Prayer in the Christian life
What is prayer?
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a
simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry
of recognition and of love, embracing both
trial and joy.”
St. Therese of Lisieux,
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart
to God or the requesting of good things from
God.”
St. John Damascene
The APOSTLES CREED
- states the most essential points of
Christian doctrine.
- Summarizing the Apostles' teaching.
- the profession of the Christian Faith
begin with the words “I believe in
- God”. contains what Christians
believe about the persons and work of
God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit. (CFC # 36)
The Lord’s prayer
In the picture above, Christ turns in prayer
towards the Father (cf. 2599). He prays
alone, in a deserted place. His disciples look
on from a respectful distance. St. Peter, the
head of the apostles, turns towards the others
and points to Jesus who is the Master and the
Way of Christian prayer (cf. 2607) and says,
“Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1)
 The Lord's Prayer "is truly the
summary of the whole gospel."7
"Since the Lord . . . after handing over
the practice of prayer, said elsewhere,
'Ask and you will receive… (CCC
2761)
 The Lord's Prayer is the most perfect
of prayers.
CVL
1. “Hallowed be Thy name” is put into
practice by adoration.
Adoration is the first attitude of man
acknowledging that he is a creature before his
Creator.
- God’s holiness and glory explain each other,
because God’s glory is that part of His holiness
that He reveals in creation and history.
- The manifestation of God’s holiness changed
after original sin as God manifested His
holiness by revealing His name, in order to
restore man to the image of His Creator.
- In Jesus Christ the name of the Holy God is
revealed to us in the flesh
- The name above all names that Christ
receives after His Passover is: Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (CCC
2807-2812)
2. “Thy Kingdom come” refers primarily to
the final coming of the reign of God through
Christ’s return.
 Rom 14 defines the Kingdom of God as
righteousness and peace and joy in the
Holy Spirit.
 “Kingdom” in the petition “Thy
Kingdom come” means:
1. as an abstract noun: Kingship
2. as a concrete noun: Kingdom
3. as an action noun: Reign.
3. “Thy will be done” is that all men may be
saved.
 According to Ephesian 1 God’s will is to
gather up all things in Christ.
 The Father’s will has been perfectly
fulfilled once for all in Christ.
 The faithful can accomplish the will of
the Father by uniting themselves with
the will of Christ.
 We can discern the will of God by
prayer.
 St Augustine, understands “on earth as
it is in heaven” as “in the Church as in
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself”
4. “Give us” in “give us this day our daily
bread” teaches to expect everything from our
Father.
 “Our bread” in “give us this day our
daily bread” means the nourishment
life requires, both material and
spiritual.
 The petition for bread is connected
with the hunger in the world, because
we cannot receive the bread without
sharing it with the poor.
“This day” in “give us this day our daily bread”
means:
1. our mortal time
2. the today of God.
The three senses of “daily” in “give us
this day our daily bread” are:
1. the temporal sense: repeats “this day” to
confirm us in trust
2. the qualitative sense: signifies what is
necessary for life
3. the literal sense: refers to the Holy
Eucharist.
“Daily” (Greek: epiousios) means literally
“super-essential”.
5. God will “forgive us our trespasses”
under the condition that we forgive those who
trespassed against us.
 The efficacious signs of God’s
forgiveness are the sacraments.
 We have to forgive in order to be
forgiven, because in refusing to forgive
our brothers, our hearts are closed and
their hardness makes them impervious
to God’s love.
 The “as” in “as we forgive those who
trespass against us” means that we
must participate in God’s mercy and
love.
Forgiveness can be accomplished
practically by:
1. turning injury into compassion
2. purifying the memory in transforming the
hurt into intercession.
It is not in our power not to feel or to forget
an offence.
Forgiveness is essential for prayer, because
only hearts attuned to God’s compassion can
receive the gift of prayer. (CCC#2838-2844)
6. “And lead us not into temptation”
prays that God may not:
1. allow us to enter into temptation
2. let us yield to temptation.
7. “Evil” in the petition “deliver us from
evil” refers to a person, Satan.
The definitive defeat of Satan will entail that
