Summary of James Martin's Learning to Pray

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 Prayer is for everyone. It is a personal relationship with God, and it changes throughout your life. It is something that changes your life.
#2 If you grow up in a prayer-free environment, it’s not surprising that you wouldn’t know much about prayer. You were never taught how to pray, and you consider prayer something reserved for holy people, not you.
#3 Prayer can be boring, and people can grow frustrated with the results of prayer. They may give up on prayer before they have the chance to experience the natural ups and downs of prayer and the spiritual life.
#4 There are many reasons why people don’t pray, but the most common is laziness. People may be afraid of change, and they may fear that if they pray, they’ll become religious fanatics or quit their job to work with the poor.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Spiritual formation
• Christian Living

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 20 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669355465
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on James Martin's Learning to Pray
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11 Insights from Chapter 12 Insights from Chapter 13 Insights from Chapter 14 Insights from Chapter 15 Insights from Chapter 16 Insights from Chapter 17 Insights from Chapter 18
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Prayer is for everyone. It is a personal relationship with God, and it changes throughout your life. It is something that changes your life.

#2

If you grow up in a prayer-free environment, it’s not surprising that you wouldn’t know much about prayer. You were never taught how to pray, and you consider prayer something reserved for holy people, not you.

#3

Prayer can be boring, and people can grow frustrated with the results of prayer. They may give up on prayer before they have the chance to experience the natural ups and downs of prayer and the spiritual life.

#4

There are many reasons why people don’t pray, but the most common is laziness. People may be afraid of change, and they may fear that if they pray, they’ll become religious fanatics or quit their job to work with the poor.

#5

Fear of change can lead to an avoidance of prayer. We prefer status quo over true engagement with God.

#6

Prayer can be difficult to understand, and it can be difficult to pray. This book is for everyone who has ever wanted to pray, from the doubter to the devout, from the seeker to the believer.

#7

Prayer is the act of closing your eyes and speaking to God. It is a very common practice, but it can be one of the most confusing parts about the spiritual life for newcomers. This book will focus on personal prayer.

#8

I have learned about prayer from several sources. I have practiced it, studied it, and received it from my spiritual directors. I have learned about prayer from my experience, books, and spiritual directors.

#9

I’ve learned a lot about prayer from working with spiritual directors, and about the spiritual life from studying and practicing it myself. I’ve also learned about God's work in people's lives from working with spiritual directors.

#10

The most important teacher in the spiritual life is experience. I’ve learned about prayer as someone who prays every day, someone who has gone to spiritual direction every month for the last thirty years, and someone who makes eight-day silent retreats every year.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The number of children walking to school has declined in the United States. Parents are worried about letting their children out of their sight, because they are concerned about crime. The social milieu that allowed most children to feel safe walking through suburban neighborhoods has changed.

#2

I would walk to school past the little stream, which led to another sidewalk, perpendicular to the road, which ran between two houses. The concrete walkway was probably there to enable children to walk to school more quickly. I sometimes prayed on the way to school.

#3

My first way of praying was to ask for things. I would ask for things directly, with no Hail Mary payments, and I would pray for things, with no prayers except the opening lines of the Hail Mary.

#4

I had a visceral desire to know and be a part of the life around me when I was a boy. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew something had happened: my heart had stopped and I had a conscious inkling of the depths of my own desire for something.

#5

Prayer is often thought of as a superstition, a wish fulfillment, or a form of ignorance. But it can also be seen as an encouragement to pray. If we are open to them, we may begin to pray.
Insights from Chapter 3

#1

The first reason to pray is to be in a relationship with God. You want to pray because you want to be closer to God, and God wants to be closer to you. God draws you closer by placing within you the desire to be closer to him.

#2

The desire to pray is a sign that God desires you. It’s an indication that God is calling you. And that is the most important reason to pray. You desire to pray because God desires it.

#3

Prayer is a natural outgrowth of the human desire for God. We pray for a fourth reason: we are in need. We pray because we are grateful.

#4

Prayer is not a solitary act. We are united with others who pray, even if they aren’t physically with us. We are also united with those who have gone before us, who continue their prayers before God.
Insights from Chapter 4

#1

Prayer is for everyone. It is something that God does within you, so you don’t have to worry so much about your doing it. Many people are already praying unawares.

#2

Prayer is similar to speaking prose. You must recognize that you are already doing it, and be grateful for it. Prayer is like climbing a ladder, and you’ve been doing it all your life.

#3

Praying unawares is when you ask God for help, pause to think about something that inspires you, or feel compassion for someone else. It is when you wonder about God and how he works.

#4