Seeking Interior Healing Through Prayer
Mary Shaffer, Instructor
This class is being offered in person and virtually. Each week, class recordings and outlines will be posted on this page for those participating remotely.
When: Tuesday evenings, February 24-March 31 (6 weeks), 6:30-8:30pm
Where: St. Anne's in Somerset (141 Church Hill Rd, Somerset, WI 54025)
Who: Adults (or older teens accompanied by a parent) seeking interior healing (Christian/Catholic)
What: A 6-week class offering practical guidance on how to seek emotional/spiritual healing through one's personal prayer.
Cost: Pay as you're able, suggested donation $60-$120
When Christians seek healing for emotional wounds, they often hope for a sudden, miraculous cure. Mary Shaffer argues that "miracles" of interior healing should not be compared to biblical physical healings, but rather to the ever-deepening process of conversion and spiritual growth. St. John of the Cross helps us understand why interior healing must be gradual: when an area of the heart is in darkness, any amount of light blinds (painfully!) eyes that are not adjusted to it. In his mercy, Jesus approaches our spiritual caves, chasms, and prisons only as quickly as our eyes can adjust to his light. This class offers Catholic theological perspectives on suffering, freedom, trust, and vulnerability that form a foundation for letting the Divine Physician touch our interior wounds with his healing love.
6:30pm - lecture
7:30pm - discussion
7:50pm - break
8:00pm - 30 minutes of silent prayer
Week 1: Intro - Let In that Blinding Light
Week 2: Evil - Why God Allows (Wills?) Suffering
Week 3: Trust - Control, Surrender, and Responsibility
Week 4: Defenses - Walls that "Protect" Us From God
Week 5: Intimacy - Letting Yourself Be Seen
Week 6: Virtue - The Habit of Being Free