Chapter 14: We Respond to God through Prayer

An ____________________ is a short prayer that one memorizes and simply repeats throughout the day, perhaps even while doing other things.

Aspiration

As God's beloved ____________________, we know we can confidently approach God with our needs, desires, and concerns through prayer. But sometimes we find that prayer is ____________________.

Children, difficult

Praying the Lord's Prayer reminds us that as God's own adopted ____________________, we must ____________________ and ____________________ in a way that is worthy of this dignity.

Children, speak, act

When we ____________________ our sins to a priest, we admit that we have harmed other people and damaged our bond with the Body of Christ, the Church. And when we receive the words of ____________________ from the priest, we are forgiven, healed, and welcomed back to our rightful place in loving relationship with God.

Confess, absolution

Saint Thomas Aquinas called the ____________________ the "Sacrament of sacraments." It unites us more fully with ____________________.

Eucharist, christ

In teaching us to pray in the words of the Lord's Prayer, Jesus invites us to share in a ____________________ relationship of intimacy and ____________________ as adopted sons and daughters through Baptism.

Filial, love

Like the man who boldly knocks on a friend's door at midnight, asking for food, we can be ____________________ with God and share our needs, concerns, and problems with him anytime.

Forthright

In the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector, Jesus teaches us how to approach ____________________ in prayer.

God

In this prayer, Jesus neatly summarizes the key elements of the ____________________ message: praise of God the Father's holy name, desire for the Kingdom, prayer that our needs will be met, and a plea for forgiveness.

Gospel

When we engage regularly in the practice of the examen or a similar form of daily prayer, we will ____________________ spiritually and begin to see more with eyes of ____________________.

Grow, faith

When we pray in her words (the Magnificat), we not only ____________________ Mary, we also stand in ____________________ with all those suffering people today who live in the hope that God will, one day, do "great things" (Luke 1:49) for them.

Honor, solidarity

A prayer to Mary is really a prayer asking that she ____________________ that same prayer to God on our behalf.

Offer

When we share in God's love and promise of salvation, we see that all of our needs can be addressed with prayers of ____________________. When we ask God for good things on behalf of other people, we are engaging in ____________________ prayer—interceding with God for the needs of others.

Petition, intercessory

Jesus consciously made time for ____________________, often by getting up very early and finding a place where he could be alone.

Prayer

Prayer is fundamentally a ____________________—a personal, vital, and intimate ____________________ with the living God.

Relationship, connection

Participation in the ____________________ life of the Church is an essential aspect of the prayer life of a Catholic.

Sacramental

The reality is that all human beings ____________________. We all need the infinite ____________________ of God to flood our hearts and heal our souls.

Sin, mercy

Even when our prayers seem to go ____________________, we will come to believe that God never fails to ____________________ us in our time of need, offering us gentle mercy and abundant compassion.

Unanswered, embrace

Although Catholics worship God alone, we ____________________ Mary and the saints. To ____________________ means to show honor, respect, and devotion.

Venerate, venerate