Whenever there’s a survey asking Christians, “What’s one area in your spiritual life you’d like to improve?”, the answers almost inevitably center around prayer. In today’s episode, Bishop Barron explains what precisely prayer is and then offers some simple steps as well as some more advanced techniques to help us all grow in intimacy with God. With this goal in mind, Bishop Barron leads listeners down five different avenues of prayer that range from informal dialogue to the Mass itself. A seminarian in Phoenix wonders where Catholics should draw the line when it comes to the teachings of a notable 21st-century Christian writer.
Topics Discussed
- 0:18 – Bishop Barron discusses his upcoming trip to World Youth Day
- 4:00 – What is prayer and how does conversational prayer begin?
- 8:42 – How does God speak to us in prayer?
- 10:58 – What is lectio divina and how do we pray it?
- 14:45 – What are some different forms of rote prayers and what is their benefit?
- 20:40 – What is the Liturgy of the Hours and how do we access it?
- 24:00 – How is the Liturgy of the Hours a universal prayer?
- 26:00 – How can enter into the Holy Mass specifically as a prayer?
- 28:00 – How might we advance through these five forms of prayer?
- 29:25 – What does Bishop Barron’s holy hour entail?
- 35:20 – Listener Question: Where should Catholics draw the line with N.T. Wright?
Bonus Resources
- Videos
- Bishop Barron on the Disorienting Quality of Real Prayer (Bishop Barron)
- Bishop Barron on the Lord’s Prayer (Bishop Barron)
- Articles
- The Hundreth Anniversary of Thomas Merton’s Birth (Bishop Barron)
- Homilies
- Hearing the Voice of God (Bishop Barron)
- The Mystery of the Mass (Bishop Barron)
- The Shepard’s Voice (Bishop Barron)
- Books
- Praying with The Pivotal Players (Pre-Order)
- And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation (Bishop Barron)
- The Resurrection of the Son of God (N.T. Wright)
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What where the recommended apps for praying the hours?
Laudate is a great free app having the hours as well as many other prayers.
ibreviary.org
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibreviary-ts-plus/id422601705?mt=8
I’m looking for a good audio recommendation for praying the Liturgy of the Hours to pray in the car. Bishop Barron does mention this but not the source. Can anyone help?
Thank you for leading me into a deeper relationship in my Catholic religion. The more work WOF produces, the closer I follow. I too felt compelled to pray for the WOF when Bishop Barron relocated to LA.
Great podcast, thanks for going over different forms of prayer, and for making me think about how I raise my mind and heart to God. Mostly, a reminder to “just do it!”
Regarding a resource for the Liturgy of the Hours — for those who like podcasts, I recommend DivineOffice.org’s Liturgy of the Hours. You can subscribe or download it from iTunes. I’m particular to Night Prayer (although I listen to in the morning…), they also publish the Invitatory and Daytime Prayer on most days. Good luck and God bless you.
In this Podcast, Bishop Barron mentions an audible version of the Liturgy of the Hours. Could you provide a link to that? I’m having trouble finding it.
Thanks and many blessings to you
Beth