GOOD SHEPHERD CHURCH SEMINARY
PRAYER
FOR THE PRIEST
2 Understand that Jesus Christ was a Man of great personal prayer
3 Be able to draw up a personal programme of prayer for yourself as priest
4 Be empowered to lead others in prayer
Contents
Introduction; We follow Jesus of Nazareth Who spent much time in prayer. His deep prayer led to strong and decisive action and service of others.
Jesus of Nazareth – a Man of Prayer
5.1 Jesus has called us to be people of prayer
5.2 Prayer – a sign of Jesus’ humility
5.3 What is prayer?
5.4 Why do we pray?
5.5 How to develop prayer in our lives
5.6 Prayer resources for Christians
5.7 Choice of Prayer Resources
5.8 Prayer transforms our lives
INTRODUCTION
Jesus of Nazareth was a Man of Prayer. We as priests follow in His Footsteps, and draw inspiration from His Life and Values. A strong value of Jesus’ was His personal and public prayer life. So we, too, strive to become people of strong prayer. From our prayer life will flow our devoted and whole hearted service and ministry as priests of Jesus Christ.JESUS OF NAZARETH – A MAN OF PRAYER
5.1 JESUS HAS CALLED US TO BE PEOPLE OF PRAYER
Jesus of Nazareth has called us to be ordained as priests. A priest is an authority on spiritual matters. A priest administers the Sacred Rites, preaches, and cares for the needs of the people to whom s/he is called to minister to.
In order to be a good and effective priest, we draw inspiration from the way Jesus lived His Life; we follow in His Footsteps, live the way that He did, and make His priorities our priorities. Jesus lived His life well on earth, both praying Himself and teaching others to pray. One of Jesus’ great values was prayer. So we, too, value prayer. Jesus was the author of the great Christian prayer that every Christian prays daily; the Our Father.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever, Amen.” (Matthew 6; 99 – 13 and addendum).
Jesus prayed to the Father for the strength and ability to perform healing acts for others. Jesus performed great acts of healing after prayer. He taught in the synagogues, the main place of worship and prayer in the villages and cities of His time. After His teaching, He healed with authority. Jesus prayed and taught in the synagogue of Capernaum, and healed a man in the synagogue. Afterwards He and His disciples James and John went to the house of Simon and Andrew, where Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law. That evening after sunset, Jesus healed many of various diseases at the back door of Simon and Andrew’s house. (Mark 1; 21 – 34.) So there is a link between the prayer of Jesus, and to His acts of healing.
Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. He worked that day healing a man; throughout that day He healed many others, working well into the evening. He felt exhausted, and was glad of His bed in Simon’s house. Prayer had been the mainspring and strength that kept Him going through this creative day of service.
Jesus prayed to the Father for guidance and discernment. On one particular day described in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray. He spent the full night praying to God. (Luke 6; 12 – 16).
The time eventually came for Jesus to fulfil His mission. He went to Jerusalem, a dangerous endeavour for Him, as He knew He must in order to fulfil His mission. As Jesus’ end of life came nearer, He continued in deeper prayer. He prayed for Himself, that God the Father would glorify Him, as He had glorified the Father by completing the work He had given Him to do on this earth. (John 17; 1 – 5).
Jesus prayed tenderly and strongly for His disciples, Whom He loved and whom He had taught. (John 17; 6 – 19). These disciples, though more at home in the fish markets, working at home and in tax collectors’ stalls, made the change. Through the power of Jesus’ prayer and their own prayer to the Father, theybecame such powerful preachers, healers and priests that they changed the entire world order of the Roman empire to a new order; Christianity.
Jesus also prayed for all of us, who would believe in Him as the Son of God through His disciples’message. (John 17; 20 – 25). Let us take heart, the Son of God Himself prayed for us personally, two thousand years ago.
At the last, when Jesus knew He was on the brink of the disaster of losing His Life to political cause, He threw Himself down beneath the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, and pleaded with His Father out of fear not to have to fulfil His destiny. This was His greatest moment; He had been totally faithful throughout His Life and in His prayer; now human fear at the threat of being tortured, degraded and executed made Him plead in prayer for another way. (Luke 22; 39 – 46). Yet He accepted God’s decree, which was that this was His destiny. What a powerhouse Jesus’ prayer must have been to enable Him to accept this crushing response to His prayer. God’s ‘No’ which we often receive in prayer is often harder to accept than His ‘Yes’ or ‘It is time for you to wait before I give you what you ask for’.
