Prayer

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Topics

What is prayer

• "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God."2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart?3 He who humbles himself will be exalted;4 humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought,"5 are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God."6

CCC 2559

types of prayer

• Praying

Matthew 7:7f

• Perhaps the most basic reason why many find it hard to believe in the efficacy of prayer is that often prayers don't seem to be answered. In such a case, it may be that we have not prayed very well. If we routinely mouth a formula, it is not prayer at all. If we pray without trust in God, our prayer will not be heard; for tuust is the essence of prayer. But even if our prayer is all that iit should be, the answer to it may not be evident. God always answers sincere prayer but not always in the way that we anticipate. He answers according to his own wisdom; Those who pray in humility and faith ofter receive very litteral and obvious answers.
• A more subtle reason why some do not believe in the power of prayer is the modern reluctance to believe that God intervenes to alter the course of Nature
• The Lord of nature can arange that nature itself, by its own workings, provide what we request.

references/resources

• Ignatian Spirituality.com
• Sacred Apace
• CCC Part IV on prayer
• Prayer Primer. Thomas Dubay