WHY DO WE PRAY? The Christian faith is to be believed, celebrated, and lived in an intense and personal relationship with the living and true God. Prayer is the place of covenant. It comes from the heart. CCC 2563: The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. Prayer is the habit of being in God’s presence (CCC 2565)

Matthew 7:7-8 The goal of our Christian life is not simply to say pious words. Our goal is to know the Shepherd! In prayer, we enter into a dialogue with the Lord. Prayers awakens us to God’s marvelous activity in our lives. Prayer deepens our friendship with the Lord and strengthens us for our journey to God.

HOW DID JESUS PRAY? Right after His Baptism he went on a 40-day retreat Prayed before selecting the Apostles Asked for Peter not to fall into temptation Luke 22:42 Luke 10:21 John 11:41 John 17 Luke 23:46

EXPRESSIONS OF PRAYER THEY HAVE ONE BASIC TRAIT IN COMMON: COMPOSURE OF HEART. THIS VIGILANCE IN KEEPING THE WORD AND DWELLING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD MAKES THESE INTENSE TIMES IN THE LIFE OF PRAYER (CCC 2699)

VOCAL PRAYER Our prayer takes flesh, by words (mental or vocal). We have a desire to involve our senses in our prayer, and translate our needs externally. Because it is external, it is most readily accessible to groups. Examples: Our Father Hail Mary Glory Be Petitions

MEDITATIVE PRAYER It is a journey. The mind seeks to find the why and how of Christian life. We focus on an object or idea to better understand who God is, and who we are. Engages thought, imagination, emotion and desire. This helps us to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt conversion of heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Examples: Lectio Divina Adoration Journal

CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER St. Teresa of Jesus says, “Contemplative prayer is nothing else than a close sharing between friends.” Spending time with God. It is the simplest expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a covenant relationship established by God within our hearts. It is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus. It is silence Examples: Eucharistic Adoration Sitting in the presence of God

FORMS OF PRAYER THE EUCHARIST CONTAINS AND EXPRESSES ALL FORMS OF PRAYER: IT IS "THE PURE OFFERING" OF THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST TO THE GLORY OF GOD'S NAME AND, ACCORDING TO THE TRADITIONS OF EAST AND WEST, IT IS THE "SACRIFICE OF PRAISE."

BLESSING AND ADORATION Blessing expresses the basic movement of Christian prayer: it is an encounter between God and man. In blessing, God's gift and man's acceptance of it are united in dialogue with each other. Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from evil.

PETITION we express awareness of our relationship with God. We are creatures who are not our own beginning, not the masters of adversity, not our own last end. The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another, Christian petition is centered on the desire and search for the Kingdom to come, in keeping with the teaching of Christ When we share in God's saving love, we understand that every need can become the object of petition.

INTERCESSION Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did intercession—asking on behalf of another—has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God's mercy. he who prays looks "not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do him harm The intercession of Christians recognizes no boundaries

THANKSGIVING Thanksgiving characterizes the prayer of the Church which, in celebrating the Eucharist, reveals and becomes more fully what she is. The letters of St. Paul often begin and end with thanksgiving, and the Lord Jesus is always present in it: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"; "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.“ (1 Thess 5:18; Col 4:2)

PRAISE Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY? Find a place— somewhere that you can slow down, relax, and focus your attention. You can designate a room/space in your house as prayer space. Find time— Prayer and the Christian life are inseparably linked. We should ‘pray always’, but we also should commit to a specific time where we are focused on prayer. Prayer is a habit. We learn to pray by praying.

Be relaxed but alert— prayer demands our attention. Find a body position that keeps you alert by helps you to relax. Have a proper attitude— Prayer helps us grow in friendship with God. Although He gives us the gift of wanting to pray, we have to do our part. Discipline, humility, trust in the presence of God, and perseverance are all necessary attitudes.