At-Home Lesson#2
How to Pray: The Gift of God's Presence
Topic 2: YES! [1]
Behind YOUCAT
Long before they learn to say Yes, toddlers often know how to say No. If you don’t think this is so, spend time with one-, two-, or even three-year-olds and count the number of times they say No. Of course, “No” is not all bad. In fact, there are plenty of things in the world to which our best and safest response would be a resounding “NO!” But that never applies to God. As Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, teaches us, when it comes to God, we should always have the prayerful attitude of “YES!” She teaches us, in her last recorded words in the Gospel, to do whatever her Son tells us to do (Jn 2:5), which is always to say Yes in word and deed to the will of God the Father.
Read YOUCAT
Read the content under YOUCAT# 479~481, 483, and 485~488 (numbers in yellow circle) from YOUCAT p.263~p.269. [2]
What Does YOUCAT Say?
What is an important lesson about prayer that we can learn from Mary (YOUCAT#479)?
What are the five main types of prayer (YOUCAT#483)?
What does standing in prayer represent? What does kneeling represent (YOUCAT#486)?
What reasons did Blessed John Paul II give for saying the Rosary was his favorite prayer (YOUCAT p.265 margin)?
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YOU Reflect
How’s your prayer life? That’s a question you may never have been asked in your entire life, but it’s also a question we can’t be afraid to ask our Catholic and Christian friends. In fact, if you find a friend who is bold enough to ask you that question and help you stay on track in a life of daily prayer, well, then you have found a friend indeed.
Prayer does not come naturally to us fallen human beings. Adam used to “walk in the Garden with God” (see Gen 3:8). That’s the biblical analogy used to say that Adam naturally and easily conversed with God. But one of the first and most devastating losses caused by the sin of Adam is that prayer does not come naturally; it’s a struggle, a battle, a work that requires the grace of God and a humble heart, willing to persevere. And we need our Christian friends to encourage us to stay the course, and we, in turn, need to encourage them. So, how’s your prayer life?
What obstacles to prayer do you find in your life?
How would your friends react if you asked them about their prayer lives? Would you be embarrassed to do so? Why or why not?
Do you think it helpful to pray as a family? Explain your answer.
Answer the above questions [Click Here]
What Does the Bible Say?
Read Luke 1:26-45. How do St. Gabriel and St. Elizabeth teach us to pray?
Read Romans 8:34-35. What does St. Paul tell us about Jesus and intercessory prayer?
Read Colossians 4:2. St. Paul has more advice about prayer in this Bible. What does he say about perseverance and thanksgiving in prayer?
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YOU Chat
What would you say to someone who has never prayed the Rosary but is open to finding out about it?
How is Mary’s Yes to God the model of all Christian prayer?
What attitudes should we expect a Christian to have when praying?
Answer the above questions [Click Here]
YOU Challenge
Pray:
Recite the Rosary today with your family or with a friend..
Ask:
Turn to Mary, our Mother, each day, and ask her to teach you how to pray as she does.
Memorize:
Learn the Mysteries of the Rosary..
References / Citations
[1] Brumley, Mark, Kersting, Jack, and George, Paul . YOUCAT Study Guide. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2013, pp. 69-70.
[2] Miller, Michael J, and Benedict. Youcat English: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. San Francisco, Calif: Ignatius Press, 2011.
[3] BibleGateway (online bible). https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Good-News-Translation-GNT-Bible/