PRAYER PRIMER: Preliminaries

Thoughts: I read this section early in June and as I begin to collect my thoughts on this first section, what sticks most in my mind is the following: “[W]e bond with others more readily and are good for them to the precise degree of our immersion in God who is love. Husbands and wives have a beneficial impact on each other and on their children to the extent that they are growing in all the virtues – which is to say to the extent of their prayer depth. Their influence is deeper and eternal . . . Hence, a husband who really loves his wife and children will take pains to become a man of deep prayer” (pg. 26).

When I first read this it was like a swift kick in the pants. I have prayed all of my adult life, but lately I had established a prayer routine that lacked urgency and fire. I would forgo times of prayer to sleep in, or come home early to help Christelle, or stay up late to watch a movie, all of which are good activities in and of themselves. However, reading the above was a moment of clarity, for those good activities were weakened without the deep prayer Dubay writes of. After reading this section I seized onto that renewed vision of my dire need for prayer to fulfill my vocation as husband and father. I am now trimming my activity, food, and entertainment here and there to continue to make room for prayer. I am now praying as if I NEED to.

The primary reason the above quote was so beneficial to me was that it stimulated my intense desire to be a servant and a genuine help to my family and neighbors. Dubay tells me, if I really want to love people, I really need to pray. Now, as God grants a renewed fervency to my prayer, I am unsure how to keep this fire going. What will keep me from the slow slide into mediocrity and comfortableness again? I do hope Dubay addresses this issue further in the book.

Questions for discussion:
What gave you “a swift kick in the pants” in the first 44 pages of PRAYER PRIMER?
Do you know anyone whose influence is deep and eternal because of his/her prayer life?

Prayer Primer by Dubay

Join us this summer as we learn about prayer from Fr. Dubay’s book Prayer Primer. Through www.schoolofworkandprayer.blogspot.com and a picnic at summer’s end we will discuss Dubay’s teachings. Prayer Primer is available at Loome Theological Booksellers for $10. The reading plan is below:

Friday July 1 -- Preliminaries pp. 1-44

Friday July 15 -- Interpersonal Union/Intimacy pp. 47-91

Friday July 29 -- Church and Family pp. 95-137

Sunday August 21 (Picnic at Pioneer Park, Stillwater – 4pm) -- Questions and Problems pp. 141-179

The Friday readings will be discussed through the School of Work and Prayer web page (listed above). The last reading will be discussed over a shared picnic at Pioneer Park in Stillwater. For more information, call Chris at 651-275-9043.