all creation will be freed from sin and death.
Hail Mary
 is a traditional Catholic prayer asking
for the intercession of the Virgin Mary,
the mother of Jesus. It asks Mary to
pray for all sinners, and to
communicate with God on our behalf.
 Comprises of three parts
 the first part - refers to God's
greeting to Mary, through the
intermediary of the Angel Gabriel (Luke
1: 28) announcing Mary that she is
chosen as the mother of God.
 The second part - is the greetings
of Elizabeth to Mary. When Mary
visited her.
 The third part - is the additional
prayer added by the Church to
complete the prayer and the beliefs
that Mary intercede for us.
Glory Be Prayer - the Catholic Doxology
History and Tradition of the Glory Be
Prayer
"The Glory Be prayer - is most familiar from
the Rosary where it is recited at the end of
each decade of the Hail Mary. It goes back
many centuries and is known also by its Latin
name and version as the Gloria Patri (Glory
Be to the Father)
This prayer is called a doxology, from the
Greek word meaning an expression of glory
or praise.
History and Tradition of the Glory Be  The Angelus has been traditionally said
Prayer three times daily, at 6 am, 12 noon
My admiration for them intensified during the Sign of the cross and 6 pm, you can pray it at anytime!
 The tradition for the doxology comes
pandemic when they were taking care of It is still accompanied by the ringing.
from the Jewish synagogues. St. Paul  is a prayer, a blessing, and a
Covid positive patients despite the risks. Now
often used doxologies similar to the Hail Holy Queen - "Salve Regina"
sacramental. As a sacramental, it
that I am in Grade 11, I choose to enroll in
Glory Be in his letters. For example, he
the STEM strand and explore the possibility of prepares an individual to receive grace
referred to “the only wise God, through  The "Hail, Holy Queen" is a salutation
taking up a medical course in the future so and disposes one to cooperate with it.
Jesus Christ, be honor forever and deprecation, a greeting of petition and
that I can be able to serve our sick and poor The Christian begins the day, prayers,
ever. Amen.” in the conclusion of his intercession. Mary is called mother of
sisters and brothers. and activities with the Sign of the
letter to the Romans (Rom 16:27). mercy because Christ her Son, is the
Cross: "In the name of the Father and
 How
in 1608, the famous bishop
to keep oneself worthy and St. Francis incarnation of God's love and mercy.
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
de Sales
respectable? ended his classic book  A Marian hymn and one of four Marian
Introduction to the Devout Life in a  It is also called as a Universal
1. Draw up or review your personal vision antiphons sung at different seasons
similarandfashion: “Glory be to Jesus, to Prayer.
key purpose in life. within the Christian liturgical calendar
Whom, with the Father and the Holy
2. Form yourself in the good habits that Self-worth - our of the Catholic Church.
strong conviction that each
Ghost,strengthen
be honor and yourglory, now and
core values and help of us is of great isworthoften and
described as a "powerful"
is endowed with
ever, and
you to all Eternity.
achieve your key Amen.”
purpose in life. unique gifts to fulfill
prayer, meaning that
one’s purpose in those
life who pray it
3. Do away with behavior that goes Example: have their prayers answered.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the
against your core values and your key I know that
 isI am a unique
a Catholic person
prayer who isthe
seeking
glory of the Lord has risen upon
purpose in life. endowed with gifts.intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
you." ~ Isaiah 60:1
4. Be a person who tells the truth at all I am aware of my capabilities and skills. I can
"To him be glorytimes in and prudentand
the church in sharing
in Christit always putClaude
themBernard
to good use (1588-1641)
in order to popularized
Jesus throughout all generations, forever and discoverthemoreidea
ofthat
whatthe Memorare
I can do and washowwritten
I can by
5. Respect is earned and I order to get
ever. Amen." respect
~ Ephesians 3:21 it has to start Saintthe
make better Bernard.
lives of others using them.
from others,
Using my gifts give meaning to my existence
within yourself.
 Many people make the sign of the Memorare – “Remember O Gracious
and sets direction towards my purpose and
cross Mary”
6. when
Remain reciting
open andthis consistent
prayer or one in your dreams
of its variants
attitude which
towards theothers.
priest says at
 is a Catholic prayer seeking the
the start of Mass: “In the name of the Freedom - ourintercession
