Encountering God in Prayer; Deeping Prayer Life

Questions on Encountering God in Prayer and Deepening Your Prayer Life

How encountering God in prayer and deepening your prayer life can impact your life everyday. Why is the desire to have a relationship with God important? Dan and Melissa discuss their own encounters with God in prayer and scripture, and answer some listener questions.

Topics/Questions covered in the show:

What does it mean to be “awake to God”?
How do we, or will we, experience God in our daily lives?
Some examples of saints speaking directly to our current issues and problems.
Being awake to the Word of God in the scriptures in our current situations.
How does our desire for a relationship with God impact our spiritual lives?
Our desire to know God = the promise that we can know God.
What can I do if I don’t have enough knowledge or experience or imagination to read Scripture beyond just the words on the page?
Do I have to be an intellectual to fully understand the Scriptures?
What is the best attitude to have to be drawn to the Lord?

Resources:

EWTN Religious Catalogue – online
Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation
EWTN Global Catholic Radio
John 14:1-14 – Last Supper Discourses, where Jesus promises to be with us. USCCB Bible link
The Autobiography of St Teresa of Avila – Translated by David Lewis
The Interior Castle – St Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Avila)
Finding God Through Meditation – St Peter of Alcántara, edited by Dan Burke
Dark Night of the Soul – St John of the Cross
Navigating the Interior Life – Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God – Daniel Burke with Fr John Bartunek
Posture during Mass and St Peter of Alcántara’s Preparation for Meditation – Previous post on SpiritualDirection.com dealing with preparation for prayer
Ignatius Study Bible – New Testament
St Joseph of Cupertino – his biography
The Reluctant Saint – St Joseph of Cupertino – movie depicting his life
Luke 18:9-14 – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – USCCB Bible link
The Pharisee and the Publican – image of woodcut by Gustave Doré
St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment
Lectio Divina, A Guide: What It Is & How It Helps Prayer Life – Post on SpiritualDirection.com
Mark 4:10-20 – The Purpose of the Parables, Dan’s Lectio Divina example
1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – USCCB Bible link
Questions? Send an e-mail to Questions@myavila.com or call 818-646-7729. Please leave your name, location, and question(s).

Don’t forget to tell your friends about the show and help us get the word out. If the show is inspiring to you and you would like to help us make it a daily show, please click here to donate. All donors will receive a signed copy of your choice of Dan’s books: Finding God through Meditation, 30 Days with Teresa of Avila, or Navigating the Interior Life.

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Dan Burke

Dan Burke is the past President and C.O.O. of EWTN's worldwide news network. He is presently the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 90 countries and prepares men for seminary in over 40 dioceses. Dan is the author and editor of numerous books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com. In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church. Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.