Connor McGurk
Staff Writer
A religious brother gave practical demonstrations of prayer to his audience at a workshop in the Gentile Gallery Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The workshop, given by Christopher Orante, MIC, a member of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, was entitled “Learning How to Listen to the Voice of God.” Orante said it is important to show people how to pray rather than just speak about how to pray.
“This isn’t really a talk,” said Orante. “Most times when people talk about prayer, they kind of just tell you how to do it, but they don’t show you. They don’t really walk you through it or help you grow in it.”
Orante said it is not always easy to experience the love of Jesus and it can be hard to talk to him since he is not physically visible.
Orante invited the audience to participate in three activities to help them listen to the voice of the Lord. First, Orante had the audience listen to a reading of 1 John 1:35-39. After that, he played a song by the Christian band Casting Crowns called “The Voice of Truth.” Finally, he showed a scene from the TV series “The Chosen,” in which Jesus forgives Mary Magdalene for briefly turning back to sin.
In between each activity, Orante invited the audience to keep a moment of silence to see if Jesus was speaking to them through the activity. He also encouraged the participants to share their experiences from those activities.
Orante said the relationship Jesus wants us to have with him is akin to a married couple.
“We are still part of the Church,” said Orante on men who might find this comparison awkward. “And the Church is the bride. … This isn’t some special thing for women. God wants to marry us. He wants that intimacy with each one of us. And that’s what we’re capable of. This is what prayer does for us.”