Unit 1 Prayer Lesson 4 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

 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 Forms of Prayer

 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

 Litanies: a series of prayers, both invocations and responses, which can be done either communally or privately Litanies:  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.” Traditional Catholic Prayer Practices

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

Where do you remember Scripture being used in the Mass??? __________________ __________________

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

The constant theme in Scripture is that God’s relationship with his people is one of prayer.

More Ways to Pray…. “You’ve Got !”  is our current method for communication between people in a formal setting.  But have you ever considered what an to or from God might look like???  Bruce Almighty - s from God Bruce Almighty - s from God  Write an to God sharing something that is troubling you at this time.  Take the place of God and imagine what He might say in response to you.  Then type the as if you were He.

More Ways to Pray… “In the News”  Select an article from a newspaper or magazine (online or hard copy) about people or events that need prayer.  Read the article and determine what you personally can do to help the people or event mentioned. This might be a concrete thing, or simply remembering it in prayer.  Write a summary of the article and then write a prayer for the person(s) affected.  Pay it Forward - How will you change the world? Pay it Forward - How will you change the world?

More Ways to Pray… “God at Work in my Family”  Have you ever looked at your family and thought that you could see God at work?  Spend some time reflecting on what each member of your family might need or benefit from about which you could be of assistance.  Imagine That - "How to Sing" Imagine That - "How to Sing"  Take time to do what you can to help that family member out: do dishes for your mom, take out the trash for dad, fold the laundry or feed the dog for your sibling etc…  Then write a prayer for each person, blessing the work they do to help make your family successful

More Ways To Pray… Write Your Own “Name” Prayer  Using the first letters of your name type a short prayer – save and send to OneNote labeled “Name Prayer” in the homework subpage for 20 points.  These should be creative and thoughtful and you should add something (such as drawings, illustrations, clip art, etc…to make yours unique)  We will share them with the class  See examples next slide!

Name PrayerName Prayer