Table of Content
The Greatest Thing in Life
Pope John Paul II
Central Message of the Gospel
For Everyone
Life in the Spirit Seminar
Two Key Insights
Insights from Within
The Vine and the Branches
Listen, Discern and Obey
Mass and Eucharistic Adoration
Frequent Confession
I Send You
A Challenge
Prayer a Two-Way Street
Doing the Will of God
Living in Grace
Ways in Which God Speaks
God Speaks Through His Word
God Speaks Through What We See
Listening to God
Ten Key Insights to Hearing God’s Voice
Listen, Discern and Obey
When God Withholds His Inspirations
A Powerful Example
A Key Question
Certain Principles of Discernment
Conditions for Hearing God’s Voice
Summary
Yes, Abba
A New Insight
Preparation
Prayer
Praise
First Principle
Human Power Will Not Suffice
Getting into God
Three Mountain Movers
Enter His Courts with Praise
Sowing Heavenward
Lifted Hands
Worship the Natural Progression of Praise
Eucharistic Adoration
Presence
The Glorious Presence of the Lord
St. John’s Vision
The Presence of God – The Glory Realm
Power
The Power that Flows from the Glory
Seeking the Face of the Lord
Lord That I May See
The New Catechism
Celebrants of the Heavenly Liturgy
The Mass – The Greatest Focus of
Worship and Praise
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you
how to praise and worship.
2. Try to attend Mass daily.
3. Throughout the day, try to live
a life of praise.
4. Try to attend frequently a prayer meeting.
5. Offer litanies that praise God.
6. Be willing to praise God with
your whole body.
7. Be willing to read the Divine Office.
8. Have your own Jesus chair.
9. Remember every bush is burning.
10. Remember that the Spirit of the Lord
will teach you all things.
