Basic Forms of Prayer

Will you continue to dedicate a few minutes for prayer each day? Look for the commitment form below. Please print and return it to the parish office or bring it to Mass next weekend. Thanks you.

Blessing & Adoration In prayers of adoration we exalt the greatness of God, and we acknowledge our dependence on him in all things. Examples: The Gloria and the Act of Faith

Petition Outside of the Mass, prayers of petition are those with which we are most familiar. In them we ask God for what we need. Our prayers of petition should always include our willingness to accept God’s will, whether he answers directly or not.  Example: The Our Father

Intercessions the Catechism states, “Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did.” We’re not concerned with our needs, but rather the needs of others. We intercede through our prayers for our fellow Christians. Examples: Watch, O Lord (St. Augustine) & Prayer for Faithful Departed

Thanksgiving We thank God for the good things we experience daily. While Grace Before Meals is a common prayer of Thanksgiving, our habit should be to thank God throughout the day for the good things that happen to us and others. Suggestion: start by praying before meals.

Praise We acknowledge God for what he is. We express our love for God, the source of all love. Praise ‘lauds’ God for his own sake and gives him glory simply because HE IS! Examples: The Psalms as well as the Act of Charity

Expressions of Prayer

Vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life. Through his Word, God speaks to man. By words, mental or vocal, our prayer takes flesh. Yet it is most important that the heart should be present to him to whom we are speaking prayer: “Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of words, but on the fervor of our souls (CCC 2700).

Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain (CCC 2705). Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is a great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him (CCC 2708).

Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery (CCC 2724). Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy; we “gather up” the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed (CCC 2711). Catechism of the Catholic Church  http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm

Various Forms of Prayer are presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2623-2649). These various forms include prayer of blessing or adoration, prayer of petition, prayer of intercession, prayer of thanksgiving, and prayer of praise. USCCB

HSCP’s Commitment to Pray

Fr. Rudi reminded us to cry out to the Lord when we are in need. “The righteous cry out, the LORD hears and he rescues them from all their afflictions.” Psalm 34:18

He warned us to be mindful that the devil will try to attack our attempts to pray with various tactics. One of which might be, that we hear the devil tell us that God will not help us, won’t remember us; when we only call on him in need. As the scripture above states, God will hear our prayer and rescue us.

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

Pray Like a Saint – Matthew Leonard  featured on Formed.org