Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-04 08:51:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James Martin
- ISBN：0062643231
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
One of America’s most beloved spiritual leaders and the New York Times bestselling author of The Jesuit Guide to （Almost） Everything and Jesus: A Pilgrimage teaches anyone to converse with God in this comprehensive guide to prayer。
In The Jesuit Guide to （Almost） Everything， Father James Martin included a chapter on communicating with God。 Now， he expands those thoughts in this profound and practical handbook。 Learning to Pray explains what prayer is， what to expect from praying， how to do it， and how it can transform us when we make it a regular practice in our lives。
A trusted guide walking beside us as we navigate our unique spiritual paths， Martin lays out the different styles and traditions of prayer throughout Christian history and invites us to experiment and discover which works best to feed our soul and build intimacy with our Creator。 Father Martin makes clear there is not one secret formula for praying。 But like any relationship， each person can discover the best style for building an intimate relationship with God， regardless of religion or denomination。 Prayer， he teaches us， is open and accessible to anyone willing to open their heart。
In The Jesuit Guide to （Almost） Everything， Father James Martin included a chapter on communicating with God。 Now， he expands those thoughts in this profound and practical handbook。 Learning to Pray explains what prayer is， what to expect from praying， how to do it， and how it can transform us when we make it a regular practice in our lives。
A trusted guide walking beside us as we navigate our unique spiritual paths， Martin lays out the different styles and traditions of prayer throughout Christian history and invites us to experiment and discover which works best to feed our soul and build intimacy with our Creator。 Father Martin makes clear there is not one secret formula for praying。 But like any relationship， each person can discover the best style for building an intimate relationship with God， regardless of religion or denomination。 Prayer， he teaches us， is open and accessible to anyone willing to open their heart。
Reviews
Jane Barber
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I didn’t expect to like it， but I did。 It motivated me want to try again， persist， be regular， enjoy。
Liz
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Listened to the audio version。 Very soothing。 While I took some A+ insights from this book， I thought it could use some heavier editing for brevity。 There were many parts of the book which I found to be bloated or repetitive。 Aside from that， it was a great listen
Teresa R。
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wonderful book
Benedict F。 Shafer
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James Martin did an excellent book on prayer and spirituality。 Very interesting and informative including good examples and suggestions。 I recommend this book to all。 I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to his next book。Benedict。 F。 Shafer
Cassandra Shieh
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Amazing book to read throughout the Lenten season。 So happy to share the experience with my book group！
Mary
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Excellent resource for anyone longing for a deeper life of prayer。
Amandanoel
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Slightly repetitive but that’s the nature of this format I suppose。 Overall a great overview and gave me lots to think about/rethink about
Sinead
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A truly magnificent book; I also listened to Fr Martin on the audiobook version and he has a very comforting and profound voice。 I would recommend this book to all people regardless of their age or religious beliefs。
Joan Dennehy
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Part of Lenten journey
Donna Schwartz
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This is a wonderful book！ It talks about a variety of ways to pray， some of which I learned as a Catholic school teacher， and some that were new to me。 A few of the types of prayer were things that I was doing and did not even realize were a kind of prayer。I found reading the book was like a meditation itself。 It had an amazing calming effect on me during a difficult time。In addition， he mentions books for future reading （I have a list started） which were very attractive 。My highest rating for t This is a wonderful book！ It talks about a variety of ways to pray， some of which I learned as a Catholic school teacher， and some that were new to me。 A few of the types of prayer were things that I was doing and did not even realize were a kind of prayer。I found reading the book was like a meditation itself。 It had an amazing calming effect on me during a difficult time。In addition， he mentions books for future reading （I have a list started） which were very attractive 。My highest rating for this book？ I probably will buy it the next time I want to read it！ It's a keeper！ 。。。more
Paula
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Another wonderful book by Fr。 Martin SJ; he is a saint for our times！
Cathy
