Ch.

10: Prayer in the Life of a

Disciple of Christ
 An Invitation to Prayer
• Prayer is essential to
the life of a disciple.
• Jesus instructs us to
pray constantly.
• Sometimes God
grants us what we
wish and at others he
provides for much
deeper needs that we
ourselves do not
recognize.
 Defining Prayer

• There are several

definitions of prayer.

• Most essentially, prayer

is a relationship, our
response to God who
seeks us.
• Benefits of Prayer:
– Contributes to our sense of self-worth
– Leads to happiness
– Changes us
– Nourishes us in virtues
– Energizes, calms, and renews
– Heals
– Helps relieve anxiety
– Deepens our
relationship with the
Triune God
 How to Pray
Prayer is an act of love that can be enhanced by following “6 Ps”:
– place: find a place where you can be in God’s presence
– period of time: set aside a designated time for prayer
– posture: assume a posture that helps you be alert and
relaxed
– presence: remember that you are in God’s presence so that
you can be present to God
– passage: one common way to enter into prayer is to be begin
with Scripture
– persistence: strive to focus on prayer in spite of distractions
* Jesus is pleased that we want to pray, even if we are distracted. Any
effort at prayer is prayer itself.
 Expressions of Prayer

Vocal Prayer: Meditation: Mental Prayer:

conversing with or
prayer expressed prayerful
reflecting on God,
in words, we do reflection,
sometimes leading
as Jesus taught in especially on the
into
the Our Father Word of God in
contemplation
Scripture, using
(a form of silent,
our thoughts,
wordless prayer
emotions,
where we rest in
imaginations, and
God’s presence)
desires to “tune
into God.”
 Forms of Prayer
Scripture and Tradition have revealed several
normative forms of prayer, including:
• Blessing: we bless
God because he first
blesses us
• Adoration: giving
glory to God and
humbly
acknowledging that he
is the loving Creator
of everything
 Forms of Prayer
• Petition: asking God to
provide what we need
materially or spiritually
– contrition is a special
type of petition in which
we ask God for
forgiveness

• Intercession: a special
form of intercession that
we make on behalf of
others
• Thanksgiving: prayer of gratitude to God for all
that he has given us
– The Eucharist (which means “to give thanks”) is a
special prayer of thanksgiving that we offer with
Christ.

• Praise: acknowledges that God is God and gives

him glory
Traditional Catholic Prayer Practices
• Icons: when we pray before
icons (religious images
intended to direct our attention
to Heaven), we put ourselves
into the presence of the holy
person or mystery portrayed

• Prayer Before the Blessed

Sacrament: visiting the Lord
in the Eucharist or keeping a
holy hour
Traditional Catholic Prayer Practices
• Litanies: a series of
prayers, both invocations
and responses, which can
be done either communally
or privately
• Novenas: prayers offered
over nine days in order to
obtain special graces or for
particular intentions
• The Jesus prayer: “Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a
sinner.”
Praying with Sacred Scripture
• Many Catholic prayers come
from Sacred Scripture:
– prayers said at Mass
– psalms
– canticles
– popular prayers like the
Our Father, Hail Mary,
and Angelus
• The constant theme in Scripture
is that God’s relationship with
his people is one of prayer.
Models of Prayer in the Old Testament
• Abraham responded in obedience to God’s
call.
• Moses interceded with God for his people.
• The Chosen People prayed in the Temple
before the Ark of the Covenant.

• King David composed psalms, which

capture human emotion and glorify God.
• The prophets talked to God, interceded for
his people, and proclaimed God’s Word.
 Prayer in the New Testament

• Jesus learned to pray

from his mother and
from the Jewish
tradition, but…

• as the Son of God, his

prayer also came
from who he was.
The Gospels give many examples of Jesus at prayer:

– Jesus prayed for 40 days in the desert to prepare for his

ministry
– Jesus prayed before making important decisions like
selecting the Apostles
– Jesus prayed after performing miracles
– Jesus prayed before Peter confessed him to be the Messiah
– at the time of the Transfiguration
– Jesus prayed at the Last
Supper
– Jesus prayed in the Garden
of Gethsemane
– Jesus prayed on the cross
• Jesus also taught his
disciples how to pray
– in the Sermon on the
Mount,
– with the Lord’s Prayer,
and
– at all times.

• The New Testament

tells of other models
for prayer:
– the Blessed Mother
– the Apostles
– St. Paul
The Church Prays with Sacred Scripture
• The Church prays with
Scripture in numerous
ways:
– Mass and other
liturgies of the Church
– Psalms
– the Our Father
• Liturgy of the Hours,
the official prayer of the
Church, which offers
prayers, Scripture, and
reflections at set times of
the day:
– an hour of readings
– morning praises
– midday prayers
– vespers (evening
prayers)
– compline (short night
prayer)
• lectio divina (“sacred
reading”), devotional
reading aimed at meeting
God in Scripture, which
includes:
– reading (lectio)
– thinking (editation)
– prayer (oratio)
– contemplation
– resolution
 Two Special Prayers for
Jesus’ Disciples

The Lord’s Prayer

• the preeminent
Christian prayer, used
in all the sacraments
• has been called “a
summary of the
whole Gospel”
• Our Father: Jesus invites us to address God with the
intimate term Abba (Daddy)
• Who Art in Heaven: reminds us of God’s
transcendence
• Hallowed Be Thy Name: recognizes God’s holiness
• Thy Kingdom Come: we pray for Christ’s return and
live, experience, and work for the Kingdom
• Thy Will Be Done on Earth as
It Is in Heaven:
to do the Father’s will is to
join our will to his Son’s and
to participate in his ongoing
work of Salvation
• Give Us This Day Our Daily
Bread: requesting both
material and spiritual goods
and blessing that are
necessary for life
• And Forgive Us Our Trespasses as We Forgive Those
Who Trespass Against Us: to receive forgiveness we
must acknowledge our sinfulness and forgive others
• And Lead Us Not Into Temptation: we pray for the
strength to overcome difficulties that might steer us
away from Christ
• But Deliver Us From Evil: we pray that God will protect
us from Satan and evil in the world
The Hail Mary

• Next to the Our Father, the

Hail Mary is a favorite
Catholic prayer that calls on
Mary for her intercession on
our behalf.

• The Hail Mary helps the

Church remain in
communion with the Virgin
Mary, “to magnify the great
things the Lord has done for
her.”
• Hail Mary, Full of Grace: indicates that Mary was full of
grace, without sin, and blessed by God within her
• The Lord Is With Thee: God chose Mary, preserved her
from sin, and filled her with grace
• Blessed Are Thou Among Women: As the Mother of
God, Mary occupies a unique role in Salvation History

• Blessed Is the Fruit of Thy Womb,

Jesus: blesses Mary for her faith
in accepting God’s Word that she
was to be the Mother of God
• Holy Mary, Mother of God:
acknowledges that Mary is
the Mother of God because
she gave birth to Jesus, who
is both true God and true
man
• Pray for Us Sinners: We
acknowledge ourselves as
sinners and ask Mary to
intercede for us.
• Now and at the Hour of Our
Death: We ask Mary, who
remained with her Son to the
end, to do the same for us.