The first priority in Archbishop Mark’s Apostolic Priorities for the Archdiocese of Brisbane, documented in With Lamps Ablaze, is Teaching Prayer. He says, “Often we urge people to pray but don’t really teach them how to pray… Now is the time to teach ways of prayer which are mature and all-embracing. Christian prayer begins not with speaking but with listening; and learning to pray is therefore learning to listen – to listen even to the silences of God. If all we do is speak, then in the words of Jesus we “babble like the pagans” (Matt 6:7). But if we speak after listening and in response to God who always has the first word, then we speak according to the mind of the Holy Spirit. That’s what we need to teach and learn. In the Gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus called the twelve apostles to himself, first of all, “that they might be with him” (3:14). This is where the mission starts: being with Jesus, which is what prayer is.”
Join us for our new weekly series, Let’s Pray, where we invite you to pray along with us. Each week we will invite you to pray a new prayer with us – maybe you don’t know what to pray, or want to pray along with someone, or want to practice your faith through prayer. Our Let’s Pray series is for everyone.
On Monday, 29th April, we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Catherine of Siena. Fr Anthony Walsh, a Dominican Friar, invites us to recite two powerful prayers of Saint Catherine of Siena. She was part of the Dominican laity or the third order of Saint Dominic. In many ways, she demonstrated the importance of lay vocation within the Church, particularly in her work for peace, among families, among city states in fourteenth century Italy, and even among different nations. She had a deep and abiding love of our Lord, especially in the Eucharist, at times praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Jesus at her side. The first prayer we will recite today focuses on personal spiritual growth and the second prayer is one where we worship and praise God’s glory. Let’s pray.
- Praying with Saint Catherine of Siena: A journey of faith and devotion
Praying with Saint Catherine of Siena: A journey of faith and devotion
Author: Archdiocese of Brisbane
Hello. My name is Fr Anthony Walsh. I’m a Dominican friar. I live here at Our Lady of Graces Church, Carina. And today, I want to pray with you using the words of Saint Catherine of Siena. Saint Catherine of Siena was the 24th child in her family. She was very much a child full of passion for God. And indeed, throughout her life, she lived this.We see her portrayed often with a habit. But Saint Catherine belonged to what we call the Dominican laity or the third order of Saint Dominic. And in this way, she manifests to us the importance of the lay of vocation, in particular in her work for peace, among families, among city states in fourteenth century Italy, and even among different nations. And perhaps most famously of all, for bringing the Pope back to Rome from his captivity in Avignon.
Today, the two prayers I would like to present to you are concerning two aspects of our spiritual life. First of all, is Catherine’s very personal prayer that I think we too can use for our own spiritual growth. The second prayer is one where we contemplate the glory of God, where we worship and praise Him. Let’s pray.
Holy Spirit, come into my heart; draw it to You by Your power, O my God, and grant me charity with filial fear. Preserve me, O beautiful Love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Your dear love, and every pain will seem light to me. My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions. Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.
Eternal God, eternal Trinity, You have made the Blood of Christ so precious through His sharing in Your Divine nature. You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I search, the more I find, and the more I find, the more I search for You. But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring more. When You fill my soul, I have an ever greater hunger, and I grow more famished for Your light. I desire above all to see You, the true Light, as you really are. Amen.
Thank you for joining us on this series. And please join us again so that you may be helped in developing your own spiritual life.