The Wonder of Prayer, session 1

This Lent on Friday evenings I am offering a teaching series called “The Wonder of Prayer.” It will explore the many facets of the prayer life. Last night was the first session.

The audio of the talk is above. The two parts of the first session are

1. Images of Prayer

2. What is Prayer?

The first part is an exploration of various icons that illustrate dimensions or kinds of prayer, and in the second part I share basic definitions of prayer from S. John of Damascus and Father Martin Thornton.

Images of Prayer

What is Prayer?

1. “Prayer is the lifting up of the heart and mind to God.”

(S. John of Damascus, d. 749, Greek Church Father)

2. Prayer is continuous relationship with God, whether or not that relationship is recognized or articulated.

Prayer is spiritual activity: anything we do which is conditioned by our relationship with the living God.

(Martin Thornton, d. 1986, Anglican priest and confessor)