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. |
Prayer is often misunderstood. Scripture says in Romans 8:26, "we do not know how to pray as we ought." Below are three paragraphs from the Catechism that I think will help begin one to understand prayer. For excellent teaching on prayer read Part Four - Christian Prayer from the Catechism. (after reading that page you'll need to hit next to continue reading)
2559"Prayer is the raising of
one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from
God." But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and
will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? He
who humbles himself will be exalted; humility is the foundation
of prayer, Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how
to pray as we ought," are we ready to receive freely the gift of
prayer. "Man is a beggar before God." (CCC)
2562 Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in
words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source
of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most
often of 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)
2650 Prayer cannot be reduced to the spontaneous outpouring of
interior impulse: in order to pray, one must have the will to pray. Nor is
it enough to know what the Scriptures reveal about prayer: one must also
learn how to pray. Through a living transmission (Sacred Tradition) within
"the believing and praying Church," the Holy Spirit teaches the
children of God how to pray. (CCC)
The highest form of prayer is the Sacred Liturgy, the Mass. Vatican II document on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium says, the liturgy by it's very nature is far superior to any devotional prayer. (Cf. SC13) "Every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree." (SC7) So daily Mass is highly recommended if possible. If not, maybe try to at least read the daily mass readings from USCCB, EWTN, or Universalis.
The second highest form of
prayer is the Liturgy of the
Hours.
A good resource to keep up with the daily Mass readings and some Christian prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours is a magazine called the Magnificat.
Next would be the rest of the
Catholic Devotions.
The
Divine Mercy Chaplet
The
Rosary
