Maddie Cronin

CAT 301, Content and Curriculum

November 19, 2019
Context
My curriculum on the Our Father will be presented to a high school youth group. This youth
group has freshman through seniors and is located at St. Joan of Arc parish in Toledo, Ohio.
This youth group is composed mostly of students from Catholic high schools and some public-
school students. There are many Catholic schools in the area but sadly, there are teens and even parents
that are not as engaged in the Catholic identity of the school. St. Joan of Arc is located in a suburb of
Toledo and is a pretty large parish of around 1,000-2,000 families registered with the parish. The youth
group has around 30+ students coming weekly to the Sunday night gatherings.
The group meets on Sunday nights in the community room. This room is a place of encounter,
where they can feel at home and foster community. It has an open atmosphere and of course food to eat
together. These units on prayer and the Our Father could be done for a whole semester of the school year.
Probably in the fall because prayer is a foundation that everyone needs. Through teaching and encounter,
the teens have come to realize the need for God’s presence in our life. They have learned the basics of
relationship with the Trinity and now they will learn even more about what He has done for us.
For the teens that are older and more mature in their faith, they will be paired up with a core team
member to receive further formation and growth in leadership. The teens in the youth group are now at a
place to start taking more action in their faith life and this is why a curriculum on The Our Father and
prayer is so important. They need to be aware of the presence of the Father in their life who is perfect and
abundant. They also need to learn about more ways to pray along with struggles in prayer. These units
will also address the struggles that the teens are facing in their life. They need to be reminded that the
Father’s love fills out all hurts with self-worth and confidence. They need to know that their identity in
the Father is not defined by what they do but who they call themselves- sons and daughters of God.
The teens at this youth group include some who are going deep and still some who have not
encountered Jesus in their life. These curriculums will set up for an encounter by convicting them of the
need for prayer in every moment of life.
Goals
Overall Goals: In this curriculum entitled, Prayer to Our Perfect and Loving Father, my goals are that
through the love of our perfect and heavenly Father, teens will have a desire to dive deep into prayer.
They will know that their identity is as a son or daughter of the Father who wants to answer their prayers.
Understanding: Understanding why we pray and why Jesus taught us the Our Father. Knowing what the
words of the Our Father mean, and how it is a summary of the Gospel message.
Change: Be changed to desire and start to build a daily prayer life of at least 10 minutes a day. Praying
out of a true desire to know the Father’s love. Pray in different ways such as praise, intercession,
contemplative, etc. and also pray in the Mass in a deeper way.
Unit A: Foundations of the Our Father
Understanding: that the Our Father is a summary of the Gospel and who God the Father is.
Change: A desire to have a relationship with God the Father and also a longing to pray to him because he
longs to bring us home into his kingdom.
Unit B: Our Responses in the Our Father
Understanding: That God’s plan is greater than ours, understand the topics of forgiveness, sin, temptation.
Change: a desire for the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, encouragement to fight
the spiritual battle and pray for God’s will in their life.
Unit C: The Call to Prayer
Understanding: know the different forms of prayer, have resources on how to fight the battle of prayer
such as the saints who intercede for them.
Change: They will pray in new ways because Jesus teaches us how to pray. They can set a daily decision
to pray every day out of love of who God is and what he has done for them.
 Means and Methods
Curriculum on Prayer and the Our Father

These curriculum units on The Our Father and prayer will be fun, engaging and lead towards an
encounter with Jesus in prayer. To attain this, I will lead you through the means and methods we will use
in the youth group nights. The youth group nights will be fun. For those teens who feel a little shy and
also the more extroverted teens, a fun game or activity is good for anyone. A competitive and high energy
game will help to break the ice and make anyone feel welcome because everyone can be involved.
Through activities that loosen people up, it will lead to them feeling more comfortable once we go into
the more serious parts of the night and the times of prayer.
The unit lessons will be engaging and interesting. Through my speaking style I will accomplish
this through asking them questions or having them repeat things that I say throughout my catechesis. I
will include real testimonies from my own life and have other core members testify as well. Personal
experience is very important when it comes to prayer. I personally think it is very helpful to have some
kind of visual aid to present with, such as a PowerPoint. When it is done in a simple and neat way, it will
keep the teens engaged. For example, It would be very simple and minimal when it comes to words and
then also have religious icons, pictures and quotes to have up throughout the presentation.
Another thing to keep them engaged is with some of my examples that go with my teaching I can
show clips of videos that are either funny or serious. For example, I referenced the movie Finding Nemo
to talk about how God the Father is constantly in pursuit of us. So, I could use a clip from the movie of
when Nemo’s dad is in search of him and when they are reunited.
The talks and teaching will lead to an encounter. After the teaching, they will get a handout and
we will have time for reflection. During this reflection time, I will have praise and worship music playing
to keep them focused. The music would go with the theme of the night and the Father’s love. Some
examples include: Good Good Father, Come to the Altar, Defender, Build My Life, and Future/Past.
There will also be time for prayer that fits in with the teaching of the night. Also, because this unit is on
prayer, we want to teach them many ways to grow in prayer that maybe they are not as exposed to.
Examples of this would be, Lectio Divina, Praise and Worship, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, adoration
and times of silence. Overall, depending on what the topic is for the night there will also be themes that
go along with that and it will bring everything together.
 Table of Contents
Prayer to Our Perfect and Loving Father: The Father’s Arms Are Open Wide

