In the last issue of this article it was my desire to encourage my readers to make the reading of the New Testament an essential part of their lives. I suggest, in particular, the New Testament and, the Psalms from the Old Testament, because I believe they best help us to develop the spirituality that is coherent with our worship. While many suggest also the Old Testament, I find that they are more difficult to utilize especially when the intent is to find more ways in which to live in Christ<\/i>. I would also suggest that a novice begin with the Gospels instead of the Epistles, with the exception of the three Epistles of St. John. The letters of Paul are a little more difficult to understand and, therefore, may not be as easily used to bring us to prayer.<\/p>\n
A priest at Gonzaga University in Spokane has developed a helpful scheme for learning to pray with scripture which he calls the Five P\u2019s. I think that he offers good hints for using the Scriptures for prayer.<\/p>\n
The first \u201cP\u201d stands for Pick A Passage<\/span><\/i>. There are ways of finding a good passage for prayer. One way is to read one of the gospels, beginning with chapter one, verse one, and using just a few lines until we come to a resting place, <\/i>a passage that captures our attention, or seems to speak to us. Put a marker there. The next day continue from where you left off.<\/p>\n One of the saints found that by just flipping open the Gospels randomly and pointing at a passage was even more inspirational for using the Gospels as a source of our prayer.<\/p>\n My suggestion is to try several different ways to pick a passage to reflect on. Believe in the Holy Spirit. He will guide you in your desire to spiritually grow and bring you to the right text. This is a simple way to help build your trust and hope in God. Believe that He will guide you in your honest efforts to become more united to Him.<\/p>\n The main thing is to not pick too big of a passage. One verse or a couple of verses are enough. Then, simply read the verse(s) and ask yourself this question: What can I derive from this passage that will help me lead my life today? <\/i>If it is a story, ask yourself: What can this story tell me about life (e.g., if it is about curing a blind man, what blind spots do you have in your life? Prejudice?<\/i>) <\/i>Don\u2019t think about what the correct interpretation of the story is. Think about how you can relate the story to your own life, right now! That\u2019s what is important<\/i>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the last issue of this article it was my desire to encourage my readers to make the reading of the New Testament an essential part of their lives. I suggest, in particular, the New Testament and, the Psalms from … Continue reading