The Spirituality of Prayer.

Prayer is always God’s initiative. It is our response to God’s loving presence in our lives, which shows
itself in so many different ways. Sometimes we catch only the faintest glimmer of that presence.
Perhaps at first we don’t even recognize that it is God. But when we strive to be open and listen
carefully, we can, just like Samuel, enter into an authentic dialog with God. We call this dialog prayer.
It involves talking and listening. It is spontaneous and is fed by a mutual desire to engage one
another at deeper levels. A disposition of openness to the sacred and a listening spirit are the first
steps toward entering into a truly prayerful dialog with God.

Someone who prays does not flee from reality; rather, he opens his eyes for reality as a whole. From
Almighty God himself he receives the strength to cope with reality. Prayer is like going to a gas
station where we get free fuel for our long journeys and extreme challenges. Praying does not lead
out of reality but, rather, deeper into it. Praying does not take time away from other things but,
rather, doubles the remaining time and fills it with intrinsic meaning (YouCat # 509 ).

What is Prayer?
Prayer is defined in so many ways:
Prayer is a dialogue with God.
Prayer is a time of fellowship with God.
Prayer is the power of God through man.
Prayer is being in God’s presence.
Prayer is finding the mind of God and agreeing with Him. Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and
heart to God. Prayer enables us to see, to feel and to love as God do.

The Youth Catechism defines prayer as: the turning of the heart toward God. When a person prays,
he enters into a living relationship with God (YouCat # 469, CCC# 2558-2565). Prayer is the great
gate leading into faith. Someone who prays no longer lives on his own, for himself, and by his own
strength. He knows there is a God to whom he can talk. People who pray entrust themselves more
and more to God. Even now they seek union with the one whom they will encounter one day face to
face. Therefore, the effort to pray daily is part of Christian life. Of course, one cannot learn to pray in
the same way one learns a technique. As strange as it sounds, prayer is a gift one obtains through
prayer.

From the writing of the Saints, we find these on prayer:

“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.” ST. THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX (1873-1897).
“Do what you can, and pray for what you cannot, and so God will grant you the ability to do it.” ST.
AUGUSTINE (354-430)

Why do we Pray?
What prompts a person to pray? We pray because we are full of an infinite longing and God has
created us men for himself: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (St. Augustine). But we
pray also because we need to; Mother Teresa says, “Because I cannot rely on myself, I rely on him,
twenty-four hours a day.” (YouCat # 470 ; CCC# 2566-2567, 2591).
Often we forget God, run away from him and hide. Whether we avoid thinking about God or deny
him —he is always there for us. He seeks us before we seek him; he yearns for us, he calls us. You
speak with your conscience and suddenly notice that you are speaking with God. You feel lonely,
have no one to talk with, and then sense that God is always available to talk. You are in danger and
experience that a cry for help is answered by God. Praying is as human as breathing, eating, and
loving. Praying purifies. Praying makes it possible to resist temptations. Praying strengthens us in
our weakness. Praying removes fear, increases energy, and gives a second wind. Praying makes one
happy.
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“They should seek God in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far
from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27).

MOTIVES and PURPOSES of PRAYER

For ADORATION of GOD Prov 15:8 - “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”
For CONTRITION: Mt 26:41 – “Be on guard, and pray that you may not undergo the test.” (NAB)
For THANKSGIVING: Eph 5:20 – “Give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For SUPPLICATION or PETITION Mt 7:7 - “Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock,
and it will be opened to you.” (NAB)
For INTERCESSION: 1 Tim 2:1 - “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them;
intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.”

WAYS of PRAYER
1. Oral Prayer
2. Meditation
3. Contemplative prayer
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in
secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Mt 6:6

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will.”
Mk 11:24

Learning from Jesus how to pray means entering into his boundless trust, joining in his
prayer , and being led by him, step by step, to the Father. [CCC# 2607-2614, 2621].

To learn from Mary how to pray means to join in her prayer: “Let it be to me according to
your word” (Lk 1:38). Prayer is ultimately self-giving in response to God’s love. If we say Yes
as Mary did, God has the opportunity to lead his life in our life. [2617-2618, 2622, 2674]
 “Where faith in the Mother of God declines, so does faith in the Son of God and in the
Father.” – LUDWIG FEUERBACH, (1804-1872), atheist philosopher

“Call on Mary with devotion, and she will not leave your needs unattended, since she is
merciful, indeed, the Mother of Mercy.” – ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX (1090-1153)

The ROSARY is the name of a set of prayer beads and the name of a devotional prayer that originated
in the twelfth century, particularly among the Cistercian and Carthusian monks, whose lay brothers
did not participate in the Liturgy of the Hours and had in the Rosary their own form of prayer (the
“Marian Psalter”). Later the Rosary was promoted by other religious orders, especially by the
Dominicans. The Popes have recommended this prayer again and again, and for many people it is a
beloved devotion.
The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth . . .
Against the background of the words Ave Maria the principal events of the life of Jesus Christ pass
before the eyes of the soul . . . At the same time our heart can embrace in the decades of the Rosary
all the events that make up the lives of individuals, families, nations, the Church, and all mankind:
our personal concerns and those of our neighbor, especially those who are closest to us, who are
dearest to us. Thus the simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.” POPE JOHN
PAUL II (1920-2005), October 29, 1978
Praying through the Stations of the Cross has traditionally been a popular method of contemplative
prayer. Christians simply pray through the various events surrounding Christ’s crucifixion”

PRAYING WITH SACRED SCRIPTURE THROUGH LECTIO DIVINA:

Lectio Divina is a Latin word that means “divine reading” or “Holy Reading”. It is a method of
prayer and scriptural reading. This method of prayer intends to promote:

Communion with God

B. Provide an outlet of reflection and insight for the word of God.
C. It promotes a way of praying with the Scriptures that calls one to study, ponder, listen and
finally, pray from God’s word.
To benefit from the reading of scriptures one must read them with attention, constancy, and prayer.
Origen (220 AD) also emphasized the value of reading scriptures with attention to possible
different levels of meaning.

1. Lectio or Reading
2. Meditatio or Meditation
3. Oration or prayer (response)
4. Contemplatio or Contemplation
5. Actio or Action