February 12, 2016 - Questions on Encountering God in Prayer and Deepening Your Prayer Life

How encountering God in prayer and deepening your prayer life can impact your life everyday. Why is the desire to have a relationship with God important? Dan and Melissa discuss their own encounters with God in prayer and scripture, and answer some listener questions.

Topics/Questions covered in the show:

• What does it mean to be "awake to God"?
• How do we, or will we, experience God in our daily lives?
• Some examples of saints speaking directly to our current issues and problems.
• Being awake to the Word of God in the scriptures in our current situations.
• How does our desire for a relationship with God impact our spiritual lives?
• Our desire to know God = the promise that we can know God.
• What can I do if I don't have enough knowledge or experience or imagination to read Scripture beyond just the words on the page?
• Do I have to be an intellectual to fully understand the Scriptures?
• What is the best attitude to have to be drawn to the Lord?

Resources:

• SpiritualDirection.com website
• EWTN Religious Catalogue - online
• Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
• EWTN Global Catholic Radio
• John 14:1-14 - Last Supper Discourses, where Jesus promises to be with us. USCCB Bible link
• The Autobiography of St Teresa of Avila - Translated by David Lewis
• The Interior Castle - St Teresa of Jesus (Avila)
• Finding God Through Meditation - St Peter of Alcántara, edited by Dan Burke
• Dark Night of the Soul - St John of the Cross
• Navigating the Interior Life - Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God - Daniel Burke with Fr John Bartunek
• Posture during Mass and St Peter of Alcántara's Preparation for Meditation - Previous post on SpiritualDirection.com dealing with preparation for prayer
• Ignatius Study Bible - New Testament
• St Joseph of Cupertino - his biography
• The Reluctant Saint - St Joseph of Cupertino - movie depicting his life
• Luke 18:9-14 - The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector - USCCB Bible link
• The Pharisee and the Publican - image of woodcut by Gustave Doré
• St. Ignatius' Rules for Discernment
• Lectio Divina, A Guide: What It Is & How It Helps Prayer Life - Post on spiritual direction.com
• Mark 4:10-20 - The Purpose of the Parables, Dan's Lectio Divina example
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." - USCCB Bible link
• Questions? Send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 818-646-7729.