The Paschal Mystery

The Paschal Mystery Section 5: Prayer and the Paschal Mystery

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Through prayer God continuously calls every human being to a relationship with Him. The family should be the first place we learn to pray. Prayer is the lifting of one’s mind and heart to God in praise, petition, thanksgiving, and intercession. Prayer involves your mind and heart.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Prayer is built into us and it is a response to God, our Creator, meaning everyone is called to pray, no matter what one’s beliefs may be. Prayer is a central way that God reveals Himself to humankind and shows us who we are and meant to be. There are many different forms of prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit, including blessing, adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer A blessing specifically is a prayer asking God to care for a particular person, place, or activity, such as the sign of the cross. A blessing is a two step movement in which first God gives us a gift, and then we respond with gladness and joy. Since God first blessed us, it is then that our hearts can in return bless God in prayer.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer • Adoration is the acknowledgment that God is God and the Creator of all things. • Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place in silent prayer and hymns of praise as the Body of Christ is displayed in a monstrance.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Adoration is reserved for God alone. A petition is a prayer form in which one asks God for forgiveness and help. “Help me pass Mr. Ziaya’s class is a personal petition.” Petition is prayer’s most usual form because it is spontaneous.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer The first step for a petition is to acknowledge we have sinned and failed to do good, because who asks someone for something if they hurt that person? Once we ask for forgiveness, then we can ask God for His help. “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer A novena is a prayer for nine days or nine weeks for a specific intention and is based on the number of days Mary and the Apostles awaited the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ ascension. An intercession is a prayer on behalf of another person or group. In Mass, we have the Universal Prayer in which we pray for different intercessions for people in need that we may or may not know.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer When we pray for someone who has hurt us, we affirm that God loves everyone. Thanksgiving is a prayer of gratitude for the gift of life and the gifts God has given us. We remember that God created us and we are His. The word Eucharist in Greek literally means thanksgiving.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Praise is a prayer of acknowledgment that God is God by giving Him glory not for what He does but for what He simply is. Praise embraces all other forms of prayer and carries them to God, to whom our prayers are the ultimate goal. Praise is often expressed in music, such as in the Gloria that is said or sung at Mass.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Alleluia literally means “Praise the Lord” and we sing that before the Gospel is proclaimed. We omit the Alleluia during the season of Lent and then reestablish it at the Easter Vigil when Christ rose from the dead since it comes to us from the first Christians. Doxology are Christians prayers directed to the Holy Trinity.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Our prayer is usually addressed to the Father in the name of His Son, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray. Many of the prayers we know are formed from Biblical passages, such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, etc.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer • There are three expressions of prayer in life: • Vocal prayer • Meditation • Contemplation

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Vocal prayer is either spoken aloud or silently. Memorized prayer is the first prayers that are said vocally. Meditation has a variety of techniques in which one’s mind, imagination, and emotions focus on a particular truth, section of the Bible, or other spiritual matter. Meditation literally means care, study, and exercise.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer LectinoDivina means divine reading and is a form of meditation on a Scripture passage. It involves repetitive reading and periods of reflection. Contemplation is a form of wordless prayer in which one is fully focused on the presence of God. It is sometimes also referred to as “resting in God.”

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Contemplation is the central element of mysticism, or the profound experience of union with God. This awareness is not arrived by rational thought but rather by way of love. Contemplation is the union with the indwelling God and Christ that takes place in the heart of prayer.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Prayer can be something we easily do on a regular basis, or it can be something we do only in times of need. Establishing a regular regiment of prayer is difficult, but once you do, like anything, it becomes a part of your life. Prayer is not a psychology activity, a rattling off of words, or an area of expertise.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Our whole life should be a prayer to God since prayer is a necessity for the relationship we have with God. When we make use of the gifts we have, whether on the football field, when we do our work, or help someone, we are sending a prayer to God of thanksgiving for the life He has given us. Distractions do sometimes occur when we pray, and sometimes show what master we serve.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Vigilance in prayer is constantly seeking God when we are in prayer, even when other things try to cloud our mind. Dryness, or no longer enjoying prayer, can occur too. The use of different prayer styles can help alleviate this problem, like the prayers mentioned before. Discouragement can do the most damage to prayer when other people judge us when we pray; however, remember prayer takes many forms, not just the generic forms we attribute to “holy” persons.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer Spirituality is the values, actions, attitudes, and behaviors that characterize a person’s relationship with God and others. It also refers to different schools of Christian prayer and action. Ignatian spirituality was started by St. Ignatius of Loyola and based on the human imagination. St. Ignatius actually placed himself in Gospel readings, imagined being there, and how he would react.