Introduction:
This curriculum will be presented to a high school youth group, from freshman to seniors. This
audience has had some catechesis from their Catholic school education, but they really need to
learn the application in their own life. Through these units, the hope is to get them excited about
the faith they are a part of. In discovering who their perfect Father is, they will be drawn to make
changes in their life and be led into a life of prayer. All of these units and lessons lead to a deeper
prayer life because the Our Father teaches us how to pray.

Unit A Foundations of the Our Father: A Strong Foundation of Love

Lesson I The Lord’s Prayer is the Gospel: This is GOOD News!
Lesson II We Call God Our Father: That’s MY Dad!
Lesson III Our Father’s Holy Name in Heaven: Holding Onto Heaven
Lesson IV The Kingdom of God: More Than Just a Place

Unit B Our Responses in the Our Father: The Father’s Unconditional Helping Hand
Lesson I The Father’s Will on Earth as it is in Heaven: Follow His Footsteps
Lesson II Our Daily Bread: The Food that Leaves Us Full
Lesson III Forgiveness and Sin: Step Into True Freedom
Lesson IV Temptations, The Spiritual Battle: The Father is my Shield

Unit C The Call to Prayer: Jesus is Calling

Lesson I Jesus Teaches Us to Pray: Jesus had to Pray too!
Lesson II Methods and Expressions of Prayer: Any Way You Want It!
Lesson III The Battle of Prayer: I Surrender – He Fights For Us.
Lesson IV Our Guides: Mary and the Saints: Friends Bring Us to Heaven