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This is an exceptional book on prayer。 No way to pray is wrong， and they all lead you to a closer relationship to God。 Fr。 Martin introduces the reader to many various ways to pray， each with it's own character。 You can choose what works for you。 Whatever your stage in life， you can spend a little time getting to know God a little better。 Although Fr。 Martin is a catholic priest， he writes in a way that all can relate to with practical help for everyone。I highly recommend this book for everyone This is an exceptional book on prayer。 No way to pray is wrong， and they all lead you to a closer relationship to God。 Fr。 Martin introduces the reader to many various ways to pray， each with it's own character。 You can choose what works for you。 Whatever your stage in life， you can spend a little time getting to know God a little better。 Although Fr。 Martin is a catholic priest， he writes in a way that all can relate to with practical help for everyone。I highly recommend this book for everyone that desires a closer relationship with God。 。。。more
Dokomos Mowry
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Very helpful with methods of prayer you might not have tried or even thought of。
Renee Lareau
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I have read many books on prayer and spirituality & I will read pretty much anything Fr。 Jim Martin writes。 This book is written from a Catholic viewpoint but attempts to be inclusive of different faith traditions and spiritual seekers who do not identify with a specific faith tradition。 Lots of fresh in-depth looks at old prayer traditions here--I particularly enjoyed the section on rote prayers， which I haven’t considered in a thoughtful way for a while。 The book offers an overview of lots of I have read many books on prayer and spirituality & I will read pretty much anything Fr。 Jim Martin writes。 This book is written from a Catholic viewpoint but attempts to be inclusive of different faith traditions and spiritual seekers who do not identify with a specific faith tradition。 Lots of fresh in-depth looks at old prayer traditions here--I particularly enjoyed the section on rote prayers， which I haven’t considered in a thoughtful way for a while。 The book offers an overview of lots of different types of prayer which is great， but it focuses also on what happens when you pray—emotions， distractions， insights， memories， desires， images， words， feelings， etc。I listened to the audiobook as I enjoyed hearing Jim’s voice （though I do know him so perhaps that is why）。 This book would be a good read for Holy Week and/or the Easter season or if you're looking to try a new form of prayer and need ideas。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Cannot recommend this book enough。 It really is for everyone。 Praying is such a personal experience but this book is powerful and insightful。
Dr Honora
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A positive and idea-filled book for one to learn how to pray and understand prayer。 A great book club book。 See internet for author's weekly book club talks and discussion sessions。 I participated in these sessions live。 I would read the assigned chapters， Fr。 Martin would lecture then lead an open discussion。 A great tutorial option to read this book。 A positive and idea-filled book for one to learn how to pray and understand prayer。 A great book club book。 See internet for author's weekly book club talks and discussion sessions。 I participated in these sessions live。 I would read the assigned chapters， Fr。 Martin would lecture then lead an open discussion。 A great tutorial option to read this book。 。。。more
Mary Roth
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Great overview of different forms of prayer。 Conducive to almost all religions and spiritual journeys
Tom Wiley
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Fr。 James Martin writes a very practical and insightful book on prayer。 It would be an excellent book both for someone who has never prayed before or someone who has but needs a little tune up in their prayer life。 He does a great job at explaining what happens in prayer and what the experience of it is like。 This was a great read for Lent！
Todd
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I found this book to be wonderfully enlightening。 Though Father Martin is a Catholic priest， this book is really for anyone who is hoping to improve their prayer life。 Not being Catholic myself， I still found it valuable in my own efforts。 I particularly enjoyed learning more about the different ways to pray。 I would highly recommend this book！
Mj Meenen
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Father Martin writes with joy about faith， and offers practical and reassuring advice to anyone on a faith journey。
Connie
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As usual， Father Martin delivers。 This is a comprehensive yet easily read and understood volume on prayer。 Novices could benefit， but so could people with much experience in and learning about prayer。 There was little new for me in this book， but it's so winsomely written and so very available to the reader that I found it was like a mini-retreat to read 50 pages of it each morning。 Highly recommended。 As usual， Father Martin delivers。 This is a comprehensive yet easily read and understood volume on prayer。 Novices could benefit， but so could people with much experience in and learning about prayer。 There was little new for me in this book， but it's so winsomely written and so very available to the reader that I found it was like a mini-retreat to read 50 pages of it each morning。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Emmett
