Joint Seminar-Workshop on Prayer, Discernment, and Spiritual Direction

By Prenov. Roel Jude L. Mallari

Canlubang, Calamba City, the Philippines, 23 July, 2019 -- The Prenovices from the Philippines-North Province (FIN), Philippines-South Province (FIS), FIS-Pakistan and Myanmar (MYM), convened at the Don Bosco Prenovitiate Formation House for a joint seminar on Prayer, Discernment, and Spiritual Direction which was facilitated by Fr. Donnie Duchin Duya, SDB. This was held from 17 to 19 July.

The main objectives of the seminar were:

1. to help us familiarize ourselves with the what and why of prayer, discernment, and spiritual direction;
2. to assist us be aware of our inner dynamics and interior movements in prayer; and
3. to accompany us in acquiring the skills needed to be discerning in the goings-on during prayer and in everyday life.

By the end of our formation year--and even all throughout our lives--we must be equipped with the fundamental skills and foundational principles which are necessary for the Salesian life. Prayer, discernment, & spiritual direction are all non-negotiables in this regard.

Fr. Donnie began the seminar workshop by asking what our expectations are for the days that would ensue. He also asked what questions were in our minds as we were beginning to talk about prayer. Two responses from my fellow prenovices particularly caught my attention: “How do I improve my relationship with God?” and “How can I live a Christian life?” This, perhaps, was a strategy employed by Fr. Donnie so that he may properly situate himself with our current outlook on prayer. And, quite interestingly for me, these two questions rang a bell and were, in the end, answered succinctly.

During the first session, Fr. Donnie reiterated that praying enriches the living, and the living enriches the praying. Right there and then, I realized that real prayer must lead us to go beyond ourselves and impel us to show our love for God by loving and serving our neighbor, which will in turn inspire us to pray even better. This is a means of improving one’s relationship with the Lord, that when he prays, he serves. And that is the life of a Christian—one centered on prayer and service.

Still in one of our sessions, Fr. Donnie started discussing about three perspectives about prayer coined by Thomas Hart, author of “The Art of Christian Listening." The first perspective is that prayer is an activity, wherein one sets aside some time to pray from the rest of the things he does, like praying the rosary, going to Mass, praying before sleeping.

The second perspective is that prayer is a relationship with God, where one engages in friendly, casual conversation with the Lord about one’s own life and aspirations. The third perspective is that prayer is all of living, when there is no more dichotomy between praying and living. Here, one prays as he works, sings, dances, studies, plays, etc. Hence, praying becomes entirely an essential part of the system in one’s daily life.

Fr. Donnie also shared some strategies and nuggets of wisdom on how we can concentrate more in prayer, how we can meditate more meaningfully, how we can be made more aware of God’s presence in our daily lives, and how we can discern the good spirit’s promptings.

The bottom line for me is this: the life of prayer is a life of love—love for God in contemplation and meditation, love for others in contemplative action and service, and love for self in the gradual attainment of holiness in actively praying always. So, the challenge remains: pray without ceasing! (1 Thess 5:17)

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