Reflection on The Shema Prayer

The Shema is the most important prayer in Jewish tradition, and is most likely the first words Jesus prayed as a child. It's composed of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41. This prayer points to the proper posture of a believer before the Lord: one of listening. Ultimately, the Shema is fulfilled by Jesus at His transfiguration. We invite you to listen to this teaching and reflection on this prayer by Fr. Frank Giuffre. Fr. Giuffre is the Chair of the Department of Sacred Scripture at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

We invite you to prayerfully ponder these Reflection Questions:

1. Hebrew, “shema” means “hear” or “listen.” Do I make time to hear God’s voice?
2. What sorts of things compete for my attention? Do they lead me closer to or farther away from God?
3. How can I make time this week to intentionally listen to God’s voice?

Download Reflection Aide HERE