Last week, we discussed sacramentals, which help turn our minds and hearts to God; prayer is the natural outgrowth of that movement. So it's natural that, in Lesson Twenty-Eighth, the Baltimore Catechism No. 2 takes up prayer, the interior life of all Christians.
After the sacraments, prayer is the greatest source of grace in our lives. There are different types of prayer, including prayers of adoration and thanksgiving, but all prayer lifts our minds and heart to God. That is why our days should begin and end with prayer, and we should ask God for assistance throughout the day. He will never allow us to be tempted or tested beyond our means to resist, but we need to ask Him for the grace we need to remain faithful.
When we pray, we should try to minimize distractions. That isn't to say that we cannot pray while in the midst of other activities; but we should turn off the TV and radio and turn away from our computers. Having areas in our home and office set up for prayer, with, say, a crucifix and other religious art and perhaps a prayerbook, is a good way to remind us that prayer is a serious matter.
We can and should pray for our needs in our own words, but we should also memorize common prayers, like my list of Prayers Every Catholic Child Should Know. Beginning our prayer with rote (memorized) prayer is a good way to focus our minds; as we continue to pray, we can move on to prayer in our own words.
Lesson Twenty-Eighth from the Confirmation Catechism has 7 questions. Note that the lesson begins with Question 303, continuing with the numbering from Lesson Twenty-Seventh.
The parallel lesson this week in the First Communion Catechism is Lesson Twenty-Fourth. It includes 6 questions drawn from Lesson Twenty-Eighth of the Confirmation Catechism.
Check out this week's lesson, and if you have any questions, please leave them in the comments or ask them in the Catholicism Forum!
Previous Lessons in Sunday School:- Welcome to Sunday School!
- On God and His Perfections
- On the Unity and Trinity of God
- On Creation
- On Our First Parents and the Fall
- On Sin and Its Kinds
- On the Incarnation and Redemption
- On Our Lord's Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
- On the Holy Ghost and His Descent Upon the Apostles
- On the Effects of the Redemption
- On the Church
- On the Attributes and Marks of the Church
- On the Sacraments in General
- On Baptism
- On Confirmation
- On the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Ghost
- On the Sacrament of Penance
- On Contrition
- On Confession
- On the Manner of Making a Good Confession
- On Indulgences
- On the Holy Eucharist
- On the Ends for Which the Holy Eucharist Was Instituted
- On the Sacrifice of the Mass
- On Extreme Unction and Holy Orders
- On Matrimony
- On the Sacramentals
I prayed to the Holy Spirit for three consecutive days, and my prayer was answered. Implicit in my prayer was the acknowledgement that I would let people know that the prayer was answered — that the Holy Spirit does answer prayers.
My marriage was at a low point — the lowest it has ever been. My spouse was talking about divorce, calling divorce lawyers. So I turned to the Holy Spirit. And on the third day my spouse had a change of heart. More than that, I received an open embrace and my spouse told me how much I had been missed.
I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit and thank GOD for keeping me strong in faith during these three dark days. For those of you going through dark times, here is the prayer I prayed several times a day:
“Holy Spirit, You made me see everything and showed me the way to reach my ideals. You gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me, and You who are in all instance of my life with me, I thank you for everything and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from You, no matter how great the material desire may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Thank You for your love towards my loved ones and me. Amen”
God bless you, and don’t ever lose faith.