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Goodreads deleted my review of this book！
Ann Rempel
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Inspirational Reading This book presents various methods of prayer， and once you start to read its hard to put down。 The author provides much insight on various methods of praying — methods useful to people of all religions。 It is the kind of book I read again and again。
Barbara
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Absolutely essentially delightfulFr Martin has a wonderful easy style in this book on prayer。 It is nevertheless a tour de force overview of the various forms of prayer but it makes you want to pray。 There is a way to prayer that is waiting just for you。 The book recommendation section at the end is valuable for further exploration。
Susan
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This book is a very practical manual for prayer。 It discusses what prayer is， why we pray， and what one can expect when praying。 Then it walks the reader through many different forms of prayer， discusses common issues and stumbling blocks in the ups and downs of spiritual life。 It ends with the assertion that prayer， for whatever else it offers， is always intended to lead to action。 Father Martin has become a pretty big celebrity in recent years， often featured in the media。 I didn't know what t This book is a very practical manual for prayer。 It discusses what prayer is， why we pray， and what one can expect when praying。 Then it walks the reader through many different forms of prayer， discusses common issues and stumbling blocks in the ups and downs of spiritual life。 It ends with the assertion that prayer， for whatever else it offers， is always intended to lead to action。 Father Martin has become a pretty big celebrity in recent years， often featured in the media。 I didn't know what to expect from him as an author on this topic。 What I found was a gentle， surprisingly humble spirit seemingly intent on nothing other than helping others learn to pray and get more out of their prayer life。 He shared many personal experiences and insights and enough humor to keep it human。 I'm glad I bought a copy of this book， because I anticipate that it is one I will want to refer back to many times in the future as I try out different prayer forms he discussed or encounter issues he mentioned。 。。。more
Elena C。 Hines
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I found this book to be extremely readable and helpful， whether you were just starting to pray， wanted to learn to pray or had been praying for years。 Fr。 Martin writes in an easy， accessible， and often humorous way。 He is not afraid to share his own experiences and these very human experiences are so relatable。 I highly recommend it。
Erika
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This book will forever be connected to my experience of the Covid19 crisis and listening to Father Jim each evening during the confinement。Beautifully presented and very accessible; a good book for everyone。
Betsy
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This book is so helpful in giving direction for your personal prayer experience。 Martin gives many different way to pray， goes through each one and explains how to use them。 He explains what we can experience through prayer， outcomes of prayer， and even why we may experience dryness in our prayer。 I too a lot away from this book and I plan to return again and again to find new ways to pray which will only help my relationship with God。If you have never prayed before， this book is a great resourc This book is so helpful in giving direction for your personal prayer experience。 Martin gives many different way to pray， goes through each one and explains how to use them。 He explains what we can experience through prayer， outcomes of prayer， and even why we may experience dryness in our prayer。 I too a lot away from this book and I plan to return again and again to find new ways to pray which will only help my relationship with God。If you have never prayed before， this book is a great resource。 If you're looking to enhance your prayer life with new forms of prayer， check this book out。 If you like a bit of Jesuit humor， read Martin！ 。。。more
Mary Sullivan
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Fr。 Martin's book is written in such a manner that I could understand exactly what he is trying to say。 He accomplishes this by using many personal examples and stories by way of explanation of a point he is making。 This keeps the reading and learning light and fast paced while sharing the depth needed to make you feel closer and closer to God in prayer。 Fr。 Martin's book is written in such a manner that I could understand exactly what he is trying to say。 He accomplishes this by using many personal examples and stories by way of explanation of a point he is making。 This keeps the reading and learning light and fast paced while sharing the depth needed to make you feel closer and closer to God in prayer。 。。。more
Eileen O'Finlan
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