In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity (Jeremiah 31:31-34) every person 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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GOD 💘 LIFE 💘 MARRIAGE 💘 FAMILY 💘 PRAYER 💘 GOD
1. INTRO - Who is Father Gilles Surprenant?
2. ?GOD & YOU - & MARRIAGE - & LIFE - & FAMILY (5 minutes)
SEMINAR / WORKSHOP in the ADRAGOGICAL METHOD
CASE STUDIES - SELF-EVALUATION - ROLE PLAYING
REPORTING - DIALOGUE - SHARING BEST PRACTICES
I am your FACILITATOR & RESOURCE PERSON
SCENARIO # 1 - Absence of God = Without God we run the Risk of power politics in love, marriage & family
SCENARIO # 2 - Presence of God = With God we can Plug into Him as the Source of love, marriage & family
3. Prayer is communication with God. Now, God has all the time in the universe. He is not in a hurry. He cannot visit with me if I am full of noise, when I go around in circles and obsess over my thoughts and feelings, if I am full of my importance and what I want, if I have any contempt for God or his Church, or if I am impatient and want results now. These are only some of the obstacles that get in the way of intimacy with God. Here are some helpful attitudes to keep in mind. God is always glad to help us practice these.
SILENCE - If we remain plugged into devices all day long we cannot experience silence which we need to notice God "moving" in us.
PEACE - If we obsess over our thoughts & feelings we end up on a merry-go-round and talking only to ourselves.
HUMILITY - As long as I want MY WAY, and want it NOW, I close the door to others as well as to God, but He respects my freedom.
GRATITUDE - I can let go of any contempt I may feel for God or his Church by calling to mind the many reasons I actually have for being grateful for my life and everyone, and everything in my life.
PATIENCE - To encounter God, who remains mysterious, I must be patient, that is, I must seek Him, wait for Him, and live in hopeful anticipation of "the God who comes".
4. OPENING PRAYER: HUMBLE GIFT OF SILENCE (2 + 3 minutes)
Here now are a few simple instructions for our few minutes of prayer in silence. I invite you to give yourself permission to sit for a few minutes, relax, and just breathe. I'll let you know when the time is up after a few minutes; so don't worry about the duration.
5. Human beings everywhere pray simply in silence – it's the most natural thing to do. You can close your eyes now at any point during these brief instructions and relax.
1) If you are already familiar with God or Jesus; have a good visit with Him.
If you are not on familiar terms with God or Jesus, consider this an introduction.
He desires a personal relationship with you: you always remain free.
2) You get to decide how open you want to be with the Creator & Saviour….
3) Sit comfortably, hands resting on knees… Back & head straight… & relax…
4) Be still… feel free to adjust your body to relax and be comfortable…
5) In the silence, notice your interior landscape like a drive in the country…
6) If all is quiet and peaceful, lovely… focus on a kind image of God or Jesus
7) If all is not quiet, notice the noise, words, images… just let them go... and keep driving on; focus on a kind image of God or Jesus
8) "God our Creator... here we are... your Creation in which we live and move and have our being is awesome... thank You. We offer You now a few moments in silence... You are welcome to visit with us within in our spirits."
9) Now you’ll have a few minutes of silence….
PARAMETERS (60 minutes)
OPEN FORUM ON : GOD 👈PRAYER 👉 LIFE - MARRIAGE - FAMILY
REQUEST FOR PERMISSION - It may be useful to have an audio recording of our Open Forum. May I have your permission to post it on a secure web page with your voices as you contribute to our dialogue and as we learn from each other? I will get Blogger to send you an invitation to become a reader, which will give you exclusive access to this and past recordings.
SETTING THE STAGE
2) Perhaps you’ve never really thought much about your interior life?
3) Do you find the idea or reality of your interior life challenging or frightening?
4) Where are you with regards to your interiority at this point in your life?
5) Have you and your fiancé shared about your respective interior life?
RETURN TO CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN TOOLS PAGE
5. Feedback – Q & A – WRAP-UP (5 minutes)
RETURN TO CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN TOOLS PAGE
In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity (Jeremiah 31:31-34) every person 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.
© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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