Prayer, A Two-Way Street
Another Question
Lord
Teach
Us
To Pray
Father
Our
Who Art in Heaven
The First Principle: Praise
The Second Principle: Plan
The Third Principle: Provision
The Fourth Principle: Purification
The Fifth Principle: Protection
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
1. Praise
2. Plan of God
3. Provision
4. Purification
5. Protection
6. Petitions
7. Prayer – Closing
A. Pray Without Ceasing
B. Meditation Defined Biblically
C. Prayer of the Heart Biblical Foundation
D. Jesus the Model of Prayer and Praise
E. On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus
A. The Philokalia
B. Bishop Theopan the Recluse
Degrees of prayer
A vigilant tension of the muscles
Oral prayer
Feeling and words
The power is not in the words
Three types of prayer: lips, mind, heart
Three degrees of prayer
Further distinctions
The fire of prayer and Paradise in the soul
Why the Jesus Prayer is stronger
than other Prayers
Not a talisman
The principle fruit of prayer
The root of inner order
Feelings of ecstasy
Inwardness and warmth of heart
The two kinds of warmth
Physical warmth, lustful warmth,
spiritual warmth
The signs of the burning of the spirit
C. More Writers in the Philokalia
Call on Jesus perpetually
Pray without ceasing
Three Kinds of Thoughts
How to sit in the cell
D. Breathing Techniques – Jesus Prayer
The place of breathing techniques
The habit of breathing techniques
Breathing techniques, illusion and lust
A rosary or rhythmic breathing
The way of breathing
Let the Jesus Prayer cling to your breathing
Jesus prayer cleave to your breath
Entering the heart through breathing
Exercise profiteth a little
Jesus Prayer Practical Suggestions
Prayer Beads or Rosary Beads
Sitting Postures
Meditation Altar and Space
Meditation on Images
Diet and Fasting
Belly and chest breathing
Blanket, clothing, sitting risers
Raising up of the human spirit
Downward spirals – lust, anger
Shaking, itching and yarning
Energy up Spine
Warm up with hatha
Hand mudras
Jesus Prayer in Dreams
Jesus name rather than love words
Awareness of Thoughts
Blessing Three Times
Length of Meditations
Psycho-toxins
Healing by invoking Jesus name
Three Kinds of Prayer
Active and Passive Meditation
A Meditation Practice Method
Four Basic Invocations
1. Step One – Relaxing in the Spirit
2. Step Two – Repeating the name of Jesus
3. Step Three – Receiving the Lord Jesus
A. The Prayer of Aspiration
B. Centering Prayer
C. Praise and Tongues
1. Charismatic Prayer Services
2. The Charismatic Gift of Tongues
3. Tongues and Categories of Graces
4. Speaking in Tongues in Scripture
A. Meditation Enters the Divine Life
B. Purification Dimensions and Meditation
C. Different Dimensions of Healing
D. Mary Garden Meditation Space
E. Meditative Devotional Space
F. Rosary Postures & Movement Meditation
G. Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
A. What are some Studies on Meditation?
B. Can Prayer Heal?
C. Concrete Connection: Body, Soul and Spirit
A. Jim Tibbetts Testimonial
B. Fr. Bill McCarthy Testimonial
A. Prayers in Scripture Listed
B. Meditation Scriptures Listed
C. The Holy Name Listed
D. Litany of Praise to Jesus
1. Bio of Fr. Bill McCarthy
2. Bio of James Tibbetts
3. My Father’s House Retreat Center
4. Bibliography
5. Endnotes
Introduction
Introduction 2. Christian Prayer and Meditation Simplified
There are many books on prayer, probably enough to fill a small library. But intellectual discussions about prayer tend to stay in the head and need to be brought down into the heart, to be practiced and experienced. Prayer and worship are human activities in the human spirit, “we worship in spirit and truth”. This book is focused mostly on the actual practice of the most ancient form of prayer about the holy name of Jesus in both the Eastern and Western traditions of the Christian/ Catholic faith.
This book is basically a combination of two approaches to Scripture: the scholarly historical critical method (The Way of Truth) and the artistic historical intuitive method (The Way of Beauty). It is a theological exegesis and a poetic meditation; a scriptural science and a biblical art. Numerous different translations have been used to bring out the beauty of the text.
The heart of Christianity is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Crist. The heart of this relationship is ongoing communication with Him that we call prayer, for prayer is, in the words of Pope John Paul, a reciprocal conversation. We talk to God to be sure, but far more importantly we listen as God speaks to us. Each of us is called to holiness – true union with God in both mind and heart. Our highest purpose is to give glory to God, and the vehicle for that is prayer. We were made to enjoy God and to find joy in Him. Prayer leads us to a sense of self-worth and inner happiness that enables us to live a life of loving union with God and selfless service of our neighbor. Bishop Fulton Sheen, who spent three hours in prayer daily, understood that fully. He knew that prayer went to the core of a satisfying, joy-filled and sanctified life.
The first eight chapters (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) are by Fr. Bill McCarthy on prayer mostly the Western Church. Chapter 10 on the Our Father as spiritual accounting is by Fr. Bill and Jim, and chapter 11 is by a few Popes on the Rosary. The next chapters (12, 13, 14, and 15) are on the topic on meditation mostly from the Eastern Church and chapters (16, 17, and 18) are on prayer, meditation, healing practices and science by Jim Tibbetts. These give a good insight into the Western (Roman) and Easter (Orthodox) experience and understanding of prayer and meditation.
Jesus taught us that the first and fundamental principle of prayer is worship and praise when He said, after this manner pray, our Father who art in Heaven all holy is Your Name (Mat. 6:9). In order to enter into this holy realm, we must praise. Praise is entering in; “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise” (Ps. 104). We praise God for all He has done for us, for His goodness and kindness and His mercy towards us. We worship Him for who He is in Himself, “God is Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” He is seeking such worshippers.
This book is one of the Christian… Simplified series:
Books coauthored with Fr. Bill McCarthy
1. Christian Spirituality Simplified
2. Christian Prayer and Meditation Simplified
3. Christian Community Life God’s Best Plan Simplified
4. Christian Insight into Mary Mother of Jesus Simplified
5. Christian Insight into the Virgin Mary His
Ark of the Covenant Simplified
6. Christian Healing and Wholeness Simplified
7. Christian Renewal by the Holy Spirit Simplified
8. Christian Practice with the Gift of Tongues Simplified
9. Christian Insight into the Eucharist Simplified
10. Christian Insight into Body, Soul, and Spirit Simplified
11. Christian Biblical Strategy of the Cross and
the Cross of Biblical Nutrition Simplified
12. Christians Ten Best Practices Simplified
Books with Forward by Fr. Bill McCarthy
13. Christian Purification with Nutrition Simplified
14. Christian Purification with Fasting Simplified
15. Christian Insight into Biblical Nutrition Simplified
16. Christian Insight into Biblical Fasting Simplified
This book series; Christianity…Simplified can be ordered
from lulu.com
The book itself is a guide to Christian meditation, prayer and praise and needs to be practiced not just read, then reread it and ponder on some of the things that are helpful to you. Read the book and commit yourself to several months to practice the Jesus prayer. And while practicing the Jesus Prayer use this book as a resource and a meditation to grow with. After two or three months of practicing and pondering this book the Prayer of the Heart could become part of your life. Thanks for your interest. God bless.
“In My Father’s House there are many mansions.”
John 14:2
May God bless you with health and healing.
Sincerely in Christ
Fr. Bill McCarthy
James Tibbetts