Questions About Christian Prayer
Christian prayer is the subject of the fourth part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, from number 2558 to 2865. This part has two main sections: prayer in Christian life, and the Lord's prayer “Our Father! “, through the seven requests. Now, let's go deeper into the discovery of christian prayer with Hozana.
What is Christian prayer?
In the Catechism of the Church, we can in particular see that prayer is:
“a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” (No. 2558)
“Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” (No. 2559)
“Humility is the foundation of prayer” (No. 2559)
Prayer is seen as a covenant because “it is the heart that prays” (No. 2562)
“Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man.” (No. 2564)
Prayer is seen as a communion, where we are “in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him.” (No. 2565)
“Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his Body.” (No. 2565)
Prayer is “as a reciprocal call between God and man.” (No. 2591)
Prayer also goes hand in hand with the liturgy: “The liturgy is also a participation in Christ's own prayer addressed to the Father in the Holy Spirit. In the liturgy, all Christian prayer finds its source and goal. Through the liturgy the inner man is rooted and grounded in “the great love with which [the Father] loved us” in his beloved Son.” (No. 1073)
A form of expression of the interior penance of the Christian (No. 1434).
Jesus at the center of Christian prayer
The center of Christian prayer is Christ: “The name of Jesus is at the heart of Christian prayer. All liturgical prayers conclude with the words “through our Lord Jesus Christ”. The Hail Mary reaches its high point in the words “blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” The Eastern prayer of the heart, the Jesus Prayer, says: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Many Christians, such as St. Joan of Arc, have died with the one word “Jesus” on their lips.”(No. 435)
Number 451 adds: “Christian prayer is characterized by the title “Lord”, whether in the invitation to prayer (“The Lord be with you”), its conclusion (“through Christ our Lord”) or the exclamation full of trust and hope: Maran atha (“Our Lord, come!”) or Marana tha (“Come, Lord!”) — “Amen Come Lord Jesus!” (No. 451).
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The great Christian prayers
We can highlight several great Christians prayers, such as:
Why pray?
To pray is simply to respond to God's call. Numbers 2567 and 2591 of the Catechism call man to prayer.
“God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer.” (No. 2567)
“God tirelessly calls each person to this mysterious encounter with Himself. Prayer unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation as a reciprocal call between God and man. ” (No. 2591)
In addition, praying is also part of the vocation of man to praise God. To this end, in addition to the Catechism, we can think of what Saint Ignatius said: “Man is created to praise, revere, and serve God” (principle and foundation of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius).
To pray is also to be faithful to one's baptism, Catechism number 2340 tells us: “Whoever wants to remain faithful to his baptismal promises and resist temptations will want to adopt the means for doing so: self-knowledge, practice of an ascesis adapted to the situations that confront him, obedience to God's commandments, exercise of the moral virtues, and fidelity to prayer.” (No. 2340).
How to pray
Through the teaching of Jesus to his disciples, number 2621 of the Catechism shows us how to pray: “pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness” (No. 2621)
Asking how to pray also entails other questions, which can be found in our other articles:
Can you pray for yourself?
Can you pray to the Saints and Mary?
How to pray with the Bible?
What forms of prayer are there?
The Catechism deals with five forms of prayer: blessing and adoration (numbers 2626 to 2628), prayers of petition (numbers 2629 to 2633), prayers of intercession (numbers 2634 to 2636), prayers of thanksgiving (numbers 2637 to 2638), and prayers of praise (numbers 2639 to 2643).
What expressions are used in Prayer?
In the third chapter, entitled The Life of Prayer, of the fourth part of the Catechism (Christian prayer), Article 1 mentions the expressions of prayer, among which are vocal prayer, meditation, and prayer.
Vocal prayer recalls that “by words, mental or vocal, our prayer takes flesh.” (No. 2700).
Meditation can be accompanied by Holy Scriptures, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day, writings of the Spiritual Fathers, works of spirituality, mentioned in particular in number 2705 of the Catechism.
In number 2707, the diversity of meditation methods and the importance for a Christian to “meditate regularly” are highlighted.
Finally, contemplative prayer is the last form of prayer discussed, from numbers 2709 to 2724. It is described in particular as “listening to the Word of God”, “silence”, “union with the prayer of Christ”, “communion of love carrying Life for the multitude”. It is also defined by this well-known illumination by Saint Teresa of Avila: “An intimate trade of friendship where we often talk alone with this God whom we know to be loved”.
Place and frequency of prayer
Where to pray?
Numbers 2691 and 2696 of the Catechism deal in particular with the question of places favorable to prayer.
Number 2691 says: “The church, the house of God, is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community. It is also the privileged place for adoration of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.” For personal prayer, this same number also gives the example of a “prayer corner with the Holy Scriptures and icons” and a “small oratory” for a family. We can also remember God's word, which says: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 16:24).
The two numbers of the Catechism mentioned above also recall the importance of pilgrimages and shrines, as a time for renewal of prayer.
Number 2696 gives an excellent summary of places for prayer: “The most appropriate places for prayer are personal or family oratories, monasteries, places of pilgrimage, and above all the church, which is the proper place for liturgical prayer for the parish community and the privileged place for Eucharistic adoration.” (No. 2696).
When to pray?
There is no precise answer to this in the Catechism, but several invitations.
The first invitation is participation in the Sunday Eucharist, which is “sanctified mainly by prayer” (No. 2698).
The same number, 2698, recalls that in addition to the Sunday Eucharist, the Church also offers the faithful daily rhythms of prayer, as with the Liturgy of the Hours.
To go further on these questions, we invite you to read our article entitled “How much time should be given to prayer?”
What stakes are involved in Prayer?
Fidelity
Number 2340 shows that one of the issues at play in prayer is fidelity: “Whoever wants to remain faithful to his baptismal promises and resist temptations will want to adopt the means for doing so: self-knowledge, practice of an ascesis adapted to the situations that confront him, obedience to God's commandments, exercise of the moral virtues, and fidelity to prayer.” (No. 2340).
A concept close to fidelity, the Catechism also evokes assiduity to prayer by repeating several passages from the Acts of the Apostles: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” (Acts 1:14)
Or in Acts 2:42 where the disciples “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42).
Perseverance
Prayer requires perseverance, especially when the praying person feels nothing. There are moments that lend themselves to prayer, and others that do not. The Catechism, at number 2098, takes up a sentence fromthe Gospel of Luke by saying “... they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1).
The purity of the heart
Prayer requires a certain disposition of the heart with Christ, namely to be not just in a relationship aimed at obtaining favors, but also in an attitude of giving thanks to the Lord, thanking Him, praising Him, and therefore, not only basing prayer on requests.
To go further in prayer, we invite you to consult our guide.
Let us become assiduous in prayer with Hozana!
In the image of the disciples, Mary and the women who were assiduous in prayer (Acts 1:13-14), let us ask God to help us to be faithful to prayer in order to remain in Him, and to walk in holiness.
For this, Hozana offers you several prayer communities, such as praying every day with the annotated Gospel, novenas, communities to receive a new prayer every day, and many other offerings.
