What You Don’t Know About Prayer
Let’s be honest. You probably think you’re doing fine in your prayer life. And perhaps you are. But is your prayer life actually deepening and growing? St. Bernard famously said, “He who does not advance, falls back.” What if there’s more to prayer than what you experience now? God wants all of us to pray like saints. What’s holding you back from reaching the heights of prayer that God is calling you to?
Don’t Just Pray More, Pray Better.
Prayer is essential to our spiritual life, yet it is one of the hardest things for us to do. If you’ve ever tried to maintain a consistent and meaningful prayer life, you know how difficult it can be.
In order to pray well as faithful Catholics, we must draw from how the Holy Spirit has taught the Church to pray over the centuries.
School of Prayer is a 30-day devotional series to help you advance your prayer life farther than you ever realized you could. In this series you will study prayer in the universal Catholic Church as taught by scripture, papal encyclicals, catechisms, the saints and spiritual masters from the East and West, and more.
This includes:
- The two things necessary for true prayer
- The four different kinds of prayer
- The three levels of prayer
- How to identify and overcome the common obstacles to prayer growth
- Practical tips for developing better habits of prayer
- How to pray as a family
- …and much more!
Get practical instruction that will help you pray better—now and for the rest of your life.
How Does It Work?
For each of the 30 days of this series you will receive an email linking you to new daily content posted right here at GoodCatholic.com. You’ll also have access to all 30 sessions immediately, if you’d like to go at your own pace. You can repeat the series as often as you wish for one full year.
Don’t wait! Subscribe today.
Series Contributors
Father Joseph Matlak
Fr. Joseph Matlak serves as Administrator of St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Parish in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as Chaplain of Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. He was born in Dunstable, England. His undergraduate studies in Ancient History at King’s College London led him to focus on the history and theology of Byzantium. He completed priestly formation for the Eparchy of St. Josaphat at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 2015 at St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, Ohio. Fr. Matlak has a unique priesthood in that he has faculties to celebrate Holy Mass according to the Roman Rite, as well as the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite. This has imbued him with a deep appreciation for the catholicity of the Church. Among other things, he enjoys traveling, film, theater, music, and history.
Gretchen Filz, O.P.
Gretchen Filz, O.P., is a Catholic content writer with an M.A. in Christian Apologetics. As a result of her studies in theology and philosophy at an Evangelical seminary, she discovered the truth of Catholicism and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2011. A passionate convert and Lay Dominican, Gretchen lives out her vocation through prayer, study, teaching, writing, and engaging in a variety of apostolates. Her articles have provided catechesis and inspiration for Catholics around the world. She currently works in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Whitney Hetzel
Whitney Hetzel and her husband, James, have been married for thirty-three years. They have nine children ranging in age from twelve to thirty-two. Whitney, who has been homeschooling for twenty-seven years, is an exercise enthusiast who enjoys blogging about health and fitness over at 9 Kid Fitness. But her real passion is discussing faith, family, and the challenges of putting one foot in front of the other on a daily basis, all of which she writes about at Catholic Company Magazine and the Good Catholic blog. Whitney has a B.A. in English and Journalism from Indiana University and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Saint Louis University.
51 Reviews
I love the Points to Ponder, by Whitney Hetzel. Clarifies a lot for me. Thank you for the School of Prayer
Being a convert to the Catholic faith since 1968 when I married my husband has been a life-altering experience. I am so grateful for this “School of Prayer” series. It has been informative, illuminating and of great comfort. So many questions answered, a generous amount of comfort, the insights by Gretchen (which tells me I’m human and make mistakes too) and Fr. Matlak’s gentle guidance is beyond words of description. I could only wish that my own parish priest would be more like Fr. Matlak. Thank you for such a wonderful and enlightening series. May God richly bless all of you.
Even though the School of Prayer series has ended, it will live on with me through frequent reflection on its content. God bless all the participants and I lift up today all your prayer intentions. Thank you The Catholic Company for another excellent series.
I have LOVED this most meaningful series! Thank you, Fr. Matlak, your insights are beautiful.
Last day of the series today. I’m going to miss it. Actually, I may go back and go through it again so I can be sure I didn’t miss anything. It’s been a great way to end my day. I feel I’ve learned so much, but that there is so much more to learn. Thank God for Good Catholic!
I have prayed the Jesus prayer before, but today’s lesson has me wanting to again in a much different way. It’s amazing the difference it makes when somebody explains something to you how much more meaning it has.
I am ignorant to the effort, time and resources necessary for the production of this devotion, but if it’s success is measured by the increase of just one soul’s betterment in prayer or profound connection to our Lord and His Blessed Mother, please know that you have succeeded! I AM NOW A BETTER CHRISTIAN. My children, my grandchildren, my siblings, my friends, my parents, my neighbors, my enemies and strangers will be touched by this gift and I will continue to pray for a pure heart so that I will not be remembered, but the Lord God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, will be known as the Gift Giver. Many, many thanks.
What a wonderful series. I have learned so many things about prayers. We have been Blessed by this series but especially by Father Joseph. Thank you again. This would make a wonderful Bible Study.
I praise and give glory to God for the School of prayer series I have so much more work to do in my prayer life and I thank God for the series so I know how to pray more deeply and more regularly. All God’s blessings for those who set the series up worked so diligently on it you have touched many many lives and God will bless you always and I will keep you in my prayers . Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this blessing. My love to all.
I am a few days behind in this series, but i cannot say enough about it. It has been a wonderful inspiration, and guide for a good prayer life. I thank the Catholic Company for putting together this wonderful series.
This course has been an absolute blessing for me, also. I went on a retreat last week and got behind a few days but wanted to weigh in with my thoughts. I have been praying the Liturgy of the Hours for about three years now and have to say that this course offered the BEST explanation of how to do it than any I had ever seen. I also have to say the same about the steps for how to engage in mental prayer. Oh my gosh! What a game changer for me. And honestly that’s just two of many positives about this course. Special thanks to Fr. Matlak (I sincerely hope you will do another course) and The Catholic Company for making this available to us.
This series was an ABSOLUTE BLESSING for me as well.