A little bit of knowledge goes a long way...especially when it comes to prayer and Scripture. In fact, you don't need to have any hardcore theological training or lots of letters after your name to get a lot out of prayer. That said, actually studying the Bible - what Pope Benedict XVI calls the "soul of theology" - will put your prayer life on steroids (which is still legal). And a key to understanding Scripture is known as typology. ("Ty-what?") Typology is a 25 cent word that shows how the people, places and events of the Old Testament point forward to the people, places, and events of the New Testament. It shows connections. In this episode of The Art of Catholic, I share a personal experience from my meditations the other day in my parish's adoration chapel. I thought it a good example of how making connections (i.e. typology) in Scripture can really juice up your time with Our Lord. In this mini-cast, I'll focus in on the 5th Joyful Mystery (The Finding of Jesus in the Temple) and discuss: Parallels between Jesus and Solomon The importance of the theme of wisdom Connections between Our Lady and the Queen of Sheba The different levels of meaning of Temple and why Jesus went there as a 12 year old Why the Magi brought Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh Happy Advent! Merry (Almost) Christmas! Happy (Almost) New Year! Matthew Want to go deeper into prayer.  If you really want to understand the ins-and-outs of deep prayer: what it is, how to do it, the 3 Stages of the Spiritual Life, vocal, meditative, & contemplative prayer in the Catholic tradition - this is the book for you! "Matthew Leonard, in an engaging style, shows how ancient Catholic prayer traditions still meet the needs of today’s Catholics.”—His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington "We all need help to grow spiritually...Matt Leonard shows us the way." - Dr. Scott Hahn, author, speaker, and Professor of Scripture and Theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville Grab your FREE copy of my quick guide to deeper prayer 8 Ways To Jumpstart Your Prayer Life! It's an easy step-by-step guide to help you rocket to God! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't miss a show! Subscribe to The Art of Catholic by clicking this link and then clicking "View in iTunes" under the picture and then "Subscribe"!  Love the show and want more people to hear the Catholic faith? Leave a review by clicking here and then the "View in iTunes" button under my picture. This pushes the show up the rankings and puts it in front of more people. Android user? You can listen to The Art of Catholic on the Beyond Pod app from the Google Play Store.