Why and How to Pray

Friends, prayer raises our hearts and minds to the Father, and aligns our will to the will of God. This week on the Word on Fire Show, we discuss the nature and purpose of prayer, practical ways to grow in this basic spiritual discipline, and the sometimes difficult philosophical and theological questions involved. A listener asks: Why as Catholics do we pray for the dead? 00:00 | Intro 01:34 | Bishop Barron's holiday season recap 02:45 | What prompted the publication of An Introduction to Prayer? 03:37 | What does it mean to pray? 05:31 | If God knows everything, why do we pray? 07:38 | If God is unchanging, how does prayer change things? 15:53 | If God is all-good, why do prayers go unanswered? 18:40 | How is prayer different for the Christian? 21:56 | The importance of liturgical prayer 23:47 | Understanding contemplative prayer 28:24 | Properly understanding the intercession of the saints 31:25 | Practical principles for growing in prayer 33:41 | Forgiveness as a prerequisite for answered prayers 35:07 | Listener question: Why do we pray for the dead? 37:31 | Join the Word on Fire Institute ———SHOW NOTES——— An Introduction to Prayer by Bishop Robert Barron: https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/an-introduction-to-prayer Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ ———WATCH——— Subscribe to this Channel: https://bit.ly/3nL6bMU Word on Fire Institute Channel: https://bit.ly/43jgnga Word on Fire en Español Channel: https://bit.ly/2uFowjl ———WORD ON FIRE——— Word on Fire: https://www.wordonfire.org/ Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ FREE Daily Gospel Reflections (English or Español): https://dailycatholicgospel.com/ ———SOCIAL MEDIA——— Bishop Barron Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Sn2XgD Bishop Barron Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Sltef5 Bishop Barron Twitter: https://bit.ly/2Hkz6yQ Word on Fire Instagram: https://bit.ly/39sGNyZ Word on Fire Facebook: https://bit.ly/2HmpPpW Word on Fire Twitter: https://bit.ly/2UKO49h Word on Fire en Español Instagram: https://bit.ly/38mqofD Word on Fire en Español Facebook: https://bit.ly/2SlthaL Word on Fire en Español Twitter: https://bit.ly/38n3VPt ———SUPPORT WORD ON FIRE——— Donate: https://www.wordonfire.org/donate/ Word on Fire Store: https://store.wordonfire.org/ Pray: https://bit.ly/2vqU7Ft