5.2 PRAYER - A SIGN OF JESUS’ HUMILITY
The simple fact, often mentioned in the Gospels about Jesus is; He prayed. This reveals much about Jesus’ personality and set of values as Son of God. He valued prayer, and so should we. Jesus was fond of praying, and out-of-doors. He loved nature, and the peace it brings. Mark implies in the Greek text, that Jesus’ prayer was continued and a repeated action. This Mark did by telling us, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed”. (Mark 1; 35). The final verb ‘prayed’in the Greek text is expressed in the imperfect tense, which denotes continued and/or repeated action. Mark thus implies that Jesus spent a significant period of time in that prayer, which began in the dark and ended after sunrise. Jesus prayed through the transition from night into day.
Jesus also prayed from the transition from light into darkness – day to night. Jesus prayed directly after He multiplied the numbers of loaves and fishes to feed the hungry crowd. This happened late in the day, (Mark 6. 35). Mark describes the apostles getting into the boat to sail away, while Jesus remained behind on shore. Once Jesus had sent the disciples away, He departed to the mountain to pray. The prayer of Jesus was not broken off until very late, ‘the fourth watch’. (Mark 6; 48). Jesus’ preference for nocturnal prayer might well have been because of the peace of the night, and the beauty of the vast expanse of the Palestinian sky at night. The Psalms reflect the work of God in Creation in the sky; in keeping with the rapturous devotion of His ancestor David, Jesus looked at the sky during the day and the night. When Jesus prayed under the heavens, He not only spoke, He listened. The skies, the moon, stars and sun all have a story to tell us of the One Who created them;
“The heavens recount the glory of God,
And the firmament declares the work of His Hands;
Day unto day tells the story,
And night unto night imparts the knowledge.” (Psalm 19; 1 – 2).
Jesus prayed regularly from the very beginning of His public ministry. This was, obviously, the habit of a lifetime. He probably began praying seriously in His childhood, taught and nurtured by the example of His mother Mary and His protector Joseph, both devout people of prayer themselves according to the Gospels. So Jesus’ value is to be our value as priests – in accordance with the example and teaching of Jesus, we set out to be people of deep prayer. This means that we need to know what prayer is, and how to go about developing our prayer.
5.3 WHAT IS PRAYER?
Prayer is listening to and talking with God. It is about an ever deepening relationship with God. Prayer is the lifting of our hearts and souls to God in conversation. We discuss with God quietly within our heart what He wishes us to do with our lives. We share with Him our disappointments, our pain, and ask His advice as to the way forward in many instances in our lives. We ask forgiveness of God in prayer for the mistakes we make, and ask Him to bless others and heal the effects of the pain our mistakes have caused them in their lives. We ask for healing for ourselves and others in prayer. We ask for blessings for ourselves and others, and for strength to deal with difficult times. Prayer is thus a relationship, a close familial relationship with God Whom Jesus assured us is our Father as much as He is Jesus’ Father. So we are all family; and prayer is the conversation and relationship we have with God as we move forward.
We can also pray to, that is – have communication with – all who have passed before us into eternity. Many people pray to holy people who have left us great examples of strength and godliness in their lives, such as Mary, Jesus’ mother; Joseph, Jesus' protector; Jesus’ disciples, such as the first disciple He appeared to, Mary Magdalene; Matthew, Mark, John, Salome, Jude. Members of our own family often guide us and pray for us after they have moved after death into eternity– we can pray to them for assistance too. We also pray to the angels who are such strong bearers of the mercy and strength of God to us in our daily work and trials. The great Archangel Michael and other angels such as Archangel Gabriel, are in the service of God helping humanity. Gabriel was chosen by God to bring the message of His Love to Mary, and to ask her to consent that He incarnate Jesus in her womb.
5.4 WHY DO WE PRAY?
We pray in order to get closer to God, and we pray because Jesus taught us that to pray is essential for our lives as Christians. We pray because God has taught us to pray in the Bible. Prayer is an important part of a Christian’s life, enabling us to find a greater sense of God’s purpose in our lives.