desire to make fullBlessed
use of the
of the
7. Beand
Father, comfortable
of the Sonwith andyourself,
of the Holywith yourinner power of choosing and of making good
 Virgin Mary.
Spirit, gifts
Amen.” andThe talents.
Glory Be prayer decisions in order to achieve our purpose in
 is an efficacious invocation of the
reaffirms the eternal glory of our “God life.
8. If there are opportunities where you Blessed Mother to intercede in our lives
in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity,” as
can use your talents and gifts, grab it Example: on behalf of Her Son.
our Triune God is called in the well-
and make it as breakthrough for  The original prayer was written in Latin
known hymn Holy Holy Holy. Let us try
growth. I was elected and asgets
the class president
its name from the during
first word
each day, in reciting this prayer and
the class election. Many of my classmates said
others, of the prayer, memorare,
How to tobe growopenintostronger
God’s graces, so
freedom? that I am a competent leader. I have doubts
that we may live our lives as hymns of meaning “remember.”
whether what they claimed is true given my
praise to Our
1. Form conscience by seeking the weaknesses.I am
Creator."
your reminds us that the Blessed Virgin
in dilemma. Turning down
advice of persons you trust. Mary is ready to help us when needed
Angelus the challenge would not put me into pressure.
2. Set aside moments for silence, if we approach her with love, true
However, accepting the position will hone my
History and reflection,
origin and prayer to God. contrition for our sins.
full potentials and give me a sense of purpose
3. Develop a personal pattern of and meaning.  is a prayer invoking the intercession of
 The Angelus is a prayer in
discernment prior to making anywhich we our Blessed Mother. Its origins may
contemplate
decision. the mystery of the date from the 12th century.
Incarnation, the event by which
4. Make it a habit to think first before "the Self-actualization - Our commitment to
Son ofmaking
God became man in order become fully ourselves and achieve our
a decision because every purpose in life by developing and using our
to livedecision
with us and Save us.
can affect one’s life as well asGod-given gifts.
 Angelus, a Christian devotion in
others.
memory of the Incarnation. Example:
5. When making a decision be always
 The Angelus
ready to became
accept aitsprayer as we
consequences. When I was small, I had fun playing with
know today, towards the end of
6. Own your decision whether its right or the toys that are replicas of medical equipment
16th century… …with three Hail Mary’s, used by nurse and doctors. As I grew older, I
wrong and learn from it. got attracted to and curious of the life and
and short verses in between .
work of nurse and doctors whenever I see
7. Always remember that whether you them personally and on television. I felt a
are making a simple sense of pride and fulfillment while looking at
them busily tending and serving the sick.
 The psalms were prayed by the Jews at the
8.Every choice we make and taking
time of Jesus, and He prayed them and
responsibility over it that is a step towards
quoted from them even on the cross as he
growth.  Mary was associated in the Middle According todying:
this rendition,
was “My God,Our MyLadyGod, why have you
9. We have powerAges over
with roses and rose
our choices. gardens.
When we The encouraged
abandoned Me?” (Psalm 22) Earlyto
Dominic and the Dominicans Christian
rose came to symbolize Mary. Hence spread devotion to her and her Son
monks who had fled to the desert to escape through
succumb to others choice because of fear and
the name Rosary. In 1470 the Church the Rosary the with assurance
distractions of thethatworld
manyand graces
to seek God
need, we surrender that power and make us
recognized the Confraternity of the would benefit all who prayed the Rosary.
and pursue holiness prayed the psalms in sets
unfree.
Holy Rosary. Official Church of 50. They
 According toimagined
Father Richard that they were praying
How to achieve recognition was granted
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and also
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take company
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know it
2. IdentifyRosary
your for theand
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Christiansin
today. During this period the mysteries
life defending Christian Europe from They soon were praying the psalms together
and the individual prayers began to
3. Focus Muslim invasion
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sea Battle in community and used scrolls of papyrus or
