Christian Prayer

The most common prayer

among Christians is the
Lord’s prayer, which is
according to the gospel
accounts (Mt. 6:9-13). It is
how Jesus taught His
disciples to pray.
The Lord’s prayer is a
model for prayers of
adoration, confession
and petition in
Christianity.
There are 2 basic setting for Christian Prayer

1. Corporate Prayer- (Communal Prayer)

A prayer shared within
the worship setting or
other public places.

These prayers can be forms written prayers

or informal extemporaneous prayers.
2. Private Prayer

- It occurs with the individual

praying either silently or aloud
within a private setting.
 It is central to Christian devotion.
 It is a means by which Christians

can express and share their

personal needs and struggles with
God as well as find the voice of God
and allow it to guide their lives.
 Significance of Christian Prayer
 Personal Prayer promotes a dynamic connection to
God in an adherents daily life.

 Helps to express liturgical and communal prayer as

it allows the individual to reflect on and embrace
the prayer at hand.

 Aids in making Christianity a genuine and

authentic religion, consistently personal among all
adherents.
TYPES OF PERSONAL PRAYER
There are several ways personal prayer can be
practiced in Christianity.

• VOCAL
• MEDITATION
• CONTEMPLATION

• There are some overlap between meditation

and contemplation, as meditation acts as the
foundations which contemplation extends off
of.
a.) VOCAL
 Vocal Prayer refers to types of prayers that can be
said aloud.
 They can be spoken, sung or recited.
 More traditional types of prayers include the Lord’s

prayer and the Hail Mary.

 They can be specific to certain saints or aspects of

life such as the prayers of St. Theresa of Avila or

Thomas Aquinas.
 Can be spontaneous and based on personal

experience
 Some follow certain formulas such as the Rosary

and its variations.

 The Nicene Creed is a prime example of a vocal

prayer.
“In Vocal Prayer, we speak to
GOD, in mental prayer He
speaks to us. It is then that
GOD pours Himself unto us.”

- Mother Theresa
The Nicene Creed History
 Constantine became the emperor of Rome
in 312 AD and promoted the Christian faith.
 Emperor Constantine convened the Council

of Nicaea in 325 AD with the purpose of

bringing unity to the unstable church.
 At the Council, the Nicene Creed was

established as an official statement of

Christian faith.
 At the First council of Constantinople in 381

AD, the Creed was revised.

 Nicene Creed Significance
 Today, the Nicene Creed is a regularly recited
prayer among Christian adherents.
 It is a statement of Christian faith, followed by

the majority of the main denominations those

being Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
Anglican, and Protestant Denominations.
 Pentecostalism does not recite the Nicene

Creed as they do not believe in the Trinity,

especially the concept of the Holy Spirit,
which the Nicene Creed highlights.
Nicene Creed Process and affect on adherent
 The Nicene Creed can be personally recited
as a prayer to God.
 It can be done alone but can be involved in

liturgical and communal ceremonies and

made personal if the adherent truly reflects
on the purpose and meaning of their prayer.
 Allows the adherent to establish and

maintain a relationship with the trinity in

which they can fully understand and express
their faith.
b.) CONTEMPLATION
 Contemplation is the concept of
opening ones heart and mind to God
and it is only achievable through
God’s own will.
 The purpose of Contemplative prayer

is for the adherent to forget external

concerns and to fully focus themselves
into understanding their relationship
with God.
 Hesychasm is a form of contemplative

prayer.
History of Hesychasm
 Hesychasm is an early form of
Contemplative prayer
 It was first practiced and taught

around the 3rd Century AD by the

Desert fathers which were early
Christian hermits, ascetics, and
monks, who lived in the Egyptian,
Palestinian and Syrian Deserts.
 The Greek word “Hesychia” means stillness or
silence.

 Hesychasm was concept of the Eastern

Orthodox church

 Influences the practice include in the 5th

Century monk Benedict of Nursia and
Evagrius Ponticus.
Significance of Hesychasm

 It
is a means by which a direct
connection with God can be achieved
by the practicer.

 Through this connection, a greater

knowledge and understanding of God
is attainable.
Hesychasm Process and affects on the adherent

 Itentails a complete restriction of

senses to achieve a sense of isolation
from worldly struggles.
 The affect of individual who practices

Hesychasm is a better established

relationship with God and a greater
sense of their beliefs and system of
faith.
c.) Meditation
 Meditation in Christianity is a form of personal
prayer utilized by an individual to reflect on and
process the revelations of God.

 It is the exercising of an adherents spiritual

being.

 The word meditation comes from the Latin word

“meditari” which means to reflect and learn.
 Lectio Divina is an example of Meditative prayer
Lectio Divina History
 Has its foundation in the teachings of
Orgen with his view of Scripture as a
sacrament in the 3rd Century AD.
 The Lectio Divina was made a practice

in Monasteries which followed the

order of St. Benedict during the 6th
Century AD and was originally
practiced in private.
 Vatican II contributed greatly to the

Lectio Divina being a prominent

Meditative prayer in Christianity today.
 Lectio Divina is similar to
Hesychasm as it involves revising
a phrase.
 Reading – a chosen scripture
 Reflecting – upon the meaning of
the passage
 Responding – with a prayer
 Resting – and meditating with the
word of God extracted from the
passage in mind.
 Lectio Divina is significant to Christianity as it
is a way believers can have a conversation with
God.

 The adherent is affected through connecting

to God in this way through mediating upon the
word of God.

 Lectio Divina was created in the Western

Church but the concept is relevant to any
denomination as it entails the selection of a
scripture passage relevant to that
denomination and drawing from it the word of
God.
 It
is a means by which a direct
connection with God can be
achieved.

 Through this connection, a

greater knowledge and
understanding of God is
attainable.