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer • Steps of Ignatian Spirituality: • Be comfortable and select a Biblical passage • Read it through once and imagine details about the reading • Enter into the story through your imagination and imagine talking with people in the scene • Track your reactions • Pray in conversation about what you just did with Christ

Part 1: The Fundamentals of Prayer • The Scriptures are called the Living Word of God because the teachings can be applied today and in Ignatian Spirituality, the stories can truly come to life.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The liturgy is the Church’s official, public, communal prayer. The Easter Triduum is at the heart of the liturgical year. The Lord’s day is Sunday because it commemorates Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Sunday is the foundation of the liturgical year, which begins every year on the first Sunday of Advent.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The liturgical year is the annual cycle of feasts and seasons that forms the context of worship in which we remember God’s saving plan through His Son, Jesus. In Advent we await Christ’s birth; Christmas, Jesus’ Incarnation; Lent, we are reminded to be holy and sacrifice of ourselves; Easter Triduum and Easter we remember Christ’s death and Resurrection; forty days after we celebrate His Ascension; ten days after that Pentecost; and during ordinary time we ponder our call to be Christ’s disciples.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Church’s most important liturgy is the Eucharist, or the celebration of Mass. The other six sacraments are considered liturgies as well. The Liturgy of the Hours is standard prayers at assigned times throughout the day that is the official public, daily prayer of the Church.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum • The sacred liturgy is Trinitarian, meaning we worship three Gods in One person. • A sacrament is an efficacious sign of God’s invisible grace instituted by Christ. They are: • Baptism • Reconciliation • Holy Communion • Confirmation • Holy Matrimony • Holy Orders • Anointing of the Sick

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The liturgy is not a celebration of past events; it makes the Paschal Mystery something we can experience every time we go to Mass. Triduum is the time span when the Paschal Mystery was accomplished; it literally means three days. The Triduum begins with the Lord’s Last Supper on Holy Thursday, continues with the celebration of His Passion on Good Friday, and climaxes at the Easter Vigil Mass, and ends at evening prayer on Easter Sunday.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Triduum is one large celebration, with one picking up where the other left. Think of it as one long Mass that begins Holy Thursday night and ends Easter Sunday night with breaks in between. It is over the Triduum that salvation is gained for all of us and the birth of many of the signs of the Church takes place, i.e. Holy Communion, the priesthood, etc.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum Lent call us to pray, fast, and give alms. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, as Jesus enters in Jerusalem before His execution later that week. Holy Thursday is the beginning of the Triduum, yet on or around Holy Thursday, priests celebrate the Chrism Mass with the archbishop, at which the sacred oils are blessed that will be used throughout the year at all Church's during differ sacraments.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Oil of the Catechumens is blessed olive oil used to anoint those preparing for Baptism. The Oil of the Sick is blessed olive oil used to anoint the head and hands of people who are seriously or gravely ill. The Sacred Chrism is perfumed olive oil used at Baptism, Holy Orders and Confirmation.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum Holy Thursday Mass begins in the evening to commemorate the Lord’s Last Supper. Mass begins with the presentation of the blessed oils from the Chrism Mass to be used in each local church. Following the homily, the priest and other ministers wash the feet of different people in remembrance of how Christ washed the feet of his Apostles before the Last Supper to show how important service is.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum If there are any men or women preparing for Baptism at the Easter Vigil, they are dismissed before the Universal Prayer. They are called the Elect. The collections at Holy Thursday Mass is for the poor who are in need of our help. The Holy Eucharist is processed to a place of repose since there is no consecration of hosts on Good Friday. This is in remembrance of Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane and prays to His Father.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum Catholics fast from meat in preparation for Good Friday and only have one full meal. Good Friday marks the emptiness of the world after Christ’s death, displayed with the bear altar and covered statues throughout the church. Good Friday is a day of both sadness and of hope…

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The liturgy of Good Friday begins at 3:00pm, marking the moment that Christ passed from this world into death. Good Friday is NOT a Mass. All scripture readings focus on the suffering servant who is Christ and the prophesies foretelling His death. The Gospel is of the entire trial, suffering, and death of Christ in its long form.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Intercessions on Good Friday are formal an organized for different people, such as the Pope, the laity, and even the Jewish people. The Cross is then venerated as the priest carries the cross from the back of the Church and chants three times, “Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the salvation of the world.” The response is “Come, let us adore.”

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The congregation is then invited to venerate, or show their love and appreciation, for the cross, with either a bow or a kiss to the cross. The extra consecrated hosts from Holy Thursday are brought out from the altar of repose and distributed. There is no procession out as the liturgy will continue as we await Holy Saturday after sundown.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Stations of the Cross are 14 images that recall different aspects of Christ’s trial, suffering, and Passion. Remember, the Triduum is one big celebration that does not end until Easter Sunday evening prayer.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Mass of Holy Saturday begins in darkness with the lighting of the great fire, which is blessed and is used to light the Paschal candle, a large candle that reminds us of Christ’s light in the darkness of the world, and how God destroyed death with a “pillar of fire.” Following this is the singing of the Exultet, which proclaims the greatness and glory of God. Vigil literally means to await or be watchful, and that is why the Mass is celebrated as we wait the Resurrection.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum The Liturgy of the Word consists of two to seven readings that focus on the overview of salvation history, much like we did at the start of this book. If there are any elect, they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. The Litany of the Saints is sung, which is a form of prayer that calls upon different saints to pray for the elect and God’s church.

Part 2: Praying the Triduum Those who have been Baptized and Confirmed may also receive Holy Communion for the first time as well. The elect that have receive these Sacraments can be compared to the first Christians and the early church which began and took hold after Christ’s Resurrection. The liturgy refers to the overall celebration of Catholic worship, such as the entire Triduum; a liturgy is a specific Mass or celebration, such as Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday on their own.

The Paschal Mystery