Glossary

The glossary included would have important terms and ideas to remember. Each of the points of
the Our Father that was addressed throughout the unit will have a short explanation for example:
Hallowed Be Thy Name – God makes holy and we recognize God the Father as holy. Another
important aspect of the glossary are all the words that have to do with prayer because I want to
give my teens the tools to explore how to pray in a deeper way. For example, I would provide
definitions and examples for, blessing, petition, praise, intercession, some of the difficulties in
prayer and some guides to prayer such as Mary and the saints. This glossary would be a practical
way for the teens to take what they learn and apply it to their life.
 Unit A Sketch
Foundations of the Our Father: A Strong Foundation of Love
Lesson I The Lord’s Prayer is the Gospel which We Dare to Say: This is GOOD News!
 The Our Father prayer is given to us from Jesus. They are the words that the Father gave the Son.
Jesus is a model of prayer, which is why it is the Lord’s Prayer (CCC 2765)
 It is the summary of the Gospel- The message of the Good News leads us to prayer.
o “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find…” Matthew 7:7
 Of all the prayers that are in Scripture, you will not find anything not contained in the Our Father.
(CCC 2762)
 The Sermon on the Mount is the teaching for the Christian life. Matthew 5-7
o Jesus gives new form to our desires through the inner movements of the Spirit working.
o The new life that Jesus is speaking of is found in prayer- and that prayer which is taught
is the Our Father. (CCC 2764)
o The Our Father is at the center of Jesus’ proclamation. Matthew 6: 8-15
 We Dare to Say—We pray this prayer with a simple, faithful and humble trust. (CCC 2778)
Lesson II We Call God Our Father: That’s MY Dad!
 Matthew 11:27 “No one knows the Father except the Son.”
o The Father is revealed by his Son, and the Spirit makes him known to us (CCC 2780)
 God the Father wants a relationship with us- we are sons and daughters
o Calling God Father is a way of adoring him because he adopts us as children. This
happens in Baptism when we are incorporated into the Body of his Christ. (CCC 2782)
o Matthew 18: 3 Become like children.
 The Father’s Perfect Love. Luke 15:20 The Prodigal Son
 The Father’s Providence. Matthew 6:25 “Do not be anxious about your life…”
 The Father brings Unity- He is Our Father
o We are in relationship with each other. It is also personal- each are adopted and chosen
Lesson III Our Father’s Holy Name in Heaven: Holding Onto Heaven
 We are citizens of heaven, even on earth as we “seek the city which is to come.” Hebrews 13:14
 “Who Art in Heaven” it does not mean a space or place; he transcends everything and dwells with
us. (CCC 2794). To live in heaven is to be with Christ. (CCC 1025)
o Heaven is communion of life and love with the Trinity, supreme and definitive happiness.
o We find our true identity in heaven, because we let God dwell within our humble hearts.
o The Father’s house is our homeland, we are temples of his dwelling place. (CCC 2795)
 “Hallowed Be Thy Name” Only God hallows/makes holy. Recognize God as Holy. (CCC 2807)
o This is the first petition of the Our Father prayer. It is a call to adoration--to praise and
give thanks to God for his Holy Name.
 Through this petition we are drawn into is plan of love, so we might become
“holy and blameless before him.” Ephesians 1:4
Lesson IV The Kingdom of God: More Than Just a Place
 The Kingdom of God came through Jesus’ incarnation, passion and resurrection. (CCC 2816)
 In the Eucharist the Kingdom of God is in our midst.
 “Thy Kingdom Come” The coming of God’s reign.
o refers to the final coming of God’s reign through Christ’s return (CCC 2818)
o since Pentecost, this reign comes through the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God means
“righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
 The kingdom comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit and through the Eucharist.
 We serve to advance the kingdom of God on earth. We want to see his kingdom rightly restored
and ordered here. This is a call to obedience.
 o Titus 2:11-14 The grace of God has taught us what is right, and we are “awaiting our
blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ
Unit B Sketch
Our Responses in the Our Father: The Father’s Unconditional Helping Hand
Lesson I The Father’s Will on Earth as it is in Heaven: Follow His Footsteps
 We ask God for his loving plan to be realized on earth as it already is in heaven.
 “Thy Will Be Done” We ask this of our Father because he will unite our will to the Son. This is
his plan of salvation for us personally and for the world.
 We are incapable of this on our own but with the power of Jesus and the Holy
Spirit, they help us to surrender to do the Father’s will (CCC 2825)
 “On Earth as it is in Heaven” In heaven we are fully dwelling with God, so if we are living and
pursuing the Father’s will with full surrender then that is aligned with heaven.
 Discernment- prayer to ask what his will is. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern what is the
Father’s will (CCC 2826)
 Jesus- the #1 model of following the Father’s will. “I do what is pleasing to him” Jn 8:29
 The Communion of the Church of Heaven and Earth- CCC 954
Lesson II Our Daily Bread: The Food that Leaves Us Full
 “Give us this day our daily bread” The Father is a giver of good things. We approach him as
children because a perfect Father provides for his sons and daughters (CCC 2828)
o 1 John 3:1 “what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God.”
 Bread- The Father nourishes us and provides. This bread is the foretaste of the kingdom of God.
 This Day- an expression of trust to God (CCC 2836)
 Daily-- trust without reservation
 The Eucharist is our daily bread. The Father wants us to ask for the bread of heaven because in
this we ask for Christ himself. (CCC 2837)
Lesson III Forgiveness and Sin: Step Into True Freedom
 What is Sin? It is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor” (CCC 1849)
o (CCC 1853) The root of sin is the heart of a man. “these are what defile a man” Mt 15:19
 Although our hearts are sinful because of our free will, our heart also contains
love which is the source of good works. But sin hurts love.
 “Forgive us our trespasses”
o We are still weak and wounded. This is a humble confession of realizing our wrongs
before God and the ways that we have rejected him. (CCC 2839)
o Mercy can only come when we forgive those who have trespassed against us.
 “As we forgive those who trespass against us”
o Luke 6:35-36. “Love your enemies… be merciful even as your Father is merciful.”
o Forgiveness is a witness to the fact that love is stronger than sin. (CCC 2844)
Lesson IV Temptations, The Spiritual Battle: The Father is my Shield
 “And lead us not into temptation” In this we are asking for strength and discernment to fight the
battle of flesh vs spirit. (CCC 2846)
o With the power of the Holy Spirit- the lies of temptation are exposed “If we live by the
Spirit we walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25 This is all possible in perseverance in
prayer.
 “But Deliver us From Evil” We need to ask for protection from the evil one.
o We belong to God, not the world. “If God is for us, who is against us?” Romans 8:31
o Pray the simple prayer of “Come, Lord Jesus” When we pray to be freed from the evil
one, we pray for freedom in our past, present and future.”
 The Final Doxology- For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.
 oThe prayer we proclaim in adoration and thanksgiving is all for God’s glory. We say this
until salvation is fulfilled and Jesus comes again. Revelation 1:6-7
 Amen- we express our fiat or yes, saying “so be it”

