{"id":27618,"date":"2017-03-29T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T10:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=27618"},"modified":"2017-03-28T20:18:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T00:18:11","slug":"praying-the-catechism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2017\/03\/praying-the-catechism\/","title":{"rendered":"Praying the Catechism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>\"\"Many Christians have problems praying. \u00a0Our minds wander; we run through\u00a0our wants and needs; we forget what to pray for; and we soon turn to something else.<\/p>\n

Christians in the past, though, often prayed \u201cwith\u201d a text that would direct, inspire, and be a catalyst for their prayers. \u00a0The Lord\u2019s Prayer was not just repeated verbatim, though that was part of it. \u00a0Each petition of the prayer sparked personal prayer\u2013how can I do God\u2019s will? \u00a0What \u201cdaily bread\u201d do I need? \u00a0What temptations do I need to be delivered from?<\/p>\n

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Scriptures such as the Ten Commandments would also be prayed. \u00a0Luther suggested finding in each commandment, an instruction (\u201cI must honor my father and my mother\u201d), a thanksgiving (\u201cThank you, God, for giving me my parents\u201d), a confession (\u201cI have been neglecting my mother\u201d), and a petition (\u201cLord, help my parents with their health and money problems. . . .\u201d).<\/p>\n

Luther also advocated praying the Creed, and in doing so, addressing the Triune God and receiving His promises of grace.<\/p>\n

The Catechism itself is not just an educational handbook for the instruction of children. \u00a0Rather, it is an inexhaustible source book for prayer, meditation, and the richest, deepest devotions.<\/p>\n

John Pless unpacks all of this in his book\u00a0Praying the Catechism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The professor from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne has written a short, easy-to-read, but unutterably profound commentary on each section of the catechism that unlocks its riches and applies it to our prayers.<\/p>\n

The format is ideal for devotional reading: \u00a0The section of the catechism is given. \u00a0Then we have a sample prayer based on that section. \u00a0Then Prof. Pless draws out its implications with the help of quotations from Luther and other Lutheran writers, showing just how mind-blowing it is. \u00a0This makes us reflect further on God\u2019s gifts, the Gospel of our forgiveness in the Cross of Christ, and the living Christian life.<\/p>\n

All of this in just a few well-written pages. \u00a0And then we go to the next part of the Catechism.<\/p>\n

I have been pretty well catechized, I would say, and yet I found myself learning more and more from this little book. \u00a0Prof. Pless shows the unity of the Catechism\u2013how all of the Commandments hearken back to the First Commandment; \u00a0how certain phrases and references become repeated motifs in the Commandments, the Creed, the Lord\u2019s Prayer, and the Table of Duties; how the movement of the catechism circles back to the Gospel.<\/p>\n

The discussions are full of insightful observations. \u00a0For example, the Morning, Evening, and mealtime prayers allude to the Daily Offices, which were prayed in the monasteries seven or more times a day, now taken into the family kitchen table and bedrooms. \u00a0These prayers are offered at time when we are most aware of our creatureliness\u2013when we wake from sleep, when we eat, when we go to bed\u2013and so remind us of our dependence on our Creator.<\/p>\n

This book is itself a treasure. \u00a0Those for whom the Catechism is new\u2013confirmands, new Christians\u2013will be introduced to a resource that will reward them for their entire lives. \u00a0Those who have memorized the Catechism will learn the depths of what it means. \u00a0Those who know the Catechism well will find just how inexhaustible it is. \u00a0Non-Lutherans, you will benefit from it too, as it demonstrates that Protestants do have devotional and meditative resources of the highest order. \u00a0And all will find that the Catechism offers not just \u201chead knowledge\u201d but can usher us into a life of prayer, faith, and love of neighbor.<\/p>\n

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