�� Just Teach Sheet – August Week 2 (Deep Formation Edition)
Theme: Listening to God in Prayer
Whole Community Catechesis Theme (August): Prayer & Personal Relationship with God
Spiritual Focus: From active prayer to contemplative receptivity—hearing God not only in words, but in silence, presence, and mystery.
��️ Opening Prayer (for each day)
Eternal Father,
draw me into Your silence,
that I may listen with the ears of my soul.
Speak, Lord—not only to be heard, but to be received.
In Your Son, and through the Spirit, teach me how to pray. Amen.
��️ Day 1 – Prayer Begins by Listening
�� Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1–10
“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
�� Teaching:
The world teaches us to speak, broadcast, explain. But Scripture begins prayer with listening.
Samuel does not initiate this encounter. God calls first.
Listening is not passivity. It is spiritual readiness. The Hebrew word “shema” means both “hear” and “obey.”
�� Catechism Reference:
“Prayer is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation… always presupposing a listening heart.” (CCC 2562)
�� Deep Reflection:
Do I enter prayer with my agenda, or with reverent availability?
How often do I allow space for God to speak—without filling the silence?
�� Practice:
Spend 5 minutes today with just this line:
“Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”
Let distractions pass. Do not resist them—just return to listening.
��️ Day 2 – Christ Is the Word the Father Speaks
�� Scripture: John 1:1–5, 14
“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh.”
�� Teaching:
God has spoken His definitive Word: Jesus Christ.
All true listening in prayer is Christ-centred.
We are not seeking vague experiences, but entering into the Son’s relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit enables this interior participation.
�� Catechism Reference:
“Christ… is Himself the fullness of all revelation.” (CCC 65)
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God—an expression of our covenant with Him in Christ.” (CCC 2559–2565)
�� Deep Reflection:
Do I enter prayer with a focus on Jesus as the centre?
Am I listening to a Person, or seeking a feeling or insight?
�� Practice:
Choose one Gospel passage where Jesus speaks (e.g., John 15:9–17).
Read slowly. Listen for one word or phrase.
Write it. Repeat it. Let it echo throughout your day.
��️ Day 3 – Lectio Divina: Listening With the Church
�� Scripture: Luke 10:38–42 (Mary and Martha)
“Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to Him speak.”
�� Teaching:
The Church has always listened to God through Scripture—together.
Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) is not a private invention but a shared inheritance.
It has four steps:
Lectio – reading
Meditatio – pondering
Oratio – praying
Contemplatio – resting in God
�� Catechism Reference:
“The Church forcefully exhorts all Christians… to frequent reading of the Scriptures… accompanied by prayer.” (CCC 133)
�� Deep Reflection:
Do I engage Scripture as a living dialogue, or as information?
What might it look like to pray the Word, not just study it?
�� Practice:
Do Lectio Divina today with Luke 10:38–42.
Spend at least 20 minutes.
End with this line from the psalm:
“I will hear what the Lord God has to say.” (Psalm 85:8)
��️ Day 4 – Silence: The Language of God
�� Scripture: 1 Kings 19:11–13
“After the fire, a still small voice…”
�� Teaching:
Silence is not the absence of communication—it is the medium of deep presence.
The spiritual masters all agree: God speaks most clearly when the soul is still.
Contemplative silence is not just lack of sound—it is interior stillness, a welcoming posture before the Lord.
�� Catechism Reference:
“Contemplative prayer is silence, the ‘symbol of the world to come’… In this silence, the Father speaks His Word.” (CCC 2717)
�� Deep Reflection:
How much of my life is structured around noise, activity, and output?
What am I afraid to face in silence—and might God be waiting there?
�� Practice:
Create 10 minutes of uninterrupted silence.
Sit. Breathe. Say nothing.
Repeat:
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
End with a slow Sign of the Cross.
��️ Day 5 – Discernment: Recognising God’s Voice
�� Scripture: John 10:27
“My sheep hear My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.”
�� Teaching:
God’s voice is recognisable—though never forced.
We learn to discern it by:
Consistency with Scripture and Tradition
Clarity (not confusion or pressure)
Peace and truth (even when convicting)
The enemy also speaks: with urgency, condemnation, flattery, fear.
Discernment is a discipline of spiritual maturity.
�� Catechism Reference:
“The Christian must examine what he hears in conscience… to discern between the voice of God and other voices.” (cf. CCC 1776–1782)
�� Deep Reflection:
Have I experienced something I thought was from God—only to doubt it later?
Do I test spiritual experiences with humility and the guidance of the Church?
�� Practice:
Ask God:
“Lord, teach me to recognise Your voice.”
Then list in your journal:
What brings peace and clarity this week?
What brings anxiety or self-doubt?
Pray: “Lord, increase my discernment.”
�� End of Week Deep Reflection
For journaling, spiritual direction, or group sharing:
Where have I noticed God speaking this week—Scripture, silence, people, interior thoughts?
What obstacles still block my ability to hear?
What practices helped me enter a posture of listening?
What will I commit to as a daily habit of listening prayer?
�� Suggested Resources for Going Further
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Fire Within by Fr. Thomas Dubay (on St Teresa and St John of the Cross)
Discerning the Will of God by Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV
Lectio Divina resources from the Benedictine tradition
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 