Every person was created to know, love, and serve God, and prayer is necessary if we are to live this out. How are we to pray? How are we to discern God’s voice in order to act upon it? Monsignor Thomas J. Richter, a priest of the Diocese of Bismarck known for his work in spiritual and vocations direction, joined Father Dominic Bouck, chaplain of the University of Mary, to discuss these questions.
Msgr. Thomas Richter presents the Christian vision of prayer, which is concerned with allowing God to act rather than convincing him to.
Prayer is focused on actively receiving from God, which requires that one utilizes an often-overlooked act of faith: actively rejecting all that is not from God.
Christian discernment can only take place once one has experienced the presence of Christ and has begun to receive from the heart of God.
In order to hear God speak, one must become aware of the movements of one’s interior life and understand their origins.
Spiritual consolation on the third level of the human heart is God’s most basic language: he gives encouragement and energy concerning one’s relationship with him.