Lesson 2

Beginning to Really Pray

Workbook Review Question Answers

Lesson Two

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1. What is the goal of our lives?

Answer: To live holy lives in union with God so that we can give him glory and spend eternity with him.

Why is it that human beings (unlike the rest of creation) can even aspire to pray to the God of the universe?

Answer: We can aspire to pray because God created humanity in his image and likeness. As he said in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Unfortunately, we lost that likeness through sin. And that’s where prayer comes into play. “Prayer,” says the Catechism, “restores man to God’s likeness and enables him to share in the power of God’s love” (CCC 2572).

3. What is the relationship between prayer and the grace of the sacraments? What does prayer do?

Answer: Prayer gets us out of the way and clears the path so that the grace of God we receive in the sacraments can flow more freely and we can be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

4. If we reject prayer who are we actually rejecting?

Answer: We’re rejecting the God who loves us and gave us life. After all, by rejecting prayer we’re essentially telling him that we don’t want any communication with him; that we don’t want to grow in relationship with him.

5. What is the primary form of prayer for most beginners and why is it good?

Answer: Most beginners practice prayers of petition (i.e. asking God for things). Prayers of petition are good because asking God for things puts us in right relationship with him. They place us in the role of children who are dependent upon their Father for every good thing. 

6. Why should we pray if God already knows what we’re going to ask for?

Answer: The short answer is that prayer is what God wants. It’s the avenue through which he decided to communicate with us. But it isn’t just some random means of communication. God designed prayer as a way for us to spend time with him so that we can become like him. At the end of the day that’s the goal. Never forget that prayer is something that God does for us, not something we do for him. It’s a powerful channel of grace he makes available to us.

(You can find a longer answer in Chapter 5 of Prayer Works: Getting a Grip on Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Leonard.)

 (Available as e-book or Kindle, as well.)

Introduction to Real Prayer is based on Prayer Works: Getting a Grip on Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Leonard.

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