What is Prayer?

What is prayer? 

Prayer is the special word we give to the conversation we have with God. 

God wants to have a special friendship with us, just as He did with Adam and Eve. 

Just as we talk to and listen to our friends and family, we can talk and listen to God, who is our Heavenly Father and our friend. 

We can talk to God anywhere, anytime.

How do we pray? 

Jesus often went to quiet places to pray, to talk to His Heavenly Father.  In Luke 11:1, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray.  Jesus teaches them the prayer we call "The Lord's Prayer" or "The Our Father".  

In this prayer, Jesus teaches us that there are four main types of prayer: 

Adoration 

Contrition 

Thanksgiving 

Supplication 

All of the other prayers we learn, which are passed down in the Church's tradition and from saints, teach us how to pray, too.  

These prayers teach us so we can learn how to speak to God with our own words. 

How does God speak to us? 

God speaks to us in His Word, the Bible.  He is the Divine Author, and the words of Scripture are alive!  Try "Lectio Divina". 

God speaks to us through the Mass - the prayer and the actions.  Go to Mass and let God speak to you! 

God speaks to us through Sacred Music - the beauty, the sound, the words.  Listen to a Praise and Worship song.

God speaks to us in our minds - we may hear an inner voice, experience a feeling, recall a memory or a word, or have a song come to mind.  Ask God what He would like to say to you, and then sit quietly and see what He says.

God's voice is the voice of Love... so if it isn't good, true, beautiful, or loving, it isn't God! 

Why do we pray to Mary and the Saints? 

We can pray for our needs (that's called "petition") and for others' needs (that's called intercession).  

We can ask others to pray for our needs, too. 

We can ask family, friends, priests, and  teachers to pray for us. 

We can also ask other members of God's family to pray for us: Mary, Jesus' mother, plus the saints.  

We can use the words passed down to us, such as the "Hail, Mary", the Rosary, the "Memorare", the "Hail, Holy Queen", or novenas. We can even use our own words. 

Each of us has a Guardian Angel.  We can ask our Guardian Angel to pray for us, too!