Christian Prayer Basics

Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.
— Matthew 11:28 DRA

What is prayer?

Lord, teach us to pray.
— Luke 11:1 DRA

Prayer has been defined as “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” (CCC 2559). It is the way we turn our attention to God, speak with Him, listen before Him, and enter more deeply into communion with Him.

We all know the difference between simply being in the same room with someone and being truly present to that person. God is always present to us. He knows us, loves us, and sustains us at every moment. In prayer, with humility and receptivity, we make ourselves present and attentive to Him.

But prayer is not merely a human initiative. It is first a gift of God’s grace. Grace is God’s free and undeserved gift, by which He makes us sharers in His divine life. When we pray, we respond in love to the God who has loved us first—and even that response is made possible by His grace.

Those of us who have received Christian Baptism—in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit—have been united to Christ and brought into a profound relationship with the Holy Trinity. Through sanctifying grace, God dwells within us. Prayer, therefore, is the deepening and living out of this relationship with the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

Authentic prayer must come from the heart. It can be expressed through words, thoughts, gestures, silence, and bodily postures. But if the heart remains far from God, the outward expression of prayer is empty (see CCC 2562).

Prayer, then, is communion and communication with God, who always reaches out to us first. The Lord desires to draw us into an ever deeper relationship with Himself.

Why is it necessary to pray?

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.
— John 15:4 DRA

Prayer is the lifeblood of the human soul. God made us, and we belong to Him. Whether we recognize it or not, we live and move and have our being in God, our Creator. Indeed, all creation depends upon Him. Every living thing receives its life from God, and even the rocks and dust of the earth owe their existence at every moment to His sustaining power.

But human beings are different from the rest of visible creation. We are intelligent and free. Because of this spiritual dimension of our nature, we are made not merely to exist in dependence upon God, but to do so intelligently and freely. It is not enough for us merely to be known by God; we should know Him. It is not enough merely to be loved by God; we should love Him in return.

So, to become all that God created us to be, we must pray. To live the fullness of life for which we were made, we must intentionally turn our minds and hearts toward God. Peace, wisdom, holiness, freedom from evil, and eternal salvation come ultimately from Him. Prayer opens us to receive His gifts and to live in communion with the One who alone can fulfill the deepest desires of the human heart.

For Christians, prayer also allows us to live more deeply from the gifts we have received through faith and Baptism. By God’s grace, we have been united to Jesus Christ, made children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, and members of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church. Through prayer and intercession in the Holy Spirit, the life of grace grows within us and we participate in Christ’s work of building the Kingdom of God.

God already knows the secrets of our hearts. He knows what we need before we ask Him. God does not need our prayer—we do. Yet in His providence, God has chosen to give many of His gifts in response to prayer. Jesus tells us, “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 DRA)

How do we pray?

I desire … that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men.
— 1 Timothy 2:1 DRA

We can turn our minds and hearts toward God almost anywhere and at almost any time. It is important to set aside periods devoted specifically to prayer, when we can give the Lord our full attention. But we can also pray while carrying out ordinary activities, especially tasks that leave our minds relatively free: walking, gardening, folding laundry, washing dishes, driving, or performing other routine work. Exercise and leisure can also provide opportunities for prayer.

But what do we say when we speak with God? Almost anything we could say to a loving father or a trusted friend. We can share our thoughts, anxieties, fears, hopes, sorrows, and joys. We can tell Him about our day. We can express love, praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving. We can ask for help in our bodily and spiritual needs, both for ourselves and for others. We can ask forgiveness for our sins.

And we should also learn to be silent before Him. Prayer is not only speaking but listening—becoming attentive to God, to His revealed Word, and to the movements of His grace within us.

Prayer is deeply personal, but human beings are also bodily and communal creatures who live within the physical world God created. Because we are bodily, it is fitting to pray using postures such as kneeling, standing, bowing, or raising our hands, and to make use of sacred images and sacramentals such as crucifixes, icons, candles, and holy water. Because we are communal, it is good to pray with others. And because creation itself reveals the goodness and glory of its Creator, prayer in the beauty and quiet of nature can also turn our hearts toward God.

Christian prayer should also be nourished by the Word of God. Jesus Christ Himself is the eternal Word made flesh, and meditation on His words, deeds, Passion, Death, and Resurrection stands at the heart of Christian prayer. Sacred Scripture is one of our principal means of encountering Him. By reading or hearing the Scriptures regularly, we learn to see reality more as God sees it and to love what He loves, so that our communion with Him grows deeper.

The Lord’s Day—Sunday—is especially set apart for Christian worship. Catholics ordinarily fulfill this above all by participating in the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Holy Mass (or Divine Liturgy in the Eastern Catholic Churches). In the Eucharist, we unite our prayer and our whole lives to the perfect offering of Jesus Christ to the Father, in communion with the whole Church. Most especially, we receive Christ Himself in Holy Communion when properly disposed to do so.

What are the different ways to pray?

