A SPECIAL TREASURE-10

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerKEEPING OUR FOCUSED ON JESUSPart TwoFor St. Teresa of Avila, it is the personal encounter in following Jesus that unveils the loving mercy of God. This gift has its privileged communication in deep personal prayer. Prayer is always her top priority. For this Carmelite...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-9

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerKEEPING OUR EYES FOCUSED ON JESUSPart One Jesus walks into our lives through the Gospels. The Gospels are a privileged part of the word of God. The Gospels give us today, as they have done all through Christian history, an opportunity to discover Jesus just as...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-8

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerPrayer: Pathway to Personal RenewalThe Carmelite tradition states clearly that we are called to union with God. This is the goal of our full human development. This is the pilgrimage returning to the innocence of Paradise. We achieve this by a process of purification...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-7

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerJesus’ Teachings on PrayerJesus taught the people to start from where they were in their life situation. Jesus then invited them into the mystery of the kingdom. There was special emphasis on the parables as the method of his teaching. In the parables, he taught...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-6

An Obstacle in Deep Personal PrayerThe Real Difficulty in Prayer: God’s AttitudeA little bit of our heart is never enough. God is never satisfied unless we offer ourselves completely. God always wants more, the whole thing. Love is not about a little bit. All the problems in prayer are rooted in this...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-5

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerChristian MeditationA second method of prayer is Christian Meditation. It is truly different in its approach from lectio divina and other forms of meditation where the mind is a vital component of the prayer. Christian Meditation is a contemplative approach to...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-4

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerThe Prayerful Reading of the Bible: Lectio DivinaVatican II brought the word of God in the Bible to the center of all Christian spirituality. This revival has led to a growing practice of prayer that has had a long tradition in the church. This is called lectio...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-3

An Opportunity for Deep Personal PrayerThe Bible and PrayerIThe People’s Experience of God The Bible is a love story of God and his people. It is simple and clear. Yet, it is also complicated because this love absorbs human frailty and sin covering centuries. The creation accounts in Genesis are written...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-2

An Obstacle to Deep Personal PrayerPrayer of Petition: Complex and Easily DistortedIThere are two fundamental points about the prayer of petition. We start with an awareness of our dependence on God. Second, whatever our petition may be, it must lead to God’s plan for our salvation, the Kingdom proclaimed...

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A SPECIAL TREASURE-1

This blog is the first in a series of blogs on the opportunities and obstacles to deep personal prayer that is, indeed, a true treasure. There is an important point I want to make for the readers of this series of blogs on “obstacles and opportunities for deep personal prayer”.Over the centuries,...

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