Presentation for Day of Reflection for St. Monica Merry Widows at malvern Retreat House

1. St. Monica Merry Widows
DAY OF REFLECTION
OCTOBER 18, 2021
MALVERN RETREAT HOUSE

2. Can You Hear Me Now?
PRAYER, DISCERNMENT AND HEARING GOD’S VOICE

3. Schedule
 8:45 - 9:30 am – Breakfast
 9:30 am - Morning Prayer / First Talk
 10:15 - Break
 10:30 am - Adoration/Reconciliation
 11:15 - Mass
 12 pm - Lunch
 1 pm - Activity
 1:45 pm - 2nd talk
 2:30 pm - Widows Choice

4. What Prayer Is
 Desire to grow closer to God.
 An invitation to love.
 A dialogue with love.
 Wasting time with someone you love.

5. Fundamentals
 Is is breaking any Commandments?
 Is it leading you to – or away from Christ?
 Is it affecting your prayer commitment?
 Is it leading you to addictive behaviors? (Consolation)

6. Mechanics
 Prayer is binary.
 What did you set out to do? Did you do it?
 Giving God space to speak to us:
You need silence.
You need time.
 Eat something. Drink your coffee.

7. Mechanics
 Finish what you start.
 “Pray as you can – not as you can’t” (Mother
Teresa)
 Use stuff.
 Try it…. You can make mistakes…
 … but give it a week before you change.
 Mechanics is not mechanical (Devotions)

8. Mechanics: Incarnational Model
Human
 Clock
 Candle
 Chair, Couch, Pillow, Pew, Floor.
Divine
 Bible
 Spiritual Readings
 Crucifix
 Icons
 Rosary

9.  Emotions are ok, but ….
 Movement of the heart is not an emotion.
 Your intellect informs your emotions.
 Your emotions inform your motivations.
 Mother Teresa and darkness, consolation, and
desire.
 Good of consolation vs. the consolation of
God… Which are you seeking?
You cannot be lead by your
emotions, but you must pay
attention to them…
It is there where the Holy Spirit
resides
St. Francis deSales

10. How do you know prayer is working?
If it’s true…
 Peace
 Fruit
 Joy
 Rationally checking your emotions
 Launching pad to something more?
If it’s not…
 Anxiety is not desolation.
 “I never told you to do that.”
 “Do whatever she tells you.”
 Prayer isn’t a point system; it’s a
relationship.
 It’s simply not working.

11. Select Prayer Forms

12. The Collect
 CONCLUDING PRAYER
All-powerful and ever-living God,
You have been our source of power and inspiration.
 Give us strength and joy in serving you as followers of Christ,
 Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever ... Amen.

13. The Collect
 CONCLUDING PRAYER
All-powerful and ever-living God,
[In the past….] You have been our source of power and inspiration.
 [So, do now for us what you did back then and…] Give us strength
and joy in serving you as followers of Christ,
 Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and
ever… Amen.

14. Catholic Prayer
(vs. Evangelical, Protestant…)
 Prayer is not spiritual…..
 only!
 God enters into the material world in a bodily way (Incarnation)
 God’s intimate involvement with the world (Sacraments)
 Touches the entire person:
 Physical
 Emotional
 Spiritual

15. Consolation As The Wellspring
 Go back to it
 Nothing is wrong; Not A Lament
 Proof of God’s love for us
 Speaking to you from your specific
experience in a new way.

16. The Examin (Ignatian)
What’s good?
What’s bad?
What’s hurting?
What about a miracle?

17. St. Monica Merry Widows
DAY OF REFLECTION
OCTOBER 18, 2021
MALVERN RETREAT HOUSE
END OF PRESENTATION