Unit 4
Learning How to Pray
“Christian prayer is the exercise of coming to share in Christ’s life.”
Reflection Questions
Do you take the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”) for granted? Why or why not? How or how not?
Reading
Into the Heart of the Father, Chapter Four (pp. 67–96)
Discussion Questions
See p. 96 of Into the Heart of the Father
Assignment Question
Select one petition from the Lord’s prayer and write your own spiritual commentary on that petition. Imagine that you are offering a short sermon or retreat reflection on this single petition. Be sure to keep it brief (200–300 words). Help your reader (or listener) deepen their own understanding of and appreciation for this single petition.
Additional Resources
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2759–2865.
Franz Jägerstätter, Franz Jägerstätter: Letters and Writings from Prison, ed. Erna Putz, trans. Robert Krieg (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009), 150–71.
Francis and Clare: The Complete Works, trans. Regis J. Armstrong and Ignatius C. Brady, new ed (New York: Paulist Press, 1986), 104–6.
John Henry Newman, “Forms of Private Prayer,” in Parochial and Plain Sermon (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1997) 165–73 .
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