Prime
Make prayer more meaningful
What you need to know:
SPIRITUAL GROWTH. St Augustine says prayer is the key to heaven. How does one make their prayer?
Prayer is an integral element of faith in God. “Prayer is the key to heaven”, says St Augustine. He teaches that we discover who God is through prayer than any other spiritual exercise. It is through prayer that the Holy Spirit works in us to expand our minds, our hearts, our imagination and our horizons.
Prayer permeates all forms of Christian worship. In the early Church worship was inseparable from doctrine as reflected in the statement: “lex orandi, lex credendi”, (the law of belief is the law of prayer). Christian prayers may be public prayers (for example, as part of liturgy) or private prayers by an individual.
Levels of prayer
Christian prayer consists of three levels: vocal prayer, meditation (inward prayer) and contemplative.
Vocal prayer or verbal prayer is recited with the lips or sung, usually according to some formula. When one of His disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), He taught them a very simple vocal prayer: the Our Father. Christians frequently recite other vocal prayers, like the Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, and the Apostles’ Creed.
The Church recommends that as we pray, we should strive to attend to the meaning of the words, appropriating it to ourselves with all possible fervor and earnestness. This means, a few short vocal prayers well said are far more acceptable to God than a great many long ones recited without attention or dedication. During the recitation of our vocal prayers, we pause at short intervals to reflect either on their meaning or on some supernatural truth.
Meditate
It is also useful in using the prayers of our prayer book, to read them slowly and deliberately, making practical reflections on their contents, or pausing from time to time to meditate a little and apply the words of the prayers to our own situation or needs. Though mere mortals, we can presume to draw near and speak boldly to God. This was the kind of attitude that Abraham exhibited as he pleaded to God for Sodom and Gomorrah. (see Genesis 18:20-32).
Christian meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts (such as a bible passage) and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God. It does not treat scripture as texts to be studied, but as the living word. The process is also known as “Lectio Divina”. Among Roman Catholics, meditation on the Rosary is, yet, another very popular and widespread scripture-based spiritual practice.
Contemplative prayer is said to be the highest form of prayer. It aims to achieve a close spiritual union with God (mystical). One must clear the mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may more easily be heard and that one may be united with the “divine spark” within. Divine spark refers to our being created in the image of God, hence, imbued with a spark of divine life. Contemplative prayer is a necessary practice if one desires to become more like Christ.
God is our parent
The “Our Father Prayer” recalls the New Covenant by which we are made children of God in Christ Jesus. Through the Spirit given to us in Baptism, we can cry to Him as our Father, knowing that when we call He will answer.
“God is a Father who never ignores his children when they call to him in times of suffering, loneliness and despair, says Pope Francis.
Jesus promised that His Father would grant us whatsoever we should ask in His name, because He purchased for us all the graces of salvation with His most precious blood. Our prayers should, therefore, have reference, either directly or indirectly, to our salvation or the salvation of others.
QUOTES ON PRAYER
God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions. You can bring everything to him in prayer. Rick Warren
Don’t think of the things you didn’t get after praying. Think of the countless blessings God gave you without asking. Anonymous
