PRAYER

 

There are many ways to pray.  The basic forms of prayer are blessing, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. 

            Blessing God is a response to our being blessed by him.  It includes Adoration, which exalts the greatness of God and acknowledges our littleness.  It includes reverent silence.

            Petition expresses our awareness of dependence on God.  The first thing we ask is forgiveness of sins, as we do at the beginning of Mass.  Secondly, we pray for the coming of God’s kingdom, and that his will be done, not ours.  We might also ask for particular intentions.    

            Intercession is made on behalf of others.  In this we become imitators of Christ, who is “able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).  There are no boundaries to this prayer, for it encompasses the living and the dead, the Church and the world, and even our enemies.

            Thanksgiving celebrates what God has done, is doing, and will do.  It is a response to God’s saving grace.  The highest prayer of the Church is referred to as “Eucharist,” meaning “Thanksgiving” in the Greek language.  St. Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

            Praise is given to God because of who he is.  It comes from a soul moved by God’s infinite goodness and majesty.  This is one thing that we do here on earth that we will also do in heaven.  All the residents of heaven will praise God for all eternity.   

“In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12).

            Communal and personal prayer often mixes these basic forms of prayer.  The masters of the spiritual life, however, view contemplative prayer as the highest form of personal prayer, and it is experienced only by those who have achieved intimate union with God.  This may sound unreachable for the ordinary Christian, but St. Teresa of Avila wrote that “Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.” 

Prayer is contemplative when our hearts and minds become quiet and are centered only on God.  All agendas are set aside.  Words are not necessary.  It was exemplified by a parishioner of the famous Curé of Ars, St. John Vianney, who was asked what he was doing when he sat for hours in church, looking towards the tabernacle.  He said, “I look at him and he looks at me.”