Finding God Through Meditation - St. Peter of Alcántara and the Importance of Prayer

Who was St. Peter of Alcántara? What did he have to say about prayer? Join Dan and Melissa as they begin a discussion of his book Finding God Through Meditation, and answer a question from a listener about prayer.

Topics/Questions covered in the show:

• Do I really need to set aside a specific time for prayer every day?
• How do ascetical practices help us in prayer?
• Can we train our bodies to aid in our prayer lives?
• Why is morning the best time to devote to prayer?
• What if we don't have time for prayer in the morning?
• What is Lectio Divina?
• Ways to get our minds oriented toward God.
• Does God call us to prayer? How do we recognize His call?
• What's the difference between duty and devotion when it comes to prayer?
• How does spiritual reading improve our spiritual life?
• How did St. Teresa of Avila use the teaching of St. Peter?
• Some background on the life of St. Peter.
• Next time: Introduction to the book Finding God Through Meditation, and why St. Peter is relevant today.

Resources:

• Finding God Through Meditation – St. Peter of Alcántara
• Finding God Through Meditation ebook - St. Peter of Alcántara
• Divine Intimacy Radio on spiritualdirection.com website
• Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
• EWTN Religious Catalogue - online
• 30 Days with Teresa of Avila - Dan Burke and Anthony Lilles
• Dr. Anthony Lilles
• The Book of Her Life – Teresa of Avila
• The Four Waters of Prayer, Part II of II - Post on spiritualdirection.com by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
• First-Fruits - New Advent link
• Lectio Divina, A Guide - spiritualdirection.com post by Dan Burke
• Psalm 63 - "O God, you are my God—it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts..." - USCCB Bible link
• 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
• Onething 2015 - Dan Burke speaking engagement, Kansas City (Dec. 28-31)
• Pilgrimage 2016 to Avila with Dan Burke and Teresa Tomeo (March 28 - April 4, 2016)
• Questions? Send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 818-646-7729.