coalesce. The “Our Father” came
at the of Lepanto.
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of your vision and 7, the smaller lambskin to read from. Many of the monks
directly from the Gospel of Matthew,
purposeChristian
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chapter 6. read
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Annunciation andand likewise
second
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never
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read andin write.
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word “Jesus” into the Hail Mary to give
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Montfort in
your purpose andlife.
“The Wonderful Secret of
death.
Church.Amen” is from a popular prayer
the Rosary”
6. Visualize the kindrepresented
of person that a major
of the faithful at the time.
advance in popularizing the Rosary.
you want to become when you are Since
 The they didCreed
Apostles’ not know which Latin
followsand thecould not
Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903)
an adult and in your old age. memorize
Sign of theall 150 immediately,
Cross psalms, they is gradually
7. Powerful
Believe inSoiritual
the power of your dream.
benefits began substituting
ancient. An early mention the Paternosters
of the (Our
8. Pray1. for
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is a Christ-centered and prayer. Fathers) for"Apostles'
expression the psalms. Theyoccurs
Creed" needed in a way
2. The Rosary is a powerful way to
guidance. atoletter
keepof track
SaintofAmbrose
how many in they
AD 390 prayed, so
contemplate the Face of Christ, they agrouped
from synod in the prayers
Milan. Theinto sets of 50, as
Apostles’
History and 3. The Rosary
origin of theis aholy
memorial
rosary by which Creed may have
the psalms were beenin theassociated
Psalter. They withstill
Mary constantly sets before us the the
neededbelief,
a way widelyto accepted
keep count, in the
so they collected
 The history of the Rosary
mysteries of her Son, is full with fourth century, that, under the
small pebbles or other items, which eventually
facts, truths,
4. The legends,
Rosary is anmyths
invaluableand source of inspiration
become beads, of thesimilar
Holy Spirit,
to those eachusedof in other
genuine piety. For over
self-discovery and600 years, the
integration, the Twelve
religions to Apostles
count prayers contributed
and acts an of
Rosary
5. ThehasRosary
been aishallmark
a sublime of encounter
Catholic of article
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Friendship, Creed.
namedAlthough
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mid-300s formwho
most
6. engaging
The Rosary form of prayer
unites us to thefor bond until
would 341fill AD,
his garment with up to 300 small
countless of people.
between Jesus and Mary,  The Apostles’ Creed faithfully embodies
stones and cast one away for each prayer he
7. The Rosary is a supreme source of the teachings the Apostles brought to
offered.
The roots of the Rosary
comfort andgosolace,
back to two Rome and the rest of the known world.
distinct sources:
8. Thethe first is a
Rosary 3000 years old
condensed and of
version The Salve TheReginamore (Hail, Holy Queen)
he prayed, the lighter is he
is found in thethepsalms
Gospels.attributed to King David from thebecame.11th century and is
This story is frequently
very likely
in the Joyful
HebrewMysteries-
Scriptures of the Old
(Monday and Saurday) prayed at
apocryphal. Here we seeRosary
the conclusion of the the merger of
Testament;
1. Thethe second is the
Annunciation practice
of the AngelofGabriel to recitation. Although these prayers were the
the two sources for the Rosary:
keeping Mary.
track of prayers by counting with in vogueHebrew for 300Psalms years, of they wereand notcounting
David
2. The Visitation of Mary to
beads, pebbles, or marks on wood or stone. Elizabeth. all arranged in the final form that we
3. The Birth ofinJesus in Bethlehem beads from the pre-Christian era.
This practice, found the great religionsof ofJudea. know until the Council of Trent, 1545-
4. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Another apocryphal story, believed to
the world such as Hinduism, Buddhism, 1563.
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. be true as late as the 19th and
Taoism, and Islam, is very ancient as well.
20th centuries, is the account of
The psalms number 150 and come from the
early Hebrew writings around the time of apparitions of Our Lady to Saint
Kings David and Solomon. Dominic in 1208 to hand over to him
the Rosary as we know it today.
According to this rendition, Our Lady

