Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop William H. Bullock Thursday, January 31, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Preside at Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Donnell Holy Name Memorial Chapel, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Sunday, February 3, 2002 10:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Rose of Lima Parish, Cuba City Wednesday, February 6, 2002 5:00 p.m. -- Attend Presbyteral Council Meeting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Thursday, February 7, 2002 9:00 a.m. -- Attend Presbyteral Council Meeting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Thursday, January 31, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Attend Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Donnell Holy Name Memorial Chapel, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Saturday, February 2, 2002 5:15 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Dennis Parish, Madison Sunday, February 3, 2002 11:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Victor Parish, Monroe Wednesday, February 6, 2002 5:00 p.m. -- Attend Presbyteral Council Meeting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Thursday, February 7, 2002 9:00 a.m. -- Attend Presbyteral Council Meeting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison

Prayer: The Breathing
Life of a Christian

		The Bishop: A Herald of Faith Bishop William H. Bullock

Prayer is essential to the breathing life of a Christian. When you stop praying, you are either in one long moment of inhaling or exhaling. Breathing does both.

In prayer we encounter our living God. We address the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of Jesus. Our relationship with the Blessed Trinity needs to be nourished, purified, and corrected.

Types of prayer

In true prayer we begin to see and to view people, things, and events as God perceives them. There are, as we know, four categories of prayer: 1) adoration, 2) contrition, 3) thanksgiving, 4) petition or intercession. Usually we tend to combine together our adoration and thanks, our contrition and petition/supplication.

Prayer is a gift from God. Therefore we might think it should be easy for us to pray, but the reality is, it is difficult to pray. It takes time, training, exercise, and constant application.

Religious exercises a workout

Surrounding meditative and contemplative prayer are what the Church calls "religious exercises." Like any physical exercise they ready us for the workout. Prayer can be just that: a workout.

"Like many of you I try to adore God, give him thanks, and then when I think I have his attention I surface my request list. But God is fully aware of all our foibles and listens carefully to our real needs."

Oftentimes when I see runners limbering up by pushing and stretching their muscles or by running in place as they wait for traffic lights to change at intersections along their run, I think of prayer, of keeping in step and in good shape.

Spiritual exercises strengthen us and condition us for those beautiful moments of prayer with God. Prayer leads us to live holy and upright lives as we wait for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ at our personal death or at the end of time.

Getting ready for prayer

Contemplative prayer is one of the highest forms of prayer . . . prayer without words. Spiritual exercises done with care dispose us to enter into prayer, but they do not qualify as prayer as such.

For many years the Church seemed to offer a diet of devotions as prayer, but in more recent decades the Church has opened up her full treasury of prayer to all, not just religious and mystics but to all people.

Like many of you I try to adore God, give him thanks, and then when I think I have his attention I surface my request list. But God is fully aware of all our foibles and listens carefully to our real needs.

The Cross, the Eucharist

Prayer rules our minds and hearts, and ultimately leads us to the Cross.

Being realistic about prayer is truly helpful to our final journey.

We call the Mass the source and summit of our Christian life (Second Vatican Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #10) because in that prayer, we offer our surrender to God as a sacrificial act. That is why the prayers we use in preparation for the celebration of Euch-arist ought to be directed to the ultimate "breathing exercise" of prayer, which is submission to the will of God.

Prayer, then, truly is the breathing life of a Christian.

Reflections on the month past, the month ahead

As we close out the month of January, having celebrated Catholic Schools Week and National Pro-Life Day, I wish to express my thanks to those who work so hard in behalf of our Catholic schools and for the cause of respect for life.

Catholic Schools Week

This year we celebrated Catholic Schools Week with the theme "Where Faith & Knowledge Meet." I wish to express special thanks to our parents of school children, our pastors, faculty, and principals of our Catholic schools.

In a special way I wish to thank Dr. James Silver, diocesan Superintendent of Schools, and Mrs. Judy Peppard, Assistant Superintendent. We often take our schools for granted; yet they are maintained at a great sacrifice on the part of many. Special thanks to all.

National Pro-Life Day

Also in January we gathered locally and nationally in demonstration and prayer for the preservation and promotion of all unborn children. Pro-life groups on various levels spoke to the issue of human life. We decry the continuing decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, beginning with the 1973 decision on Roe v. Wade, which permits "abortion on demand."

Pro-life is our name and our cause, and my prayer is that those who favor abortion would call us by our right name: not anti-abortion, not anti-choice, but pro-life. Our name "pro-life" recognizes that we promote life from womb to tomb in the consistent ethic of life, to protect the unborn and the elderly, those in prison, the handicapped, and anyone whose life is threatened for any reason.

Prayer vigils, talks, and speeches reach out to educate our nation on how and why we must defend the most defenseless — the unborn -- and strive to move the hearts of those who permit and promote abortion to see it for the evil it truly is. Thanks to all who work so hard, effectively and peacefully in behalf of the unborn.

Catholic Press Month

February will see us observe Catholic Press Month. We owe much to our Catholic Herald board, editor, and staff for the printed (and online) word each week. Like so many worthwhile projects, it takes time, planning, and genuine hard work to get Catholic news to our people.

Lent: Time for conversion

Also in February we will begin the celebration of Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 13^th.

Pope John Paul II teaches, "Lent, the providential time for conversion, helps us to contemplate this stupendous mystery of love. It is a return to the roots of our faith, so that by pondering the measureless gift of grace, which is Redemption, we cannot fail to realize that all has been given to us by God's loving initiative.

"In order to meditate upon this aspect of the mystery of salvation, I have chosen as the theme for this year's Lenten Message the Lord's words: 'You received without paying, give without pay' (Mt 10:8)."