I will meditate on thy precepts, and fix my eyes on thy ways.
— Psalm 119:15 RSVCE

As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.
— John 15:9 DRA

When we pray using spoken words, we engage in vocal prayer. We can use pre-written prayers, such as the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father”), the Doxology (“Glory Be”), or the biblical Psalms; or we can speak to God in our own words.

Both are valuable. Traditional prayers give us words when we have none and teach us how the Church has learned to pray. Prayer in our own words can help us speak openly and personally to God about what is happening in our hearts and lives.

Turning the attention of the mind and heart inwardly toward God is often called interior prayer or mental prayer. It can take many forms, but two of the most important are meditation and contemplation:

• Meditation is prayerful reflection on the truths God has revealed, the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Christian way of life, or even the created world, so that we may understand God’s truth more deeply, love Him more fully, and live according to His will. Meditation often makes use of Sacred Scripture, spiritual books, sacred images, or other helps. Reflection then gives way to conversation with the Lord and often to concrete resolutions about how we should live. The Holy Rosary and Lectio Divina are especially fruitful forms of meditative prayer.
• Contemplative prayer is a simple, loving attention to God—a gaze of faith upon Jesus Christ. It tends toward silence and uses few words, seeking simply to be with God, abide in Him, and rest in His presence. A crucifix, icon, or other sacred image may help draw the heart toward Him, but contemplation is fundamentally interior. Like all true prayer, it is ultimately a gift of grace, not merely a technique we master by our own effort.

Prayer in the communion of saints

Christians never pray alone. We are members of the Body of Christ and are united with our brothers and sisters in Him. We should pray for one another and ask one another for prayer, for “the continual prayer of a just man availeth much” (James 5:16 DRA).

This communion includes not only Christians living on earth but also the saints who have died and now live with Christ in heaven. It is therefore holy and fruitful to ask the saints in heaven to intercede for us before God.

Foremost among the saints is the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. For this reason, the Church especially honors her and confidently asks for her intercession. The Angelic Salutation, commonly called the Hail Mary, is the most familiar prayer by which Catholics ask for her prayers.

Liturgical prayer

There is also liturgical prayer, the official public worship of the Church. It includes:

• The Eucharistic Liturgy—Holy Mass or the Divine Liturgy—in which we participate sacramentally in Christ’s self-offering to the Father and receive the fruits of His saving work.
• The other Sacraments, through which Christ acts in His Church and communicates His grace.
• The Liturgy of the Hours, through which the Church sanctifies the hours of the day with prayer and enables us to pray in union with Christians throughout the world.

How can I grow closer to God over time through prayer?

Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
— Ephesians 6:18 RSVCE

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.
— Romans 8:26 RSVCE

Regular prayer is essential to the Christian life. If we want to grow closer to God, however, we must practice prayer with greater intentionality and perseverance.

It is helpful to establish definite times for prayer each day, especially in the morning and before bed. Those who are serious about growing in their relationship with God should also include a period of mental prayer in their daily routine. Ten to fifteen minutes is a good place to begin, and longer periods can become fruitful as the habit of prayer develops.

It can also help to establish a simple prayer corner in the home—a place with a Bible, a crucifix or sacred image, and perhaps a few trusted spiritual books. Having a dedicated place can make it easier to recollect ourselves and turn our attention toward God.

Unless prevented for a serious reason, Catholics are obliged to participate in the Eucharistic Liturgy on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Attending Mass on other days can also be a powerful way to draw more frequently into the mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection. Eucharistic Adoration likewise extends our worship of Christ in the Eucharist and gives us an opportunity to remain quietly in His presence.

We should also learn to pray throughout the ordinary events of the day—in our work, our duties, our leisure, and our moments of difficulty. Over time, this teaches us to live more continually in the presence of God.

Yet prayer is not primarily about mastering techniques or maintaining a schedule. What matters most is a heart turned toward God. As the Catechism teaches, “we pray as we live” and “we live as we pray” (CCC 2725). Growth in prayer cannot be separated from growth in the Christian life. Persistent sin and resistance to God hinder intimacy with Him; repentance, obedience, charity, and the practice of virtue dispose us to receive His grace more fully. Frequent Holy Communion and Confession help us with this.

A wise spiritual guide can also be a great help in learning the life of prayer. The spiritual life involves real struggle. We face distraction, discouragement, temptation, spiritual dryness, and our own weakness. We will sometimes fall and have to begin again.

But we do not fight alone. Prayer begins with God’s grace and is sustained by His grace. Our effort and perseverance are real and necessary, but it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength to pray, transforms our hearts, and draws us into ever deeper communion with the Father through Jesus Christ.

Your desire to pray is God’s invitation to live in friendship and communion with Him. Begin simply, pray faithfully, and persevere. The more you turn your mind and heart toward the Lord, the more He will draw you into His life, teach you to live as His child in the world, and prepare you for eternal life.

Written by Mark Hornbacher, M.A. Theology, Sacred Heart Major Seminary.
Copyright © St. Paul Street Evangelization, Inc.