Unit C Sketch
The Call to Prayer: Jesus is Calling
Lesson I The Universal Call to Prayer: Jesus had to Pray too!
 God is in constant pursuit of us, so his love is what calls us to prayer. He calls, we respond.
o We are created in search of God form the beginning. (CCC 2566, 2567)
 A full understanding of prayer is reveled when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is
the model as he prays, he teaches us, and he hears us.
o Jesus prays and listens to the Father’s plan. Hebrews 5:7 “Jesus offered up prayers and
supplications.” His prayers that the Father heard accomplished the victory of salvation.
o He teaches us to pray with conversion of heart, faith, filial boldness and watchfulness. He also
uses parables to teach this. (CCC 2608-2613)
o He hears our prayers of faith that are expressed aloud or in silence. We can see this through
the many signs in his ministry on earth. He still answers prayers. (CCC 2616)
Lesson II Movements of Prayer: Any Way You Want It!
 The Holy Spirit keeps Christ alive in the Church and new forms of prayer come through the Holy
Spirit to continue the work of Christ in the Church. (CCC 2625)
 Blessing: an encounter between God and man. God blesses man with gifts. Ephesians 1:3-14
 Adoration: Man acknowledges that he is a creature before his Creator. (CCC 2628)
 Petition: awareness of relationship with God and a turning back to him with our needs. CCC 2629
 Intercession: We pray as Jesus did, it is not only our interests but for the interests of others, even those
who have hurt us or persecuted us. (CCC 2634)
 Thanksgiving: every event or need can be offered to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you” 1Thess 5:18
 Praise: recognize that God is God. As children, we give him glory simply for who He Is. It
incorporates other forms of prayer, as they all go to God, to whom we owe our existence. CCC 2639
o In Acts 3:9 The Beggar that was healed from Peter went away praising God.
 The Eucharist: contains and expresses all forms of prayer. Malachi 1:11 “From the rising of the sun to
its setting my name is great among the nations.”
Lesson III The Battle of Prayer: I Surrender – He Fights For Us.
 “Remember that one does not win the battle without prayer. The choice is yours.” – St. Padre Pio
 Objections to prayer- Prayer comes not just from us but from the Holy Spirit. We fight ourselves for
humility, trust and perseverance, Jesus is never stopping us from pursuing him. His graces are flowing
 Facing Difficulties in prayer: Distractions-they reveal the things that we are attached to. Dryness- the
heart is separated from God, cling to God in faith or find that this dryness is due to a lack of roots.
o These difficulties require us to be vigilant in continuing to seek his face. CCC 2730
 Temptation in prayer- solution: come to God in humility- “Apart from me you can do nothing,” Jn15:5
 Trust- “The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought” Rom 8:26
 Perseverance: fervor in prayer can only come from love. Love breaks all dullness and laziness. It is
always possible to pray, and it is vital, as it is inseparable from the Christian life. CCC 2742-2745
o Prayer allows the Holy Spirit to lead us in his plan that we cannot do alone.
Lesson IV Our Guides: Mary and the Saints: Friends Bring Us to Heaven
 Mary’s fiat: “Let it be to me according to your word.” Lk 1:38 Prayer is to be wholly his as he is to us
 Mary as figure of the Church. In prayer to her we adhere to the Father’s plan who sent Jesus to save.
 Teach the Hail Mary - it magnifies the Lord and entrusts our needs and praises to Mary. CCC 2675
 Cloud of Witnesses: we can look to the saints for their example of following Jesus in their prayer.
o The saints are powerful intercessors at the service of God’s plan. We can and should ask for
their intercession. Mt 25:21 “Well done my good and faithful servant…”
 Servants of Prayer: We can turn to our older brothers and sisters for direction in learning to deepen
our prayer with God.
 The Communion of Saints is the Church. It means holy people. CCC 946
o Our communion with the saints joins us to Christ. We are a body with Christ as the head. “we
are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Ephesians 4:15-16
Lesson Outline D1
Unit A Lesson II We Call God Our Father: descriptive sub-title
 Remember the movie Finding Nemo? Nemo got separated from his dad and got in a whole lot of
trouble. His dad was relentless in searching to find Nemo. He risked danger and did everything he
could to get his son. Nemo, realizing that he messed up big time also tries to find his dad and gets
out of the tank that he was trapped in. In the end, Nemo’s dad found his son.
o God the Father is perfect in pursuing our hearts and he wants us to come home to him.
 God the Father wants a relationship with us- it is a relational term. we are sons and daughters.
o Calling God Father is a way of adoring him because he adopts us as children. This
happens in Baptism when we are incorporated into the Body of his Christ. (CCC 2782)
 Through the Holy Spirit, we become sharers in Christ because he is the head of
the body.
 Matthew 18:3 Become like children to enter the kingdom.
o This call to be childlike means we should embrace the Father in simplicity. For example,
when you were little you were probably really excited when your dad came home and
asked him to pick you up. Or maybe you really just wanted to play a game of catch with
your father. God the Father comes to us perfectly and is always ready to embrace you.
 Matthew 11:27 “No one knows the Father except the Son.”
o The Father is revealed by his Son, and the Spirit makes him known to us (CCC 2780)
o By calling God our Father it shows us two things: 1. He is the origin of everything and
has all authority. 2. He has all goodness and loving care towards his children. CCC 239
o He is not only Creator but also eternally Father in relation to the Son. CCC 240
 The Father’s Perfect Love. Luke 15:20 The Prodigal Son. “And he arose and came to his Father.
But while he was yet at a distance, his Father saw him and had compassion, and ran and
embraced him.”
o No matter how far we have strayed, if we turn back to the Father, he comes running.
o Remember in Genesis: God the Father never just left Adam and Eve alone after they
sinned. He guided them and made covenants with us to make us sons. CCC 2787
 The Father’s Providence.
o The Father takes care of us even in our smallest needs. Through trusting in him and
seeking his kingdom first, then he will answer to his children.
o Matthew 6:25 “Do not be anxious about your life…”
 The Father brings Unity- He is Our Father
o We are in relationship with each other. It is also personal- each are adopted and chosen
o There is also trinitarian unity. Through saying Our Father, we adore and glorify him
together with the Son and the Holy Spirit. CCC 2789
o This prayer is an urgent call for all of us who are baptized to join together in one prayer.
o Leave individualism behind because the love that has no bounds can be set free when we
pray without divisions or oppositions. CCC 2792
 He is Almighty. This means that God who created everything, also rules everything and can do
everything. CCC 268
o His glory and holiness compel us to become holy.
o The way to embrace God with all his greatness and might is through faith. Faith glorifies
in its weakness in order to come closer to Christ’s power.
  2 Cor 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.” When I am weak, then I am strong.

