Inter-Novitiate Seminar: "Prayer in our Lives"

We, the Novices of the C.R.I Bannerghatta zone, were the privileged ones to be part of a three day course conducted on Prayer by Fr Bitaju at Mount St Joseph from 17–19 August. The participants to this course were Novices from Alverna, Holy Spirit, F.S.I., De LaSalle and Mount St Joseph numbering 42 in all. We discovered that Prayer is an intimate conversational relationship with God to know His will for our lives. Fr Bitaju systematically explained to us various concepts about prayer. We found answers to our questions of the why, what and how of Prayer. We realized that self-knowledge is the best way of knowing God. We were assured that there are certain moments in our lives where human capacities are insufficient and that only He can make the difference. We were taught in detail and depth about vocal, mental and contemplative forms of prayer which also strengthened our convictions about life and God. We also discussed the various difficulties that one may encounter in prayer and were able to distinctively list the symptoms and highlight a few root causes for them. We prayed through images and symbols too. We enjoyed praying for others as well. Towards the end we realized the significance of personal prayer for our own lives. We are grateful to God for the person of Fr Bitaju who shared not just his personal experiences alongside the ups and down from his prayer life but also opened the treasures of Scriptures to all of us making us realize that the Word of God is alive, active and very relevant to each one of us personally. St Augustine has rightly said, “Our hearts are made for You O Lord and they will never find rest until they rest in You.”