5.5 HOW TO DEVELOP PRAYER IN OUR LIVES
As a child many of us were taught to pray with our hands together and our eyes closed. This is not essential for prayer. It is a stepping stone where we become accustomed to taking our minds off what is around us, and focusing our inner being on God. With practice this becomes easier, and we are able to focus on inner dialogue with God with greater ease, and without the need to close our eyes.
Prayers can have many aspects, but these are the most common;
Adoration; Praising and glorifying God for Who He is.
Confession; Asking forgiveness for wrong actions we have done, and the right things we have failed to do.
Thanksgiving; Expressing gratitude for the many great gifts God has given us, and that we receive each day which enrich our lives.
Supplication; Praying for others, for our nation, for our countries, and for ourselves that God may guide and lead us in our ministry as priests.
Prayer can take place privately, or with family and friends. Some people choose to meet regularly with others in a prayer cell, which strengthens them in their prayer calling. Churches pray in church services of worship and the Sacred Rites, also in house groups, church meetings and on other occasions.
Written prayers can be used, but prayer can also be spontaneous and improvised. Prayers can be said out loud or silently.
5.6 PRAYER RESOURCES FOR CHRISTIANS
The Our Father;
This prayer was composed by Jesus, and is said by Christians internationally.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever, Amen.” (Matthew 6; 99 – 13 and addendum).
The Apostles’ Creed;
Christians pray the Apostles’ Creed together as a community, as a sign of our communal belief.
“I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended into hell;
The third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father;
From thence He shall come to judge
The living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints’
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body;
And life everlasting. Amen.”
Prayer to the Holy Trinity;
Christians believe in the One True God. We further believe there are three Dimensions to our One God; that of Paternity (Father), that of loving and faithful offspring (Son), and that of life-giving and soul-strengthening energy (God’s Spirit, also known as The Holy Spirit). These three Dimensions in one True God are known as the Holy Trinity.
Prayer to the Holy Trinity;
“Glory be to the Father,And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.”
Prayer in honour of God’s choice of Mary as mother;
The ‘Hail Mary’;
Christians universally have honour for the earthly mother of Jesus, chosen by God.
The angel Gabriel was sent by God to Mary on His behalf to request her to accept the motherhood of Himself in His dimension as earthly Son. He was to be named Jesus. Mary accept this role, and her human ovum was activated by the Godhead Himself, a wonderous and unique occurrence (Luke 1; 26 – 38).
Many Christians remember this by praying the following prayer called the ‘Hail Mary’, inspired by the angel’s greeting from God in the New Testament.
“Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee;
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.”
The Beatitudes:
These blessings were spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ during his ‘Sermon on the Mount’ teachings (Matthew 5; 3 – 10).“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Prayer for assistance through the help of St. Michael the Archangel,
faithful follower of God:
This prayer is often prayed by Christians in honour of the great Archangel Michael who at the behest of God did successful battle in heaven against the forces of evil. If we are in danger or fear, this prayer is of great help;
‘Blessed Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in the hour of conflict.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
And may God restrain him we humbly pray.
Do this in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.’
5.7 CHOICE OF PRAYER RESOURCES
Pray to God in the quiet sanctuary of your room to inspire you which are the best prayer resources for you to use. The Bible is a great source of prayer; there are many prayer books in libraries, online and available in churches. Find a source of Christian prayer which brings you comfort, strength and support on your life path towards eternity with God. Then pray those prayers as you feel inspired. It is good to pray daily.
Another helpful resource is to have your own prayer journal, where you write prayers that give you inspiration. You can illustrate these prayers with pictures, or drawings which have meaning and beauty for you. You can press leaves and flowers, and stick them in. Keep your prayer journal near your prayer place for easy reference when you need to pray.
As priest, learn a number of prayers ‘off by heart’ – that is, the old fashioned method of learning the prayers over and over again until you can recite them from memory. This can be of great assistance if you need to pray in public for someone else, and have no prayer book or resource with you. It also helps you to give words of inspiration, spirituality and wisdom to people in distress if you have memory resource of prayers. Many such prayers are found in the Psalms, such as that wonderful Psalm 23 of King David, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd.’ This often prayed Psalm is a great comfort to people in distress of spirit, or dealing with grief.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd
‘The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness, for His Name’s sake.
