Let Us Pray

Prayer helps you to develop a loving and meaningful relationship with God. The Gospels report that Jesus went off alone to commune and pray with God, especially before key moments in his life. Jesus offered blessings, prayers and intercessions for others, and proclaimed various teachings and parables about prayer, including this:^*

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:5-8)

This passage leads us to ask, "What is prayer and what does it mean to pray?"

At its most elementary, prayer is having a personal, honest, intimate, and meaningful conversation with God, whose unconditional love desires, calls, and invites you into communion and friendship with God. You respond to this call with an attitude of love, trust, reverence, adoration, honesty, gratitude, dependence, and humility and with your mind and heart open, attentive, and centered on God. You share with God your desires, your fears, concerns and anxieties, your needs and the needs of others, your hopes and joys, and what you are grateful and thankful for. You forgive others and you acknowledge and repent of your sins and shortcomings. You ask for God's help, discernment, guidance, mercy, forgiveness, and grace.

Sometimes, prayer may not occur until you first recognize your own finiteness, limitations, and ultimate dependence and need for a "higher power"—for God—who stands and knocks at the door of your heart, waiting for you to open it and let God in. (See Revelation 3:20). Sometimes, your heart calls you to pray for the desire to pray; or ask "Lord help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24); or "Lord save me (Matthew 14:30); or "Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13); or cry out to God, "not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42); or "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

Most importantly, as with any meaningful relationship, you also need to spend time in silence, communing and resting with God, and listening to God speak to you. God always answers your prayers, not necessarily in the time or way you may want or expect. God's response is always with unconditional love and for your ultimate good. Sometimes, you may experience God’s voice directly and immediately present in your heart. Other times, requires you to engage in a committed process to discern God's will. In other instances, you discover God’s response unfolding over time and through the events or persons you encounter in your life.

Imagine having a personal conversation with your most trusted and best friend about something that is very important to you. How does the conversation proceed? Do you think your friendship would continue or deepen if you only talked about yourself all of the time, and you never listened or paid any attention to your friend or their concerns?

There are three, general kinds of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. These forms include personal and communal expressions, formal and informal paths, popular piety, and the liturgical prayer of the Church. We engage in vocal prayer when we offer our prayers orally, either individually or communally, such as during Mass or in a group ("For where two or three are gathered together in [Jesus'] name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20)).

In meditative prayer, we use our thoughts, emotions, imagination, and desires to deepen our faith and to discern God’s will and plan for us. We may do this through the use of aids such as Sacred Scripture, the Rosary, Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic devotion, creation, nature, sacred writings. icons, liturgical texts, mantras, Stations of the Cross, pilgrimages to sacred sites, novenas, litanies, and other resources. There are many methods of meditative prayer, with the most prominent being the Lectio Divina, Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and the Franciscan spirituality of simplicity, humility, and gratitude for God's presence throughout creation.

In contemplative prayer we rest in the silence of our heart, mind, and soul and attentively offer our presence to God in love, humility, and devotion, and consent to God to transform us to become the person God intends for us to become, as exemplified in Jesus Christ, the human face of God for us. It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20).

A basic prayer practice, whether you are praying individually or called to offer a prayer as part of a group, could include the following elements: adoration (e.g. we glorify God simply for who God is, such as the "Creator of heaven and earth"); petition, also called supplication" (we "cry out" or call upon God to provide for our needs, recognizing our dependence on God); repentance, also called confession (we ackowledge, confess, and repent of our sins and the need for God's mercy and forgiveness); intercession (we request God to provide for the needs of others), thanksgiving ("In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18); and praise (we praise God for being God). Sometimes you will see this prayer format identified by the acronym "ACTS" (Adoration, which is combined with Praise, Confession instead of the term repentance; Thanksgiving, and Supplication, which combines petition and intercession).

Next time someone in a group asks you to pray, and you do not feel confident to pray extemporaneously using the above-described format, rather than declining, take a breath and begin to pray the Lord's Prayer—"Our Father. . ."—and everyone will join in. What better prayer can you say than the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples and us to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). Alternatively, you could start praying a "Hail Mary" or a "Glory Be...and, again, everyone will join in.

Pray in Jesus' name. You may also call upon Mary, the Mother of God, the Communion of Saints, and others to intercede for you in your prayers. Even when we don't know how to pray as we ought, we can call upon the Holy Spirit to intercede for us with "inexpressible groanings...according to God's will" (Romans 8:26-27).

The best way to pray is to just do it. Prayer requires our time, commitment, and effort. Start your day with prayer, and continue to do it each day with consistency and persistence. Trust in God's unconditional love and mercy, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit to guide you. As you grow and deepen in your prayer life, every thought, word, and action will, with God's grace, be for the greater glory of God and lead you to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Articles about various prayer practices will be offered during Lent. In the meantime, follows are some videos, articles, and other resources for you to learn more about prayer, to guide you in praying, and to help you grow in a loving and deeper relationship with God:

VIDEOS

"What is Prayer? (Bishop Don Hying)

"Prayer" (Bishop Robert Barron)

"How Am I Suppose to Pray?" (Bishop Don Hying)

"Prayer" (Fr. James Martin, S.J.)

"Introduction to the Power of Prayer"

"The Five Forms of Prayer"

"Three Expressions of Prayer"

"A Users Guide on the Ways to Pray"

"The Nature of Meditation and Contemplation" (James Finley, Ph.D.)

MUSIC

See "Music" section of "Lenten and Easter Resources 2025"

OTHER RESOURCES

"Catholic Spirituality in Practice" (C21 Resources)

"A User's Guide on the Ways to Pray" (Vocationsnetwork.org)

"Frnciscan Spirituality"

"Ignatian Contemplation" (Fr. James Martin, S.J.) (video)

REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE

What practices help you pray?
Do you dedicate a particular time of day or place for prayer?
Do you focus on a verse from Scripture, an image or word, or hold a Rosary?
What else helps you pray?
How has prayer helped you to grow in your relationship with God and transformed your life?

*For example, see "Prayer in the New Testament" (Felix Just, SJ) and "30 Powerful Bible Verses About Jesus Praying".