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Living Prayer Lecture Series
Letting Go and Letting God – Fr Liam Finnerty, OCD

Saturday 4th December 2021, 10am- 12 noon. An online lecture from Boars Hill

“ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.“

Galatians 5:1

“How will a person brought to birth and nurtured in a world of small horizons rise up to the Lord, if you do not raise him by your hand which made him“.

St John of the Cross

During this weekend, we will explore the resistance which we put up, consciously and unconsciously to the loving inflow of God which alone can set the heart aflame with love. Our resistance can be in the form of the things – even good things, lesser loves – that enslave us no matter how insignificant they may appear. For St. Teresa they are like creatures that take over spaces that are not their own natural habitat (snakes and reptiles in the second dwelling place). For St. John of the Cross, the image he provides is that of a bird which as long as it is held down whether by a string or a rope, will remain unable to soar into the skies. This theme of enslavement and the need for freedom runs through Scripture. In the Gospels Jesus would use the metaphor of the grain that dies in order yield a rich harvest (John 12:24).

During this weekend you will learn how Carmelite saints have answered the questions central to human resistance to grace, that enslavement to lesser loves, and how these loves can be left behind; you will appreciate the role of prayer in severing the bonds of enslavement; you will learn how with the help of the Holy Spirit who inflames the willing soul with love for God, we can experience the greater love that empowers us to leave lesser loves behind.

Registration includes:

• two hours of live presentation.
• a month’s access after the live-presentation of the recorded video.

Fr Liam Finnerty, OCD

 Fr Liam Finnerty, OCD is a Carmelite priest and holds degrees in Theology and Social Work from Milltown Institute, Dublin and Glasgow University, respectively. Fr Liam has many years of experience in the retreat ministry and mentoring.