Yeah, though I walk through the valley of darkness;
No evil will I fear, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff give me comfort.
You prepare a table before me,
In the presence of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil,
My cup overflows.Surely goodness and love will follow me,
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,
Amen.’
Another often prayed Psalm is that which Jesus prayed on the cross;
Psalm 22
My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from saving Me,
So far from the cries of my anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer,
By night, but I find no rest.’
The Psalms can be found in the Old Testament Section of the Bible. They are also easy to find online, or in church or prayer books. Research and find psalms which are helpful to you, and make them a part of your regular prayer life. Church bookshops and Prayer bookshops are great places to browse in order to buy prayer books which will help you in your prayer life, and as priest ministering to those in need.
Many people of prayer, and priests, make use of small books of prayer which have set out prayers for Morning, Evening and Night. These are helpful for priests who lead busy lives, and who wish to have a resource for prayer.
5.8 PRAYER TRANSFORMS OUR LIVES
Prayer transforms us into another Christ. Many Christians believe that we are called to model our inner lives on the beautiful example of the life Jesus Christ led here on earth. Jesus was free to love each infant, child and adult he met with all His heart. He was kind and understanding to men who had diseases such as leprosy who begged for healing (Mark 1; 40 – 41). He made it His Life’s work to heal every kind of disease and sickness that tormented the lives of people (Matthew 4; 23). Jesus uplifted people by means of teaching. He taught the beauty and freedom of God’s Plan for our lives in the synagogues (Matthew 4;23).
Jesus brought comfort to us who struggle with the lessons we learn each day in our daily lives, by preaching and teaching that we will be blessed if we are humble people, looking to find happiness with what we have instead of what we do not have (being poor in spirit). He preached that if we look for justice and what is right, we will find it. Jesus inspires us to show mercy, be pure and clean in heart, and to be bringers of peace in His Name. Jesus assured us that if we suffer difficulties here on earth because of our belief in His way of life, that we would receive blessing in the kingdom of heaven, eternity (The Beatitudes Matthew; 5; 1 – 12).
Jesus tried to save us from the effects that stress and worry bring into our lives (Matthew 6; 25 – 34.) He inspired us not to think harshly of others, but to have positive thoughts and caring thoughts about others, and about ourselves (Matthew 7; 1 – 6). He assured us that God the Father is deeply interested in our lives and welfare, and that if we reach out in prayer for assistance, it surely will be given to us. We might not always understand how we receive it, but years later when we look back, we will see that our prayers have never gone unanswered (Matthew 7; 7 – 12).
Jesus affirmed faith and deep prayer in men’s lives, such as in that of the soldier centurion in Capernaum, who servant He generously healed with expressed wonder at the soldier’s amazing faith and belief in spiritual discipline (Matthew 8 : 5 –13).
Jesus was kind to children, transforming their lives by His caring. He gave new life to a young girl who was the daughter of a leader of the local synagogue (Mark 5; 35 – 43). He was caring to women. He healed a woman who had suffered agonies for years, and was sensitive and kindly to her about the pain she had endured (Mark 5; 25 – 34).
Jesus was loving and caring towards infants and little children, and had words with His disciples who had driven the mothers and children who had come to Jesus for blessing away from Jesus. The gospels tell us that Jesus was indignant , and after scolding the disciples, He tenderly took the children in His arms, telling the disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to such as the children. After embracing the children, He laid hands on them to give them God’s blessing (Mark 10; 13 – 16).
Jesus was understanding of the plight and deep grief of widows, women who had lost husband and income, and status in their community. He was gentle and caring to the young man who had lost his life, and whom his widowed mother was grieving in the town of Nain. Jesus touched the young deceased man’s coffin, and he was restored to life again. Jesus had been touched by the son’s mother, who had been grieving, as the young man was her only son. Jesus had comforted her, telling her tenderly, ‘Don’t cry’. (Luke 7; 11 – 17).
Jesus was able to be emotionally comfortable in the presence of both men and women. His disciples John reclined comfortably next to Jesus at the Last Super (John 13; 25). He was comfortable with Mary sitting at His feet (Luke 10; 39 - 40).
Thus regular and sincere prayer helps us to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ, to be as caring, kind and faithful to the Father as He was on His earthly Life, and as wonderful in His resurrected state as He is now.
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