In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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Note
to
Engaged Couples
on
Prayer
from
Father Gilles Surprenant,
priest of Montreal
Animator of the Workshop / Seminar
“Introduction to Prayer”
“God”, “prayer”, “spirituality”, and how these connect with “marriage”,
“couple relationship”, “married life”, “family life”, “love”, and other
dimensions of life are pertinent topics for you as you plan and prepare for the
rest of your lives.
The presenters in this Marriage Preparation Program are generally
couples but there are also two priests, and we all mention “prayer”
and the importance of prayer in marriages that can be qualified as “successful”,
“fruitful”, or “happy”. This is why we offer you this Workshop / Seminar “Introduction
to Prayer”.
It is useful to “know” more about all those topics listed above, but the
“fast track” to really making progress in those dimensions of human life is
that of “experience” or “practice”. In other words, there is no better way to
learn or make progress or have satisfaction than by DOING IT. So, we invite you
to come prepared to participate in this workshop / seminar, and the more you
participate, the more satisfaction you are likely to experience.
“Cacophony of voices” – this just means a jumble of voices,
which is what happens when a bunch of people pray out loud together. The goal
is not to sound perfectly in sync as in opera or a choir singing or a symphony
performing. The goal is to move ahead together. It is a little more difficult
online than in person, but just focus on the voice next to you at home, and do
your best to “blend in” with the others online. We focus our attention on
opening our spirit to God, and the other voices simply help us stay “on the
path”. They help us move ahead.
“Awkward silences” – as we enter into various prayer
exercises, there will be silences because silence is and has always been an
important “medium” or “environment” in which to “encounter” God. If you are
“plugged in” with technological devices much of the day, either for work or
pleasure, you may find the silences awkward. Let the silence “befriend” you and
just “go with it” … “go with the flow” … and in time you will find great peace
and comfort.
The “quality of the presentations and materials” – we are all
embedded in “Hollywood” culture, and we don’t realize how easily we go into
“entertainment mode”. While it is fun to be dazzled by highly dynamic and
innovative presentations, most of us presenters are really just ordinary folks
who happen to love engaged couples and your wonderful life projects.
We are highly motivated to help you prepare well for the rest of your
lives by picking up now some useful tools, practices, attitudes, and habits
that will help you to grow into the man / husband / father and woman / wife /
mother you deeply desire to be.
So, we ask you to soften your “critical senses and minds” and focus
rather on what you can draw from what is being presented, and how you might
incorporate that today into your life personally and into your relationship as
a couple. With this approach, you will derive far more benefit and satisfaction
during this program of formation, but more importantly, you are far more likely
to build together a successful, fruitful, and happy marriage and family.
Let us pray for one another as we share this little bit of journey
together.
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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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