Learning Mental Prayer (Season 3 Episode 45)

We explore mental prayer through a Carmelite lens, moving from definitions and methods to the lived experience of silence, distraction, and trust. The theme is simple and demanding: prayer is a relationship, not a performance, and silence is where love learns to listen.

• mental prayer as interior attention and loving presence with God
• meditation using reason vs mental prayer using affection and attention
• rosary as rhythm that steadies focus on the mysteries
• how distraction and dryness purify motives and deepen trust
• the necessity of silence for identity, depth, and freedom from noise
• discursive prayer and the Carmelite emphasis on friendship with Christ
• practical helps for recollection: scripture, crucifix, sacred music
• growing intimacy through practice, Lectio Divina, small resolutions
• reflection prompts on silence, expectations, and dialogue vs monologue

Other Prayer Episodes

• Prayer: Building a Relationship with God Beyond Words (Season 2 Episode 40)
• Unraveling Christian Prayer: Understanding its Role and Purpose in Christian Life (Season 2 Episode 39)
• Prayer (Season 1 Episode 8)

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