered the act of praying so that we can also benefit from the graces they received

VA 2: Does this not mean we are saying someone else’s prayers and not ours? I mean how would God know all those my specific needs if I don’t say them out myself. I have even heard people say when you recite prayers from pamphlets you are not led by the spirit.

VA 1: well, this might be because we have grown too used to reciting the words that we do not allow ourselves to commune with the heavens. They say prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. While we say the words we are supposed to have a deep connection with our maker rather than allow our minds to wander. This is where adoration, meditation and contemplative prayers come in.

VA 2: That is true. One form of prayer is asking God for things; but in its more fundamental forms, prayer is being with God, becoming attuned to God, thinking his thoughts and feeling his feelings. This is a very deep practice that every Christian ought to learn

VA 1: Yes, Bishop Barron also mention the difference between petitionary prayer and contemplative prayer. For us to properly understand these terms, Petitionary prayer is what Mama Chinonso described earlier where we get to request things from God while contemplative prayer is similar to what the monks in secluded monasteries do. This doesn’t mean that lay people like you and I cannot practice contemplative prayer, just that it has to be carefully planned because it requires a high level of concentration.

This reminds me of what Fr. Thomas Keating said in his book The Mystery of Christ. He said, the daily practice of contemplative prayer, whether in public or in private, refines the capacity to listen to the word of God at ever deeper and more receptive levels of attentiveness. When the word of God in scripture and the sacramental rites have worked their way through our senses and penetrated to the intuitive level of our being, the immense energies of the Spirit are released, and our consciousness is gradually transformed into the mind of Christ. This is indeed a deep level of spirituality.

Additionally, the fact that we are making request doesn’t mean the petitionary prayer would move God to change. In actual fact, our prayers move us to change because God does not change.

V2: Did you know that without Attention, there is no prayer? Yes, as soon as the mind is distracted from the act of praying by other thought, prayer ceases to take place.

V1: Ewooo, so it means that all those time I begin to calculate when my container is arriving while I am counting the rosary beads I am just deceiving myself. No wonder I haven’t been getting answers.
It is good that you mentioned it. In order to strengthen spirituality, we must be attentive in prayer and be mindful of our posture during prayer as these help us to pray well.

VA 2: Let’s examine Saint Thomas Aquinas analysis on the Lord’s prayer. He says the initial petition of the Our Father, “hallowed be thy name,” is not asking for something to change in God, for God’s name is always holy; it is asking that God might work a change in us so that we hallow God above all things.

VA 1: That is correct but I have a question. Since we have these two forms of prayer before us, which of them is more effective because I would like to start practicing the one that would enable me have quick answers

VA 2: The two forms of prayer are equally effective, what matters as we have said is the raising of our minds and hearts to God, working to be attuned to His thoughts in our moment of prayer. Besides, we have been told that we are the ones who need to change which means that the result you are expecting from that your prayer may also need some adjustment. We know that there are many answers that can come from God including a NO, YES, or WAIT so we shouldn’t be too anxious. Our people say, Ekpere niile bere n’Amen. (Translation: All prayers end in Amen.) so we know that at the end of the day it is righteousness that is the essence of true religion.

WHAT IS TRUE DEVOTION?

VA 1: By way of introduction, we note that this spiritual classic written actually more than four hundred years ago by St Francis de Sales, has influenced and impacted many. His book, Introduction To Devout Life was originally addressed to lay people, and aimed at helping them to live devout life. But one would ask: why write a whole book to tell or teach the lay faithful to live devout life? The answer could be found in the fact that at the time, and even until maybe recently, many see devout living as meant for only priests and religious. Nevertheless, despite being ‘written’ to or for the lay ones, this book has so much wisdom for all – priests, religious and lay members, of Christ’s faithful and today we would be talking about True devotion.

VA 1: In explaining what true devotion is all about, St Francis highlights that true devotion is a virtue that is very or most pleasing to God. It basically consists in or entails the love of God, a love that is seen in or understood in charity or action. He explains true devotion in terms of spiritual liveliness or agility that is seen in charity working in us, or otherwise informing our action; and he explains that perfection consists in, or is attained when the love for God makes us to do good ‘carefully, promptly and frequently’.

