Lulu Cooks and Tells: pray share chat 3/2/2022 christine kresho's on love and prayer

1. Meditation

2. Song

3. Narrative

From Sister Christine Kresho's Narrative for her Spiritual Companion Meeting held on Feb. 22, 2022 via Zoom

SC Feb 22

Christianity needs to tell a new story; note : the story has always been there ; always true; we just haven’t proclaimed it.

What we need to keep in mind is how we do that. Sometimes, when we have journeyed to a new place, a new understanding, we are so motivated to share it that we may go about it in the wrong way. We want to teach others the good news, the new story that we have come to believe. Sometimes we teach by “pouring it in” rather than “drawing it out.” And it's easily understood how we tend to do this with children, but this statement can relate to how we act with anyone; If we take time to recognize and accept that the Divine is alive within all, including children

Teach,(don’t just “pour “ it in) or preach, or proclaim? Proclaim is about how we act /talk/share

What new stories?

How to talk/share/ about prayer—not to a faraway God listening to our requests; need for our own personal prayer life to develop a sense of being at home within all-present God— the Mystery permeating and holding all things in existence--all people have the same privilege; prayer is deepening our awareness of this privilege; means we accept responsibility for making this presence visible.

Franciscan theologian Ilia Delio --

Prayer is the longing of the human heart for God. It is a yearning and desire for relationship with God, and it is God’s attention to our desire: God-in-communion with us.

The great spiritual writer Augustine of Hippo [354–430] --“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” [1] We long for God because we are created by God, and this longing is both the source of our hope in God and the very thing we resist. Prayer is an awakening to the fact that the fulfillment of my life lies in God.

God delights in creation and loves each of us with a personal love. Prayer, therefore, is God’s desire to breathe in me, to be the spirit of my life, to draw me into the fullness of life. When I pray—when I breathe with God—I become part of the intimacy of God’s life.

Prayer is recognizing the intimate in-dwelling of God in our lives, the One who remains faithful in love even when the world around us may fall apart. . . .

Delio --

To pray is to open up oneself to God who dwells within us. It means holding back nothing from God and sharing everything with God. . . . Prayer of the heart is unceasing prayer-----St Paul—pray always--- where God breathes in us and our hearts are turned toward God. Doesn’t mean adding formal prayer times etc; everything becomes praying. ---This deepening of our lives in the divine life is the path to self-discovery. In and through prayer we discover our true selves, the self that God has created each of us to be. . . .

Life in God should be a daring adventure of love but often we settle for mediocrity. We follow the daily practice of prayer but we are unwilling or, for various reasons, unable to give ourselves totally to God. To settle on the plain of mediocrity is to settle for something less than God, which leaves our hearts restless and unfulfilled. . . . Prayer is that dynamic, life-giving relationship with God by which we grow deep in God’s Word, strong in God’s grace, and free in God’s love to dream with God the unimaginable.

so petition becomes sharing with God our cares, concerns, hopes etc., when we pray for others we are praying that others draw strength and healing from God’s presence and from our thoughts and prayers – because we are interconnected. And not that God is “above” holding the puppet strings

New story: About scripture –story of the Fall and literal understanding-- God’s Spirit was always present and never dependent (was never conditional) on what someone on earth did—not even Jesus;

Adam and Eve& the Fall—disregards science

-- where is science in the creation story every religion has its creation story – never a paradise lost by sin entering into world

Heaven –some strange ideas of heaven—Mary in heaven gives our prayers to Jesus? Balance teaching the Hail Mary with stories that make her human

About death— new life –transformation of life ; anyone who has died has died IN GOD

About Jesus’ death – for Lent

Breakout: what ideas have changed for you?

4. Ending prayer
When the question is “Why?"

be the voice that I hear.

When the question is “Where?
be the guidance I need.

When the question is “When?”

be the wisdom I seek.

When the question is “How?”
be the strength I require.