Lesson Outline D2
Unit B Lesson I The Father’s Will on Earth as it is in Heaven: descriptive sub-title
 God’s will for our life- “love one another as I have loved you.”
o We ask God for his loving plan to be realized on earth as it already is in heaven.
o Jesus has made known The Father’s will in our life. CCC 2823
 How? Because Jesus came to earth to do the Father’s will, and he did it perfectly.
o “For he has made known to us… the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which
he set forth in Christ… to unite all things to him.” Ephesians 1:9-10
 “Thy Will Be Done” We ask this of our Father because he will unite our will to the Son. This is
his plan of salvation for us personally and for the world.
o We are incapable of this on our own but with the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, they
help us to surrender to do the Father’s will (CCC 2825)
o In the movie The Lion King, we can see how the Father’s plan and will is great, and he
makes it known in his son, Simba. Simba finds out his plan from his Father to one day be
king. Simba questions his Father’s will because of the force of evil that blocks him from
his destiny. When Simba eventually hears his Father’s voice again, he knows the
direction that his Father has willed him to go in.
 “On Earth as it is in Heaven” In heaven we are fully dwelling with God, so if we are living and
pursuing the Father’s will with full surrender then that is aligned with heaven.
o The Eucharist is a sacrificial offering on earth as it is in heaven.
 Through his offering we are united to Christ and the members of the Church on
earth but also with those already in the glory of heaven. CCC 1370
 We are united to heaven and anticipate eternal life. CCC 1326 All of the
sacraments are preparation for our heavenly home. CCC1525
 Discernment- prayer to ask what his will is. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern what is the
Father’s will (CCC 2826)
o In prayer, you have access to the Father’s voice. He wants to speak to you and help you.
In discernment you can ask the Father in prayer of what is right and good in accord with
your conscience. CCC 1787
 An example of this is in contemplative prayer- you are listening and hearing the
Word of God because you are united to the prayer of Christ. CCC 2716
 Jesus says- keep watch with him “never as I will, but as you will.” Mt: 26:39-40
 Jesus- the #1 model of following the Father’s will.
o “I do what is pleasing to him” Jn 8:29
o The Father’s will for Jesus was to save us all out of pure and perfect love, and Jesus
followed all the way to the end. As he suffered in his passion and died on a cross for us.
o His whole life was an offering to the Father. His whole passion was the reason for his
Incarnation. CCC 607
o “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent
me.” John 6:38
 Communion of the Church of Heaven and Earth- Everyone who is in Christ and has his Spirit in
heaven and on earth, we all sing one hymn to the glory of God. CCC 954
o The intercession of the saints helps us to accomplish God’s will on earth. St. Therese of
Lisieux said, “I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.”
 o Our communion with the saints joins us to Christ. Mary is the greatest example of this
because she is wholly united with her Son. CCC 964
o We are one family in God: When we join our desires and all hope and love in the Trinity,
all of us, sons and daughters, will be faithful to our vocation of holiness.
 “Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if we hold
fast our confidence and pride in our hope.” Hebrews 3:6
Lesson Outline D3
Unit C Lesson III The Battle of Prayer: descriptive sub-title
 Prayer is not an option, it is essential. CCC 2725 Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined
response on our part. It is always a gift because the Lord is always pouring out grace on us, but he
cannot do that without a response.
o For example, say your best friend texted you a compliment about yourself. You would want
to respond and thank them. Prayer always requires a response.
 “Remember that one does not win the battle without prayer. The choice is yours.” – St. Padre Pio
 We have mistaken notions of what prayer is:
o it is not just a psychological activity; some see prayer as just ritual words or movements.
o Some think they are complete failures in prayer because they get discouraged. This
discouragement comes probably from dryness, disappointment of not being heard by God, a
wounded pride, lack of faith, etc. CCC 2728
o Example: the Rich Man: “he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.” Mark 10:22
he was obeying the commandments but had pride in his possessions which was a block.
 Objections to prayer- Prayer comes not just from us but from the Holy Spirit. We fight ourselves for
humility, trust and perseverance, Jesus is never stopping us from pursuing him. His graces are flowing
 Who is the Battle against?
o Yourself: we have to fight ourselves to turn to God because we are so weak.
 We are tempted to give into a lack of faith and question everything. Another
temptation is acedia which is like a depression or complete laziness in prayer. CCC
2732-2733
o The evil one who tempts us to think we do not need intimacy with God
 Temptation in prayer: a solution is to come to God in humility. “Apart from me you
can do nothing,” John 15:5
 Facing Difficulties in prayer:
o Distractions: they reveal the things that we are attached to. We cannot have two masters, and
the Lord is our true master that we serve. Matthew 6:21 “Where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also.”
 What false treasure is distracting you from prayer? Maybe it is your phone, social
media, your own self-image, material things, etc.
o Dryness: happens when the heart is separated from God, and you have no taste for thoughts,
memories or feelings.
 In these times it is important to examine your roots. cling to God in faith or find that
this dryness is due to a lack of roots.
o These difficulties require us to be vigilant in continuing to seek his face. CCC 2730
o Some ways to combat difficulties, especially with distraction is to have something practical to
pray with/meditate on. A few examples of this could be religious images or icons, the words
of scripture, praise and worship music, devotionals, saint books, prayer devotions such as the
rosary or divine mercy chaplet. These resources can be like a shield in battle, to defend
yourself from difficulties
 Trust- This is battle is not easy, but The Lord has already won the battle in the end.
 “The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought” Romans 8:26
o Divine Mercy Image. His graces are pouring out for us constantly. The more we can trust in
Jesus and his goodness the more we are able to receive from him.
 Perseverance: fervor in prayer can only come from love. Love breaks all dullness and laziness. It is
always possible to pray, and it is vital, as it is inseparable from the Christian life. CCC 2742-2745
o Prayer allows the Holy Spirit to lead us in his plan that we cannot do alone.
o Eyes on the prize- the prize is Jesus and eternal life with him. He has won it for us and now it
is our turn to respond to it. Our prayer is not always going to be perfect, receive his love.
o Romans 12:11 “Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your
hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”