Catechism index

2558 PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE "Great is the mystery of the faith!" The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles' Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of …
2559 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." 2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our …
2560 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 "If you knew the gift of God!" 7 The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. It is …
2561 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 "You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 9 Paradoxically our prayer of petition is a response to the plea of the living God: "They have forsaken …
2562 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the …
2563 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place "to which I withdraw." The heart is our hidden …
2564 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed …
2565 For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. 1 In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. …
2566 THE REVELATION OF PRAYER - THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER Man is in search of God. In the act of creation, God calls every being from nothingness into existence. "Crowned with glory and honor," man is, after the angels, capable of acknowledging …
2567 THE REVELATION OF PRAYER - THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO PRAYER God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and …
2568 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT In the Old Testament, the revelation of prayer comes between the fall and the restoration of man, that is, between God's sorrowful call to his first children: "Where are you? . . …
2569 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Prayer is lived in the first place beginning with the realities of creation. the first nine chapters of Genesis describe this relationship with God as an offering of the first-born of Abel's …
2570 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT When God calls him, Abraham goes forth "as the Lord had told him"; 8 Abraham's heart is entirely submissive to the Word and so he obeys. Such attentiveness of the heart, whose …
2571 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Because Abraham believed in God and walked in his presence and in covenant with him, 10 The patriarch is ready to welcome a mysterious Guest into his tent. Abraham's remarkable hospitality at …
2572 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT As a final stage in the purification of his faith, Abraham, "who had received the promises," 13 is asked to sacrifice the son God had given him. Abraham's faith does not weaken …
2573 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT God renews his promise to Jacob, the ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel. 17 Before confronting his elder brother Esau, Jacob wrestles all night with a mysterious figure who refuses to …
2574 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Once the promise begins to be fulfilled (Passover, the Exodus, the gift of the Law, and the ratification of the covenant), the prayer of Moses becomes the most striking example of intercessory …
2575 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Here again the initiative is God's. From the midst of the burning bush he calls Moses. 20 This event will remain one of the primordial images of prayer in the spiritual tradition …
2576 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." 21 Moses' prayer is characteristic of contemplative prayer by which God's servant remains faithful …
2577 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT From this intimacy with the faithful God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, 23 Moses drew strength and determination for his intercession. He does not pray for himself but for …