Learning how to pray

What is prayer?

“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the petition of good things from him in accord with his will.” (CCC 2590)

Prayer is best described as the soul’s yearning to be in communion with its Creator. This yearning is the call of the heart to be in relationship with God, not just in moments of need, but for the duration of the life God gives to us in this world, in preparation for our life in his eternal kingdom.

We may seek communion with God for many reasons: to ask him for guidance over a decision or to discern a vocation, we may need his help with a difficult problem, or we may seek his healing or protection. Sometimes we offer thanksgiving and praise for his blessings and favour. It may be a combination of some, or of all these reasons, whatever it is, we should remember that it is not us who initiates the relationship, it is God who seeks our hearts and our love.

He is always waiting for us to come to him, from the moment he knits us together in our mother’s womb, to the moment we draw our last breath. God, in his infinite love and mercy for us, uses the events and circumstances in our life to draw us closer to him so that through this loving relationship, we are not only transformed and restored to new life, but we cooperate in doing his will, to accomplish his plan for our life and the world.

When we pray, we are taking ourselves away from the busyness of everyday life to a quiet place to be still in the presence of God, to open our hearts to his love. As with all relationships, we must be committed to spending time with God, in prayer and in silence. We cannot expect to get to know and to love God if we are not making time for God in our day, every day. This may require us to make sacrifices in terms of our time, which is not always easy, but is achievable, knowing that our effort is never unrewarded and that this most important of relationships, is essential to having a fulfilling life, not only for the present time but for eternity.

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Where do I start?

Begin by seeking God’s presence at the start of your day through morning prayers, offer him all your thoughts, words and actions. Speak to him throughout the day, from your heart, ask him to direct your steps. In the evening, thank God for all he has done for you throughout the day. Loving relationships are built, nurtured and strengthened by continuous communication and a willingness to be with one another.

There are many ways to pray, and in the tradition of the Catholic Church we are blessed with so many devotions and prayers to help us in our journey of faith, like the holy mass, the rosary, morning and evening prayer and lectio devina (meditating on Scripture), to name a few.

As you progress in your daily prayer life, ask God to show you where you failed him or how you could have done things better. Pray for the courage to do his will and to accept what he wants for your life in every moment. Ask him to show you where you need to grow and develop certain gifts and virtues so that he can use you to bring others to know and love him. By giving time to God each day in prayer we can be confident that he hears us, that he is with us and that he is always willing to help us, because he loves us and wants to give us his best. He wants to give us himself.

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What does Jesus tell us about prayer in the Bible?

Jesus taught to his followers to have faith! Believe that what you ask for in prayer will be given to you. “And if you have faith, everything you ask for in prayer you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

He also taught them to pray in secret. Prayer is personal, it often concerns personal matters and can sometimes be of a sensitive nature. In building our relationship with God, and while we can pray collectively in groups, Jesus tells us that we need time away from the crowd to be alone with God.  In the Gospels, Jesus often goes away by himself to pray, particularly at all the key moments in his life and ministry. Let us be guided by Jesus’ example and pray to God each day for our needs. “But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

Jesus also gives an outline for the perfect structure of prayer in ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ (the Our Father). We acknowledge our Father in heaven, that he is sovereign, almighty, all-powerful; we pray for the advancement of his kingdom; we pray for his will to be done; we pray for his provision; we ask for his forgiveness; we pray for compassion and love; we pray for God’s protection. Notice how this seemingly simple prayer, helps us to acquire all that is necessary to live a holy and God-centred life!

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, may your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test, but save us from the evil one.”  (Matthew 7:9-13)

Jesus also encouraged perseverance in prayer, to pray continually and to never lose heart. If we love God, we trust in him and in his will for our life, no matter how hard it gets or no matter how long we have to wait, we are encouraged to persevere in prayer until we achieve our victory! “Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them?” (Luke 18:7)

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God’s command to love

God has given us the gift of free will, but he has also given us the greatest commandment of all. As Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30-31, we are called to love: to love God first and to love our neighbour. This command to love is our mission, our invitation to know him, to love him and to serve him by loving others and serving others because we love God first. We cannot love God if we don’t know him. We cannot know God if we don’t make time to be with him. And we cannot be with God if we do not make him our priority every day.

‘The greatest commandment is “you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Developing a full and deep prayer life brings you into a loving, lasting relationship with an awesome, faithful, kind, merciful, living, loving God who will be there for you no matter what, who loves you despite your sinfulness and who wants the very best for you.

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A prayer for you

Loving Father, I come before you with an open heart. I want to know you, Lord. I want to be in a loving relationship with you as your son/daughter. Help me to set aside enough time in my day for prayer, to be with you, to hear your voice, to do your divine will, to love you.  Guide my heart and my words by the power of your Holy Spirit so that I may know when to speak and know when to listen.  Forgive me for all the times I have neglected to pray and help me to know that despite my weakness, and my sinfulness, you are always ready to listen whenever my heart calls out to you.

Our Father who art in heaven …
Mary my Mother, pray for me
St Joseph, pray for me.