Prayers
"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."
- CCC, no. 2558, citing St. Thérèse of Lisieux,
Manuscrits Autobiographiques, C 25r
Manuscrits Autobiographiques, C 25r
Prayer is a vital and personal relationship with God. It requires faith and nourishes faith. Faith that by putting our trust in God, His love and mercy will guide us through our lives and though his grace allows our faith to grow, bringing us to a personal relationship to Christ.
It is important to dedicate time to prayer, preferably a regular time each day, in order for this relationship to develop. When one gives God time for prayer, He will give time to you for your other responsibilities.
The disciples were so impressed with Jesus' dedication to pray that they asked him to teach them to pray (Lk 11:1). In the Gospel of Matthew he instructed them not to pray as hypocrites or unthinkingly, but to pray with simplicity of words and confidence in the Father and giving them what we now call the Lord's Prayer. (cf. Mt. 6:5-15; 7:7-11).
Prayer requires time, attention and effort. The liturgy is central to a Catholic's prayer life. But by supporting the messages and prayers in mass are a wide range of personal prayer and meditations that makes us attentive to God's presence and shows us ways to be of greater service to God and others.
The Basic Ways of Praying:
Adoration: We acknowledge that God is our Creator and we adore Him from whom all blessings flow.
Petition: We acknowledge how much we depend on God to meet our needs and wants, including forgiveness and persistence in seeking him.
Intercession: Prayers we make on the behalf of others.
Thanksgiving: We are called to thank God for all the gifts we have received, all our joys and sorrows, which, through love work toward our benefits.
Praise:"Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God...It shared the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory" (CCC, no. 2639)
Expressions of Prayer:
Vocal Prayer: Spoken and sung prayers, complemented by bodily gestures such as the Sign of the Cross, genuflection, kneeling, and bowing.
Meditative Prayer: We use our mind to ponder the will of God in his plans for our lives. It is meant to deepen our faith, change our hearts, and to strengthen us to do God's will.
Contemplative Prayer: It is a time of silent stillness, to hear and obey God's Word with love.
It is important to dedicate time to prayer, preferably a regular time each day, in order for this relationship to develop. When one gives God time for prayer, He will give time to you for your other responsibilities.
The disciples were so impressed with Jesus' dedication to pray that they asked him to teach them to pray (Lk 11:1). In the Gospel of Matthew he instructed them not to pray as hypocrites or unthinkingly, but to pray with simplicity of words and confidence in the Father and giving them what we now call the Lord's Prayer. (cf. Mt. 6:5-15; 7:7-11).
Prayer requires time, attention and effort. The liturgy is central to a Catholic's prayer life. But by supporting the messages and prayers in mass are a wide range of personal prayer and meditations that makes us attentive to God's presence and shows us ways to be of greater service to God and others.
The Basic Ways of Praying:
Adoration: We acknowledge that God is our Creator and we adore Him from whom all blessings flow.
Petition: We acknowledge how much we depend on God to meet our needs and wants, including forgiveness and persistence in seeking him.
Intercession: Prayers we make on the behalf of others.
Thanksgiving: We are called to thank God for all the gifts we have received, all our joys and sorrows, which, through love work toward our benefits.
Praise:"Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God...It shared the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory" (CCC, no. 2639)
Expressions of Prayer:
Vocal Prayer: Spoken and sung prayers, complemented by bodily gestures such as the Sign of the Cross, genuflection, kneeling, and bowing.
Meditative Prayer: We use our mind to ponder the will of God in his plans for our lives. It is meant to deepen our faith, change our hearts, and to strengthen us to do God's will.
Contemplative Prayer: It is a time of silent stillness, to hear and obey God's Word with love.
Pray in order to Believe,
Believe in order to Pray
Believe in order to Pray
"Where does prayer come from...In naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain." (CCC, no. 2562)
Reflections gathered from United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Copyright 2006, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.
Reflections gathered from United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Copyright 2006, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C.