The Glorious Mysteries - (Wednesday
and Sunday)
1. The Resurrection of Jesus.
2. The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven.
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost.
4. .The Assumption of Mary into Heaven.
5. The Coronation of Our Lady in Heaven.
The Luminous Mysteries- (Thursday)
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan.
2. The Wedding at Cana.
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom.
4. The Transfiguration.
5. The Institution of the Eucharist.
The Sorrowful Mysteries- (Tuesday and
Friday)
1. The Agony of Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane.
2. The Scourging of Jesus at the Pillar.
3. The Crowning of Jesus with Thorns.
4. The Carrying of the Cross.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
St. Vincent Life
 Saint Vincent lived their lives with one
all-embracing purpose
 Vincent, His Search for Life’s Purpose
and Meaning.
THE ORIGIN OF THE MISSION
St. Vincent was born in April 24, 1581 at Pouy,
Landes, Gascony, France. He came from a
devout Catholic family who were farmers.
 Parents: Jean de Paul and Bertrande
de Moras
 Siblings: Jean, Marie- Claudine,
Marie, Gayon, Bernard
 He had "become the symbol of the
successful reform of the French
Church".
 "The Apostle of Charity"
 "The Father of the Poor“
 Patron Saint of all the Charitable
Works
 Feast day – September 27
 He died in Paris on September 27,
1660
 Beatified: August 13, 1729, Rome,
Papal States by Pope Benedict XIII
 Canonized: June 16, 1737, Rome,
Papal States by Pope Clement XII
He was blessed with an excellent intelligence
that his father encouraged him to be a priest
in order to alleviate their family from poverty.
He put his heart into his dream which was
realized in 1660 when he was ordained priest
at the age of 19. But God has a great plan for
him.
 He purified his priestly vocation
through experiences of hard work,
sufferings and inner struggles.
 He realized that his experiences of pain
and sufferings are likened to the
poverty experiences of Jesus.
 This realization led him to believe that
Jesus is in the poor..
His profound experience of an incarnational
God whom he found in the person of those
who are in poverty situations led him to make
radical responses to the cries of the poor,
 displaced farmers,
 abandoned children,
 sick soldiers,
 agnostics and
 poor women and children
“the poor are dying of hunger and are
condemned” is the immortal phrase of Vincent
which summarized his experiences with the
poor. Vincent’s strong love and service of the
destitute coupled with his trust in divine
providence (God’s work) led to the foundation
of three congregations in his lifetime:
In August of 1617, at Chatillon-des-Dombes,
Vincent learned about the harsh condition of a
poor family in the town that was literally dying
of hunger. Vincent preached a sermon from
the pulpit on the material needs of those poor.
A few hours later he was surprised to see the
whole town come to the aid of that family. so
much so that they would have extra food for
that day and the following but after that when
the provisions have been consumed, will they
return to their miserable way of living?
“This charity is not well-organized,” he
reflected. And thus, he founded the first
Confraternity of Charity where members will
help by turns all the poor and the sick of the
town. (Sinking Deep Our Roots… Spreading
wide our branches Vol. 1, p. 180)
Congregation of the Mission (1625) inspired
by event of the confession of the dying
peasant and the sermon of Folleville;
Here then is the story of the experience of
Gannes and Folleville (an estate of Mdm. de
Gondi). In January of 1617 in Folleville, a
little town in the north of France, Vincent
discovered the spiritual poverty of the poor in
the countryside. He recalled, “One day I was
called to hear confession of a poor man who
was seriously sick. This man was known to be
the best individual or at least one of the best
in the village. But the truth of the matter was
that he was loaded with sins, which he had
not the courage to confess.
He declared this later in a loud voice in the
late spouse of the general of the galleys. He
said, ‘Madame, I was condemned had I not
the courage to confess’. That man died; the
woman for her part upon noticing the
necessity of general confessions wanted that
the following day I would preach about the
topic. That is what I did. God granted His
blessings in such a way that all the inhabitants
of the place immediately made their general
confession. There were so many that it was
necessary to call on two Jesuit priests to help
hear confessions, preach and catechize.
This led to the idea of offering the same
exercise in other parishes on the lands of that
lady (Mdm. De Gondi) for several years. This
went on until the time when the lady (Mdm.
De Gondi) thought of maintaining several