VA 2: We learn that charity or true devotion goes beyond doing merely what is commanded, but what is inspired or counselled. Devotion arises when charity which is like a spiritual fire bursts into flame within one’s heart.

VA 1: lets that a step back and be more practical so that we can understand what devotion truly means. Different people have set different yardsticks for measuring being devout- some people believe that fasting makes the devout and the attach great value to it. We see them keeping a fasting register weekly or month but in some cases their hearts are full of bitterness. So while the do not wet their lips with water or food, they do not refrain from hurting their neighbor through slander, insults and backbiting

VA 2: For another person, devoutness may be measured by the number of times he prays daily. In fact, such people are the first to attend morning and evening masses, they say the angelus, divine mercy prayer, and other. Missing any of those set prayer times is a crime in their books yet the same person indulges anger conceited speeches
Another man reckons himself as devout because he repeats many prayers daily,
although at the same time he does not refrain from all manner of angry, irritating, conceited or champions division among family and neighbors.

VA 1: There is another set that loves works of charity. They would freely open their purses in almsgiving, but close their hearts to all gentle and forgiving feelings towards those who are opposed to them.
Another person is ready to forgive his enemies, but will never pay his rightful debts unless under pressure.
Meanwhile all these people are conventionally called religious.

VA 2: In short, Francis de Sales tells us that devotion is simply a spiritual activity and liveliness by means of which Divine Love works in us, and causes us to work briskly and lovingly; and just as charity leads us to a general practice of all God’s Commandments, so devotion leads us to practice them readily and diligently.

VA 1: this then means that we cannot call someone who neglects to observe all God’s
Commandments either good or devout, because in order to be good, a man must be filled with love, and to be devout, he must further be very ready and apt to perform the deeds of love.

VA 2: Yes, the difference between love and devotion is what exists between fire and flame—love being a spiritual fire which becomes devotion when it is fanned into a flame; and what devotion adds to the fire of love is that flame which makes it eager, energetic and diligent, not merely in obeying God’s Commandments, but in fulfilling His Divine Counsels and inspirations.

VA 1: The Holy Spirit tells us through the lives of the Saints, and our Lord has told us with His Own Lips, that a devout life is very sweet, very happy and very loveable but to many in this day and time, devout life seems like a daunting act.

The world, looking on, sees that devout persons fast, watch and pray, endure injury patiently, minister to the sick and poor, restrain their temper, check and subdue their passions, deny themselves in all sensual indulgence, and do many other things which in themselves are hard and difficult. But the world sees nothing of that inward, heartfelt devotion which makes all these actions pleasant and easy. Devotion is the real spiritual sweetness which takes away all bitterness; it cures the poor of sadness, and the rich of presumption; it keeps the oppressed from feeling desolate, and the prosperous from insolence; it averts sadness from the lonely, and dissipation from social life; it is as warmth in harmatthan and the refreshing first rain that cools the soil ; it knows how to abound and how to suffer want; it accepts gladness and sadness with an even mind, and fills men’s hearts with a wondrous sweetness

VA 2: What about the role of prayer in devotion. Prayer which seeks the love of God and the sacraments that confer that love, helps one to deepen his or her relationship with God, in contemplation and through actions for the good of others.

VA 2: What about the role of prayer in devotion. Prayer which seeks the love of God and the sacraments that confer that love, helps one to deepen his or her relationship with God, in contemplation and through actions for the good of others.

VA 1: What comes through in reading St Francis De Sales classic is his attempt to in simple, yet touching language, speaks to the people of his time (and of course beyond), on the place of true devotion in one’s relationship with God, and its fruits in one’s relationship with his /her neighbour. One could see, and say, this teaching set out to lead our hearts of what it means to be a prayerful Christian, catholic indeed.

Summary

Prayer is the raising up of our minds and hearts to God. We have in this part heard about how we should improve our prayer life. Whichever type of prayer you choose to use-be it petitionary of contemplative-one must be attentive for it to truly count as prayer. We have also learnt that true devotion goes beyond our surface actions. Charity and divine love are major components of true devotion.

Let’s us use what we have learnt in this part to grow spiritually for the sake of your salvation.
We hope you enjoyed listening. Stay blessed

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