Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God to adore Him, to thank Him for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and without it no one having the use of reason can be saved.
In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is “the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit.” Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with Him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ. Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his Body. Its dimensions are those of Christ’s love.
“Prayer is the necessary and sure means of obtaining salvation, and [contains] all the graces we need to attain [salvation]…To save one’s soul without prayer is most difficult, and even impossible…but by praying our salvation is made secure, and very easy…If we do not pray, we have no excuse, for the grace of prayer is given to everyone…if we are not saved, the whole fault will be ours, because we did not pray.” ― Saint Alphonsus Liguori
Why should we pray? | WHY (1:46)
We should pray:
- With attention;
- With a sense of our own helplessness and dependence upon God;
- With a great desire for the graces we beg of God;
- With trust in God’s goodness;
- With perseverance.
12 Be joyful in your hope. Be patient in times of affliction. Persevere in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
Four Basic Forms of Prayer
1. Vocal Prayer
Reciting specific prayers such as the Our Father or the Hail Mary is vocal prayer. Saying the responses at Mass is also a form of vocal prayer.
2. Mental Prayer
A more advanced form, mental prayer is more like a conversation with God. It includes speaking to God and listening to Him in your heart.
3. Meditation
Christian meditation is prayerful reflection on some important truth of the Faith. You can meditate, for example, on a passage from the Bible or from another spiritual work in order to deepen your understanding of it.
4. Contemplation
In contemplation, you quiet your mind and heart and without words focus your loving attention on God, not unlike the way you would gaze into your beloved’s eyes.
You should strive to practice all these forms of prayer, because in the end, prayer is not for God’s benefit at all, but for ours. Through prayer we develop a relationship with God, and to be in relationship with God is what we are made for. The power of prayer can transform you into the best version of yourself―the person God wants you to be.
“Prayer is a friendly conversation with the One we know loves us.” ― Saint Teresa of Avila
“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.” ― Saint John Vianney
