The Basic Book of Catholic Prayer: How to Pray and Why

Whether you’ve just begun to pray or have been faithfully praying for years, the wisdom in this book will help you pray better. It will rescue your prayers from distraction and superficiality and transform them into real occasions for communion with God. Fr Lawrence Lovasik here clears away misunderstandings that many people have about prayer — and shows you innumerable ways you can avoid common obstacles and deepen your prayer life, no matter how much or how little you may have prayed before. You’ll learn what prayer is, why it’s necessary, and how to practice the essential forms of Catholic prayer. You’ll discover how the Church’s sacraments fortify your prayer — and how prayer, in turn, enhances your reception of the sacraments. You’ll find out how to bring to your own prayers the qualities that make prayer effective. Your prayers will become more heartfelt, more focused, and more full of love for God. Soon your prayer will fill you with a divine peace and joy that no one will be able to take from you. You’ll achieve the glorious aim of all prayer: union with God! You’ll grow in prayer and in the graces it brings you as you learn: Why true prayer is not necessarily a matter of words Liturgical prayer: why you must pray with the Church Four things you must bear in mind in order to pray better Why prayer is essential for your salvation even though God knows all that you need Two essential ingredients that transform thinking about God into genuine prayer Swamped with earthly cares or selfish interests? Why prayer at such moments makes such a difference, hard as it may be Your Faith: how knowing it better will improve your prayers Five ways you should follow Jesus’ example in your own prayer Temptations: practical ways prayer helps you resist even the strongest of them How to keep trusting in God when your prayers seem to go unanswered Distractions in prayer: four ways you can keep them from disturbing you Family prayer: how to bring God into your home life — consistently and painlessly The Our Father: why it’s the most perfect prayer — and how to avoid common pitfalls many fall into when praying this simple prayer And much more that will help you pray better and keep Jesus at the centre of your life!

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