priests who would continue giving these
missions and because of this, she gave us the
College des-Enfants where Fr. Portail and I
myself stayed.”
 Vincent would say more that the one
of the Folleville was the first sermon of
the mission, which is the beginning of
the Congregation of the Mission. The
formal foundation of the Congregation
would occur eight years later on April
17, 1625.
 In 1630, it was evident that the
confraternities were not enough to
accomplish the mission that Vincent
had received. In many of the parishes
and especially Saint Sauveur of Paris,
the ladies experienced repugnance and
difficulties in personally serving the
poor.
Vincent recalled, “the ladies of Saint Sauveur
founded the Company of Charity in their
parish. They themselves served the poor,
brought them food, medicines and all the rest;
and since they were distinguished and had a
husband and family, many times it was so
annoying for them to carry the stew-pot in
such a way that it troubled them and they
talked among themselves about looking for
some servants who would do it for them.”
This made Vincent’s heart ached since his
concept of charity is a personal commitment.
This problem would lead Vincent to the
discovery of a definite form, of charity. It was
in those circumstances that Marguerite
Naseau, a cowherd from Suresnes, took the
initiative of going to serve in the charities of
Paris. He recalled, “I proposed to her the
service of the sick.
He willingly and immediately accepted it and I
sent her to saint Sauveur. This is the parish
of Paris where the charity had been first
established and since then, they started to
join and meet by themselves almost without
noticing it.”
Little by little, other young women were
attracted partly by the example of
Marguerite Naseau and by the ideal of
personally serving the suffering people of
France, started to join the Confraternities of
Charity. The small group of young women
were then called “servants of charities”.
”Louise became the head of the community of
these sisters. On November 29, 1633, a young
group of women were installed in the private
house of Louise. Thus was born the Company
of the Daughters of Charity. (Of Roots and
Wings, pp. 66-68)
Vincent’s life became the classroom where he
was taught how to love… “to love with the
sweat of our brows and strength of our arms.”
1. St. Vincent lived an imperfect life which is Also, he inspired young men and women to
filled with twists and turns. All those serve in the mission and to join in groups of
experiences are God’s providence in order for charities particularly the Confraternities of
him to find life’s meaning and real purpose Charity, Congregation of the Mission and
(vocation and mission). Daughters of Charity. These congregations
saved many lives of the poor and people of
- In the past, Vincent believed that providing a
France. They began to turn to God and
good life for his family was his purpose. He
became sensitive to the needs of others
tried his best to become a priest since
especially those in situations of poverty.
priesthood is a stepping stone towards a good
Because of this, Vincent was named as a hero
and comfortable life for himself and his family.
of France and proclaimed by the Church as
However, these experiences made him realize
Patron Saint of All Charitable Works. Lastly,
his potentials and limitations; his virtues such
the Vincentian Family spread all over the
as humility, simplicity and charity; and
world and have been existing for more than
discover Jesus who is in the poor. With this,
350 years.
he was able to find his purpose that brought
meaning to his vocation and mission as a
servant of God.

2. St. Vincent continued to take care of the

poor because he believed that when he serves
the poor, he also serves God who is in the
poor (incarnational spirituality).

- Incarnational spirituality contends that

“Jesus in flesh – He lives in the poor and He is
the poor”. With this, Vincent believed that
Jesus is in the poor. He said, “To serve the
poor is to go to God. And you have to see
God in their person.”

- Thus, he was able to organize charities that

would take care of the spiritual and physical
needs of those who are suffering – the victims
of wars, spiritual crisis (spread of heresies)
and the abandoned children (orphans).

3. Vincent’s search for meaning in life brought

him immense passion and vitality in
committing himself to the mission of
evangelization and as an agent of moral
transformation.

- Vincent’s profound love for Jesus, led him to

a holy life. His holiness was witnessed and
felt by the people that the latter began to
listen to his preaching and supported his
works of charity. He was able to influence
people particularly the elite and nobility class
to support the confraternities and missions.
He was able to “bridge” the gap between the
rich and the poor.